Getting to the track!

[spericolato]

I was hitting the track fairly regularly with my buddies last year.. Unfortunately their "team" turned into a super frat over time. Some things they did both on and off the track crossed the line, so I departed from them. They now have a very bad reputation in town, amongst both social circles and riders.

I never thought getting to the track would be this difficult on my own. Last time for me was Chuckwalla back in November. Locals recommended that I rent a van for a weekend from some place like Avis, but that totals around $250 just for one day at the track plus all the other expenses. I tried taking advantage of open space on my dealership's truck, but they don't go very often and this never pulled through. I'm not in a position right now to sell my Civic and buy a truck/van (brand new 848 payments).

Any recommendations for finding my own cheap bike transport? Are there any teams or individuals in the San Diego area looking for someone to pay for gas and help out in the garage/pits? It's a shame because I was making serious gains in my riding abilities and looking at getting more serious.

Thanks

[scutchins]

Get a cheap Harbor Freight trailer (or a folding one if storage space is at a premium) and a hitch on your Civic.

I had one of the folding HF trailers and with a piece of 3/4" plywood on top and some 2x4 bracing underneath it was fairly sturdy. I wouldn't go cross country with it, but for a total of maybe $250 I wouldn't expect to be able to.

[spericolato]

I was thinking about getting a lightweight trailer... But I confess I don't know a whole lot about towing stuff and was scared I'd trash my Civic (acceptable weight, tongue weights, driling in a hitch, etc). At least I have the Si so I have a little more power..

[jarelj]

Most cars can pull a small single-bike trailer with no problem, we have quite a few people who show up at our track days around here with that type of setup. The other option is to rent a Uhaul flat-bed trailer, way cheaper than renting a van, but you still need a hitch on your car.

[DaC]

Originally Posted by spericolato

I was thinking about getting a lightweight trailer... But I confess I don't know a whole lot about towing stuff and was scared I'd trash my Civic (acceptable weight, tongue weights, driling in a hitch, etc). At least I have the Si so I have a little more power..

The HF trailer weighs next to nothing. You're going to be towing less than 800 pounds, which is nothing and well within the means of your Civic, especially for short rides to the track.

If you go with the HF trailer, I would try and get the larger rims. The 8" are pretty small. It's a narrow trailer, so just don't do anything stupid and keep it at 55MPH and you're fine.

The folding one is nicer in that it's longer and more stable on the highway because of that. You also won't need to mess around with an L-bracket to be able to fit the entire bike on it (the smaller one is 4x4 I think).

I had one of the small ones many years ago that I used to haul camping equipment in. I probably put 10K miles on it and gave it away to a friend when I got a larger 5x8 Utility. As long as you're towing 500lbs on it, they are just fine.

-Dan

[Bravo51]

I did the Ti2TT track day at Spring Mountain in Pahrump last weekend (28 May) and I saw a Home Depot van there used to bring the bike to the track. Not sure on cost, but it worked for them.

Any Civic can pull a little bike trailer no problem....

Or do like this clever guy:

[DaC]

Originally Posted by Bravo51

Or do like this clever guy:

Do you think this guy's Civic will continue to benefit from Honda's excellent resale value?

[Swodi]

You can also check with the track day organization and see if they have a forum and then see if there's a ride-share sub-forum. Also see if there are any local forums...you might run into someone who is looking for someone to split expenses and it may just work out for both of you.

I'd stay away from the Uhaul trailers. Those things are heavy and I've found their hitches to be unreliable (last one I towed bounced off my hitch...and this wasn't my first rodeo).

[jcns]

Originally Posted by Bravo51

I did the Ti2TT track day at Spring Mountain in Pahrump last weekend (28 May) and I saw a Home Depot van there used to bring the bike to the track. Not sure on cost, but it worked for them.

Any Civic can pull a little bike trailer no problem....

Or do like this clever guy:

Originally Posted by DaC

Do you think this guy's Civic will continue to benefit from Honda's excellent resale value?

absolutely
It's now a custom Civic truck

[jcns]

you can always sell your car and get an minivan.
like this
http://www.speedzilla.com/forums/att...e-dsc02383.jpg
or this
http://media.photobucket.com/image/r...MPVminivan.jpg