Review: My new Stinger Trailer arrived!

[racoon]

I purchased a Stinger Trailer for my Spyder RT Sea-to-Sky. The trailer will also work for Rykers and F3s.

This is the way it was delivered about 3 hours ago.




It took some time, and my back is now reminding me that Stinger says you need two people to fold or unfold a Stinger trailer.




It even came with two (very small) wheel chocks, which you can see one of them holding the wheel on the swivel jack, so it doesn't go rolling away down my driveway (which does slope down to the street).

I still need to get it off the delivery pallet and rolled into my garage, which is not going to be easy considering it weighs over 500 lbs.
But I have a plan!


First impressions:
It is made from seriously thick steel, and came with a LOT of pins to secure everything.
Empty it weighs 555 lbs, and can carry up to 2,945 lbs.
When unfolded it is 154" long and 89" wide.
Folded up it, like it was in the first picture, it is 24" wide x 90" long x 60" tall.

And I don't even have to worry about getting rid of the pallet, as I have a friend who's into wood working, and he's already asked me to save the pallet for him.

 

[Aequitas]

Looks great - what was the total cost delivered?

 

[racoon]

Looks great - what was the total cost delivered?

My response requires a bit of an explanation.

First, if you look closely at the unfolded picture, the center ramp runs the full length of the trailer.
You load your bike onto the trailer by driving onto it, and your front wheels end up near the hitch part, and the center ramp is where the rear tire goes.
So for a Spyder or Ryker that center ramp only needs to go about 1/2 the length of the trailer.

You can see that in this diagram of the CAN-AM trailer from the Stinger website:

https://stingertrailer.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/11-ST-TRAILER-CAN-AM-SPYDER-01-3.jpg

So the actual trailer they sent me is is a Stinger CAN-AM Combo trailer. Which as you can see from this picture from the Stinger website, has the three full length ramps.
And yes, the center ramp is narrower at the front, as it's designed for a two wheel motorcycle, which does not have the wide tires that a Spyder or Ryker has.

https://stingertrailer.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/137-ST-CAN-AM-CUISER-COMBO-01-8.jpg

So to answer your question.
The Stinger CAN-AM trailer is listed on the Stinger website for US $3,799.
The Stinger CAN-AM Combo trailer with the full length center ramp is listed on the Stinger website for US $3,999. So US $200 more for the full length center ramp, and a bunch of extra tie-down loops welded on in appropriate locations. You can use the "combo" version to transport up to three 2-wheel motorcycles, or one Ryker or Spyder.

And yes, with the "regular" CAN-AM trailer you could transport one Ryker or Spyder, or two 2-wheel motorcycles.

Delivery is another one of the answers that requires an explanation.

"Shipping" for my Stinger trailer was US $449, which covers strapping the folded Stinger trailer to the pallet, and covering various sections to protect them during shipping. Basically what you see in the first pictue.

But then you also have to pay the shipping company, because the truck that delivers the trailer to your location is not owned or operated by Stinger.
They are a delivery company, and they charge a separate fee. I paid the driver in cash, and gave him a generous tip. I expected him to unload the trailer and leave it curbside, since that's what the delivery information says will happen, but he used his pallet jack to pull it all the way up my long driveway and dropped it next to my garage door, which is a couple feet to the left of the pallet in the first picture.

My advice is to first do some web searching to see if there is a Stinger dealer near you. And then contact them to see if they carry the Stinger CAN-AM trailer, as Stinger makes a wide variety of trailers, and then ask them the price.
I found a Stinger dealer in Kentucky, a couple hours drive from where I live, and when I contacted them they said they don't normally carry the Stinger CAN-AM trailer, but they could order one for me, but the price they quoted was quite a bit higher than than the list price on the Stinger website, even when you add in the shipping charges. So I thanked them, and ordered directly from Stinger.

Good luck!

Oh, and here is my Stinger trailer folded and stowed in my garage.

 

[racoon]

A Tennessee Bureau of Motor Vehicles update!

So in Tennessee a privately owned and operated trailer does not have to be registered, so does not normally have a license plate.
And to be honest, most of the trips with the Stinger trailer will be to tow my Spyder to my dealer in Tennessee to drop it off for service, so no big deal.

But, I'm hoping to tow the Spyder to a family gathering in Texas later this year or early next year, and depending on the actual route I take will have to drive through parts of Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, and of course Texas.

So I feel the need to have a license plate on the trailer before that trip, so I don't get stopped by the wonderful police officers in each of those wonderful states asking me why I don't have a license plate on my trailer!

So I take the package of information Stinger sent me with the trailer, which includes the bill of sale and other documentation, and off I go to the BMV office.

I only have to wait a couple of minutes, and then am helped by one of the clerks.
I explain why I'm there, and ask her what documents she needs, I show here what I have and she tells me which one she needs, then asks if I need a copy for my records, and goes off to make a copy for me.
And when she comes back she attacks the keyboard, and eventually calls someone else over, and they have a quiet conversation, each pointing at things on the computer screen, and doing more typing.

