Last year I rode my motorcycle to the Dirt Rag Dirt Fest since I was able to demo a bicycle at the event. I've also had the luck of friends transporting my mountain bike to different destinations while I rode the moto. All along, though, I've wanted to develop a way to carry my mountain bike on the motorcycle in order to be 100% self-sufficient in these moto/mountain bike trips.
After considering several variations of the standard "bike tray" I eventually settled on a different design - the "trunk rack" adapted to a motorcycle. It ended up being extremely simple, especially since I was able to mount bars to the existing frame of my SW Motech luggage system. The only real fabrication needed was bending the two tubes to tuck within the profile of the bicycle. Other than that, I welded nuts in the ends of the bars in case I wanted to bolt anything to them. Four holes and longer hardware allowed them to bolt in place.
While I was at it, I installed the Enduro Guardian 1" lift dog bones to give the rear of the bike a slightly better stance. I had the rear wheel off anyway, since I needed to balance the new tire. With it out of the way, the dog bone install was a breeze.
During the week, I tested the arrangement - but found out quickly the consequences of mounting the bike in the path of the exhaust. In no time, the exhaust fumes had roasted the hydraulic brake hose and charred the decals on my downtube.
Luckily I was able to find another hose and had it bled before the weekend's trip to VIR. This time, I welded together two exhaust adapters which LUCKILY fit snugly around the inner pipe. I heated the adapters with an oxy-acytalene torch and bent them at a 45 degree angle. I also mounted the bike higher on the rack and am glad to say that it was a success!
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