Can the Motorcycle Carrier e98873 be Used to Carry a Yamaha Street Bike on a 2013 Nissan Murano

Question:

I purchased the Curt Trailer Hitch Receiver 13577 from etrailer for my 2013 Nissan Murano non-Cabriolet. I am looking for a carrier to move my 1976 Yamaha RD-400 street bike. The Yamaha weighs about 350 lbs. I would transport it dry no gas. Would the etrailer 98873 carrier make the most sense due to the fact it is only weighs 58 lbs?

asked by: Walter L

Expert Reply:

I have some good news and bad news; the good news is that you are definitely on the right track of making sure that you are under the 400-lb Tongue Weight (TW) capacity of your Curt Trailer Hitch Receiver # 13577. The bad news is that your 2013 Nissan Murano looks like it is the limiting factor instead of your Curt hitch receiver. Your Murano has a towing capacity of 3,500 lbs and typically the TW is 10% of that making your TW capacity 350 lbs instead of 400. You will want to double check with your owner's manual to make sure.

Even if you did have the 400-lb weight capacity, the etrailer Motorcycle Carrier # e98873 weighing in at 58 lbs would put you too close to the weight limit of your hitch.

Since your 1976 Yamaha RD-400 Street Bike is already at the TW capacity of your Murano I recommend using your Murano to tow a small trailer with your Yamaha in it. A small trailer will have a much smaller TW than the weight of your bike.

To tow a trailer will you need a ball mount, hitch ball, and vehicle trailer wiring.

A great ball mount and hitch ball combination that you can use is the Curt # C45036 which includes the needed pin and clip and has a shank with a 2" drop. I have attached a helpful article for you to check out that explains how to choose the correct ball mount for your towing setup.

For wiring I recommend the Tekonsha T-One # 118653 which is a quick and easy install that will give you a 4-Way flat connector to operate the trailer lights. An installation video has been linked for you to reference.