Options for Carrying 5 Bikes and Yakima Skybox 21 on 2008 Honda Odyssey with Factory Crossbars

Question:

I need a way to carry a fifth bike on my minivan. I have a Yakima Swing Daddy at full capacity of 4 bikes and my daughter is at the age where she wants to take her bike on trips too. On the roof of my car is a Yakima Skybox 21 on OEM Honda Odyssey cross bars. Is there a way to secure her bike on the roof rack so that it is adjacent to the Skybox?

asked by: Christopher B

Expert Reply:

My personal recommendation would be to invest in a five bike carrier like the Thule Apex XT, # TH9026XT. Although it does not have the swing feature like your current SwingDaddy, the XT has a tilting mast which will allow you to access your rear cargo area when bikes are unloaded and, in my opinion, is much easier to load than putting one additional bike on the roof.

If you are still interested in securing the additional bike to the roof rack adjacent to your Yakima Skybox 21 Cargo Box, you will need to measure the amount of crossbar space that you have available. I recommend sliding the Skybox as far to one side as possible before taking this measurement. If you have at least 12 inches available, the Yakima Frontloader, # Y02103, or the Yakima Forklift, # Y02098, would work for you. Both carriers will mount directly to your factory crossbars. You will more than likely have to remove the bike from the roof in order to open your cargo box.

According to the owner's manual for a 2008 Honda Odyssey, the roof's weight capacity is 150 pounds. You will want to keep this capacity in mind when loading anything on the roof of your vehicle. Your Skybox 21 Cargo Box weighs 62 pounds. This would leave approximately 88 pounds for cargo, a bike carrier, and a bike. Exceeding the weight capacity of your vehicle's roof is not recommended and can cause damage to your vehicle.

You may already have one but I always recommend the use of a Wheel Mount Tire Step, # HE4040, to make the process of loading and unloading the cargo box, or anything else on the roof of the vehicle, much easier.