Back in 2003, I bought a Kendon Single Stand-Up Trailer to transport my bike in a job-related move from Plano, Texas to Columbus, Ohio. I’ve used the trailer for five job-related cross-country moves and it has served me well. It’s solid, rugged, easy to maintain and easy to pull.
It does have one major failing, in my opinion, because it takes at least two strong people to safely load and unload your bike. Whether it’s a 480-lb Sportster or an 800-lb Road King, no way do you try loading it solo or riding it up the ridiculously narrow ramp. You will drop your bike, guaranteed. Been there, done that, got the t-shirt. In fact, I was thinking about selling my Kendon and replacing it with an Aluma motorcycle trailer.
Kendon Industries Inc. of Anaheim, California (www.KendonUSA.com) finally got the message this year and came out with the Single Ride-Up Suspension Reactive Loading (SRL) Trailer, along with an SRL retrofit kit for owners of 2003 and later single-rail trailers. According to Kendon, the SRL system eliminates the apex created by a typical ramp angle and the trailer bed during the loading/unloading process. The trailer’s independent torsion suspension works with the loading ramp to eliminate the apex, reduce the loading angle and create a smooth, parallel loading surface. The suspension compresses and lowers the trailer bed when loading the bike, and returns to towing height when the bike is fully loaded. Pretty neat, huh? So I decided to buy and install the kit in preparation for another cross-country move, this time from Colorado to Virginia. I hate moving. This will be my sixth job-related move (two of them involuntary) in the past nine years, but that’s another story.
The retrofit kit (figure 2) will set you back $479.00 plus $175.00 for shipping. It consists of a ride-up rear section, a three-piece ramp assembly, a pair of one-inch ramp pins (to secure and stabilize the ramps while loading/unloading), a new rubber latch, four coupler nuts and t-bolts (to stow the outer ramps on the trailer deck), and easy-to-follow installation instructions. All of the fasteners utilize Nyloc nuts and split lock washers, so you don’t need to use thread locker during assembly.
Installation takes under two hours and requires only a few basic tools:
•7/32-in. and 3/16-in. Allen wrenches
•7/16-in., ½-in. and 9/16-in. combination wrenches, sockets and drive ratchet
•Phillips screwdriver
•5/16-in. drill bit
•Drill
•Tape measure
•Sharpie marker
•SRL retrofit kit installation instructions
•SRL trailer instructions
The first step is to stabilize your trailer on a level surface so it doesn’t move around while you’re working on it. Kendon suggests attaching it to your tow vehicle, but I just propped the tongue up on an old footlocker in my garage. Leave the rear section of the trailer in the stowed position (as shown in figure 1) and remove the right and left side hinge bolts. Note the order of the bolt, washers and nut (figure 3), and put them aside. You’ll be reusing them when you install the new rear section. Remove the rear section and set it on a flat, stable surface (figure 4).
Move to the front section of your trailer, remove the rubber latch from the right front diamond plate and install a 5/16-in. button head Allen screw into the open hole. Next, remove the four button head screws from the diamond plate (two on each side, fore and aft), and replace them with the coupler nuts, flat washers, lock washers and button head screws included in the retrofit kit. Figure 5 shows the completed installation, including the T-bolts and washers. These attachment points are used to stow the left and right outside ramps.
Return to the rear section and remove the diamond plate. It is secured to the frame with four button head screws, along with four Nyloc nuts that hold the wheel guide rails and diamond plate to the frame. Figure 6 shows the underside of the rear section and the eight attachment points. Hang on to this mounting hardware, because you’ll be using it on the new rear section. And don’t forget to remove the wing nuts and lock washers from the studs on the old section, because you’ll need them to stow the center ramp on the new section.
Remove the rigid caster from the old rear section (figure 6) and install it onto the new ride-up rear section. Install the diamond plate and wheel guide rails onto the new rear section. Figures 7 and 8 show top and bottom views of the completed rear section assembly.
Install the new rear section, in the folded position, onto your trailer with the shoulder bolts, washers and nuts. If you forgot the installation order, refer to figure 3 or to the diagram on page 5 of Kendon’s installation instructions.
Your last task is to install the new rubber latch, which secures the folding rear section in its stowed position. From the edge of the right side diamond plate on the forward section at the point where it angles in toward the front of the trailer, measure 1 inch to the left and mark with your Sharpie. Next, measure 19.5 inches from the rear of the diamond plate to the front and mark. Finally, mark the intersection of these two measurements and drill a 5/16-in. hole. If I’ve totally confused you with this description, just refer to the diagram on page 6 of Kendon’s installation instructions. Install the bracket and new rubber latch with the hardware provided in the kit. See figures 9 and 10.
That’s all there is to it. Figures 11 and 12 show my retrofitted trailer, folded and unfolded, with the ramps in their stowed positions. The kit does add several pounds to the weight of the trailer, which you’ll notice when you stand it up on end for storage, but it’s still easily doable by one person.
If you want more information, check out the Kendon Industries website, www.KendonUSA.com.
