How much does the install run on that? I already have a bike rack (a Saris Bones) that will fit the MINI (per Saris' site) but no way am I putting it on my MINI...it left marks on my Jetta and the mounting would be more precarious on the MINI with the narrow and squishy back bumper.

I'm getting sick of riding close to home and need a good way to haul 1-2 bikes without scratching my MINI. The sport link and bike rack are $550 without install, that seems rather pricey or a bike rack system to me, but I need a way to haul bikes.

I'm with him.
Anybody

I had mine installed and love it! It is way stable and carries two bikes at freeway speeds without worry of falling off.

The build quality is top notch, which it should be for the high price tag.

I just spent the money and didn't think about it, because now I love carrying my bikes on my mini.

I understand some have self installed, see FAQ guide for details.

Cheers.

Her.

Thanks for your comments abbydog3 (I have an Abby cat :smile, I'll take a look at the FAQ.

There's a guy on the Dallas MINI website that has a really nice writeup about it...(not via NAM, separate URL), I don't have it handy, sorry...it's got pics, etc.

Also, I think someone here or over on MINI2 documented a "do-it-yourself", do a search for OctaneGuy and sportlink...found it https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ight=sportlink

We just installed my sport link last night - there were 2 of us and we did it together. 2 MINIs at once. We started at about 7:30 or so and we finished both by midnight, including stopping for about 30 minutes for pizza dinner. As you would expect, the second one took a lot shorter time than the first one; we learned a lot about what was important that was in the instructions to do and what wasn't.

Basically, you take the bumper cover and bumper off, remove the skd plate, remove the brackets that hold the muffler, then attach the sport link (struggling to get the bolts in place and nice and tight), drill two holes in the bumper cover (Cooper) or the air vents in the bumper cover (MCS) and then re-attach the bumper cover. The sport link doubles as the bumper.

This is something that I would never have attempted on my own, but since there were too of us (and he had all the tools) I went ahead and did it.

While I don't have the bike rack (yet) I absolutely love the sport link and trailer hitch. I use it weekly. It's easy to put on and take off the car. It's really pretty ingeniuos and built like rock. There is a picture in the "gallery" of the trailer hooked up to the Mini.

FWIW I can weld, fabricate etc and to me it was worth buying it already engineered and having the dealer install it. Had it done before taking delivery of the vehicle. It's pricey but the quality is there.

I'm thinking of doing my own bike rack to utilize the sportlink sockets though. Or modifying the trailer hitch bracket to accept one of the drawbar socket style bike racks by bolting or welding a 2" square reciever socket on it.

What do you folks ride for bikes? Maybe we should start another thread....Show us your.....Bikes!

Road bikes: 1998 Rocky Mountain Turbo (hence my screen name)
1984 Miyata 912 (winter bike)
Mountain bikes: Litespeed Ocoee hardtail
Trek 8000 hardtail

Sorry
My Bad

Just road bike: Calfee Luna Pro

I just ordered the bike rack for the sport link. I can't wait, so I don't have to start all my rides from my house.

I just have a Raleigh - a cheap $300 one. I didn't know how much I'd get into biking, but I ride fairly regularly in the summer. I've put over 1000 miles on it, and probably should get a more $$$ bike, but the Raleigh still serves me well.

I looked at your gallery - you use your MCS to haul your garbage cans?

BTW - niiiice sailboat!

http://www.metroplexmini.org/forum/s...ight=sportlink

Is the link to Scott's review.

Also, this was the FAQ install I was referring too.

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ad.php?t=43514

Cheers.

Here is MINIFINI's website:


www.minifini.com

The Raleigh will serve you well. Built to last. You can always put better components on when you need to replace things. Going more expensive will remove some weight from the frame and get better components. But if you're not worried about going faster it'll do just fine.

Yup, haul my trash with the MINI. I live in a rural town with no public trash pickup. So, once a week or so it's off to the dump with the MUV (MINI Utility Vehicle). I had an 04 Ford F350 V10 but when gas went to $2.25 for regular and it was costing $80+ a week to drive to work I sold it and bought the MINI to replace it. if I have to haul or tow anything heavy I'll borrow a truck for the day.

Thanks, The boat is getting jealous of the MINI though. The MINI is getting almost as much TLC as the boat gets and it doesn't like it Actually that boat is a lot like the MINI. It's fast, handles well and loves to race.

I'm very tempted to buy a Sport Link with a hitch so I can tow my classic Mini behind the "big" one. Just have to find a way to hook the classic up to it.

On your classic MINI there are two access holes in the front "apron" that let you see the heads of bolts that hold the sub frame to the sheet metal.

I have seen several "hitch plates" that put larger bolts through the holes and then provide a place to attach a standard draw bar. They end up leaving the "ugly" cross bar on the front of the Mini when they remove the draw bar.

I did it slightly differently. I got 1/2 inch FORGED eye bolts. I made up some spacers to keep the heads of the eyebolts extended through the sheet metal, and used the eye bolts to replace (drilled out the frame) the 5/16 original bolts. This gives me two relatively neat eye bolts on the front of the car. Then I attach the draw bar to the eyebolts, when I want to tow it. A couple of pieces of rubber hose are used as pivot bushings in the eyebolts. This keeps the hitch from banging around.

I have seen similar arrangements made up to tie cars down on trailers.


http://user.mc.net/~jdewey/MINI/Trai...h_in_use_3.jpg


John
Illinois

John,

Thanks for the input! I know I can probably make up something that will work - I'd never want to leave an ugly hitch attachment on the front of it.

Was it tough to wire up the electrics?

On the MINI I used an ISOLATING POWERED trailer light adapter.
On the Mini, I was only towing it the once, and I have a set of magnetic tow lights that I used.

John

Thanks a bunch!