Spectrum Innovations Hitch-Mount Sport Carrier for Dirt Bike Transportation - Dirt Rider Magazine

The proliferation of SUVs has brought with it an increase in hitch mounted single bike carriers. They are more prevalent at the motocross track, where a rider is more likely to travel alone. We also see these carriers on the back of work trucks with utility beds. The entire truck can remain dedicated to work and be secured, and the after-hours fun rides easily behind. We've tried many of these conveyances, but a common theme is that the more convenient the carrier is when mounted, the more back breaking it is to carry to the vehicle and mount to the Class III hitch. The Spectrum Innovations unit is a welcome exception.The $219 SportCarrier has a single steel center tube that inserts into the hitch. A light but strong aluminum, ladder-type carrying ramp easily attaches to the center tube with bolts. You can roll most any full-size dirt bike onto the platform, and the front wheel drops lightly in between the final two aluminum crossbars. Two tiedowns (not supplied) secure the bike to the center tube. Most carriers of this type have a separate bar at one end to which you can attach tiedowns. Those tiedowns pull forward on the handlebar, similar to when you tie the bike in a truck or onto a trailer. The Spectrum unit's tiedown hooks are welded to the center tube, so they pull backward rather than forward. Since the front is dropped into an opening that holds it rather securely, having the tiedowns pull rearward is a smart idea.The suspension at both ends is compressed, so we found no need to tie the rear wheel to the carrying channel. On the driver's-side end, the channel is closed with a solid sheet of aluminum, while the passenger-side end is closed with two aluminum straps welded between the side pieces. At first we thought this was just a good use for scraps of aluminum, until a buddy noted the slot was probably for a ramp tongue. We knew that. Actually, the slot works perfectly. We used a very short, light, wooden ramp, and it kicked up after the front wheel rolled off the end if it was placed on top of the carrier. Slide it into the provided slot, though, and the ramp stayed right where we wanted it. Spectrum does sell a ramp for an additional $48. It also offers a taillight kit ($69) and a bracket ($24) that will stabilize the center tube if it is a sloppy fit in your hitch. The company is also working on a method of securing a fuel can to the carrier. Best of all, the carrier can be shipped via FedEx, and it weighs less than 40 pounds, so sliding it into your vehicle's hitch won't generate a hernia.Once you have the carrier on the vehicle, you hardly know that most dirt bikes are back there. We didn't worry about the bike at all, even when traversing washboard and partially whooped-out dirt roads. Since the carrier sticks straight out of the hitch, it works better on high-clearance vehicles. We used it on a relatively low Chevrolet Astro van, and the rear of the center tube dragged going into and out of driveways.We are totally pumped about this carrier, and if the company figures out the fuel-carrying situation, we'll be even more excited. If circumstances or simple tastes have pushed you out of a truck, van or other hauler and into some sort of closed vehicle, the Spectrum Innovations SportCarrier is an excellent way to go riding.DR Tested: 9.5Spectrum Innovations: 888/605-9998; www.spectruminnovations.biz