getting towed behind a motorbike

[do-a-flip]

hey lads and ladies,

Well im off this school hollidays to my holliday house. The area is mainly for motorbikes but last time i decided to take my DH bike up and it was great fun. The only problem is that we were only using rope with a stick tied to the end for me to hold onto. It was ok but the sticks broke and when you got one strong enough to withstand the force, it was too big to hold onto it and the bars. The other problem was when the moto stopped and started, you would feel really big jerks, and when the slack wanst takin up and he took off, you would get pulled off, so i had to watch really carefully and judge when they would brake to take up the slack. My hands were killing me afterwards and i couldnt help think there are better ways.

how have you guys pulled your MTB behind a moto?
cheers

[browny_5]

ive never tried behind a motorbike only been towed behind a car but maybe a bike tube would work so that when they start and go it stretches a bit first if you get what i mean so not as much jerk.


joe

[jailbait]

Try using a thin steel rod tied to a bike tube then a rope.

[sam705]

Try using a thin steel rod tied to a bike tube then a rope.

I can see this method causing harm.

Thin steel rod + bike tube + sudden stop = impalement on steel rod.

[jailbait]

If it's on your handle bars so you can be towed it's not going to be too bad, you can throw it to one side if you need to let go.

Needs to be thin otherwise it's really rather hard on your fingers. You might be able to find something thin and plastic, but that'd have just as much risk of impalement as metal.

[do-a-flip]

I can see this method causing harm.

Thin steel rod + bike tube + sudden stop = impalement on steel rod.
yer i like the way my spleen is atm thankyou:p the tube idea isnt too bad. may give it a go. maybe get a whole heaps of tube and tie them together?
thanks so far keep the ideas coming...

[mattyboy]

If you have one, an old ski rope, with handle. They normally have a bit of stretch so that it won't jerk as badly, and you have a nice strong handle to hang on to. I havent tried this yet, but I have been thinking about it.
Have fun with it.

[chuckies_here]

If you have one, an old ski rope, with handle. They normally have a bit of stretch so that it won't jerk as badly, and you have a nice strong handle to hang on to. I havent tried this yet, but I have been thinking about it.
Have fun with it.

Yeah i think this dude is onto it.
I am going too give this way a go next time i go to my property.

[do-a-flip]

If you have one, an old ski rope, with handle. They normally have a bit of stretch so that it won't jerk as badly, and you have a nice strong handle to hang on to. I havent tried this yet, but I have been thinking about it.
Have fun with it.
nope i found it doesn't work as well. the good ones have a bit of stretch but who wants to use a good handle and rope on rocks n dirt. secondly the handle isnt long enough to go handlebar width across. you can only grab onto it with one hand which is difficult and if you put both hands on you cant grab the brakes which = bad outcome...
good thinking though guys.

[Dicky]

Ask your local indoor rockclimbing place if they've got any gym rope that's just been retired... it's dynamic (stretchy) instead of static, and should make things a bit easier if the moto rider's a bit of a clutch dumper.

Take up the slack before moving off.

Learn to feather the clutch, and keep in mind that you're towing someone, not going for a fang, any change in speed/direction/gear has to happen in slow motion.

The handle should be only just big enough for one hand IMO, leave one hand completely free of the bars, and the other one to hold on.

[TheLunchbox]

this whole thing has bad written all over it... Make sure someones filming:D

[Jordo_c]

i suggest using a ski rope and maybe where it connects to the bike maybe 2 or even 3 if you have to, bike tubes because one sounds too weak, however you can get stretchy ski ropes if you need to

[Rayner_DH]

Ok this is the best way to get towed ive used it tons get a piece of rope you tye it on the dirtbike tye a small loop in the other end, you put the small loop over the head set on your bike make shore its small anough so its tight then you get the drit bike to take tension and you start to pedal a bit till your going then you just have to brake to keep the tension. This is the best way because your not going to get impaled and if somthing goes wrong all you have to do is give the rope a flick and it comes of.

[Grip]

I suggest strapping a bottle of cream to your left calf and whistling dixie through a paper microwave oven...


