Others here have used bike racks like that shown. It's a good solution. The only comments I recall is the added weight lifting the front of the vehicle slightly. This can cause low beams to shine into oncoming traffic. Something to consider when hauling a bike in a tail rack. Travel and ride safely.

The fellow who drove from Deming, New Mexico to purchase my last XT225 along with the receiver hitch carrier came with a smaller Honda SUV. It had such a problem. Adding 250 lbs give or take to the back of his little Honda was about all the weight that vehicle was capable of carrying. However he made the trip back to Deming before it got dark, so the headlight issue wasn't the problem it would have been traveling at night.

Using the carrier on my '03 Tacoma SR-5 with beefed up suspension front and rear, or on the Dodge DC 2500 diesel I had at that time didn't cause the sort of problem with headlights that using it on a light weight vehicle like that Honda would.

Neat idea. Kinda pricey, but it looks like it makes getting the bike up and down much easier.

I agree. First of all it's definitely over the top 'pricey', some $500 more than the Harbor Freight carrier I had. That may or may not be an issue for some.

More importantly, even though the jack system would appear to make lifting the bike into place somewhat easier, it only supports the bike at its center point, not on each wheel. When you're traveling in rough country it seems, at least to me, that a center mount would be a marginal support system at best, given all the bouncing and bumping the bike would experience. Throwing a bike back and forth on that center mount point might prove problematic at best.

The aluminum bike carrier I had came with a sturdy ramp that clips on the end of the carrier and allows you to roll the bike into place where it's fully supported on both wheels. Once the bike is in place and solidly strapped down the ramp lifts off and stows in the bed or trunk of the vehicle. Never found it a problem to load the bike myself, but if a helping hand is needed an extra someone pushing from the rear is more than enough to load the bike no matter what.

I too would have concerns about supporting a bike from under the engine while transporting it. I'd need to see the support in the flesh to make the final call. Also not sure how the bike's suspension handles being in an extended position while traveling. The front wheel would need restraint too. Aluminum is fine providing its structural members are designed properly. We had an aluminum ramp we used to load/unload bikes into/from the van.


Folding aluminum ramp we used for 15 years after it was fixed.

As for our ramp, it failed at the fold joint from a crack in the aluminum. I needed to beef it up with a welded on bracket to fix this. If your bike lets loose off the back of your vehicle I don't need to finish that story. Harbor Freight is hit or miss with quality so carefully inspect the product. Some stuff is great and other products are junk. My friend had a trailer hitch rear bike rack with a stow away ramp. It worked well but it was a good shove to get the bike up the ramp and into position. More than expected. This could be eased somewhat by parking on an downhill angle that favored the roll on. I also recall him needing to slow way down over rough terrain given how the bike would bounce around. As for a purchase, I'd look at quality, design, functionality for your situation, convenience and safety. The low cost product might turn out to be very expensive.

Amazon has Many Rear Carriers to look at with reviews. Make sure your hitch category is adequate.

Amazon's listing of the Black Widow AMC-400-F-Folding Aluminum Hitch Carrier for Dirt Bikes is, from what I can tell, virtually identical to the aluminum hitch carrier I used, with the single exception being the 'folding' part of the Black Widow hitch, something the HF carrier didn't come with. Other than that they look to be exactly the same. Stowing the HF carrier simply required that it be slipped out of the hitch receiver and placed in the back of my truck, no 'folding' required...

I have the Cycle Gear version of the hitch carrier. It's steel and pretty heavy by itself. My only complaint is the length of the ramp that comes with it. It's short enough that it's not easy to push the bike up onto the carrier (even the very light XT). I start the bike and let it drive itself up there. I've had in mind to make a longer ramp or an extension, but I haven't used it in a while.

The bike does move around a little so I'd be concerned with the handle bars breaking the hatch glass on my SUV if the terrain got ugly. But I've only ever driven it to a parking lot or camp ground where I unload and go ride.

After a bit more research on the capabilities of my car, I decided that using a trailer is my only option.

Good to hear, KM. Whatever the vehicle you'll be transporting your bike with is, that you're aware of its capabilities and don't load it down beyond what it's designed for is essential. Lots of small, lightweight bike trailers available these days, so let us know which one you've settled on once you've made your choice.

You may want to consider This Design for a bike trailer. I'd guess this one has a heavier load rating than you'll need but the single rail design is appropriate. Harbor Freight has trailers but you'll need to build up a bike mount off their bed. I'd say this is an area you wouldn't want anything cheap. Anything can happen on the roads now loaded with idiots. Hard stops for deer or some other issue need consideration. Also avoiding crap landed or landing in the road is a maneuver a trailer and bike need to safely survive. Ass end lights need to be good, bright and reliable. Good luck.