Can You Bring Your Motorcycle With You On Your Next RV Trip?

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Wade Thiel

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Wade divides his time among various outdoor activities in both urban and rural environments. An adventurer by nature, he is always up for a challenging hike, fun hunt, or day out on the water with friends and family. When he isn’t enjoying the outdoors, he’s writing, reading, or tinkering with motorcycles and cars.

Two of my favorite things on the earth are RVs and motorcycles. They’re a bit at opposite ends of the spectrum though in terms of size and amenities, but they can go together. How many times have you been driving down a mountain road in your RV and thought it would be a perfect road for your motorcycle? Well, if you bring your bike along, you can ride back to that spot and down that road once you get to your campground.

Motorcycling and RVing is all about freedom, so to put the two together seems only natural. However, you might wonder how exactly that works. Here are some things to think about, so you can bring your motorcycle along with you on your next adventure.

What Kind of Bike Do You Have?

Man seat on the motorcycle on the forest road

Whenever someone brings up motorcycling and RVing, I always want to know what kind of bike they have. If they own a dual-sport or adventure bike then the approach will be a little different if than if they have a big Harley-Davidson or some other cruiser machine.

With that said, it doesn’t really matter what you own. You can still bring your bike along, but the way in which you handle its transport can vary depending on the motorcycle.

For instance, some smaller motorcycles will fit in the bed of a pickup truck even with the tailgate up. That means if you have a travel trailer, you could potentially fit the bike in the back of your truck and tow your RV down the road. On the other hand, if you have a large cruiser motorcycle or a bike that just won’t fit in the bed of pickup then you’ll need to seek out another option. This often will come down to the type of RV you have.

What Kind of RV Do You Have?

RV toy hauler fifth-wheel

There are several different kinds of RVs out there. When people express interest in bringing along their motorcycle on their next trip, my mind immediately goes to toy haulers. Toy haulers have the perfect garage space for a motorcycle (sometimes two will fit). Toy haulers come in towable or motorhome forms, too.

However, not everyone wants a toy hauler, or perhaps they own an RV already. For motorhome owners, I suggest towing a small utility trailer or a designated motorcycle trailer. If you have a travel trailer or fifth-wheel that isn’t a toy hauler, things get a little more difficult.

Technically you can double tow if your truck has the power to do it. This is where you tow your RV and then tow another trailer behind that. However, double towing laws vary dramatically depending on the state, so you’ll need to do some research and be sure you can legally tow a small trailer for your motorcycle behind your RV.

In some cases, you may need some special equipment. It also adds a lot of length to your overall length on the road and that makes maneuvering especially difficult. It’s not something I’d recommend for anyone who isn’t confident in their towing abilities.

There are Many Ways to Make It Work

Bikers camping on the beach

The bottom line is that if you want to bring your motorcycle along with you, then you should be able to find a way to do so. Having a toy hauler, in my opinion, is the easiest way to do so, but a motorhome with a small trailer pulled behind it is not very difficult either.

It’s also worth noting that there are several smaller bikes out there for sale with low price tags. If you can’t bring your Harley cruiser with you, consider pickup up one of the small motorcycles or scooters that Honda or Kawasaki sells. While those bikes aren’t nearly as cool as a powerful, full-size motorcycle, they’ll still provide some fun on a twisty road.


Do you bring your motorcycle along with you when you go RVing? Have any tips? Leave a comment below!

  • Comment (10)
  • Kenneth Vrla says:

    Just ride the harley behind the rv!

  • Doug Jackson says:

    We’ve been doing the 5th wheel toy hauler gig for five years. I’ve always had heavy bikes during that time. We started with a Goldwing then migrated to BMW K1600GTL, then to a K1600B Grand America. We generally average about 9,000 RV miles over the course of about ten weeks away each year. Add to that many fun miles on the Beemer on some fantastic roads throughout the USA and Canada.
    We take our three small dogs with us, so when we’re away for the day on the bike, we leave the “kids” in the air conditioned garage space. We try to find a daytime dog walker, but in case we can’t, I have a wifi Nestcam setup so that I can see a temperature gauge hung on the wall, (and I can view the dogs as well) on my cell phone. I always leave a hidden key in case we have an accident and need assistance with the dogs. I include this info on a note which is in my motorcycle tank bag.
    One challenge we’ve had in the past is getting the big heavy bike (about 800 pounds) safely up and down the ramp. I used to drive it up and jam on the brakes. Coming down the ramp with motorcycle brakes only is likewise “fun”. I finally found a way to mount a 110 volt wench onto a motorcycle chock which I bolted to the garage floor. Moving up and down the ramp is now a piece of cake.

  • W. Green says:

    I have a 2020 Benelli TNT 135 which fits on a motorcycle carrier that fits on my Jeep JKU! I tow the Jeep w/the motorcycle on the back! Works out great and the bike is great for riding curvy mountain roads!

  • Atvwmike says:

    I have an 8-foot bed on my truck and my Harley fits fine up there. I pull a travel trailer behind the truck and everything works perfect.

  • Art Alanen says:

    Ram 2500 with an eight foot box will haul most any size motorcycle. I use a folding arched ramp, a front wheel lock, and an electric winch.

  • Rick says:

    We have a Thor Class C and tie our Honda Goldwing begins on a trailer. 90% of the time the Goldwing fits the bill. However there are times when weather doesn’t cooperate or we just need a 4-wheeler. We just call Enterprise and they’ll bring a car out to us for the day. Works for us!

  • emil says:

    I have a carrier which I believe is a new product called motow rv to tow my bmw gt600 and it worked beautifully. Towed 560 miles so far without feeling I was towing anything. It was really easy to load and unload from the ground I’d highly recommend it

  • Debbie says:

    I have a 32 ft Toy Hauler. We haul our two Indian Motorcycles. Some campgrounds/RV Parks you have to ask for a space so you can unload the bikes. Last time our space had a playground behind us and unloading between the swings. Other sites there where on a hill.

  • Camping Dad says:

    In some states (i.e. Nebraska), for example, in a State Park, your secondary vehicle will also need an additional ‘Park Permit’ even if it’s towed and doesn’t touch the ground. Crazy but true!

  • Wade Thiel says:

    Rick, I love it! Goldwing definitely gets the job done in most cases.

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