As I'm waiting, I hear someone a couple of windows over from me say "Yes, I need to register my CAN-AM", which of course gets my attention. So I kind of keep an eye on the guy while also watching the clerk that's helping me.

My clerk eventually tells me how much I owe, I insert my credit card, and she gives me a registration document and a license plate.
Normally there would be a couple of stickers you put on the plate, a Month sticker in the upper left corner, and a Year sticker in the upper right corner. No stickers.

So I'm done, and look over at the "CAN-AM" guy and he's still talking with his clerk, and there is now a second clerk helping him, too.
So I don't want to bother him while he's busy, so I go outside and wait for about 15 minutes, and realize as much as I'd like to meet the guy, it's hot and humid and time for me to go home.

So I get home with my naked plate and go through the documents they gave me.
It turns out the fees I paid were for sales tax, and there is no registration fee.
Because trailers for personal use in Tennessee do not have to be registered.

But at least now my Stinger trailer has a license plate!




Edit: Oh boy, mounting the license plate on the trailer was fun.
First I had to find the correct wrench size to remove the locking nuts (13mm if anyone cares) from the license plate mounting bolts on the trailer, fortunately I have a 13mm ratcheting wrench, so it went fairly quickly.
And then I found out that the holes in the license plate are smaller than the studs that are mounted on the trailer. :gaah:

So back to the toolbox to locate the small round file that I know is in there, somewhere, and then a few minutes of filing to enlarge the holes in the license plate, with a few pauses to test fit the expanded holes.
Then install the license plate with the washers and locking nuts that came with the trailer, and it's done!

And not a single knuckle was bruised, nor any drops of blood spilled.

 

[doncanfix2]

Hey there Racoon! Funny in a way, I bought a used Stinger from a guy in TN, but I live in a registration-required state. Instead of registering in my state, I did so in Maine. A lot of people don't know they can do this with trailers, even though they don't live in Maine. I didn't want to pay every two years for renewal in my state, my ME registration is $100 for five years (but you can do longer)! You already have plates so you it appears you are all set.

We just came back from vacation in Myrtle Beach where we towed the Spyder behind our new motorhome and the Stinger performed wonderfully! hyea: I made some modifications to the tongue to better secure it with bolts instead of the two 5/8" pins; I didn't like the "slop" in how it moved along the x-axis (i.e., yaw). The bolts are easily removed for folding, albeit not as easy as the pins; with the bolts there is no movement whatsoever (Pins alone result in metal "hammering" :banghead: in the holes, and over time that will slightly enlarge the openings, resulting in even more slop.)

I also don't like straps through (painted) wheels! :yikes: So I came up with a turnbuckle system. This attaches between eyes on the front wheel lower shock mounts and the rails on the Stinger, all made of 304/316 stainless steel. My Stinger (2021 model year) did not have hard points (tabs) in the front flanking the tongue front rail, which is what I would have preferred. Yours looks to have four of these tabs. I still use a strap on the rear, but I am working on a way to eliminate that! Be aware, the Stinger axle has no suspension (springs), thus the Spyder suspension comes into play when towing. Any fastening system must be tied to the wheels (un-sprung weight), not the MC frame!

Happy towing and if you have any questions, I'd be happy to help!

 

[racoon]

I assume you mean the two bolts that secure the tongue when it's swung "out" into place for towing?

Mine were a very tight fit, and required some encouragement to go into place, although I think some of the encouragement was lifting up the tongue so that the holes lined up while tapping on the pin with a hammer.
I'm currently thinking I'm only going to use the trailer to drop the Spyder off at the dealer.


I thought about using it to tow the Spyder on a trip planned for late this year or early next year to visit family near Dallas, but I'm now thinking about taking a bit more time for the trip, and riding the Spyder the whole way.

I'll want to take a few overnight trips first, to see how my old body holds up to 400 or 500 miles a day on the Spyder.

 

[Alroland]

Looks nice, may I ask how much?

 

[racoon]

Looks nice, may I ask how much?

I answered that question in post #3, but the prices have gone up since then.

According to the stingertrailer.com website, the current prices are:

Stinger for Can-Am Spyder RT/F3/Ryker trailer: US $3,999.

Stinger Can-Am Combo Trailer (with the full length center ramp): US $4,350.

Plus delivery from Ontario, Canada. I don't know if they allow local pickup.
And the Can-Am trailers are only two of about a dozen different trailers they sell.

https://stingertrailer.com

 

[WRCLVR]

Yep, you will end up spending about $4500-$4600, plus state registration if required and also insurance if required in your State (but why wouldn't you want that?) I have used my Stinger to trailer my 2023 S2S to BajaRon's place in TN from Atlanta area, no issues whatsoever. Well built.