Now I have something "new" to me... and a new project

[Mellow]

Looks good.. now you just have to paint it...

 

[DannoXYZ]

Yay, done!!! Polish stainless for shine! Increase visibility!

 

[rjs987]

Yay, done!!! Polish stainless for shine! Increase visibility!

I actually have debated about leaving it polished or coating it in the rubberized stuff. It's possible I will simply put electrical tape where the stainless touches the aluminum and leave it like that... at least for a while. There are a few places where they touch inside on the bike frame. It would be easier to do that.

 

[rjs987]

I did go for a little ride tonight pulling the trailer. Kept to slower roads. Started out on 25 mph roads for several blocks. Then stepped it up to 35 mph roads for several miles. Then I got it up to 45 mph for a few miles and then slowed back to 40 mph for most of the way home. I adjusted the left mirror down so I could see the trailer lid and the end of the LED brake bar just aft of the lid. That chrome LED bar told me a lot about how the trailer was tracking behind the bike. It was solid and stable behind the bike at the speeds I was going. Temps were just a little over 50F, sunny with 15 mph winds. I only rode about 14 miles.

I was told to expect this mono-wheel trailer to act like a passenger who was attempting to "help" me go around curves and turns leaning into them. So I was expecting that effect but was pleasantly surprised that the feeling was very slight. I could tell it was there but if I wasn't told about it I might have missed it. Having pulled pop-up campers before I knew what to expect with the performance of the bike. But all influences were VERY subdued compared with pulling a camper even with my current bike weighing so much less than those other bikes that were pulling those heavier camper trailers. I could tell it was back there... most of the time... as expected. Stopping on a level road was like stopping while going downhill without the trailer. Accelerating on a level road was like accelerating uphill without the trailer. Otherwise the performance was totally normal as it would be without a trailer. I did do a few hard stops and there was no dive or lifting of the rear. Any emergency stopping while turning is expected to be the same as with any trailer on a bike and should be avoided as much as possible. I count this first test as a success and proof of concept for the trailer hitch as built for this one trailer.

I am planning another test ride tomorrow (likely) or Saturday on some faster roads up to 70 mph. Maybe I'll bump it up to 75 while out there just to see what happens. My wife told me she would follow me to watch what the trailer is doing from that vantage point. I know some owners of this trailer have taken it up over a ton, but that's not me. I likely won't be riding past 75 mph with the trailer in tow. Besides, the tire speed rating is "L" which is 75 mph.

 

[Sadlsor]

Sounds like... satisfaction.

 

[the Ferret]

Nice job rjs. Some people's ability to fabricate just amazes me.

 

[Sadlsor]

Nice job rjs. Some people's ability to fabricate just amazes me.

Not to mention the design phase. And there are more than a couple around here who can do that part, too.

 

[rjs987]

Nice job rjs. Some people's ability to fabricate just amazes me.

Not to mention the design phase. And there are more than a couple around here who can do that part, too.

It's just one piece at a time. First one bit, then another, then another. Many times along the way there are pieces that don't work so well so those get discarded or repurposed for something else. I have a few more of those bits laying around now. I feel another project might be coming up. The trailer does have a LED bar that ONLY lights for the brakes and ONLY turns on or off without any flashing or such. I am debating about replacing that with the same LED bar that I added to my bike... additional tail lights plus flashes bright for 6 seconds and then goes solid for the brakes. I did notice that a cager can still see the flashing brake light on the bike over the trailer depending how close they are. Farther back and it might be a barely seen over the trailer lid but closer it is more visible. Having another one on the rear of the trailer seems good to me even though there is that on/off brake light LED bar back there.

 

[Mellow]

I actually have debated about leaving it polished or coating it in the rubberized stuff. It's possible I will simply put electrical tape where the stainless touches the aluminum and leave it like that... at least for a while. There are a few places where they touch inside on the bike frame. It would be easier to do that.

