Collapsible Motolug Trailer review

Motolug Collapsible Trailer review | From £645 | www.motolug.com 0800 043 7106 | Reviewed by John Milbank

Some designs are so brilliant, so useful, and so convenient that they’re well worth the price. My first motorcycle trailer was an Erde PM310. These popular units cost £565 with a ramp, and can carry a bike up to 240kg. You can also add a front wheel-holder, which brings the price up to £655.

The Motolug SE costs £645, can carry up to a 350kg machine (a Pan European weighs 283kg), with a maximum rear wheel width of 220mm (easily wide enough for a VMAX, which I have transported over 200 miles on one). The trailer is its own ramp, and a wheel-holding system is built in. Oh, and it packs down small enough to fit into the boot of almost any car. Brilliant, useful and convenient.

The Motolug takes about five minutes to assemble, and once built, it’s attached to your car’s tow-ball. The front mechanism allows it to tilt down, creating a ramp to power the bike up. At the top the adjustable wheel retainer grabs the machine safely, allowing you to step away as you prepare and fit four ratchet straps. The Motolug shouldn’t be towed without a bike on it – the process of tying it to the trailer pulls the removable parts together; it wouldn’t come apart, but it stops any movement in the assembly.

It’s the loading system that appeals to me most – I couldn’t load the Erde on my own, as balancing the bike until a strap was fitted was tricky even with my relatively light CBR600. I’ve had pit bikes, motocross bikes, sportsbikes and sports-tourers on the Motolug, and never had any problem loading them or taking them off.

So the Motolug is worth the price? I’d say so; in fact, I sold my Erde and bought this. The old PM310 took up most of our patio when it wasn’t in use – the Motolug is tucked in corner of the shed. The Erde’s loading channel kept bending out of shape with the 160mm CBR600 rear tyre, but the Motolug is rock solid. My old Erde’s ramp also popped out a couple of times… the only reason I saved the bike was because I had someone helping me.

The Erde has the advantage of being galvanised, but due to the parts that need to fit into each other, the Motolug can’t be. It’s zinc-plated and powder coated, and after several months of winter use, it’s only the bottom of the ramp that’s marked where I’ve caught it as I build it. A quick wash after use is a tiny price to pay for the huge convenience the Motolug offers. The only tweak I’ve made is to add some hefty carabineers to the tie-down points – continuous loop straps can pass through the trailer’s holes, but I had one snap where it rubbed on the edge – best to use hook-type straps or add something to protect the fabric.

The trailer tows brilliantly, has superb lighting built in, is incredibly convenient to store, and best of all, it’s a doddle to use. Thoroughly recommended.