The Rec Vee
THE REC VEE
Motorcycle Transport
Who Says You Can’t Take It With You?
John Waaser
NO DOUBT YOU'VE seen the influx of secondary "enthusiast" vehicles at the races lately-every thing from simple pickup "caps" to 24-ft. motor homes. Cal Rayborn has one at all the nationals and riders such as Ron Pierce and Gunnar Lindstrom have actually lived in their house vehicles, with not even an apartment to call home.
Recreational vehicles have gotten popular at the local scrambles events, too. Neither riders nor spectators like to travel 300 miles just to make a 1-day event. This is especially true at tracks where the entry is large, and a novice rider must be there by 9 a.m. (almost morning) to secure a good start in the qualifying heat. These people have discovered that if they just hop into the family’s recreational vehicle (or Rec Vee or RV) the night before, they can sleep right at the track, wake up at five minutes to nine, and still be first in line at the sign-up booth.
The thing comes in handy at 2-day events, also, and lets the rider travel to a special event somewhat farther away than he’d ordinarily travel to. It can save $20 a week or more in motel bills, 30 weeks a year, if you want to look at it that way. Then, too, it affords a place for the dusty or muddy scrambles and enduro rider to shower and change after the race. The rest of the family has to agree that he’s easier to get along with after he’s cleaned up. And Ma’s home cookin’ is always better than that at Aunt Bessie’s Roadside Drive In and Hamburger Slop Joint.
And usually you only get to see your fellow racers once a week; yet if you are really into the racing scene, you have few other friends. Anything you can do to spend more time with your friends is an improvement, right? Come out on Saturday night, have a few beers around an open campfire, let the kids play in some fresh air—it’s great.
“Okay,” you say, “I’m sold. But how do I pick the RV that’s right for me?” Well, there are four main types—pickup campers, van conversions, motor homes,
and trailers. Perhaps you’ve noticed that slide-in units on a pickup are the most popular at the track, while you almost never see a house trailer. Other people have considered the alternatives and decided in favor of the pickup conversion. This has the most going for it for most people.
Many racers already have a pickup truck—or would be willing to buy one because of its utility during the week. Also, the chassis invariably wears out before the home part. This is the only system other than a trailer which allows the two units to be traded separately. Then, too, they pay the same tolls as a passenger car—provided that a bumper mount can be used to carry the bike.
Pickup conversions cost from $900 to $5000, with the little caps running from about $200 to $600. If you get a cap, get one tall enough for you to be able to stand up inside and load the bike.
Van conversions are another popular type of vehicle. When Dick Burleson became the U.S. motocross champion last year, he toured the continent in a Ford Chateau van; that’s the deluxe version, with windows all around, insulated roof, etc. He had a sink and a bed, and carried his bike plus a spare engine, a friend’s bike plus a spare engine, and a Yamaha Mini Enduro. This is your basic simple conversion— often homemade, geared to the needs of the rider, and cheap.
Another nice conversion is New England Open Expert class champion Joe Collins’ Dodge Maxi-Van. Joe made a double bed which folds to single width for traveling. Three C-Zs fit behind the bed, and there’s room for a couple of extra passengers, plus all the gear for two racers.
Vans are more convenient than pickup conversions, too; you can enter the living area directly from the cockpit. But unless you have the top cut off, and a higher roof installed, you can’t stand up in them. And when you trade the van, you trade the camper conversion, too. High top conversions can be purchased (installed) for about $800. What you do after that is up to you.
Mini Motor Homes are based on vans, but are wider and roomier. They start at about six grand, and you probably couldn’t find one you’d like to put your bike inside, so count on a trailer, and higher tolls. But they can be used as a second car during the week, too, and they are often plushly appointed—your wife might find it more of a status symbol than the family Cadillac.
Shunning these “Chop Vans,” Winnebago and Champion offer real motor homes for less than seven grand—well worth looking into for a family situation. Again, you wouldn’t put the bike inside....