I was talking about painting the trailer but I bet you could find some vinyl wrap that matches your bike and that would be easier than painting especially given the curves of the uni-go with no real right angles, wrapping is nice and easy in those cases. Sorry, I'm already past functional and looking at style lol

 

[rjs987]

Painting or wrapping the trailer is yet another project that may happen in the future. Just not likely this year... maybe. Will have to see how it looks with the blacked out license plate as I showed in a previous post here.

I have been in contact with a Uni-Go tech at the Jacksonville factory/HQ who has given some good advice along the way during this project. The sales staff hasn't been as responsive however.
The tech was glad to assist since they don't have any hitch made for my bike and they do, of course, want to make sure I have a good experience with their stuff. Who knows... I may want to replace my old 2002 model for one of their current models someday. I sent the tech the photo of the bike and trailer with me sitting on it that shows how the trailer sits behind the bike when both are loaded. He responded this morning telling me that it looks good. He said the "draw bar looks relatively level with a little body nose up" attitude which is just what it should be. It was good to hear from the maker that I'm on the right track with this setup.

One thing I may have to consider is replacing the spring and bumper on the swing arm with the updated versions that are designed to prevent the wheel from hitting the top of the wheel well going over severe bumps in the road. I don't see much, if any, evidence of that happening yet (wheel rub marks on top of wheel well) but will see how it rides on rough roads. Maybe my conservative riding style will avoid such issues.

 

[the Ferret]

Well from a guy that just broke the ear off of a set of 3 D printed fork guards someone made for me, while trying to tighten the simple zip tie that holds them on, thinking about designing, fabricating and installing a whole trailer hitch right is mind blowing.

 

[rjs987]

Just went out to check the tongue weight I currently have the trailer set up with. I suspected what it was based on my calibrated right arm lifting on the handle. But this time I used the same fish scale I bought for that purpose with the Time-Out camper I had on my GW. It showed there is just right at 40 lbs of tongue weight. That is perfect for the requirements of this trailer. Uni-Go says to aim for 1/3 the total loaded weight of the trailer. I figure I'll most often have it to be around 120 lbs trailer + load.

 

[rjs987]

My wife and I went for a little ride. Well, I went for the ride and she followed behind in the car to watch what the trailer did or didn't do. We rode about 26 miles. Some of the roads were the same speeds as the last test ride, but this time I took some faster roads as well. After getting out of the neighborhood we went on a 45 mph road for several miles. Then it was on a state highway getting up to 60-65 mph for 3 miles. Then a county road at 55 mph down to the Interstate highway where I was able to go mostly 70 mph for about 4.5 miles due to heavy traffic. I backed off a little and then boosted up to around 75 mph for a bit before others came along and cut in front of me. Then it was back roads back home at 40 mph or slower. Temps were about 58F and there were strong winds at over 10 mph with higher gusts. Some of the roads were rather bouncy and there was an 18 wheeler or two who passed or I passed along the way so there was significant wind buffeting.

My wife confirmed what I was feeling and seeing in my mirror that the trailer tracked straight and true at any speed. It bounced a little on the bumpy road sections as expected. The wind gusts, especially from passing big rigs, didn't seem to bother it at all. At the faster speeds there was the same feeling as I remember from past experiences pulling a trailer... the winds from the side did have some effect but the bike and trailer acted as a unit even though I could feel the wind pushing me around a bit. Just like riding any bike on a fast road in high winds. All the way around at all speeds the trailer tracked behind the bike just like it should with no wobble at all. I could not detect any deviation from the path the bike was taking and my wife said she didn't see any deviation either.

She took a few pictures before and then after the faster roads. I asked if she could see the flashing brake LED bar on the bike at all and, as the pictures show, she could not. She did mention that if someone were behind me in a tall vehicle high up they might be able to. But that's not good enough. I ordered the same LED bar I have on the bike... tail light with bright flashing brake light... to put on the trailer in place of the on/off bar that is on there.