.... which all makes about as much sense as this topic being posted in Parts & Stuff.

:confused:

[Adrian]

I have been towed with an old ski rope, and with just a big rope with a knot tied in the end that you can grip works a treat.

The knot works better. Less chance of being hurt too.

[SpectRe]

It's all fairly risky.. but my cousins have towed me around pretty well on the DH rig without any handles etc...

I took the end of the rope around the handlebars once (at the stem), lay the loose end of the rope across the grip and then closed my hand over the rope on the handlebars.

This gave a nice even pull from the centre of the bars whilst being able to hold on properly with both hands (remember to take out all the slack before starting off) and I simply loosened my grip on the handlebar for the rope to slip out and off the bars when under tension. Feathering the brake to keep tension on the rope takes a bit of getting used to, but makes for a lot smoother ride:D

[andrewG]

just tie the rope around your stem?? then you dont have to hold on at all

:rolleyes:

or the bike tube and steel rod would work heaps good

[bellto]

i learned the hard way about why not to put a rope around your stem, if the front wheel gets jammed or stuck on something, the wheel acts as a pivot, as the handle bars are pulled farward, the seat and back end move into the endo position, but really fast and you literally get hurled over the bars.

the tube seems to be the best so far, have you thought about actually using old habdlebars with grips and all, the bars are the correct shape for your hands and the grips are good for grip, just try the tube idea and a handle bar attached to the end, maybey even some pimp bar ends

[sxereturn]

I've got this down pat pretty much. I have a bit of an obsession with doing 100km/h on push bikes, and where I used to live in South Australia was perfect for a bit of towing fun. The best "system" we developed was simply wrapping a piece of rope around the handlebars once, and holding the end with your hand on the grip. This means all the pull goes through your bars, not your hand, but as soon as you want to abort, all you do is release the rope and you're free.

Make sure you have someone intelligent doing the towing. I let a wanker in an old P76 tow me once and it was one of the scariest experiences of my life. He accellerated pretty quickly on a dirt road, which lead to me been snapped forward and two wheel drifting at about 90km/h. It was pure luck that I didn't come off.

[dillon22]

The best "system" we developed was simply wrapping a piece of rope around the handlebars once, and holding the end with your hand on the grip. This means all the pull goes through your bars, not your hand, but as soon as you want to abort, all you do is release the rope and you're free.


Thats what I think is the best way to do it. It is good because you just have to hold your hand over the rope and so it doesnt have any strain on your arms and if you need to just let go and your no longer being pulled. You can also use your brakes still if need be. I have done this method various times, to get to and from tracks where you have to go up hill to get home or there, and even going up single tracks up hills to get to the top of tracks and it works good.

[do-a-flip]

Thanks guys for the replies they've been pretty helpfull. I used the rope and old tyre trick and it worked a treat. I attatched one end of the rope to the back of the moto and then the other to a tube. I held the tube in both hands against the hangers and it formed a triangular shape (if you want a pic on how i did it pm me). it was really good at absorbing the bumps and acceleration/slowing of the driver. the only downside was it got your hands a little achy after a while of holding on but i was never expecting it to be perfect. those tubes must be made well becasue that rubber can stretch! next time i will use two tubes though because it broke on the way back, but we tied it back togethor and off we went..

rating: 8/10

I suggest strapping a bottle of cream to your left calf and whistling dixie through a paper microwave oven...


.... which all makes about as much sense as this topic being posted in Parts & Stuff.

:confused:
i was debating weather or not where i should put this thread but i was looking for what PARTS to use on getting towed behind a moto so i thought PARTS N STUFF. i thought it was the right section but thanks for moving it anyway...

i will post a vid of me pingin down the hill later.
cheers

[Nathan_]

Go down to your local boat shop and purchase someting made for water skiers..

[cartman]

If the rider of the bike is any sort of rider they should be able to take off and change gears with out you feeling much if any slack in the rope, i would not suggest getting a handel that goes the full bar length as if you do need to get rid of it in a hurry then it could get cought on something and then you are in a new world of crap.
I ride moto's myself and it is like riding with osme one on the back just take it easy and smoth and will be no issues.