Bike Rack

[goofyone]

No one at Harley ever proclaimed that their stability control can not handle towing. It's this statement that makes the difference.

This situation is not unusual at all even in vehicles which are designed for towing. I have a Ford Econoline full size conversion van which I use for towing my trailers at times. These are available from the factory with hitches yet Ford still recommends I disable part of the stability control system when towing and also disable overdrive unless I am on the highway.

 

[KN16]

you either use your front brake or back brake or together.. two seperate controls.. front by hand .. back by foot.. no sway or stablility control other than the rider

I get that. The motorcycles you've cited that can be insured are said to be not recommended for towing for mechanical reliability reasons. Paul has in so many words said it won't be safe. Instead of attacking me someone needs to convince EM that there's a reason to start publicly talking.

 

[3 Card]

There you go.

But the Harley 3 wheeler does come standard with a trailer hitch.. A Harley hitch is also available thru Harley for many many models..And I understand antilock brakes in just now available on some models..Oh, Harley sold a side car option for years.. Please, I need Harleys stability control explained to me..Seems I've been doing it wrong for years by using the front lever for front brake and right foot pedal for rear braking..I'm going to look really close for a button, switch or lever to enact stability control next time I ride.. Thanks for the info.. Please forward this info the other 28 million Harley riders..

 

[KN16]

But the Harley 3 wheeler does come standard with a trailer hitch.. A Harley hitch is also available thru Harley for many many models..And I understand antilock brakes in just now available on some models..Oh, Harley sold a side car option for years.. Please, I need Harleys stability control explained to me..Seems I've been doing it wrong for years by using the front lever for front brake and right foot pedal for rear braking..I'm going to look really close for a button, switch or lever to enact stability control next time I ride.. Thanks for the info.. Please forward this info the other 28 million Harley riders..

Buy a Harley then.

In the mean time Elio needs to start talking as people need to know what's what and not to have to hear it from a 3rd party.

 

[goofyone]

I am sure there will be a lot of changes over the next year, some we will like and others we will not, as this vehicle continues its development. We have to remember we are watching a vehicle being developed and not just buying a final product so things can be added or removed as this process continues to evolve. Development time and cost will unfortunately likely be deciding factors for many options as Elio Motors needs to get this vehicle into production as soon as is reasonably possible.
If the Elio is successful it is likely that many things which they could not do prior to production end up being added over time, this is just the cost we face for being on the leading edge.

 

[3 Card]

Buy a Harley then.

In the mean time Elio needs to start talking as people need to know what's what and not to have to hear it from a 3rd party.

Oh I thought you were educating me about insurance...Let me read your post again.. Yep it was call your insurance, harley never claimed, etc etc.. What time do you start drinking in the morning?.. Do you have a motorcycle endorsement ?.. You will need one to get your Elio properly insured and possibly titled and registered..Please be safe with it, don't tow , would hate to see you not have warranty or with your insurance , you should switch to a legit company.. For auto I recommend Allstate, motorcycle Geico..

 

[KN16]

Oh I thought you were educating me about insurance...Let me read your post again.. Yep it was call your insurance, harley never claimed, etc etc.. What time do you start drinking in the morning?.. Do you have a motorcycle endorsement ?.. You will need one to get your Elio properly insured and possibly titled and registered..Please be safe with it, don't tow , would hate to see you not have warranty or with your insurance , you should switch to a legit company.. For auto I recommend Allstate, motorcycle Geico..

I won't need a motorcycle license. I have good insurance, thanks for your concern and recommendations.

As far as towing I've see another person who was a party to that confrere call that's putting the no towing in far stronger terms than Michael did.

You can keep bashing me but it was Elio's head designer that said it won't be safe not me.

 

[3 Card]

I won't need a motorcycle license. I have good insurance, thanks for your concern and recommendations.

As far as towing I've see another person who was a party to that confrere call that's putting the no towing in far stronger terms than Michael did.

