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[SERK3]

Thinking about buying a trailer, i don't have room to park a enclosed trailer, Anyone have any expirence with this brand? I'm looking at the two bike trailer.

How does it pull both loaded or empty?

[SBB]

Thinking about buying a trailer, i don't have room to park a enclosed trailer, Anyone have any expirence with this brand? I'm looking at the two bike trailer.

How does it pull both loaded or empty?

Dan, no experience with the Kendon.
I have an open trailer you may want to consider.
Will send you a pm.

SBB

[Ironhorse]

I have their two bike stand up trailer. I'm not too impressed with the product, but I am impressed with the company.

It was purchased in 2008 and I use it to haul the training bikes for my weekend motorcycle classes. On a class day I must load and unload that trailer 6 or 7 times. I like it because it's light and easy to stand up and push around. However, I think the lightness makes for metal fatigue issues. On mine the front horseshoes that hold the front tires have become tweaked and twisted over time. I think this is from the constant tightening and loosening down of the bikes with tie downs. The castor wheels have also failed. On two occasions the ball bearings have come out of the races leaving the wheels to roll on the axles. JC, Roger, Greg and others will tell you that I do not push that trailer very far, just up and down my paved concrete driveway. And then there was the issue of the ramp. The single tongue that supports the ramp onto the trailer started cracking. I posted a thread complete with picture of it here and maybe someone can find that thread.

Shortly after posting the thread here, I was contacted by the owner of the company. I explained to him everything that happened and sent him the pictures. I assured him that I was not using it incorrectly or abusing it. I told him I was going to take the ramp to a local welder and have him reweld the tongue and reinforce it with a backing plate. He sent me a new ramp and new wheels. I like doing business with a company where you can speak to the owner and he takes care of the customer.

I believe the issues I experienced stem from more usage than the product was intended. For the average person who may use it to take the bike in for servicing, or trailer to a rally or get together I think it will be fine. Those are infrequent occurrences. But I use the trailer in almost an industrial manner. I am towing many bikes back and forth loading and unloading them and tightening and loosening the bikes with tie down straps multiple times a day. It's my belief that the light weight trailer was not made to stand up to they type of usage I subject it to.

Mark

[Fired00d]

I have their two bike stand up trailer. I'm not too impressed with the product, but I am impressed with the company.

It was purchased in 2008 and I use it to haul the training bikes for my weekend motorcycle classes. On a class day I must load and unload that trailer 6 or 7 times. I like it because it's light and easy to stand up and push around. However, I think the lightness makes for metal fatigue issues. On mine the front horseshoes that hold the front tires have become tweaked and twisted over time. I think this is from the constant tightening and loosening down of the bikes with tie downs. The castor wheels have also failed. On two occasions the ball bearings have come out of the races leaving the wheels to roll on the axles. JC, Roger, Greg and others will tell you that I do not push that trailer very far, just up and down my paved concrete driveway. And then there was the issue of the ramp. The single tongue that supports the ramp onto the trailer started cracking. I posted a thread complete with picture of it here and maybe someone can find that thread.

Shortly after posting the thread here, I was contacted by the owner of the company. I explained to him everything that happened and sent him the pictures. I assured him that I was not using it incorrectly or abusing it. I told him I was going to take the ramp to a local welder and have him reweld the tongue and reinforce it with a backing plate. He sent me a new ramp and new wheels. I like doing business with a company where you can speak to the owner and he takes care of the customer.

I believe the issues I experienced stem from more usage than the product was intended. For the average person who may use it to take the bike in for servicing, or trailer to a rally or get together I think it will be fine. Those are infrequent occurrences. But I use the trailer in almost an industrial manner. I am towing many bikes back and forth loading and unloading them and tightening and loosening the bikes with tie down straps multiple times a day. It's my belief that the light weight trailer was not made to stand up to they type of usage I subject it to.

Mark

If you have a Kendon Trailer.......

 
Ride Safe,
Fired00d
 

[Ironhorse]

Thanks Fired00d.

[Fired00d]

Thanks Fired00d.

You're welcome.

