Adventure by motorcycle is a thrilling way to explore the world. There’s nothing quite like the experience of going someplace new from the saddle of your steed. For some riders, the expedition is limited only by their motorcycle’s carrying capacity. If you’re riding two-up, you may not have much remaining payload for your provisions, extra fuel, tools, or tent. It’s a problem that Rod Holmes believes he’s solved with his Pasq ADV1 Trailer. It’s an overland trailer scaled down for motorcycles and designed to go anywhere your bike can.
A couple of weekends ago, I attended Overland Expo West and I’m still not done with all of the awesome things I’ve found out there. The event was neatly laid out with different areas from DIYers to training courses. My favorite by far was the motorcycle area. At Overland Expo West, the motorcycle showing was impressive from big names like Yamaha and Triumph to EV startups like Ubco and Super73. Royal Enfield, Harley-Davidson, and Ural were there as well. The motorcycle section also had a 45-minute course that taught the basics of how to operate a motorcycle. One of the booths that caught my attention was Pasq, which had what appeared to be one of those overlanding trailers that you sometimes see behind Jeeps, but scaled down and hauled by a Yamaha Ténéré 700.
This is the Pasq ADV1 Trailer, and there’s some clever engineering going on here.
Motorcycles And Trailers
Towing a trailer with a motorcycle gets into some interesting territory. Chances are, you will not find a tow rating of any kind in the owner’s manual of your motorcycle. In fact, in Harley-Davidson owner’s manuals, you’ll find a warning to never tow a trailer and another warning that installation of towing hardware can void part of your warranty. Honda is the same way and you will not find the company recommending towing of any kind.
Yet, this hasn’t stopped Harley and Gold Wing riders from bolting up a hitch to their steeds, hitching up a trailer of some kind, and going off on a trip. Over the years you could buy everything from cargo trailers, pop-up campers, tiny teardrops, and more. You can still buy a number of these trailers today.
A variant of this idea is the adventure motorcycle trailer. You can buy a single-wheel trailer (above) that attaches to your dual sport or adventure bike. These allow you to carry more gear and more fuel than you’d be able to haul on just the bike itself. These vary between tubs mounted to frames and pretty skeletal creations carrying around metal boxes carrying your gear.
For Pasq founder Rod Holmes, existing motorcycle trailers just didn’t work.
Making Towing With A Motorcycle Better
Holmes wanted to go on a two-up adventure with his wife, Laura, on their Yamaha Super Ténéré. Unfortunately, riding with a passenger means compromised payload, which in turn can limit just how far off-pavement your adventure goes. The Holmes couple wanted to spend their first years of retirement on a no-destination, no-timeline motorcycle trip and looked to expand their Ténéré’s abilities with a trailer.
Rod found an annoying problem with existing designs. They did their job by carrying gear and following behind the motorcycle, but they impacted how the bike rode. Rod describes it as being a two-wheeler towing a trailer. When you need the motorcycle to just be a motorcycle and perform some maneuvers, the trailer would interfere, impacting your line. Some trailers, especially ones with two wheels, have a tendency to continue straight when you try to lean into a turn. In some situations, such as entering a curve too hot or a rough highway, you will feel that trailer tugging you in the wrong direction. At a minimum, it’ll feel like a passenger that’s squirming around, messing up your ride.
Thus, Rod and his team set out to build a trailer that allows the motorcycle to still ride as it should. Or more specifically, Pasq seeks to build a trailer that turns your two-wheeler into an inline three-wheeled vehicle. At the heart of the Pasq ADV1 Trailer is a unique design that the company calls the trapezoidal hinge, and this gif will illustrate what makes it different.
And here’s what the trapezoidal hinge looks like on the latest ADV1 Trailer design. This is something years in the making:
I spoke with Rod and he explained how this works. As you could see, there are two arms, both connected at each end at a swivel point. This allows the trailer a great range of motion. When you lean into a turn, the trailer will naturally lean into it with you. And when you need your machine to be nimble to navigate the environment, the hinge allows the motorcycle to ride through the maneuvers like a motorcycle while the trailer follows behind. Pasq is based in Chicago, so using a classic Chicago example, if you swerve around a massive pothole, the trailer is designed to swerve with your bike.
