I have searched and not found a clear answer. Sorry, if this has been posted before. But if it has please point me in the right direction. I just got a brand new MC and am really impressed by the Mini do more products. anyway I want to tow a small trailer for my motorcycle (track days....). Are there warranty issues with using the mini to tow??? I have seen countless threads and pics of people towing all sorts of things, I am just a little apprehensive in doing anything that the would cause warranty problems.

Thanks a million for the advice. Also for those of who are towing a motorcycle and have a hitch which trailer would you recommend.

Tony

 

Don't know about warranty issues, but I use a 5X8 grate bottom utility trailer to tow to track days and Deals Gap. I was going to do a double rail bike specific trailer, but the utility has come in handy for countless other things.

 

Thanks for the pic and reply. Great to see exactly that, a bike towed behind a Mini. I am looking for a trailer with a few more uses besides just a bike, but something light weight and easy to handle.

Any other advice for a new Mini owner hoping to tow his bike to regular trackdays??

 

I got the grate bottom for the lighter weight. The MINI is good for around 1400lbs towing and up to 200lbs of tounge weight. My R1 at the front of my trailer is about 160lbs of tounge weight and it does great even in the mountains. It's also a pretty impressive boat hauler, too I believe MINI's position is no towing, so you may want to remove the hitch if you were to have any engine/trans warranty issues. Between the boat and bike I've done a good many miles towing with no issues, so I wouldn't worry too much.

 

I have a 4x8' Harbor Freight trailer and it has come in incredibly handy for hauling everything from lumber to pianos (moved a piano twice with it and the MINI) to motorcycles. In fact, I hauled a vintage BMW from Indiana to North Dakota on this trailer with my MC and it did great.

Here's a pic of the trailer close up with my bike on it from when I first picked it up (it's not this ugly anymore....back to vintage Honda look without the fairing and crap on it).... I bolted a cheap $10 motorcycle wheel chock to the front of the trailer and the weight distribution was just about perfect. I can easily fly down the road doing 80 mph with this load.


Here's a pic of the old BMW before I left for my trip to ND.


Besides this HF trailer being so handy, it also folds up and rolls on castors around the garage and stores upright against the wall.

Another cheap option would be to go to a Tractor Supply store and look at their low-end utility trailers. You don't have to put them together and they are not much more $$...they don't fold up and store vertically, though.

Good luck.

BTW, what kind of bike are you hauling?

 

Hey Chip, do you take your r1 to track days at Barber's? Lookin good guys! I'll probably be towing a bike behind my Mini once the mini is paid off!

 

Barber is my favorite, but I also hit Talladega, Jennings, and Road Atlanta

 

Fastlane: I love the idea of something that will fold up and be out of the way when not in use. We have a one car garage so with the bike and the mini the folding trailer seems appropriate. I will be hauling my SV650s, we are lucky to have several tracks close by here in the Bay.

 

I have several friends that use folding trailers and really like them, and it will be nice to be able to store it easily out of the weather. Nice bike, always been a fan of SV's

 

Has anyone had problems with overheating, etc in hilly country towing a trailer?

 

Pulling a small trailer shouldn't hurt the car, I've done it many times. But I will warn you we do alot of extended warranty claims and they sometimes send out an investigator to check the car before allowing us to do the work and the first thing they ALL look for is a trailer hitch, most extended warranties are voided if pulling a trailer. Just FYI

 

In answer to the first post on this thread, I asked about the warranty and the service manager looked at it and could not find anything forbidding a trailer. Since we know that they allow it in England, I don't see how they could forbid it here, but we all know how arbitrary manufacturers can be.

 

Thanks for all the feedback. I am still unsure. I have no doubt the car is capable but am still a little apprehensive about it causing problems with any warranty work. In the end it could be that some investigators would deem it a non issue while another one would void my warranty by the very presence of a hitch (as suggested by WayMotorWorks). I will probably hold off a while, or maybe not be so lazy and contact my dealer just to see what they say...
Stay tuned.

 

I'm having a hitch installed next week as I will be towing a trailer from FL to VA. I've worked with MINI for many years and have been asked this question many times over with not much help from the service dept. Seems no one wants to liable for saying it's OK and then an issue pops up. I'm going for it besides I've been wanting to get a bike rack for the hitch rather than a strap on one. If anyone has had any bad issues please let me know asap. Thanks!

 

i would think it would be easy to just say you use if for a bike rack only. Never admit to towing a trailer. Unless you post pics on the web of you towing a trailer or actually drive to the dealership with the trailer attached how can they prove you towed a trailer with it.

 

Has anyone tried towing their motorcycle with a 2011 Cooper S convertible? Ours is a JCW, and I'd like to tow my Honda VTX1300 with a stinger trailer. Total weight is around 800 lbs. Do you have any thoughts on how the cooper would handle it?

 

Looks like a neat little bike trailer. You will have no problem towing your bike....you won't even know it's back there.

 

Thanks Fastlane, that's encouraging - nice bike.

 

The Brits are ok with trailers up to 1200 pounds behind the S and the Justa. I don't know about the JCW, but I would look at some of the English sites or ask on another thread on this forum. I know that some other car manufacturers do not like you to tow with the more powerful versions of their engines.
I tow a trailer with my S clubman, and it is excellent, expecially the part where the engine cools off under load up a steep hill and warms up going down the other side. See the other threads for an explanation of this.

 

Curious.. Did you go with the Stinger trailer? I have my hitch/wiring installed but am thinking about getting the Stinger.

 

I presume you read my post immediately previous to yours? I think it covers weight. I am not sure what a Stinger trailer is, but, if it is enclosed, frontal area can be a problem.
I asked my local dealer about towing a trailer, and he said it had not come up, but was not specifically forbidden

 

I installed a hitch in my Clubman which resides behind the license plate. I doubt the dealer has ever even noticed it. they would have to look really close at the bumper area underneath to see the only piece that is not hidden away. Note: I only use it for a kike rack, so I have no external wiring.