5 new items by Robert Shwery

Next up is to uninstall the hitch frame and put insulation on the contact points between the stainless and aluminum. And I'll also add thread lock to all the nuts and bolts for a more permanent install. I am considering this project done after that.

 

[Willsmotorcycle]

Well done, well done.

 

[ardykay54]

I ordered the same LED bar I have on the bike

What bar did you order??.....I could use more noticeable lighting on the back of my bike....Russ.

 

[rjs987]

What bar did you order??.....I could use more noticeable lighting on the back of my bike....Russ.

I use this LED bar from Custom Dynamics. I stick it on an aluminum angle bar after drilling a small hole in the center for the wires and mount that on the bike.
This is the item from Amazon:
https://a.co/d/4coT9t9
I ordered it from one of the additional sellers for just under $30. There's a link for those on the right side of the Amazon item page.

 

[rjs987]

Ordered a blacked out personalized license plate for the trailer today. It takes 3-6 weeks to arrive at the DOT office. When it does I'll take in the existing plate to exchange for it and get it registered to the trailer. The cost is still $60 + $15 annual plate registration... in addition to the $21 annual trailer registration. The personalized "number" was still available. Hope my wife will forgive me ordering without asking her. I DID pay for it from my own personal funds.

 

[rjs987]

NOW, as of tonight, I am calling this project complete.
This afternoon I uninstalled the hitch frame from the bike and added vinyl electrical tape to the stainless tubing and bar where they contact the aluminum bike frame. I decided to just wrap the tape all the way from the front end to where the tubing exits the bike body just to make it one continuous wrap that terminates under the rear mounting bolt nylon washers to prevent the tape from unwrapping after some time. Then I reinstalled the 2 side tubes of the hitch frame and used thread lock on the nuts torquing those tight.

Then I removed the temporary nuts I had used on the receiver to bolt that to the end plate and added the nylon lock nuts that were provided by Uni-Go for the bolt kit for the receiver. I used thread lock on those also on the threaded part of the nuts. And then I also reinstalled the end plate using thread lock on those nuts as well.

After all parts of the hitch were installed and tight I replaced the storage box and installed all 6 bolts that hold it in. Up until now I had been only using 2 of the bolts to hold the storage box in place when I wanted/needed to ride the bike. Now the only time I'll need to remove the storage box is to do an annual inspection of the frames and attachment points inside... or to install some other farkle where I need access inside the body of the bike.

Here is what the parts inside the bike are like now.

 

[rjs987]

Tonight I pulled off the tail light cover and assembly from the trailer to inspect the wiring in preparation for installing the new and improved LED tail light bar with flashing brake lights.
I am expecting the new LED bar to show up tomorrow (corrected). I wanted to see how the old LED brake light bar was wired in. That old LED bar is also an add-on item to the trailer but only lights up with the brakes and isn't really all that bright.

Good thing I inspected. The factory running light wire had pulled out of the terminal strip where all the wires are connected from the trailer harness to the light assembly. So that means I had no tail light for a little while. I don't know how long that has been since they did work when I tested the plug connections with the bike but they also just weren't very bright. I fixed that issue right away. One thing I found that I was really hoping wasn't done by the owner who installed that brake LED bar is that he used one of those blue crimp clamps. Those things cut the strands of wire and are a known point of failure. The person I bought the trailer from didn't do that. He had told me he didn't know how that LED bar was wired in since it was there when he bought the trailer. I'll be repairing that wire when I install the new LED bar. I'll also be running the wires for the new LED bar inside the trailer under the carpet liner rather than outside.

About that terminal strip... That strip is located at the tail light assembly so I can connect the new LED bar wires directly to the screw terminals on that strip without needing to use any Posi-Tap connectors. The original owner who installed the old LED bar did that for the brake light wire but used the blue crimp for the ground wire... puzzling. I'll be using the terminal strip for all wire connections.

