Front Hitch Motorcycle Carrier Options (Helpful Guide)
Having the air flow through your hair that makes motorcycle riding romantic and adventurous. These 2-wheeled vehicles are great for fun as well as going into town for errands. They also save on fuel as they get great gas mileage.
If you are looking for a front mount motorcycle carrier, you may be disappointed. There does not seem to be any on the market at this time. Of course, some adaption can be done to move a rear mount to the front bumper but that may cost you in the long run.
To learn more about this topic, just continue to read our article. It explores this topic so you have the best information to move forward on this objective. This may be doable but not practical.
How do You Carry a Motorcycle On The Front Of a Truck?
There is not much information concerning this option. One reason may be the legal and weight issues involved. The legal issues are listed more for regular bikes but those should apply to a front mounted motorcycle as well.
In some states, you cannot block the license plates and that law should apply to just about everything you want to attach to your front bumper. Although you can get an auxiliary license plate but is the hassle worth it?
Also, you may have problems with vision. It is illegal in many states to block the windshield view. This is something you have to consider. We are not saying it is impossible but it just may not be practical or legal to do so.
You can put a front mounted hitch on your truck and then attach a motorcycle mount to it but those legal issues may stop that adaption. Also, you will have to consider the weight of the front mounted receiver hitch, the motorcycle carrier, and the motorcycle itself.
This extra weight may harm your suspension, make it harder to brake, or help you go over your payload weight limit. It may be possible to do but it is not going to be practical.
We looked at some safe ways to transport your motorcycle and this was not on the list of possibilities.
Front Hitch Motorcycle Carrier Options
To be frank and open about this, as much as you want to try this option, you may find, as we did, that there are not any front hitch motorcycle mounts listed for sale. All of them are designed to be used with rear hitches.
Every best list we came across did not mention this option at all. All of their top carriers were for rear mounted hitches. Yes, you can adapt one of those for the front, but that may not be a safe option to use.
Also, there are front mounted receiver hitches, but they are for putting boats in the water or taking them out, or to carry regular bike racks. This option may not have the weight capacity to handle a medium to large size motorcycle.
You would have to do a lot of investigation to see if this type of hitch would work. One other issue that has not been mentioned is that if the bike is long enough, it will block headlights and possibly turn signals. That is not a safe way to drive.
Looking at these two issues may discourage you from trying this hauling method but it is good advice to follow. Be safe rather than sorry.
Using a Front Mount Motorcycle Carrier
Here is the thing, there are some people who have put their motorcycle carriers on the front receiver hitch, But their experiences were not as satisfactory as most people would hope.
Not only was the truck front extended by three feet, something to really worry about, but all their headlights, turn signals and sometimes license plates were blocked. It is not a safe option to consider.
There is one guy who made his own custom front hitch motorcycle carrier and you can see it at the video below. Keep in mind the video is 29 minutes long. One of the owners that tried this did not figure he would escape the eye of the law if he tried to put his motorcycle on the front bumper.
You would need to check the laws of your state to see what is or isn’t allowed when you are driving. One suggestion by one Discussion forum member was to contact your local state police to see what the law says about it.
The reason we are writing in this manner is that very few people are talking about this option. There is only one way to use a front hitch motorcycle carrier and that one way has too many mitigating factors that make it impractical.
Front Hitch Motorcycle Carrier Headlights
Before we get to this topic, we should add one more factor when it comes to mounting your motorcycle on the front bumper. You may have to beef up your front suspension to achieve this goal. That can be a bit expensive to do.
Plus, you may have to add a lift kit depending on your vehicle. We know that some people have found front hitch motorcycle carriers but they are not that popular as it seems and most people are not talking about them.
The problem of the headlights can be solved in a few ways. One would be to never drive after dark. Sometimes that is impossible to do after a day of riding your bike.
Another solution would be to attach headlights to the carrier rack. But those lights may be mounted too low and you would not see that far in front of you. We saw one front mount motorcycle carrier on a truck with a camper but it did block the license plates.
It also looked homemade and the owner said he bought it from some guy selling it on eBay. We will tell you that no one has popped up in our searches selling one in a retail manner.
Most likely, they just used a normal front end hitch and adapted the carrier to that.
How Safe are Motorcycle Hitch Carriers?
This is a relative subject. Some people will call and have called, this option a death trap. According to them, these designs are a danger to pedestrians. They can be unsafe if you forget how much they extend out the front.
You may be thinking you are stopping normally with plenty of clearance but in reality, you may be banging the car in front of you in a couple of seconds. There is always a risk of the straps breaking and the motorcycle can fly off the carrier very easily.
To other people, these carriers are perfectly safe and they will claim they have had no accidents, etc., when they use theirs. How safe these carriers are will depend on how you define safe.
Many people think mountain climbing or parachuting is unsafe and very dangerous. While the same amount of people thinks the opposite. There is always going to be risk involved even if you put the carrier on the rear hitch mount at the back of your trailer.
This is a question you have to decide for yourself. It is as safe as the security holding the carrier and motorcycle in place.
Tips For Carrying a Motorcycle on a Front Hitch
The first tip should be, do not do it. The reason we would say that is because it is possible you will break the law. Fines are never fun to pay and even if you get lucky and only get a warning, you still have to do something about that hauling situation.
1. Make sure the suspension and bumper can handle the weight of the hitch, the carrier, and the motorcycle before investing in this option.
2. Check the weight capacity of the hitch and the carrier. Some bikes can weigh 600+ pounds and not every front hitch can carry that much weight.
3. Stop frequently to check your security measures. You never know when one of them will come loose or break
4. Do not forget to check the legality of this move. If the motorcycle and carrier will block the headlights, windshield view, and license plates then you should not put it there.
5. While it is possible to put your motorcycle on a front hitch and carrier, it is not the most practical option you have available. There are better options available.
Some Additional Words
There are many motorcycle owners who have placed their motorcycle in a carrier and attached it to a front mounted hitch. They have been successful as well. In most cases all they are doing is using a front mounted hitch, adding the carrier to it, and then loading their motorcycle.
There is no special formula or method to do this. The problem is a legal and safety issue. Plus the fact no one seems to endorse this idea. They prefer the traditional methods of hauling your motorbike.
