Carrying bikes on Solera / MBS with rear slide?

Skialberts · 06-14-2015, 10:46 AM

We are considering buying a Solera or MBS but don't want to take our bikes off a hitch rack every time we stop for the night. Any suggestions?

Thanks,
Susan

**RedLdr1** · 06-14-2015, 11:37 AM

Yes, get the 24W floor plan...also known as the Sunseeker 2400W which is replacing the Solera brand name. The slide is on the drivers side so you can leave your hitch rack alone.

If you prefer to have a rear slide floor plan I've seen bike carriers designed to "tilt" or "fold" down that would allow the slide to work. See Here for some examples at etrailer.

hockeytownmom · 06-14-2015, 03:37 PM

Make sure any bike rack to purchase is RV approved.

Skialberts · 06-14-2015, 08:00 PM

Thanks! Really want the rear slide so we have been checking out the tilting ones. Thx again!

Skialberts · 06-14-2015, 08:03 PM

Thanks for the advice about the RV approved racks. So far, we have only seen a comment on Yakima indicating that it is NOT. Do you know of any others that we need to stay away from? Is it because of the additional vibration?
Thx again!

hockeytownmom · 06-14-2015, 10:32 PM

Swagman is RV approved, but not sure if those tilt.

It is because of the additional movement and vibration. I've read some stories of rack voiding their warranty after breakage on RV's because they aren't approved for RV's.

David100 · 06-15-2015, 01:01 PM

We have a 24R and Quat bike carrier for 2 bikes and it does tilt. It also has a knob at the rear of the carrier that turns and moves a cam internal to the Solera receiver that takes a lot of the rattle away. There is also a removable bike maintenance tube that has been very handy to use when I needed to adjust the gear shift levers and lubricate the chains. We really love our 24R.

HomeOnWheels · 06-15-2015, 01:16 PM

Here is a thread on bike rack for 24R, http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...ize-56052.html

tnjmich · 11-30-2015, 07:43 AM

We have a platform rack and a pair of folding bikes that worked great with a rear slide. All we did was fold the handlebars down. We just borrowed a Sprinter R model, but this is how it looked. We have thousands of miles on the Swagman XC rack with no issues.

https://www.dropbox.com/home/Photos?preview=rvbikes.jpg

Still Kickin · 11-30-2015, 08:14 AM

Now i'm curious. If a bike rack is designed for a class III hitch, what does "RV approved" mean, other than the marketing dept. trying to make more sales, or scare you into not buying theirs, if not specified. Am I missing something, isn't a class III hitch style bike rack just that!

backdoctor · 11-30-2015, 05:48 PM

I have a rear slide on my 24r and a Thule 2 bike rack. I had to disassemble the tubes and cut them down about 6" and install the towbar upside down as a 2" drop and I can open the slide with no issues while the bikes are on. Before the surgery I smacked the slide on the bikes at least once a weekend. Realized that while I'm clever, I'm not very smart...

barnbnb · 12-01-2015, 03:27 PM

The Kuat NV 2 bike rack will fold down away from the back to a 45 degree angle and provides clearance for the rear slide when it's lowered. It also folds up at a 90 degree angle when not in use. I have a note hanging over the rear slide switch to remind me to lower the rack!
I did have to buy a hitch extender, though, because the handlebars of the inside bike were right up against the paint on the bottom edge of the slide.
Kuat makes different styles. The one that I have is the NV 2. Very easy to use.

dukeboone · 12-01-2015, 07:49 PM

Here's my two cents (I don't have the R floorplan).

The Kuat Rack has a sticker on it that states the warranty will be voided by connecting it to an RV. I have the Kuat NV with the extension (four bikes total) and it works great. I can't comment on whether the tilt function would be adequate for the rear slide or not. It is on the other hand adequate for allowing access to the rear storage door on my S floorplan.

I was able to install the rack without any sort of receiver extension, although there's another MBS in town that I've seen with the Kuat NV and they did use a receiver extension. Not sure if this was for the handlebar width or for better performance with the rear slide when the rack is tilted.

Finally, my understanding about warranties on these racks and attaching them to RV's is that they are not taking into consideration the vast array of possible applications. The typical receiver on a Class C or Class A MH is capable of towing vehicles and trailers so there's no solid reason in my opinion as to why this should violate a warranty. On the other hand, I've heard of a few failures with receivers install on trailers for bike racks as these receivers are typically only engineered for bike racks and not for actual towing. So these rack manufacturers may just be covering themselves by making a blanket statement.

I did check with my rack dealer when I purchased the rack and told him that I has a sprinter based class c motorhome and his response was that I would be fine. Not sure whether that means I have violated my warranty or not. Nevertheless I feel fine with it.

Oh, and I have also been told that the receiver extensions add a considerable amount of torque on the receiver, especially with four bikes and this is generally considered not the best idea. Furthermore on the Kuat which has the tensioning function to restrict the rack from wobbling, the receiver extender essentially negates this function.

HTH

ericlakin · 12-08-2015, 08:38 PM

I've seen a lot of travel trailers with tube bumpers and bolt-on receivers being used with bike racks, and I think this is what they are worried about. With 4 bikes on a rack there is a serious amount of weight hanging behind the bumper, and with every bump in the road they bounce up and down. On my old travel trailer I had a similar setup, and after a 3 hour drive I noticed the bumper was starting to twist. I had a welder add some extra steel to strengthen things. I can imagine enough bouncing could cause the bumper welds to break.

Loefflerh · 12-16-2015, 08:46 AM

I do not know the brand anymore (repainted - no sticker). I just know it works great, takes 15 sec to swing the bikes back and carries 3 bikes!

nusslejj · 12-16-2015, 01:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ericlakin

I've seen a lot of travel trailers with tube bumpers and bolt-on receivers being used with bike racks, and I think this is what they are worried about. With 4 bikes on a rack there is a serious amount of weight hanging behind the bumper, and with every bump in the road they bounce up and down. On my old travel trailer I had a similar setup, and after a 3 hour drive I noticed the bumper was starting to twist. I had a welder add some extra steel to strengthen things. I can imagine enough bouncing could cause the bumper welds to break.

I suspect a bike rack connected to a Solera experiences much less pounding than connected to a TT - which essentially has little to no suspension.

We owned TT's for years, and I only found one bike rack that would stand up to the beating of a TT - all the rest broke in a year or less. Look to the Saris "Thelma" - the best rack I have ever used, and stands up to a beating. I have owned one now for 7-8 years, and used it maybe 100 times already. Very light, very strong, bikes don't "touch", and easy to use.

Loefflerh · 12-17-2015, 08:11 AM

That bike rack (pictures above) traveled about 10000 miles on the back of a trailer, 30000 miles on a Jayco 30ft motor home and now 8000 miles on my Solera. The first 40000 miles with 3 bikes, now on the solera only 2..... No problems with the exception of rust.....
Hans

Skialberts · 12-20-2015, 07:27 PM

Thanks for all the great responses and pix! We think we're going with the Rola tilting rack. Hope it works out for us.

Loefflerh · 12-21-2015, 10:53 AM

found the brand of my bike arrier:
Allen Sports Deluxe 3-Bike Hitch Mount Rack with 2-Inch Receiver

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