That anti wobble hitch pin lock combo is amazing. Thanks for sharing that. For trailering purposes I have an item that could never get proper funding to get off the ground so you can’t get them anymore. It’s a ball mount that scissors wider inside the receiver preventing it from wobble. No more annoying slap on the pin or rattling inside the receiver. Uses a 10m Allen to tighten.
I purchased this unit to buy a Honda 350 XL next week hopefully, and this video helped me work out some of the bugs in my brain as I was considering how I was going to do all this. Excellent explanations of every concern I had and a few extras I hadn't. The hitch pin is an absolute for me next time I hook up my camper trailer. always feeling this back and forth slopp going on.
This vid was just what I needed to see, shot just the way it needing to be shot. You had excellent detail and thoughtfulness as you described what you were doing, without the needless repetition one often finds in videos. My bikes weigh 439 and 445 lbs, respectively, so I'll be buying the next model up, but the techniques described in your vids, and in the comments (and I've read all the comments thus far) are a great resource. Thank you so much!
Put the ramp/rack on the lower edge where you set it after unwedging from tire. Just bounce it over the bar. The same exact position you put it while you unstrap.
Once you've rocked the front tire onto the top rail, with your hand on the brake, the tire dropping 2" is nothing. Just use the lower rail for the ramp. Big tires will roll over that bump easy.
My bike is a shorter wheelbase, so one wheel doesn't fall into a groove. So I use velcro straps to tie down the wheels. I have the additional 90 degree hitch adjustment, so I can flip my rack up against the tailgate and out of the way when not in use. I put my loading ramp on the other side or out side of the bike rack, so when I flip it up, it doesn't hide the license plate below. Thanks for the recommendation for the hitch to rack tightener. That'll work on my 90 degree adapter also!
Thank you so much for the in depth tricks and cheats! I also hate that hitch lock that came with it, I just put mine together yesterday for my 14 year old son and his electric dirtbike, and I had the worst time with the directions, they are missing some arrows and tips about not tightening right away before attaching the rack to the wings. Your rubber adhesive is genius because I heard the knocking right away when I ran to the hardware store for a new wrench. The lockable hitch pin is also amazming, just bought both on Amazon! My Tulle rack for my mountain bikes has a knob with a internal foot that tightens, so this was new to me. Thanks again from this single mom; who needs a husband when I can borrow someones elses' on RU-vid!
I am so glad I found your video before installing our rack. Thank you so much! It was truly helpful. I just need to order the Anti Hitch Lock from Let's Go Aero and I'm good.
That's great! I have the same hitch carrier (with the 6 ft. ramp) and that pin will save yourself from laying on the ground tightening and then retightening, and even though it's as tight as you can get it they start loosening up after driving awhile. For my '21 Honda CT125 I used the small tire bolt that's included and the tires fit perfectly at just the right depth. Btw. I just put the ramp in the bed of my Avalanche, and lock the shell so no one can steal the ramp. Funny how on the CT125 FB page people used cheap Harbor Freight and Amazon Hitch Carriers and the front tire is way too low in the front and the rear tire is usually sitting on top of the carrier not inside at all.
Instead of putting the black hook (from the tie down) around the strap to the handlebars, I'd loop it through and back to the attachment point on the hitch. That will eliminate the towel used to protect the plastic. (also I'd put that towel next to the tailgate while you lean the bike on it)
Great video! I Ike that silent hitch thing. I’m going to have to get one of those. I don’t bother putting that ramp on that top bar. I just leave it hooked on the bottom for loading and unloading.
I used 3" Cam Buckle Straps, that are rated for 1200lbs, Thicker than a car seat belt!...Lol....I just don't trust all these 1" straps claiming 500lbs, etc....I always like 2 or 3 times the Load on my straps, just for safety. Many of the larger straps often use Hooks that are Too Large for bike applications anyways, but luckily my straps have a narrow J-Hook(found them at home depot)....so strap it right on my bars, don't really care about the paint.
Great video! When I purchased my dual sport motorcycle a couple of years ago, my buddy had one of these older Black Widow racks and he has let me borrow it. I believe it is an older model from 2016 or 2017, but it looks the same, except for (1) the anti-wobble part and (2) the aluminum ramp design. The anti-wobble part looks different than the newer model and it didn't work on my short Toyota 4Runner hitch and so I purchased something better. As for the ramp, the welded lip on my buddy's aluminum ramp that attaches to the rack is reversed compared to the lip on your ramp. My buddy's ramp lip is oriented upwards ("U") as compared to your ramp design, which is an upside-down "U", and so your ramp has to rest on top of the rack, which then gets smashed down by the rear tire. With the orientation of the lip being reversed (right-side up "U"), the lip hooks under the cylindrical rod on your rack and so the tire compresses against the rod, not the lip of the ramp. You can see at 22:46 in your video, there is a gap under the rod and that is where my friend's ramp slides into. My buddy's ramp is easily removed by lifting the ramp up high and sliding the ramp lip out. I'm wondering why Black Widow reversed the orientation of the welded lip on the ramp in later models. Last thing, the tilt that you noticed is also apparent on my buddy's ramp and it drove my nuts too. I corrected the problem by adding two sheet metal shims onto the right side of the male end of the rack that slide into the female end of the hitch. I believe the shims are 1/32" - 1/16" thickness. I made them 2" long and duct taped about a 1", while leaving the remaining 1 inch bare, so the shims can slide into the female hitch hole. It's a tighter fit and levels out the rack perfectly.
