Riding with dog

[BThompson]

I'm looking for info and advice from anyone who rides their dog on their bike. My husband is enthusiastic about the idea of riding our small dog on our bikes. I'm less than enthusiastic about the whole idea, but I realize the flexibility it would afford, especially if we do multi-day trips - we wouldn't have to find someone to take care of him or have to put him in a dreaded kennel (the dog, that is!). My concerns are safety for the little guy (he's about 8 to 10 lbs.), as well as whether it's just plain unfair to make him ride on a motorcycle. I would want the dog in some kind of secure space while underway, but question whether heat and other elements could make the journey uncomfortable for him. Any advice would be much appreciated. Thanks.

[lorazepam]

Find someone (alterations shop) who can attach a collapsable dog carrier such as the ones used for airlines, and have them attatch it to a tank bag base. See your vet and get him some doggie lorazepam to calm him for the first ride or two. I imagine that it would be like riding in a car, after a while, and he would love it. I know some (me included) who carry more than 10 pounds in a tank bag.

[MCohen]

I have no experience riding with my dog (at 90 lbs. I think she need a bike of her own) but Bagster does make a animal carrier tankbag. Eurobikes sells the bags in the U.S. but I don't see this model on their website: www.eurobikes.com

Michael

[Ironhorsecowboy]

BThompson, I have a Westie who loves to ride. It all started a few years back as I always watched him (Murray) stick his head out the window of the car lovin that wind in his face. At that time I decided to explore the possibility of him riding. After looking for a pet carrier, I found most were made of soft mesh and/or hard plastic which would not allow for adaptability to my bike and/or the safety of Murray. What you need is a box type carrier with hard enough sides to be rigid enough to not allow for the pet to collapse the sides down and come tumbling out. You also will need the material to be weather resistant. What I did after checking with several pet supply stores and Internet searches was to build my own carrier. What I did was use some 1/2 " thick hard rubber belting ( actually a piece of used conveyor belt from my job site)> I designed a shape which would fit nicely behind me on my K12 LTC and cut out the bottom shape with a (razor knife) to allow a snug fit between my backrest and the tour box pad. I then used a side wall height about 12-14" to allow him to ride with his head out but not his body. To connect the sides to the bottom I drilled holes about every 2 " on the bottom ( more in corners) and centered the holes on the side panel exactly above the bottom panels holes. Then I used plastic electric TY-RAPS to lace the two panels together. When finished I have a sturdy carrier with weather resistance that will not collapse. Just put a small pad or pillow in the bottom and they will ride happily. I use a body harness to attach him to my luggage rack shortened to allow movement but not to fall out. There is one website out there and I'll try to find it which has something similar but at $350.00 I decided to make my own. Email me if I can be of any help. Ron Tinker
archtinker@charter.net:dog

[Cliffy777]

there usta be a guy with a Wing who had a box on his handlebars and he had a poodle or two that would ride in the box. Dinky little dogs, but he had helmets for them to wear. Looked kinda dangerous to me.
Wasn't there a neat picture in the ON a while back about a guy who had rigged up one side of his hard luggage for his pooch to ride in?

[beemerred]

there`s a guy here in st. louis who i`ve ridden with once or twice who has a GS. he uses a carpet samples tied down to his luggage rack with tie-downs. his dog just latches on with his paws and nails. when it gets tricky Shannon will slow down a little but the dog stands up and floats with the bike like a good rider should. it`s amazing to see but would not work for everyone`s dog

[Ironhorsecowboy]

Just remember to get a carrier or build one on your own that will allow the dog to lay down when tired of riding with the wind in his face. If it is comfortable for them they will sleep when they get tired. These pooches will get dry eyes and always remember to carry their water bowl to keep them hydrated. I have taken my dog on some 300-400 mile days and he does ok, but stop and give them a drink and a chance to walk about every 100 miles or so. Ironhorsecowboy:dog

[RebeccaV]

BThompson,

I wouldn't hesitate to take the dog with you if he wants to go. I've seen several people riding with dogs of various sizes. A guy in my club rides with his dog on his lap, and I met a dog named Dixie at Falling Leaf who just rode behind his owner (see attached). Both of the dogs love it. If I had a dog (especially the size of your little guy), I'd go the tank bag route.

Let us know what you decide to do and welcome to the Forum!

[flash412]

http://flash412pix.home.comcast.net/toots.JPG

Toots used to ride in Mark's tank bag. When droning down the freeway, she'd curl up and sleep. When they got to the twisty roads, she'd put her paws on the bars. When it rained, she'd curl up and Mark would shut the bag.

Toots was taken by a coyote at home in Escondido last fall.
Rest in peace, Toots.

[LICK MY BRICK]

Sorry to hear about Toots ,Flash:cry

Jayson

[cruisin]

We've got our Yorkie in training. He should be ready for his first real ride on the Rebel by the end of the month. Here he is in his tank bag with engine running on my RT. He will be leashed down with two straps, one on either side, just long enough to let him stand on the front edge of the bag, but no more. It's also a good idea to provide some kind of eye protection like the 'doggles' he is wearing. We got those on e-bay.

[BThompson]

Thanks to everyone who responded to my email. I enjoyed reading your responses and especially liked the photos. Keep the photos and info coming if anyone has any additional wisdom on the topic. I'm feeling better about riding with Sparky, so we'll give it a try and see how he does.

[cruisin]

We started out with tank-bag training then doggles training. After that we went through extensive training with both. Eventually we combined everything and had him sitting on a running bike with his 'gear' on. This evening we made the final step and took Teddy on his first ride on the Rebel. He did so good with this maiden trip that I am moving the tank-bag to one of the beemers for the next trial.

Update with this edit: Teddy (the Yorkie) had his first beemer ride yesterday. He rode in the tank bag on my R1200C for about 15 miles. Up and down hills some pretty tight turns, bumpy roads, just about everything you can imagine. Had him up to around 55 mph at a couple of points. Even did some slow speed practice like lock-to-lock figure eights in the parking lot of a near-by marina. I think he is a natural at this. He rode mostly like in the picture but seemed to get tired or cold a couple of times and layed down with his chin on the edge of the bag so he could still see where we were going; or maybe just being a "tank-seat-driver.":confused:

[kbasa]

Originally posted by cruisin
We startedout with tank-bag training then doggles training. After that we went through extensive training with both. Eventually we combined everything and had him sitting on a running bike with his 'gear' on. This evening we made the final step and took Teddy on his first ride on the Rebel. He did so good with this maiden trip that I am moving the tank-bag to one of the beemers for the next trial.

That is just toooooo coooooool. :clap