At speed, such as on the highway, the arms lock the trailer into place, so your motorcycle remains stable. The idea here is that the trailer should not compromise how your motorcycle rides.
Here’s how Rod explains it in a video:
The trapezoid hinge is really really an important part of why the ADV-1 is such an amazing trailer. So how does it work? Well, as the name implies, it’s trapezoid hinge, the arms on this form a trapezoid. They are not parallel they kind of point a little ways in. And if you were to extend them out they would meet at the axle of the bike. Now for reasons I can’t fully explain of geometry and physics, what that does is it effectively, it moves the effective pivot point from where the actual physical hinge is. It moves the effective pivot point to the rear axle of the bike.
What that means is when you are steering your bike with your handlebars – moving your handlebars, slow speed, again: parking lot going around something, it pivots as you would expect. And that’s because the axle of your bike is actually moving in relation to the trailer. So it just pivots. But when you are going straight and you are steering by leaning the bike more, you know, you’re moving your handlebars a little bit but most of it is your leaning – what happens is there’s no input from the rear axle and it locks lock, okay, it won’t move.
What that means is you are now, when you’re going straight or you’re leaning through a curve, you are a three-wheeled vehicle: a three-wheel inline vehicle. You’re not a two-wheeled vehicle pulling a one-wheel trailer. You’re one, three-wheeled vehicle. And that makes it incredibly stable.
Currently, the design allows for any motorcycle with a hollow axle tube to tow the trailer. You attach the axle adaptor to your machine, hitch up the trailer, and hit the road. I’m told the Pasq ADV1 Trailer is designed to be locked to the motorcycle, so it couldn’t easily be carried away while parked. Yet, it can also be detached quickly, so you can go back to being just a two-wheeler easily.
The Pasq ADV1 Trailer
As for the trailer itself, I love this little guy. It resembles an overlanding trailer but scaled down. As for the company’s name, it’s a nod to the wild pasque flower, which Pasq says is sturdy, resilient, and adaptable, just like the trailer.
The Pasq ADV1 Trailer is made from 6061-T6 aluminum and rides on a CNC-machined, bolted-together frame. It features mounting plates and a sliding t-bolt mounting system. In addition to that, you get waterproof, locking storage compartments, charge ports for devices, and the trailer has its own lighting.
Pasq also gave the trailer a 17-inch ADV wheel and tire plus 6.5 inches of suspension travel. Naked, without attachments, the rig weighs around 85 pounds. As it was set up at Overland Expo West, it weighed around 150 pounds.
That’s light! Rod likens the Pasq trailer to riding around with the perfect pillion: you feel the weight but because they’re leaning perfectly with you, it’s not a big deal. The trailer also has a decent carrying capacity of 120 pounds.
What can you carry with it? Well, you can carry anything that your bike’s existing storage solutions can’t carry. Want to bring that iron skillet with you? Toss it into the ADV1 Trailer! Need more room for extra fuel and water? Yep, it’ll haul that. Wish you could bring more tools or a cooler for cold snacks under the stars? This trailer can do it. Pasq is even brewing up a bicycle rack so you could carry a bike with your bike.
As for price, Pasq doesn’t yet have a set price for the trailer, but the company is aiming for an affordable target. I found two other single-wheel motorcycle trailers out there, but they aren’t as substantial as the Pasq ADV1 Trailer and they don’t use the trapezoid hinge either.
Rod tells me that Pasq is soon to put these into production. The next steps are building a handful of these trailers, getting them out there in the world, and putting tons of miles on them. That means I might be able to test one of these very soon, and I’m excited!
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It’s hard for me to keep up with the comments on this thread…I don’t get an email alerting me of a new comment or reply. So, if you leave a note here and don’t get an answer, please contact me through our website or you can also reach me on our vendor thread on ADVRider.com.
Thanks everyone for the civil conversation here, as well as the very good questions and comments!
