Trailer Hitch

redmed · Tue May 05, 2015 4:16 am

I thought about adding a trailer hitch for a bike rack but read the installation instructions from Curt Inc.and it seems quite involved, in fact they rated the installation as hard. Has anyone installed one?

11zukizashi · Tue May 05, 2015 6:25 am

I was thinking about this too, the hitch mount tray style racks look badass. Check out this post http://www.kizashiclub.com/forum/viewto ... =12&t=2305

redmed · Mon May 29, 2017 11:47 pm

Installed a hitch this weekend. Had to remove both mufflers and enlarge holes and fish bolts thru but got it done in about 3 hours.

Tue May 30, 2017 5:56 pm

Just curious to why a hitch-mounted bike rack is desired. I'm also looking for bicycle transportation hardware, but I'm going to get a trunk mounted bike rack. The reason why is that it can be mounted on many different vehicles in mere minutes with no hardware or mount installation. This allows it to be transferred from vehicle to vehicle easily. I'm thinking of getting a quality used one on Craigslist so I don't have to haul my mountain bike on my roof. This will then allow me to load up more in the Thule roof box I recently bought as the Kizashi's max roof load weight is 110 lbs. . Given that most hitch-mounted bike racks don't seem to allow trunk access while in use, I don't see the benefit unless you already have a hitch like on a truck or SUV or have one installed for a trailer. When I don't need my roof box, I'll use my roof bike rack to free up trunk access.

jadeng97 · Tue May 30, 2017 6:47 pm

KuroNekko wrote:Just curious to why a hitch-mounted bike rack is desired. I'm also looking for bicycle transportation hardware, but I'm going to get a trunk mounted bike rack. The reason why is that it can be mounted on many different vehicles in mere minutes with no hardware or mount installation. This allows it to be transferred from vehicle to vehicle easily. I'm thinking of getting a quality used one on Craigslist so I don't have to haul my mountain bike on my roof. This will then allow me to load up more in the Thule roof box I recently bought as the Kizashi's max roof load weight is 110 lbs. . Given that most hitch-mounted bike racks don't seem to allow trunk access while in use, I don't see the benefit unless you already have a hitch like on a truck or SUV or have one installed for a trailer. When I don't need my roof box, I'll use my roof bike rack to free up trunk access.

The trunk mount ones are nice but they tend to leave marks. I have a pretty nice saris trunk rack and if i have to use it I put rags under the points of contact as we have previously experienced it leaving marks on other vehicles. That's the reason I went for the roof mounted ones. I found the whispbar fork mount racks on craigslist and I love them.

Tue May 30, 2017 7:07 pm

jadeng97 wrote:
KuroNekko wrote:Just curious to why a hitch-mounted bike rack is desired. I'm also looking for bicycle transportation hardware, but I'm going to get a trunk mounted bike rack. The reason why is that it can be mounted on many different vehicles in mere minutes with no hardware or mount installation. This allows it to be transferred from vehicle to vehicle easily. I'm thinking of getting a quality used one on Craigslist so I don't have to haul my mountain bike on my roof. This will then allow me to load up more in the Thule roof box I recently bought as the Kizashi's max roof load weight is 110 lbs. . Given that most hitch-mounted bike racks don't seem to allow trunk access while in use, I don't see the benefit unless you already have a hitch like on a truck or SUV or have one installed for a trailer. When I don't need my roof box, I'll use my roof bike rack to free up trunk access.
The trunk mount ones are nice but they tend to leave marks. I have a pretty nice saris trunk rack and if i have to use it I put rags under the points of contact as we have previously experienced it leaving marks on other vehicles. That's the reason I went for the roof mounted ones. I found the whispbar fork mount racks on craigslist and I love them.

Makes sense. I did read about people saying they leave marks, but I was wondering what the extent of the damage was. Is it clear coat damage or like light dents?
I was planning to get a Saris Bones trunk rack, but it will be on another car and not my Kizashi when in use. Light damage from use isn't really a concern with this other car.

jadeng97 · Tue May 30, 2017 7:14 pm

KuroNekko wrote:
Makes sense. I did read about people saying they leave marks, but I was wondering what the extent of the damage was. Is it clear coat damage or like light dents?
I was planning to get a Saris Bones trunk rack, but it will be on another car and not my Kizashi when in use. Light damage from use isn't really a concern with this other car.

Mostly just some light scratching. Just have to be careful how much you tighten it because I'm sure you could leave dents.

redmed · Tue Aug 15, 2017 1:03 am

I have used a few trunk bike racks over the years and had paint scratches a dent and just don't trust them. My hitch rack slides in in less than a minute and the bikes pop on easily. Easy, quick and no chance to scratch or dent what vehicle I use it on.

Tue Aug 15, 2017 4:25 am

I did end up getting a used Saris Bones 3 and used it to carry my bike cross-country on my girlfriend's Mazda3. I must say I was impressed as it was very stable and didn't damage the car. The rubber feet of the Saris Bones are high quality and didn't scratch the painted surface. If anything, the lower feet that attached to the bumper caused indentations on the bumper from the weight load but they disappeared after a day once the bike carrier was removed. Bumpers are rather pliable anyway. All in all, it was an excellent bike transportation solution, especially for the $40 I paid for it as it got my bike across 2700 miles in 3 days with no issues. It's very stable even at speeds around 80 MPH.

That being said, I do see the benefits of a hitch-based system but having a hitch would tempt me to get a small trailer to carry things like motorcycles, grills, etc.

redmed · Thu Aug 17, 2017 6:17 am

KuroNekko wrote:I did end up getting a used Saris Bones 3 and used it to carry my bike cross-country on my girlfriend's Mazda3. I must say I was impressed as it was very stable and didn't damage the car. The rubber feet of the Saris Bones are high quality and didn't scratch the painted surface. If anything, the lower feet that attached to the bumper caused indentations on the bumper from the weight load but they disappeared after a day once the bike carrier was removed. Bumpers are rather pliable anyway. All in all, it was an excellent bike transportation solution, especially for the $40 I paid for it as it got my bike across 2700 miles in 3 days with no issues. It's very stable even at speeds around 80 MPH.

That being said, I do see the benefits of a hitch-based system but having a hitch would tempt me to get a small trailer to carry things like motorcycles, grills, etc.

Large screen TV, Lazyboy, washer dryer, ATV and other good stuff from Home Depot. Broaden your Kiz-abilities.
You would look silly with a ATV strapped to your trunk.