Clearly, owning a trailer has benefits. First, you can avoid boring stretches of highways , an especially appealing thought if you are planning a west coast trip and you live in the Midwest.
Secondly, you can escape with your motorcycle from snow and ice for more appealing locations - and do so in comfort. Without a motorcycle trailer, there is no way that we could attend Daytona Bike Week. With out luck, we'd be traveling back north in the middle of a blizzard.
While you may opt to buy a trailer new, there are many great deals out there on used trailers, and since you are not dealing with an engine's wear-and-tear, buying second-hand is certainly worth considering.
If you do buy a used trailer, make sure it has a motorcycle ramp
. A very necessary accessory, that you won't miss until you need one.
Travel Tip - If you are planning to venture a distance from your trailer, don't forget to make arrangements for leaving the trailer at your starting point. Most hotels or motels will allow you to park a trailer for a nominal fee, if you plan ahead.
Enclosed Trailers - The most expensive, and most secure option, enclosed trailers come in a variety of sizes - from one bike to multiple. You can opt for an aluminum or fiberglass shell. Inside an enclosed trailer, the motorcycle is usually secured with tie-downs to the floor and walls of the trailer. An added benefit - more packing room for gear and other stuff that you might accumulate on the trip.
Open Flat Bed Trailers - Without the aluminum or fiberglass shell, a more affordable option for hauling your bike.
Folding Trailers - Usually made of lightweight steel, these are the barest of open bed trailers, and have the ability to fold up for easy garage storage.
Rail Trailers -
Even more lightweight than folding trailers, your motorcycle is ridden up a ramp onto a rail, and then secured. Another affordable option, these come in one, two or three bike versions.