Will a Hitch Mounted Motorcycle Carrier Work with the Spare tire on a 2003 Honda CRV

Expert Reply:

You will need to do some measuring. Measure from the center of the hitch pin hole to the farthest back part of the spare tire on your CRV. This will give you the measurement you need to compare to the measurements of the rack. The Rage PowerSport Aluminum Motorcycle Carrier for 2 inch Hitch, item # AMC400, has a measurement of 18 inches from the center of the hitch pin hole to the center of the wheel track and 14-3/4 inches to the closest edge of the carrier. I am confident, if you have a standard size spare wheel and tire combination on your CRV, that the carrier will fit.

I would be very careful using a hitch mounted motorcycle carrier on the 2003 Honda CRV. The motorcycle carriers themselves weigh at least 40 pounds and the highest rated hitches available for your vehicle have a gross tongue weight of 350 pounds. Rage recommends that the tongue weight capacity for the vehicle and hitch be at least 500 pounds. The tongue weight capacity of your vehicle an/or hitch may be less than this so you will need to check your owners manual and weigh the motorcycle to be sure that you will be within the limits of the lowest rated component.

You may be better off with a motorcycle caddy such as the Hitch Mounted Motorcycle Caddy for 2 inch Trailer Hitches, item # RHMC2, or the Trailer Hitch Mounted Motorcycle Carrier with Jack and Swivel for 2 inch Trailer Hitches, item # RHMC1SV. These carriers alleviate much of the tongue weight on the vehicle by using the motorcycles rear wheel to support most of the motorcycles weight when traveling.

expert reply by: Bob G