Rod
rod@ the domain for Pasq…I’m sure you can figure it out! There’s also a phone number in the footer.
It looks like a great design, but can I ask why the frame is not welded, but rather bolted together? I understand bolts for the areas that need to be adjusted for different bikes, but for the frame proper it seems welding would be simpler and stronger. Or am I wrong, or is it a shipping thing, or….
Hello Pedro,
Thanks for the question. I worked at an aluminum bicycle company (Cannondale) in the mid-to late 80s in R&D and in aluminum purchasing. I immediately thought welded aluminum tubes was the right answer. However, our first prototypes were welded and there were problems.
Here are the reasons we went with a frame cut by CNC routers from 3/8″ 6061-T6 aluminum plate, and then bolted together:
Cost – Our first prototypes made with welded aluminum tubing were insanely expensive. The tubes had to be cut by a 6-axis laser tube cutter in order for them to fit well enough together for even a master welder to be able to weld them. It cost $10k to cut enough tubes for two prototypes! Then we had to have complicated jigs made to hold the tubes so they could be welded straight and properly. Then we had to have a master welder do the welding, which is also is very expensive. And, master welders are very difficult to come by today. All of this was very expensive.
Speed – The process I described above (laser cutting, putting the tubes in jigs, welding) takes a ton of time, which means a much more limited production and therefore more expense.
Straightness – It’s very difficult to weld the frame so that it’s perfectly straight. Areas have to be built into the frame so that it can be machined so that it tracks perfectly straight, even if the frame is slightly off.
Strength – Welding weakens aluminum. We would have had to either weld 6061-T4 aluminum and then after welding, heat treat it to 6061-T6 to recover the annealing/weakening the welding did… Or, we would have welded 6061-T6 and lived with the weakening the welding does to the metal directly adjacent to the weld.
Weight – The welded frames were heavier than the frames cut from aluminum plate and bolted together.
Repairability – With the frame bolted together, if any part of the frame is damaged, you unbolt it and try to straighten or repair it as needed. If you can’t fix it, we can send you a replacement piece. You will only need allen wrenches and a few sockets to take the whole thing apart. This is obviously not true of a welded frame.
This question and my answer got me thinking I should just write this up in a blog post. Here is it: Why the ADV1 Frame Is Bolted, Not Welded. I thought of 3 more reasons why bolting is better than welding for the ADV1, and added more details to the back story.
Rob,
please do allow Mercedes to review your trailer. I believe you’ll find that she has the chops for it (she did a Gambler run on a scooter: that’s definitely adventurous), and that her reviews are honest and not clickbait. And I have to give you credit for engaging with us here with good humor and a lack of marketing BS. You sound like a genuine enthusiast, and I wish you well on this venture
I got to meet Mercedes at Overland Expo West and found she lives within 50 miles of our facilities! We are definitely going to make sure she gets a first-crack at testing one!
I see this has been tested with a R12GS–does this mean that it will be available for those of us with single-sided swingarm beemers?
Yes, but as with all things BMW, there will be additional charges. Here is a blog post all about how the ADV1 attaches to 1200/1250GSs. As you will see, the axle adaptor requires a lot of very precise parts, which adds a lot of cost. We are planning to sell it pretty much at cost, and it will still likely be about $800.
At this time, 1200/1250GSs are the only single-side swing arms we’re supporting. There are some Tigers out there, and we will likely accommodate them soon, but not at the launch.
Lastly we won’t be supporting factory-spec’ed RTs and RSs due to interference by the exhaust.
Great design but I would also be looking at how to harness the energy from the trailer wheel to charge a battery.
One step at a time. Or as the Turks say, “Yavash, yavash.” (Slowly, slowly) We have enough on our plates just getting the trailer to market!
One of our thoughts is to add regenerative braking tied into bikes with CANsmart. It could generate electricity and act as a brake.
We are building a platform. If someone wants to make an aftermarket regenerative brake or even a simple generator, we will even sell it on our website! Our wheel has front hub that can accept a disk brake just for that reason…leaving options open!
