The purpose of this blog is to share my experience of combining my two “passions”: my dog and motorcycling. Over the last 3 years I have spent way more hours than I’ll admit researching options (mainly watching YouTube to be honest) to do so.
In this particular post I’ll present the different options that I’m aware of, the benefits and downsides of each. I will not be going into much details yet otherwise I’ll never post anything here. Finally, I’ll present the option I decided to go with – at least for now.
Update 13-Feb-2020: I forgot another option I had evaluated but forgotten about, I’ll add it at the end under 6-
1- The sidecar
The first and most obvious option to travel with a dog on a motorcycle is to get a sidecar fitted to the bike. There are different kind of sidecar set-ups (I’ll write a separate post on this very soon) but for the sake of keeping it high level, here are the benefits and drawbacks common to all types.
Examples (beware, cuteness overload ahead): https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=dog+in+sidecar
Benefits
+ Spacious for both an additional passenger (dog/human) or luggage
+ Dog doesn’t interfere with the rider
+ Dog is protect from the elements and in case of an accident (somewhat at least) and has a comfortable amount of space to move around
+ The rig is less susceptible to the weight you put on it as it’s more spread on 3 wheels than on 2
Downsides
– Expensive to get fitted to the bike (in Germany, to get it road approved you need certain standards which require a lot of adjustments, including to the front of the bike and you end up adding at least 10kEUR)
– Your rig is almost as large as a small car, no more lane splitting in traffic and parking is more of a hassle
– A “proper” sidecar has a very different handling and steering than a motorcycle, which requires some getting used to (more in the post about sidecar set-ups)
2- On the tank
In this set-up the dog is sitting in front of the rider on the tank.
Examples:
Benefits
+ Cheap; except for an optional tank bag and some goggles, not much is required
+ The dog is close to you (the rider) at all times and you know exactly what it’s doing
+ Unless you have a Great Dane, the impact of the dog’s weight on the handling of the motorbike is minimal, or at least way smaller than elsewhere on the bike
+ No extra width for the bike, you can keep lane splitting in traffic
+ Extra cuteness
Downsides
– The dog may interfere with the riding, which obviously can get very dangerous; requires a lot of training and trust in your dog
– Almost no protection in case of an accident
– Not comfortable for the dog on longer rides as freedom of movement is very limited
3- In a backpack
This one should be self explanatory; the dog is in a backpack that the rider is wearing during the ride.
Example:
Benefits
+ Cheapish; except for the backpack and some goggles, not much is required
+ The dog is close to you (the rider) at all times
+ Here the impact of the dog’s weight on the bike’s handling is also minimal (like any other backpack)
+ No extra width, you can keep lane splitting in traffic
Downsides
– The dog may interfere with the riding by moving around, which obviously can get very dangerous; requires a lot of training and trust in your dog
– Also poor protection in case of an accident
– Not comfortable for the dog at all on longer rides as freedom of movement is very limited, only realistic for shorter rides (less than an hour)
– The weight of the backpack on your shoulders will tire you out quickly and make the ride anything but enjoyable
– May restrict your luggage space at the bag
4- On the passenger seat
Probably the most popular option. In this case the dog is sitting on the passenger seat behind you. Some will have a dedicated bag where the dog sits in, others will have the dog simply sit on the seat. Depends on the dog and the level of trust.
Examples:
Benefits
+ Works for bigger dogs also
+ Cheapish; except for an appropriate bag or “container” and some goggles, not much is required
+ Here the impact of the dog’s weight on the bike’s handling is also not dramatic, less than with a human passenger for sure
+ No extra width, you can keep lane splitting in traffic
Downsides
– The dog is behind you and you don’t necessarily see what it’s doing
– Can’t ride 2 up anymore (then again, who do you need apart from your dog) unless you put the dog at the very back of the bike but this only works for very small dogs because a lot of the weight on the rear will affect the handing too much
– Can restrict your luggage space at the back of the bike
5- In a sidecase
Last but not least, my personal second favourite is in a sidecase. Here the dog has its own space in a sidecase attached to the bike.
Example:
Benefits
+ Looks metal, and looks are what counts
+ Dog is somewhat protected in case of a crash (if it’s in a proper aluminum case)
+ Leaves room for a passenger at the back as well as luggage (in the other sidecase to balance the weight!)
+ If the dog is not too big, it might offer some more comfort to the dog compared to on the tank or in a backpack
Downsides
– The bike will get very heavy, because of all the additional metal you need to install just to have the sidecase (at least 15kg just for the set-up)
– Bike is larger (but then again, not larger than any other big bike with sidecases)
– Expensive as you have to get the whole frame plus the actual cases
6- In a Trailer behind the Bike
Last but not least (for real this time), is the motorcycle trailer. The dog sits comfortably in a trailer being pulled by the motorcycle.
Benefits
+ Provides decent amount of space, even for bigger dogs
Downsides
– At least in Germany you are limited to 100km/h when pulling a trailer
– Regulation to have a trailer on the motorcycle are very strict (again, at least in Germany)
– The dog is “far away” from the rider and there is no visual contact to the dog to see if he’s okay
– A proper set-up can get expensive
– Doesn’t look metal, like at all.
Conclusion
My personal favourites are “on the tank” and “in a sidecase”, mainly because it seems to be the least intrusive to the riding experience and looks cool. However, those who know Loki will know that the tank option is not viable, he is way to anxious and stressed out and will not be able to sit still. The sidecase option is still on my mind, but I had to discard it a while ago as I was planning to ride 3 up (the dog and the partner) and it terms of weight it was simply not realistic. I’ll write more about it later, but essentially, with the sidecase set-up and us 3 on the bike, it left less than 10kg for actual luggage before we exceeded the authorised load for my bike. And 10kg is not a lot if you have to bring food for the dog and 5 pairs of shoes for the partner.
That’s why I made up my mind and decided to invest in a dedicated sidecar. It is expensive, and requires quite a bit of work on the bike, but in terms of safety, comfort for the dog and practicality (especially on long rides) it was just the better option.
Next time I’ll tell you all about the different kinds of sidecars, and more specifically about the one I’m getting. Stay tuned as they say!
(and thanks for reading – if you want to know more about dogs on bikes, links to more videos or so, just let me know and I’ll gladly share)
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