@@boyfester the rack. I'm looking for something to carry 2 ebikes on the back of my Tacoma, and I'm afraid this rack might stick out too far and drag going up some hills or on bumpy trails, because of the smaller size of the truck.
I use a anti rattle lock similar to the one you reccomend. Yes it locks it side to side. While friction slows up and down. You pulled up. I am unsure that a 400lb motorcyle on a severly bumpy road that the friction will hold it from bouncing UP...... I'm looking at the U bolt anti rattle
Great video. Thanks for sharing. Could you just have left the ramp on that lower bracket, instead of having to roll the bike back to get it to that upper bracket?
Thank you for the video I just ordered the hitch pin and the same bike carrier but not the XL because I own a fat tire ebike and don't need the extended ramp
To fix the ramp problem you cad add something to the front tire back stop on the carrier get a scrap of aluminum and use weld on to make the front tire backstop thicker that should keep it from rolling back on ramp
Nice, but... four straps on the front of the bike means they are all trying to pull the bike backward off the rack (as well as down into the wheel slots). You want the same kind of opposing tension front and back that you have side to side.
I feel your tire/ramp problem is your bike's long wheelbase. Can't change that. What you can do is bolt on two tabs at each end of the carrier that you can run a rod/bolt through to move the ramp's attachment point outward. Now you place and remove your ramp with ease.
I have this same carrier and would like the tie-down points to be another 4” out from the centerline of the bike. As it is, there isn’t enough angle on the straps to avoid contact with the radiator shrouds.
I have the same problem with my ramp on my carrier and also put straps though the wheels to trust me my motorcycle back tires sliped off between the truck and the carrier
WTF! You don't have to put the ramp under the tire and go through all that extra work. I have a double Black Widow. That 1.5" drop is nothing. All you have to do is just roll it off.
You are absolutely right. I need to do a update video on the myths I was told when I first started riding and now have found out the truth. Thanks for the comment.
I think I would have jam nuts on the backside of the anti wobble device so they can't come loose. Definitely not a fan of the single centered anchor point. I want fore and aft tie down points
Helpful video. How confident would you feel using this ramp with a 375 lb bike, about 100 lbs more than yours probably? Do you think it would hold up? And I'm guessing loading and unloading would be a 2 person job?
The rack is rated for 400 lbs. but I would not do it. I would go with the versahaul vh-55 (versahaul.com/vh55ro.php). This rack is made of steel and is rated at 500 lbs. My concern would be the bouncing of the nearly max out weight on a aluminum rack. I guess I'm just a bit cautious. Thanks for the question.
So RV Approved means that the manufacturer of the rack has tested it for RV use. If you have ever ridden in a RV, It sorta bounces down the road. With the rack being in the back, it tends to take the abuse of the movement. For this reason, racks need to be over designed with thicker metal and larger welds. The black widow rack it technically not a beefier design so we risk having it break while traveling. I have never gotten any feed back from anyone who has used this rack on an RV so there is no data to support this. We are just going on the word of the manufacturer.
I actually sold the first one I had because it had a short ramp. When I found out about the longer ramp, I purchased it again. LOL. Thanks for the comment.
If you have ever ridden in a RV, It sorta bounces down the road. With the rack being in the back, it tends to take the abuse of the movement. For this reason, racks need to be over designed with thicker metal and larger welds. The black widow rack it technically not a beefier design so we risk having it break while traveling. Thanks for the question.
I am a lightweight and my truck bed is high. Trying to load my bike in the truck is a bit of a struggle with using a ramp and a step stool. Also, I have a ladder rack on my truck for work and I do not need to take the ladder off to go ridding. I also use to have a box in the bed that I took out because I had to remove to load the bike. I am considering putting back because the carrier is working for me. Another benefit is that I can hose the bike off with it loaded. No mud in the bed of the truck either. Thanks for the question.
The brand name is "Snappin Turtle" (www.snappinturtle.com) I use the 24" long soft loop listed under motorcycle/accessories. I use the 6' long rachet with coated hooks (2.5K) listed under motorcycle/ratchet tie downs. Thanks for the comment.
Another subscriber pointed out to place the ramp on the lip below where I hooked the ramp in the video. That doesn't seem like the way it was designed; however, it works. Thanks for the comment.
thanks for video. little advice. you attach the ramp as you did when you removed it and then push bike on it. and thats how its done. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-UaqRwUmvDio.html
Great review of an inferior built product. Horrible welds. Misaligned holes. Quality issues. A nightmare of an anti wobble component. Simple stuff that the company obviously does not want to correct. Nice video though.
