1200 markland trailer hitch

[rcmatt007]

Off our 1200. I have it listed on Ebay, but also willing to cut a deal on NGW

THIS HAS SOLD. but I am moving this to the tech forum as it morphed into a thread about building a hitch for an 1000

[sparkyrasmus]

Did you sell your hitch yet? I'm wondering if it would fit my '78. There was someone else that I spoke to in Eureka Springs that had one, but I can't remember who it was. But maybe it was you!
Anyway, if you still have it let me know!

[rcmatt007]

sorry, sold it. It was very specific for the 1200 as it also attached to the saddle bag supports

[calif wingnut]

I don't recall any aftermarket 1000 hitches ever made other then being custom built.

[rcmatt007]

neither do. There were ones for the 1100 interstates

[sparkyrasmus]

Being kind of hands-on I think I'll ride up to Fargo and take a look at Bud's. Good excuse for a ride anyway!

[5speed]

I have a home made hitch off the 78 I bought. Very well made by a previous owner who was a welder by trade.
I'm not exactly sure how it was attached to the bike though as it was in the pile of parts I got with the bike.
I can post a pic of it if you want.

[sparkyrasmus]

Pics would be sweet. I assume that the rear passenger peg mounts and the upper shock mounts would be obvious points to attach the braces?

[rcmatt007]

you could also go out to the end of the "wings" where the fender attaches

I am moving this over to the Tech forum, as it may be of interest to others

[calif wingnut]

I went through my 77 road rider mag binders and found these 2 trailers with hitches for most bikes.

[230Rocket]

Sparky,

I don't have the full hitch bracketry but I do have a plate with the ball part that might've been destined for a 1200, it's unused, you're welcome to have it if you want, PM me and we'll work out shipping it to you. I'm fed up with falling over it!

cheers
Dean

[FargoFour]

Here's the one I made for my 76 GL1000. Mounts to the pass pegs and seat bolt holes. Worked fine do my trips from Fargo to Colorado and Washington

Bud

[Lucien Harpress]

I've got a version of the Markland hitch on my 1200, and I love it. Personally, I think the front-to-back supports are more important than the vertical supports, mostly because all the vertical ones deal with is tongue weight, which can be pretty easily regulated. The front-to-back members deal more with TOTAL weight, both on acceleration and braking, and take most of the stresses on a normal ride. I actually JUST took mine on a maiden voyage with a small Coleman Caboose trailer, and I'm very happy.

[sparkyrasmus]

I suspect that the height of the ball will be affected by the trailer. I suspect that the length of the vertical supports should be measured with the bike off the center stand. with the normal rider with his/her full weight on the bike and the trailer loaded and level. Is that how you figured it FargoFour?

[rcmatt007]

I agree, the main attachment is at the pegs (accel/decal). I trailer always needs some weight on the tongue or it will float (bad enough in a car.... but disaster on a bike. The 1200 hitch dealt with tongue weight by #1 attaching to the bottom of the saddlebag bars and #2 a bracket up to where the saddlebags bars wrapped around the rear and hooked together.

I like buds bracket to the seat bolts. could use the fender bolts as well