Class A with Gold Wing on trailer or 5th wheel toy hauler?

[redlabel]

I am sure comparisons have been discussed here ad nauseam and if this has already been done sorry.

Planning to go full time in the next 3 - 4 months. Will travel south in the winter and in the warmer months in Minneapolis area
to be near children and grandchildren. My issue is how to best handle my Gold Wing. I plan to locate in an area of interest and
do day trips by motorcycle. I am debating class a with a trailer or a 5th wheel toy hauler. First thought is convenience of the
class a, second thought is expanded living area of the 5th wheel.

I'm a bit of a history junkie so plan to start visiting revolutionary and civil war sites and areas, with a lot of golf mixed in. Stays
will probably vary from a week to a month or more. It is just myself and Ruby, my 1 year old Llewellin Setter.

My bucket list is varied and some examples are:
I've been to half of the major league baseball parks and want to see the rest.
Golf the entire Robert Trent Jones golf trail (several times)
Would love to be in Dallas for the Texas state fair and go to the Texas - Oklahoma football game
See a Rose Bowl parade and game.
Spend a fall riding in New England when the leaves are changing and ending up at Salem, Massachusetts for Halloween.
Visit our national parks

I've been working the list of pros and cons for both an am starting to lean towards trying the lifestyle by finding an older
reliable class a to make sure I can handle the lifestyle and then upgrade, or not if I'm happy with the unit. 

Any ideas on peoples experience and/or ideas for me to think of are appreciated.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

LOL! I'm having this mental image of you on your Gold Wing with a bag of golf clubs slung over your shoulder!  8)

If you went the Class A route, you would need either a motorcycle lift or a small trailer. Either would still let you have a toad if you wanted - they make special trailers for bikes that do double duty as either a tow dolly or car trailer. And you can have an extended tow bar to reach under the bike lift. I've seen both types, as well as large enclosed trailers for a car & bike.

At the end of the day it comes down to personal preference. There are some mighty nice toyhaulers available, e.g. the Keystone Fuzion. You don't have to give up nice quarters to have a garage too.
http://www.keystonerv.com/fuzion/

 

[ylexot]

Personally, I'd like to eventually get a class A and have a lift for the bike. Something like this:
http://www.cruiserlift.com/cruiserlift.html

However, a fifth wheel has the advantage that you also have the tow vehicle available for bad weather/picking up supplies, etc.

 

[Jeff in Ferndale Wa]

I also ride a Goldwing and although I still have a few more years, have been looking at the same ideas for a few years now.
In my case it will be my wife and I,with the occasional grandchildren

I am leaning toward the toyhauler idea.I like the idea of the "garage" for the bike that can double as extra living space if needed. I'm still debating whether it should be a 5th wheel or a travel trailer.
Another option I've considered is keeping my current 26' TT and getting one of those lift systems where I can carry the bike in the back of a pickup. But then there would be no "garage".

LOL! I'm having this mental image of you on your Gold Wing with a bag of golf clubs slung over your shoulder!  8)

Don't laugh too loud, they make a golf club carrier for the back of motorcycles  8)

 

[Frizlefrak]

However, a fifth wheel has the advantage that you also have the tow vehicle available for bad weather/picking up supplies, etc.

My thoughts too.  I've been riding motorcycles since I was a tyke....but I've tired of doing it in the rain.  Having your pickup to drive when the weather isn't cooperating would be a good thing...plus using it to fetch things too big to carry on the bike.  Like Gary said, they make some damn fine toyhaulers these days.  That would be the route I would take in your shoes.

 

[Jeff in Ferndale Wa]

My thoughts too.  I've been riding motorcycles since I was a tyke....but I've tired of doing it in the rain.  Having your pickup to drive when the weather isn't cooperating would be a good thing...plus using it to fetch things too big to carry on the bike.  Like Gary said, they make some damn fine toyhaulers these days.  That would be the route I would take in your shoes.

I agree. I don't mind getting caught in the rain if I'm out on a ride someplace, but these days, if it looks like it's going to be wet when I'm starting a ride,I'm going to take the car (or truck) or stay home.

 

[Stephen S.]

Several of the GWTA members I know from Kansas retired into class A RVs with matching cargo trailers. Each couple had His-n-Hers Goldwings in their tailer along with all the other stuff you would expect to find in a garage. There was only one I know of got the car dolly with room for the motorcycle in front of a car.

None of them got lifts. Main reason was two bikes. But the couples with only one bike didn't want to wash the road grime off every time they hauled it somewhere. And liked being able to put the bikes in the trailer at the campsite. Mainly for getting them out of the weather, but also to deter theft or vandalism.

 

[redlabel]

LOL! I'm having this mental image of you on your Gold Wing with a bag of golf clubs slung over your shoulder!  8)

Sorry, to ruin your fun but here is how I carry my clubs. I've hauled them from ND to Minneapolis often, and once
took them to Texas this way.

 

[Bobmws]

I'd go with one of these if I could $$$: http://outlawrv.com/

Meanwhile we make do with our sidecar rig on an aluminum trailer.

 

[PrairieParson]

I ride a considerably smaller motorcycle.  Our plan currently is to buy a toyhauler.  That way we can unload the motorcycle and use the living space when we aren't moving.  Plus we have the truck to take all three of us where we want to go.  The toyhauler has a few other advantages. Its slightly wider and the ceilings are a little higher than the standard travel trailer. 

My concern for you with the Class A and trailer is that you might want to at times carry something or someone and not have the space.  It also might mean driving in some very nasty weather.  If those are not concerns of yours, then I would think either plan would work for you.