Rack N Roll hitch carrier - Gadgety Items
I work with my hands. I prefer carburetors to fuel injection, the mall is a torture chamber, and safety comes (a not so close) second to getting the job done. I am technically a millennial, but don’t tell anyone. I vaguely remember a simpler world where two plus two is always four, dogs are boys, cats are girls, and Coke is the obvious choice over Pepsi.
So, when the Rack N Roll showed up at the eRag HQ, I was excited to give the world an aligning nudge back to its blue-collar axis by showing why a hitch carrier is not a valid option for transporting a motorcycle.
As the unboxing began, I felt a familiar sensation in my back: strenuous labour! The components were heavy! The hardware was good quality and it went together like old farm equipment – all the bolts fit in the holes. But there were no instructions. Searching online, all we found were poor quality pictures posted by people loving their Rack N Rolls. This was not Ikea furniture. It took three of us and a box full of proper tools to get the thing built.
Mounting the bike was an easy one-man job thanks to the Rack N Roll’s ingenious turnbuckle system and adjustable wheel chock, though my doubts persisted as to how the rack would handle rough backcountry terrain. I took the rough way down to the highway, still hoping to salvage some evidence that this thing was for ninnies, but I was sorely disappointed. My bike was rock solid. The hitch carrier didn’t move independently of the truck, and the turnbuckles held the bike securely. My bike is far more secure on the Rack N Roll than on a trailer.
There are some downsides to using this rack paired with mitigating considerations: On the rack, the bike does protrude beyond both sides of the vehicle, but the rack lights clearly mark the width. The bike gets dirtier than if it were in a truck bed, but because using the rack means I can take my SUV instead of a truck, I also have somewhere to sleep on overnight trips. The rack price tag is somewhat alarming, but it means I don’t need to buy a truck just to haul my dirt bike.
After several months of using the Rack N Roll, I do have a couple of complaints: Namely, that the Australian wiring takes some figuring to adapt for North American use, and because the rack instructions are non-existent, the resulting humming and hawing means my self-identity is more precarious than ever. Nevertheless, if you don’t need to carry more than one bike, and your vehicle is designed to carry a bit of tongue weight, the Rack N Roll is a solid contender.
Interested in owning a Rack N Roll? Where men are men and sheep are nervous, they are available at the Aussie website racknroll.com.au. If you are living the American Dream, the product can be found at racknrideusa.com. With the super fancy LED lighting kit they cost $450 USD. For Canucks, shipping from L.A. to the Great White north is roughly an extra $100 but you will have to account for the Northern Peso.
Chuck Harder is a savage from another time. The boss of mechanical bosses, the Mennonite of all Mennonites. Knowledge is king and Chuck is king of knowledge. Without Chuck, we’d all be drinking beer on a used couch while staring at a yard full of vehicles that don’t run.