You can keep bashing me but it was Elio's head designer that said it won't be safe not me.

wow// You do have me mixed up.. I said I was more concerned about a front tow system so I can pull it behind a vehicle more than being able to tow a few lbs behind it.. You have been putting your little digs in about my post for a long time..The fact is Elio does not know what it wil be capable of nor do they know if it will get produced or not.. Why in the hell do you think all we were getting guaranteed is a T shirt..I don't know what it would be like to tow anything behind a 1200 lb three wheeler especially with 50 hp and not knowing how it's going to be geared..I have not even brought up the subject about probably 800 pounds will be on the front tires plus the fact the driver weight will not even be near back enough to add weight to the rear..So yes a trailer could bounce ass end all over the place with or without traction control..But I do know that traction control can not stop a trailer from swaying, It does help along with limited slip to pull a boat out of the water in a steep ramp situation.. At 70 mile per hour in an improper loaded thrailer it's useless .. I have the experience to back up what I say without fancy formulas..

 

[Jeff Miller]

As I said many times people often use the Goldwing to tow. It has half the weight and twice the HP. Yet Honda does not recommend they be used for towing. I'm not sure what Honda does with the Goldwing but installing a receiver on some bikes voids the warranty. We could end up with the same situation here and we won't know until EM actually provides us with some information.

KN16, not trying to be negative but I've seen you post this 1/2 the weight several times and everytime I look up the specs it just isn't true; it is much closer to 2/3 the weight of an elio. From the source http://powersports.honda.com/2013/gold-wing/specifications.aspx

Curb Weight904-933 pounds, depending on option packages selected (Includes all standard equipment, required fluids and a full tank of fuel-ready to ride)

 

[2.ooohhh]

I know exactly what's being discussed. It might have been more accurate to say antilock brakes.

It's toast stick a fork in it. The designer has said it's not tow-worthy. It doesn't matter who does what with some other cycle or who makes what aftermarket part.

At this point with what has been said if you use the Elio to tow you'll be using it in a manner not intended by the manufacturer and your insurance will be void.

Incorrect, ABS and Traction Control, and Stability Control are 3 separate systems though often controlled by the same control module.

Antilock Brake System(ABS)- Measures independent vehicle wheel speeds and releases brake pressure milliseconds after a wheel achieves lockup then reapplies the brakes repeat until brake pedal is released or wheels no longer lockup. Used to keep the ability to steer while emergency braking, and considerably shorten stopping distances in inclement weather.

Traction control- Measures individual drive wheel speed during acceleration and upon initiation of tire spin and either applies brakes or cuts fuel(sometimes both) until wheel spin is eliminated.(typically happens in a few hundredths of a second) Used to dramatically improve acceleration in inclement weather and for increased track performance in modern sports cars.

Stability Control- measures the force and rate of movement in both the pitch and yaw of the vehicle's chassis, commands ABS pump channels to slow particular corners of the vehicle to keep the chassis from entering an unstable state. Used to increase safety in road cars with inexperienced drivers. Must typically be turned off on track, while towing, or otherwise engaged in activity that would purposely put the vehicle in a a condition outside typical driving parameters. Used to improve the handling and control of cars in a very narrow pre-programed environment.(street driving)

Stability Control is very finicky, on new BMWs if we installed sport springs(25mm lower than standard factory suspension) we had to reprogram the stability control module to the "new normal" roll center. I also turned it off permanently on several dozen cars that auto crossed because just changing tires to sticky tires and driving hard would set faults in the stability control module.(the yaw sensor was experiencing too many Gs of lateral force)

While traction control and stability control often have "off" buttons, it is VERY hard to turn of a modern vehicle's ABS, in BMWs we have to pull the relay that powers the module and it kills all three at once.

When Elio states that the stability control would have to be turned off to tow, that comes as NO SURPRISE. In fact I'd be surprised if they didn't state that.