Gonna need to ditch all those ugly bolts and replace them with black rivets. Imagine buying this (going to be expensive) trailer and then tearing all your gear every time you grab some clothing out of it because its caught on the bolts. This is sorta 101 level stuff imo. The concept is cool, but they will need to clean it up for production if they want to actually sell many imo.
Or just use buttonhead bolts and some binding barrels.
In production will be using pems in many places to reduce the number of bolts/nuts you see. As Mercedes has pointed out in a couple of spots on this thread, what you see is our final prototype. It was built to test, not to be our final design Refinements like this will be coming in the final design. We are also working on weight reduction.
The reason for not using rivets is repairability; being able to replace every piece on the trailer with a couple of allen wrenches was one of the reasons we went away from a welded frame. (Also, welded frames are heavier and extremely expensive to build.)
Yes, yes…there will be lots of loctite used in assembly.
Lastly I will say, one of the reasons we have gotten many fold more comments at live events about the massive and impressive amount of engineering that has gone into this, people can see the bolts and can see how it’s put together. However, in production, we are going to try to use black zinc coated bolts, in particular the flat heads.
Thanks for your response!!! That sounds like it will be a very nice trailer all said and done. I think the non-rivets for repair is a smart idea as well, you guys are a step ahead.
Look forward to seeing the production one, and I hope you guys do really well with this, that swing arm is very nicely done.
Good luck!
This is incredible, and the next time I’m back in Chicago, I’ll have to try and check Pasq out, b/c I’d definitely want one of these when I get an ADV bike.
Stop by! Our main address is the office of my other company, so it’s just a standard “former warehouse, now office with brick walls, wood floors, and concrete support pillars everywhere” you see all over Chicago. We are currently working with the city on license and permits. We will then start looking for an assembly location.
I always heard that attaching a trailer to the swingarm was a big no-no, hence the standard practice of extending the rear subframe to a tow attachment towball.
So my questions are: why the swingarm not the bike frame, what are the advantages/disadvantages and compromises (if any), and what is the difference in handling characteristics between the two methods?
I’d like to hear the details on the “no no.” Maybe it’s unsprung weight, which I don’t believe is a defensible concern for mid- and large-sized ADV bikes. Unsprung weight is a concern if your an enduro rider or doing hill climbing. The main concern for it with an ADV bike is if you go too fast into a corner and hit something with the rear tire or have bad washboards. You need the tire to return to the road asap. In our testing and trying to cause problems, we’ve never seen an issue. I’m not saying it couldn’t happen though.
The reasons for attaching to the axle are:
This could go on to be a massive essay, but I’ll leave it at that for now!
Thanks!
I am surprised he did not also figure out a way to install a roof rack and at least one light bar.
We are going to put a light under the trailer, pointing down so it is easily seen at night. Does that count?
Oh, I forgot to address the roof rack. The reason “he” didn’t install a roof rack is because “he” didn’t want one! 😉
Can we get Huibert to explain that hinge?
Two-up offroading sounds like a nightmare. No thanks, everyone has their own bike.
You do you. I’m doing me as best I can!
It’s definitely not for everyone!
WOW! imagine if they added another wheel! oh right, its a car at that point. Maybe drive the “car” and tow the motorcycle?
I really question the safety of this system without an integrated brake. That wonderful trapezoidal link is going to be a problem in any kind of panic stop. It almost guarantees a couple of high dynamic inputs commensurate to the caried load in such situations. I don’t want to be braking hard in the rain with a full load when that tire breaks loose, comes arounds, then hits the range of motion limit and transmits that force sideways to the chassis. Like, you’re going to Highside.
That seems like a potential with any motorcycle trailer. I wonder if this system is any safer than existing options, or allows more careful manuevering to avoid panic stops altogether?
Yes, but it’s the way the trapezoid will always shift to one side or the other due to the design combined with the limited range of motion having to absorb and transmit that side motion when it suddenly stops that spooks me. A ball hitch generally has a rotation axis which will stop at an angle much more in line with the direction of travel of the bike versus something closer to perpendicular. I believe it to be a fundamental flaw in an otherwise smart design. I could be wrong though. I just think it’s worth considering and answering.