 
Ride Safe,
Fired00d
 

[mark]

No experience with Kendon, but I have a two bike Droptail trailer that I am very pleased with.  I looked at the Kendon and spoke with a guy that owned one - he said the Kendon was hard to load by yourself because there was no place to put your feet.  I thought the Droptail was a better design, but it takes up a little more room when folded up.

[GregKhougaz]

I have had a Kendon two rail trailer since 2005 and store it on the side of my house, standing up.  I pull it with an F150 and earlier, a Ford Ranger.  Have used it to go to AZ bike week from Los Angeles about five times and occasional short trips to the dealer for service or to help someone out.  I just hate that 400 mile ride in a straight line on the 10 to Phoenix and would rather be in the truck.  I've not had the issues Mark has had but have not loaded mine nearly as often. 

The wheels require grease for the bearings and I grease them before each trip (800 mile trip).  Tires require 50lbs of air and will leak from just sitting so check those each trip too.  I assume the newer trailers have upgrades but have not checked.

The tongue of the ramp is inserted what looks like upside down so its easy to bend if you don't do it correctly.  I don't know but suspect that may be the cause of Marks issue with it in the older thread.  Also remember you do not need to compress the forks of the bike very much.

Pulling the trailer is very easy.  It tracks very well.  With the F150, you barley feel it back there even with two touring bikes on it.  Because it is short, it is not easy to back up but I'm probably not very experienced at that. 

[SERK3]

Greg, How does it pull empty, Does it bounce around?

[SERK3]

No experience with Kendon, but I have a two bike Droptail trailer that I am very pleased with.  I looked at the Kendon and spoke with a guy that owned one - he said the Kendon was hard to load by yourself because there was no place to put your feet.  I thought the Droptail was a better design, but it takes up a little more room when folded up.

Mark, What is the brand name of your trailer?

[mikegiotto]

I had a Kendon they pull great and store great. I had problems with the fender support cracking and they are a pain to load by yourself almost to the point of dangerous you have now way to touch once you start up the ramp you are commited there is no stopping. I think the Drop-tail loks like a better design.

[mark]

SERK3, you wanted to know the brand of my trailer  - it is a Droptail (droptailtrailers.com).  To get a better idea of how their design works, look at the video (it is on YouTube also).  BTW, I can load my SG by myself and can push it up the ramp and load it w/o using the engine to pull the bike onto the trailer.

[SERK3]

I had a Kendon they pull great and store great. I had problems with the fender support cracking and they are a pain to load by yourself almost to the point of dangerous you have now way to touch once you start up the ramp you are commited there is no stopping. I think the Drop-tail loks like a better design.

Mike, Thanks for the info, I dropped a low rider i had loading it, about 4,000.00 damage to it, I sure don't want to drop my SERK.

[SERK3]

SERK3, you wanted to know the brand of my trailer  - it is a Droptail (droptailtrailers.com).  To get a better idea of how their design works, look at the video (it is on YouTube also).  BTW, I can load my SG by myself and can push it up the ramp and load it w/o using the engine to pull the bike onto the trailer.

Mark, Thanks i will check it out. 

[Ironhorse]

Because I load so many bikes on and off the Kendon, I had to learn to do it by myself, and riding up the ramp was the only way. So I took a sheet of 3/4 inch plywood, and bolted it under the ramp using the using two mounting holes in the middle. The board is wide enough that I can walk the bike up in first gear using the friction zone. I know the Kendon company does not want people to do that for liability reasons, but since I work alone, it's my only course of action and I accept all risks. I've gotten pretty good at it. The only bikes I have issues with are bikes with fairings. When coming up the ramp, the fairings block the riders view of the rails and wheel chock. I like to have someone stand in the front and use hand signals to guide me up. Backing the bikes off the trailer is so much easier. I leave the bike in first and use the clutch to control the rate of descent. With the plywood in place the ramp cannot be bolted under the rear, so I just bungee it between the bikes. Never had a problem.

One design flaw that irritates me is the placement of the brake lights on the rear side of the fenders. Bikes with floor board are always scraping the inside of the fender. I've broken two sets of lights. Luckily they can be bought cheap at Pep Boys, and even cheaper from on line parts stores.

Truth be told, if I wasn't limited by space and needed a fold up trailer, I would have bought a drop rear.