Going on a trip with your RV is one of the best feelings there is. You’re free to go wherever you want and you decide how long you stay at one spot. Loads of people tow their car or truck so that they can drive around while the RV stays stationary. But what if you could enjoy your hobby, your motorcycle, by carrying it on the back of your RV?
In that case, you’ll need a motorcycle hitch carrier for your RV. This allows you to carry your motorcycle on the back of your RV.
In this article, I’ll tell you which hitch carriers are the best for RV’s, what aspects you should keep in mind when buying a hitch carrier and other little tips and tricks.
How to find the best hitch carrier for your RV
There are loads of options out there, but what is the best motorcycle hitch carrier for RV’s? This depends on the type of bike you would like to carry. A lightweight dirtbike can be carried on a smaller carrier than a heavy cruiser. The best hitch carrier for motorcycles up to 400 lbs is this carrier from TMS (check more info on Amazon).
It also depends on the size of your motorcycle. Not every carrier will fit a bit cruiser, for example. Besides that, there are also carriers for three-wheel motorcycles like the Piaggio MP3.
The weight of your motorcycle is important
First of all, you should look into the weight of your motorcycle. Every hitch carrier has its own maximum capacity.
Heavier bikes need heavier carriers, which are usually made out of higher quality materials. The downside is that these heavy high-quality carriers are usually more expensive than the lightweight versions.
Do you not know how much your motorcycle weighs but do you want to get an estimate? I wrote a huge article about how much motorcycles weigh. You can check it out to know what weight you can expect from your motorcycle.
I’ll sum them up in this article really short. Just be aware that these are rough estimates. Always check your motorcycle manual if you want to know the exact weight of your motorcycle.
| Type of motorcycle | Average weight (rough estimate) |
| Chopper | 700 lbs |
| Adventure bike | 550 lbs |
| Dirtbike | 220 lbs |
| Touring bike | 900 lbs |
| Sport bike | 400 lbs |
| Bagger | 750 lbs |
| Cruiser | 550 lbs |
| Cafe racer | 450 lbs |
| Scooter | 250 lbs |
| Moped | 180 lbs |
So the first thing to make sure is that your motorcycle hitch carrier will be capable of carrying your motorcycle. This is VERY important. You don’t want your carrier to break down as soon as you hit a speedbump. Not only the carrier will break, but your motorcycle will also be totaled as well!
Hitch Carrier sizing
A second aspect to keep in mind is the sizing of the carrier. This is for two reasons.
First of all, you want your motorcycle to fit on the carrier. I’ve seen cheap carriers under a hundred dollars on Amazon, but they are way too small for most motorcycles. They will be able to carry a kid’s dirtbike at most. Don’t get fooled by the price, check how wide the carrier is!
Secondly, you don’t want the carrier to stick out of the sides of your RV. This won’t be a problem for most RV’s since an RV is quite wide. However, I would advise to also check the width of your car or truck. You might want to use the carrier after your RV trip and it would be a pity if it wouldn’t fit on your car.
The carrier shouldn’t stick out of the sides because this is a potential safety hazard for pedestrians and bikes. The edges of the carrier can be quite hard and sharp, especially when hitting somebody with serious speed.
Make sure the carrier fits your hitch
Nine out of ten motorcycle hitch carriers fit a square receiver hitch. Receiver hitches are some of the most common types of hitches for trailers. However, they won’t fit all of them. These square hitches come in different sizes and classes.
For example: the carrier featured in this article fits a class III, IV and V hitch. It won’t fit a class I or II hitch, so that is something to keep in mind.
You can find class I and II receivers on SUVs and passenger cars. Class III, IV and V receivers can be found on full-size trucks and RV’s. This means that most RV’s will at least have a class III receiver.
I’ve added a small table with the different classes and the maximum weight below. In general, motorcycle carriers (including a motorcycle) don’t go over 2,000 lbs so we should be good. However, it’s always smart to check this to make sure.
| Hitch class | Maximum weight |
| 1 | 2,000 lbs |
| 2 | 3,500 lbs |
| 3 | 8,000 lbs |
| 4 | 10,000 lbs |
| 5 | 16,000 lbs |
Are motorcycle hitch carriers legal?
Yes, motorcycle hitch carriers are legal as I write this article. (Always make sure to check the current laws of the state you’re traveling in yourself though)
But why have you heard friends saying it’s not legal? Well, that’s actually quite simple. The carrier itself is legal and you can use it in a safe manner. The reason people get pulled over by the police is the fact that their license plate or taillights aren’t visible anymore.
That’s why you should always go for a hitch carrier with additional lights. You can connect these to your RV so that your lights are always visible.
Also, make sure that your license plate is visible at all times. Most carriers will block your license plate, so you should consider moving your plate for the time being. This keeps you safe and roadworthy.
Best dirtbike hitch carriers for RV’s
The best dirtbike hitch carrier for RV’s is the TMS T-NS-MRC001 500-pound heavy duty motorcycle carrier (check price on Amazon). This carrier is very inexpensive and strong enough to hold dirtbikes. It’s also capable of carrying mopeds and most scooters.
The maximum capacity for this hitch carrier is 500 pounds, making it the best pick for any motorcycle under 500 pounds.
The hitch fits a standard 2″ square class III, IV or V receiver. It features an anti-tilt locking device to prevent wobbling and includes tie down sites on either sides of the rack for extra security.
Inexpensive options also have downsides. In this case, it’s the lack of lights. Make sure this carrier isn’t blocking your RV’s tail lights. It also doesn’t feature a number plate holder, so make sure you move your number plate when it’s blocked by this carrier.