 

[rjs987]

The LED light bar arrived in the mail about noon today so I installed it on the trailer. The temps outside went up to 83F so it was more than comfy working in the garage.

I discovered a number of issues from 2 owners ago during this install that I had to fix. One I already mentioned above... the tail light wire had pulled out of the terminal.
Removing the old LED bar went easily. 2 wires pulled from the terminals and pull the bracket for it off the trailer. It was mounted with double stick tape.

I mounted the new LED bar with 2 M6 bolts and nylon lock nuts and M6 fender washers. I cut a 1" x 1" angle aluminum to length and filed the edges and corners smooth. Then drilled 4 holes in the aluminum and 3 of those holes also in the trailer body. 2 holes through the aluminum and trailer for the mounting bolts. 1 hole for the LED bar wires to pass through from the LED bar. And another smaller hole in the bottom of the angle and trailer for the wires to pass through into the trailer. I cleaned the mounting surface really well with some 91% rubbing alcohol and after that dried mounted the LED bar to the aluminum using the 3M tape on the LED bar. Then bolted the aluminum and LED bar onto the trailer.

I had already pulled the rear tail light covers and assembly off as well as the inner courtesy light fixture that is inside. I threaded the LED bar wires through the mounting hole into the trailer and then ran them behind the courtesy light fixture and out the hole for those wires to the space where all the wires are connected to the terminals. I stripped the wire ends and put them in the appropriate terminals for each function. While I was in the wire space I repaired the damage from the blue 3M crimp connector by totally removing that short length of wire and replacing it with new wire. That crimp connector did cause a few strands of the wire to be cut as was mentioned in previous posts here. So I feel much better about that connection since it was on the brake lights wire.

After all the connections were made I put it all back together. I then pulled the trailer next to the bike and plugged it into the trailer harness and turned the bike on to test all the lights. I was wondering why in the test ride pictures that my wife took the trailer tail light didn't look very bright. In fact, it was hard to see that it was on at all. That's because it wasn't working at all. I happened to have a replacement bulb so I tested that first. Not the bulb. So I pulled it all apart and started tracing the wires from the back to the front. I noted that the courtesy light wire was connected to a different terminal than the tail light wire but didn't initially think anything about it. I knew that this trailer originally had a 7 pin connection with 2 of those always on (one for the courtesy light I found out and one for an optional 12v socket). One wire behind the tail light assembly was cut and wrapped around the bundle where it passed through from inside the trailer. I also knew the courtesy light did work but didn't associate that fact with the wire connected differently than the tail light wire. In a 5 pin trailer connector as is on the trailer now there are ground-tail-left turn-right turn-brake wires in that order. But as I said it just didn't register that the connections in the back of the trailer were 6, not 5. And then it did hit me.

The carpet in the bottom of the trailer inside is attached with Velcro to be able to pull it out easier for access to the bolts and wires running under it. So I pulled out the carpet looking for where the 7 wires were changed to the 5 wires that were at the front trailer plug. Turns out that was right up front at the plug... wrapped in a few layers of electrical tape. I unwrapped the tape and looked and what color wire was changed from the colors on the plug. Turns out the courtesy light wire was connected to the tail light wire from the plug and nothing was connected to the tail light wire at the terminal. So I changed what terminal the tail light wire was in and tested it all again. Everything worked as it should. I was really hoping it wasn't a broken wire someplace but when I saw what 2 wires were disconnected at the front plug I knew where the problem was. All is working perfectly now.

As a finishing touch I injected a bead of E6000 cement sealer into the holes the LED bar wires were routed through to keep moisture out. Now I feel much better being a lot more visible at the back of the trailer. And if the vehicles behind me can see both flashing brake light bars all the better. But at least they WILL see one flashing brake light bar and I have an extra tail light as well that I didn't have before.

I didn't think to get any pictures of this work along the way but I did get the finished work.