My definition of a panic stop does not allow for time to maneuver.
We’ve done a ton of emergency stops with a camera trained on the hinge. What I can tell you is, I have never, ever felt the hinge moving and impacting the bike, even when it goes off to the side. As you describe, if you are emergency braking and turning, the hinge does go to the side. But on the bikes we’ve tested on (Super Tenere, 1250GS, Pan America mainly) you don’t feel it at all. If I didn’t have a camera pointed at the hinge showing me that it moved to the side, I wouldn’t have known it through how it feels on the bike.
If you’re going straight, the physics/geometry of the hinge keeps the trailer straight under emergency braking.
The momentum generated on the 4″ arms and the weight carried on the trailer just isn’t enough to impact a 450 to 500 lb bike.
As for braking capacity, the gross weight of the trailer (trailer plus gear) is going to probably come in at 220 lbs (we’re still testing). The duel front discs on the bikes we’re selling to have no problem with that weight. My Super Tenere has not problem with me and my wife (neither of us being petite) and our gear. It’s a nothing burger for that bike. I understand that is not your main concern, I’m just pointing it out.
Thank you for the detailed reply. I really do appreciate it. I still have concerns about those moments of inertia but am comforted that you have already considered the issue. However, as anyone here can tell you, I’m not the brightest bulb in the marquee, so I’m likely wrong.
Yet, should you ever find a need to add such an option, may I suggest that with today’s cheap accelerometers, adding a disc, caliper, and electrohydraulic actuator is a viable option?
Have you ever seen the trapezoidal front suspension on the Piaggio MP3 series of scooters? Interesting stuff. I have one and am an Illinoisan should you ever want to check it out.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piaggio_MP3
We will likely be looking into a brake system.
Thanks for the offer on the Piaggio. I’ll take a look at some videos!
But doesn’t Overlanding require a roof top tent?
Otherwise it’s just Camping, isn’t it?
(I’m more cynical than usual today.)
For that, a roof is also required. 🙂
Be assured, Pasq will never make a tent that rests on top of the ADV1! Others may, we won’t!
I am sure i have seen the 1 wheel trailer before. Frankly a good shock absorber and a commercial grade system similar to an office chair would be better, cheaper, safer, and reliable than this Rube Goldberg device.
“Rube Goldberg device.” Ouch. Yeah, it’s not for everyone. Certainly sounds like it’s not for you! And I am a student of evolution. I don’t think of the ADV1 as complicated. Another word comes to mind: sophisticated. Stop by any of the shows we’ll be at this year and check it out.
Our air shock is made by TeamFAST, a professional snowmobile suspension company. Their shocks have been beaten for over a decade in the harshest of conditions. Their engineering is amazing, and we are thrilled that they are partnering with us. But a office chair from Staples would be a lot cheaper.
Using a professionally designed linkage, we translate the 2+ inches of shock travel into 6.5″ of axle travel.
The shock is rated to 500 psi, but unloaded the ADV1 only needs about 35 PSI. As you add weight, you add preload/pressure. The shock is amazing.
And the main reason for not going with a desk chair shock is not off road riding. That’s easy. The issue is you doing 80 mph and hitting a 3″ deep pothole. The shock has to stop the trailer from bouncing. Our shock, plus the trapezoidal hinge, keeps the entire trailer stable at those speeds and conditions.
Rube Goldberg?
Apart from the bike and trailer, this hitch has…… Two moving parts.
If you had a hitch ball and a shock, that would be…….. Two moving parts.
Armchair engineering at its finest.
Hey Rust,
Thanks for a very astute response and the engineering comment. I will say, however, the hinge has EIGHT (8) very expensive, very high end sealed bearings in it. It moves like butter and is incredibly strong.
It would be interesting to know what kind of approvals (DOT, etc.) you need to sell a product like this. Malone sells small trailers for kayaks, but only for cars. This is also a very novel design, especially the multiple axes of freedom for the hitch mechanism.
None but approvals to use said same? Your C/S/C may vary. That is city state country.
