Tent Trailer

Just bought this old tent trailer. Only information I can find is an old article in a 1975 Motorcycle magazine.I think its called a cycle sleeper and the manufacturer was Sleep-Pak from Arizona.
There is an amazing amount of talent and expertize here. The trailer looks dated. What would you do to bling this out.
After you finish laughing and wiping the tears from your eyes post your suggestions
Thanks

I know several people who tow tent trailers but they are doing it with Goldwings. I don't know if I'd want to add that much additional load on a Silverwing's brakes. On a Goldwing an emergency stop is stretched out a good bit with a trailer like that which has to weigh around 250-300lbs loaded for a trip. It's like putting three good sized people on a bike if you're traveling two up. Not so bad solo though. It might work well for you but before making a trip with it I'd sure want to load it up heavier than you would on a normal trip and test out the handling very carefully especially the ability to make a quick stop on a downgrade.

Thats cute! Just don't be tempted to over load with gear just because you have a trailer - if anything try to minimise even more!

I accompanied an 'associate' from the UK CX club on a trip to Europe, who, inspired by Goldwing Owners, decided that he could pull a trailer......

Whilst his poor bike managed it, his failure to ensure that it and the trailer were in good working order and more importantly packed correctly led us to travel most of the first day at no more than 50mph. Eventually, I and the other pilot pulled him over and had a look in the trailer. The first thing we moved was a hugh great 12volt car battery which he had 'sensibly' stuck right at the back along with a gas cylinder and a cooker. We re-arranged the load with the heavy items over the trailer balance point and it improved the handling if not the speed no end. It later transpired on arrival at the rally site that all the bearings on his bike were knackered, and had been before he left home.

The rest of us rode home as a group, strangely enough he missed the ferry home we all caught.

I don't have anything against trailers - in fact I have two myself, not that I use them with a bike - and am considering getting one to pull behind my Quike when I attend shows etc. (You need somewhere to put all the advertising bumph). But if I was going on tour with mates who didn't have them then I'd make it absolutely clear the first time we hit traffic or a hold up and they could filter and I couldn't, then they were to carry on and I would catch up! It's unfair to expect solo riders to pander to folks with arctics

I think I'd follow the above advice as well, and practice riding with the trailer, esp emergency braking etc. so you know exactly how it handles.

Maybe I didn't phrase my question properly.
This trailer is approx. 35 years old.
What would you do to make it look better or more modern. Fenders, different wheels etc. I call this lipstick. What lipstick can I put on this trailer to make it look better.
Maybe leave as is would be the answer. Maybe theres no hope for it??? Comments please

I would leave it as is. It's retro-iffic!

any ideas on a vanity plate.???

I'm going to get a vanity plate that says, "oldnslo".

Here are some, shall we say, questionable ideas for vanity tags. Questionable but funny...

http://www.news4jax.com/slideshow/entertainment/26590283/detail.html

They left out my personal favorite -- "ILIAD" on an Odyssey.

Quote :

They left out my personal favorite -- "ILIAD" on an Odyssey.

OH Bill!!! Thats awful!!!...

Almost as cliche as 'Live to Ride, Ride to '7-11'/Tesco's/Walmart' etc.

I don't know about the laws in your area but over here in the UK the trailer would definitely need mudguards to make it road legal.

It will certainly be a taking points wherever you take it and people will want to crawl in at see how comfortable it is.

Due to the age of the material perhaps a waterproof sleeping bag maybe required!

Cheers,

Get a 1 foot hight/1 foot wide rubber nose to put where the license plate goes.
Then put a couple of lights in the nostrils, hang the plate below it, and attache some fringe on the bottom of the plate for a mustache.

Royr, if it was mine I would paint it to match your Swing, change-out the tail lights.

In the UK, too, I doubt whether the trailer would fall into the required weight ratio of bike to trailer - it'd be too heavy.
The rules are strict in that respect.

I dunno Mike, having reviewed the laws pertaining to towing a trailer behind a bike on the 'UK Trikers' website, I'd be more inclined to worry about overall length.

But, its like just about everything over here, unless you do something silly then the Old Bill will leave you alone, it only becomes an issue if Insurance companies get involved.

When I fitted my Quike conversion to my SWing they didn't give a monkeys, just asked the value and tacked it onto the paperwork - didn't even charge me, which was a bit of a surprise. I suspect that it may go up a bit next year when I remind them that I've had my leg amputated

Down south here we pull campers with a Burgman 650. They are unquestionably one of the best pulling rigs there is. Thier low center of gravety, real low gear starting ratio is just about perfect. I pull a slip stream mostly because it is slick, pretty, and color matched to my scooter (about 300lbs) but I also have an older camper that is lighter. It weighs in at 250lbs and they both pull like a dream. The automatic transmission on the Suzuki it just great. Perhaps you know how much difference it makes with a pick up. Same thing. Good luck.

I have pulled a trailer over 2000 kms last summer with my scoot. I went up and down 18% grades. We traveled two up and enough gear for four weeks. On the black top we had no problem keeping up or passing traffic. We ran 110 kms. for hours on end. I would pull my trailer from here to Florida without any second thoughts. The only concession I had for the trailer was to increase the tire pressure by 2 lbs. I know towing a trailer is not everyones choice but for me it worked. Please see some photos of the scoot and the significant other posted in the gallery. Next stop Anchorage next summer.