Quote:
Originally Posted by Christian J
So, JCL, carrying a 400# motorcycle on a hitch rack is NOT recommended? Uh oh. I was planning on ordering an X5d on Monday...
I understand the basic idea of the lever effect, but thought 400# would be fine. I've searched this forum a bit to find a 2nd opinion. Your thoughts?
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Not at all recommended. I have installed hitches on both an E53 X5 and an E83 X3, and they have similar restrictions. If the E70 has the same restrictions, then you will have to figure out how to get the CoG of the motorcycle and carrier within 8" of the hitch pin. I suggest that will be very difficult.
This isn't a truck, it is a tall car, in the sense that it doesn't have a frame to bolt the hitch to. Those carriers make sense on a pickup, Suburban, or Expedition.
Here are a few links to read:
http://www.xoutpost.com/747074-post4.html
http://www.xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-foru...oem-hitch.html
And if you need a second opinion, Weasel responded in the above thread as well.
http://www.xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-foru...solutions.html
This one notes that BMW cuts the maximum tongue load (on the E53) from 600 lbs to 330 lbs when driving off-road. Why? Off-road, a trailer can bounce, applying dynamic loads beyond the static loads normally experienced. A hitch-mounted carrier sees those sorts of dynamic loads every time you go over a bump, even on the road.
An X5 will take a motorcycle along just fine, you just need a very simple trailer. There is a link for a folding one (Stinger) in the last link I posted.
Edit: another poster just put up the E70 OE hitch installation instructions, and as with the other models, the maximum hitch load is included in the manual. Attached clip below. It is 8", same as the other models.