For insurance purposes, everything that can be DOT certified is: lighting, wheel, and tire specifically. The trailer itself does not have to meet any DOT certification. Pasq is a SAE & NHTSA certified company, which means we can issue globally accepted VIN numbers. If you buy one, you will receive a Certificate of Origin which can be traded for a title and a license plate. Not all states require a license plate, but most do. If you don’t need a plate, the Certificate of Origin acts as a title—it has a back that looks like a title. You sign it and write out who you’re selling it to on the back, just like a title.
Hmm – I’m not seeing it.
If you want to tow a trailer behind a car, I believe that trailer needs to have its own license plate, be inspected, have lights, etc. The PASQ doesn’t appear to have any of that, but maybe since there’s only one wheel it’s considered an exception (?).
It does have an Illinois plate on it but I’m not sure it’s real. Or maybe IL is like MI and will plate anything. 🙂
Overall this is a neat idea, but the issues it’s designed to address would be covered by not trying to adventure two-up.
Good eye, that is indeed a decorative plate. Rod informs me that the trailer is now licensed in Illinois. Remember, it is a prototype! Everyone will receive a certificate of origin just like buying a new trailer.
This also solves similar problems for people who want to tour solo with a lot of stuff. Can’t fit it on the bike? Toss it on the trailer! Though, I am curious to know which motorcycle riders would want to bring a bicycle with them on a long trip.
My guess is the same crowd who drive to the gym, park close, and use the elevator and/or escalator to get to the stair masters.
I will remember that… now 🙂
The bicycle could be backup transportation in case the adv bike is disabled.
The people who have told me they want to carry bikes want to get up into the woods using their motorcycle instead of a car, and then go riding on the bike.
Utah only requires registration of trailers with more than a single axle and/or over 700 lbs. I think the UTDMV would be impressed this one has working lights.
Yep, there are a handful of states where a license plate won’t be required. You can then use the Certificate of Origin as a title. We had to buy expensive blanks that have all kinds of security on them (watermarks, threads in the paper, micro printing) to print our certificates on. The back of the certificate looks just like a title, where you can sign off and list who you are selling it to. If the buyer lives in a state that requires a plate, they can use the certificate to get the plate and the title.
The lighting is from Denali Electronics: we are spec’ing their T3 SwitchBack Signal Pods. You can see them in this quick walk-around video. They are embedded in the back, and there are also two small bright LEDs on the hitch arms. We are also going to put a white T3 Pod under the trailer, pointed down, which will light up the whole trailer as one thing at night. You can buy a wiring harness from Denali for your bike, plug it into your bike, and away you go.
As for license plates, here is a blog post explaining the laws in the US. And good eyes! That is a fake plate, but I’m picking up the real plates tomorrow at DMV.
Lastly, I want to adventure (mildly) two-up! We like exploring well maintained logging and fire roads. But that isn’t the only use. Many want it to set up a comfortable basecamp for them and their friends, and then spend a few days out playing in the woods or mountains. Others want to use it to carry fuel and a bit more gear as they go to Prudhoe Bay, or North Cape to Cape Town.
I appreciate the response, Rod. Right there with you on the use cases, btw. Somewhat related, I’ve been pondering ideas for transporting motorcycles that do not involve a full trailer. (Currently I’m using a single-bike carrier that fits into a Class III hitch receiver.)
Understood as well about wanting to travel two-up. It would be close, but I was thinking that two riders on two bikes, both with panniers and a top-center bag on the pillion, would be able to carry at least as much as two people on one bike with the trailer. Carrying a passenger means no panniers, so the trailer is the only cargo option for the two-up method (except maybe a tank bag).
However, the reasoning is less about cargo. Having two bikes eliminates a single point of failure: if you’re away from civilization and one bike (or one person) becomes disabled, you can use the other one to go for help. Going two-up, if the bike breaks both people are hosed. However, this is less of a concern if you remain in areas with mobile phone service, which – because your description mentions staying on various roads – sounds like your plan. Cheers!
