Black Widow Aluminum Motorcycle Carrier - Long Term Review

[@mack73]

FYI, I did have this carrier fail on me back in 2018 hauling a KTM ECXF 350 down a highway and dump it on the road. No ground strikes or anything to trigger the collapse. Yes it was a while ago and hopefully it was an isolated incident. Engineer I know with metallurgy background thinks the aluminum wasn't heat treated properly and folded up like a wet noodle. Went with a versahaul which is the cadillac of hitch haulers... you do pay a pretty penny for it - but when you see your bike flying off the side as you go down the highway, the money saved is not worth it. I did receive a full refund. There are reviews on Amazon also showing it collapsing.

[@alabamadirtrider]

Dang, I was not aware of the failures. A couple of my buddies have one and they've been as solid mine. But maybe there are bad batches out there, quality control can be bad at this price point. I bought a trailer and now this carrier is only used for a Honda CRF110. I pinned your comment for others to see, thank you for sharing.

[@Captain250FX]

I have the exact same carrier! I’ve had mine going on 7 yrs now and no problems!

[@chestertownelectric6290]

You have the hitch clamp on backwards. The pair of bolts should press on the large reinforcing ring of the receiver. The front bolt should press on the receiver in front of the reinforcing ring, and the rear bolt should press on the bike carrier. Mounted this way, there will be no wiggle in the system.

[@alabamadirtrider]

Yeah, looks like you're right, funny how that didn't occur to me all these years. Thanks!

[@gravitymediapro]

I appreciate you taking the time to make this video, very helpful!

[@alabamadirtrider]

I'm glad it was helpful, and thank you for watching.

[@lostinpa-dadenduro7555]

Thanks for the video on this. Appreciate it. 👍

[@algee8228]

I have my inner strap set up hanging there on something (the rear wiper on my SUV) so when I have the bike up there I can hook yup the inside strap loose so that the bike hangs outwards a bit. Then I hook up the outer strap tight and then tighten the inner strap to plumb it up. Saves having to lean the bike against the vehicle.

[@alabamadirtrider]

That's a smart solution, thank you for sharing it!

[@davidhoward8951]

Where do you buy LED lights with a trailer light harness so you can put them on the back of the Black Widow

[@somestuffithoughtyoumightl6985]

Appreciate that you sped up the securing process, but slow-mo watching the flex while loading would have been even better You’d think that steel would twist like licorice. Good to hear it’s working well for you. Going to use it for a TW200

[@alabamadirtrider]

You can select slow playback in the KZbin player, maybe that would get it slow enough for you to see? Either way, I've never had any concerns loading the bike as far as twisting goes. My KTM is around 240 lbs I believe, and yes, the ramp flexes a bit, but not overly so in my opinion. The only time I got nervous is when the truck was going over very rough terrain and I could see the bike moving all around... but it always held. The TW isn't much heavier so I don't think you'd see an issue. I had a buddy use one with a DRZ400 with no problems.

[@somestuffithoughtyoumightl6985]

@@alabamadirtrider Great feedback on the lightest option. Thx

[@jjjjjjjjrifufjssjosskenf]

I have the same one and don’t bother strapping the wheels. I’m veen down many rough roads.. There’s enough compression on the forks with the rachet straps.

[@scottdaniska3555]

Where did you buy the straps at?

[@alabamadirtrider]

I get everything at either Rocky Mountain ATVMC or Slavens Racing.

[@davidhoward8951]

Where do you buy Seal saver

[@alabamadirtrider]

Rocky Mountain ATVMC

[@kfett86]

What type of straps are you using for the wheels? I zoomed in and watched 10 times, i can't figure out how you're strapping wheels??Lol

[@alabamadirtrider]

They're just cheap 1" wide ratchet straps, that small kind, not very long either. I hook the two hooks against each other, wrap the strap around the wheel (through the spokes) a few times, then feed the strap through the ratcheting mechanism and ratchet them down tight. Some claim it's not needed but it made me feel safer. Note that I've since stopped using this carrier as I bought an enclosed trailer. Also, per another comment, I apparently had the anti-rotation bracket on backwards.

[@AddietheSpringer]

How much does it impact how your drive your truck when you have a bike on? Do you drive slower?

[@alabamadirtrider]

Honestly on paved roads it didn't affect it much, I drove my normal speeds. If it was a very bumpy road or dirt road, I'd slow down, just to not overly stress the carrier for no reason.

[@AddietheSpringer]

@@alabamadirtrider good to know. Thank you!

[@Captain250FX]

One more thing, the thumbnail would have been better with a BLUE BIKE! 🤭🤭

[@alabamadirtrider]

But if I had a blue bike, I'd have no more excuses and would have to learn to ride 😂

[@Captain250FX]

@@alabamadirtrider 🤠