I could also see a two bike scenario with one bike towing the trailer with a nice base camp setup. Then leaving the trailer at camp and exploring on two bikes. Or just two bikes touring, one with a trailer so they can carry more stuff and the person who is less comfortable riding doesn’t deal with the trailer.
That is a scenario we hear from people a lot!
Lots of good thoughts! But…oh boy…huge can of worms here. 😀 How people who do long distance travel would argue your “two bikes are better” point is, having two bikes doubles your chance of mechanical issues (especially if they are BMWs! Sorry, I couldn’t help myself) and nearly doubles your costs (only gas is not exactly doubled, and you can buy two less expensive/smaller bikes).
Two of my favorite vlogs (and personal friends) that are examples of your point on two bikes = more carrying capacity are:
Lastly, I ponder the “how to carry a motorcycle with your car” as well. I don’t have a solution…but who knows where we will turn after we get the ADV1 started!
A quick follow up, I have legal plates in IL and a title. It will be easy for you to get a plate if needed in your state: the Certificate of Origin and bill of sale we provide, pay your taxes, and away you go.
Mercedes,
a sentence above the video may be missing a ‘not’ : ‘The idea here is that the trailer should compromise how your motorcycle rides’. As it stands, that sentence seems unlikely to help you get a chance to review this thing when the people at Pasq read this. And I definitely want you to use and review it—maybe test its rated capacity picking up trash on a Gambler run? If you do, we need a video of the setup going over something that tests the vertical range (someone else brought that up)
Anyway, this is pretty damn cool!
Oh that’s where I leave a typo!! Oh gosh. Thank you so much, I had it fixed! 🙂
I was initially going to dismiss this as a reinvention of the B.O.B. Yak bicycle but the articulating hinge really is an innovation to make a trailer track better.
Thank you! And it’s patented!
‘Trapezoidal Hinge’? In engineering, this design is called a 4 bar linkage.
The analysis is the same as the Autopian write up a while back about front suspension geometry and the location of ball joints and the goal to get the center of rotation of the turning wheel on center of the tire patch.
I don’t know why, but I think of ADV riding as including some technical offroad and I have don’t have a grasp of not allowing the hitch joint to pivot about a horizontal (pitch axis) access would be acceptable. Just seems like bad things could happen if you had to go up and over a log or something. Fixing the roll axis to the bike maybe isn’t so bad because there is only one wheel on the trailer.
I think it does rotate in the pitch axis, if we’re thinking of the same thing. Pivoting up and down at the axle of the motorcycle’s rear wheel.
Correct.
I thought this at first glance too, but looking at more of the photos it does look like the rear axle connection allows for this rotation.
I see it now. I ddn’t look at the photos closely… I watched the video, and pitch rotation isn’t shown.
Clever! Just add another saddle and footpegs and you could add a second pillion…
…The mother in-law seat.
I guess I should say it again, the user manual will say, “No people or pets on the trailer.” But once you buy it, you can do with it what you want?
Does it have trailer brakes? I’d be careful on steep trails with it loaded down, as you could have the trailer push your rear wheel out. I have a Weehoo 2-seat child trailer for my bicycle, and made the mistake of going down a steep mountain bike trail with two kids in the trailer, and my braking had to be very light or the trailer would try to jackknife. Granted I’m a n00b at mountain biking, but it wasn’t a fun experience for me or the kids.
Kudos for thinking
This model is designed for ADV motorcycles, not enduro bikes. I know there are a few people out there who can take their R1250GS or T700 on technical single track, but most don’t do that. We will be coming out with an enduro model at some point, but at this point, the ADV1 is not intended for very technical trails. It’s intended to go down the highway at whatever speed you want, and then be able to handle much (nearly all) of BDRs, logging roads, fire roads, and plain old gravel roads.
In our testing to this point, in emergency braking, we have not had any problems whatsoever with the trailer making the bike destable in any way.
And I guess I should say it directly, the user manual is going to say, “no people or animals should be carried on the trailer.” 😉
Kids go IN the trailer though. 🙂
I love homebrew engineering like this, thanks for the fun read
Thank you!