House trailers just don’t make it, if you want a place to load the bike. You tow the trailer with either a pickup or a van, then you have to disconnect the trailer to unload the bikes. You’ll pay an extra toll for the trailer, too, and if you try to tow it with the family car, you may find you’ll have to replace the old bus with one designed for towing.
However, there are at least two trailers on the market which were designed for motorcyclists. The Trail Mate is 12-ft. long, weighs 1000 lb., and has a 150-lb. hitch weight—so it can be towed by even a small imported car. It will carry your bike, and give you spartan sleeping accommodations, too. Even more amazing is the Journeyman Smuggler, available from Journeyman Trailers, Downey, Calif. It’s available in 14, 16, 17 and 19-ft. models, with prices starting at $1595. The carpeted floor folds up on the sides to reveal a subfloor on which the bikes are loaded. This system protects the carpet and the side furnishings, both. You can load three motorcycles through the double rear doors, plus two more in a pinch; and six people can sleep comfortably. This one can probably be towed behind your present car in most areas of the country.
There are, then, five basic considerations affecting your choice of which type of Rec Vee to buy: travel costs, like gas mileage and tolls; convenience at the track; utility during the week; passenger and sleeping capacity; and the initial cost—including compatibility with your present transportation system.
But how do you decide which individual unit to buy within each classification? This requires even more interpretation. How many bikes will you carry? How many people will be sleeping in it? How fast will it cruise on the road? Cost, of course. How well do you like the floor plan? How is it constructed? What options do you want? First of all, remember that this is for attending bike races. At least one member of the family will be grubby at the end of the day. So you need a hot water heater, a shower, and an adequate water supply— at least 20 gal., 40 if you take many 2-night trips or if more than one person races.
If you have more than three bikes to carry, a trailer is mandatory for carrying them—unless you’ve decided on the Smuggler. So now you want a pickup conversion or a larger motor home. But if you’ve only got one or two bikes to carry, see if you can get away without a trailer. A well-designed van conversion, or a Chop Van with a bumper rack might do it. If you’re traveling far to the races, a motor home which allows passengers to ride comfortably, and cruises quickly is desirable.
Pickup campers as a rule are the least stable—don’t allow loved ones to ride back there, and keep your speed down a bit if you go that route. Most Rec Vees are of wood construction, like a house, covered with aluminum. Amerigo makes a nice line of fiberglass products which should hold up better. Also new is Thermocore construction—the outer and inner panels are bonded to a core of styrofoam insulation. Some of the more expensive units are all aluminum. Each design has its advantages and its disadvantages. Weigh the chances of a minor or a major collision against the cost of repairing the damage from either one.
Some require more effort to prevent leaks, or seal them as they occur. Construction affects overall weight, which affects the engine you must use to pull the rig. It also affects the initial cost of the unit, and its appearance after a few years will affect its value on the used market. Least desirable from a maintenance standpoint is the traditional method of construction; most desirable is fiberglass. Check the floor plan. Put your family inside and see if one person can move around without starting a fight or an argument. See if the little woman would like the kitchen up front, out of the way of the more rowdy members of the family. If the distaff members of the family are on the modest side, will they have enough privacy?
Perhaps the most important consideration is to choose your dealer firstthen pick the RV of your dreams from among those lines which he carries. The dealer will do almost no chassis workeven on a completely self-contained motor home. His service men are appliance experts and carpenters. These gas appliances give little trouble when they’re properly adjusted; but they come through from the factory without being adjusted. The dealer must check them out, and show you how to operate each one.
If you’re new to the game, a reliable dealer is the most important feature of the vehicle. And it’s best to decide on which RV you want first-especially if you must buy a new pickup or tow car.
Get the specs of your particular unit from the RV dealer, then go to your friendly car/truck dealer and ask for specific recommendations. You should have the dimensions, weight, center of gravity, and hitch weight with you when you visit the car dealer. If the salesman doesn’t have the proper information, go to another car dealer, or write the manufacturer. This step can save you heartache later.
REC VEE
If you’re buying a trailer or slide-in camper to go with your present vehicle be sure to tell the Rec Vee dealer exactly what vehicle it will be going into. There are light units which will work with standard vehicles. And if you’re shopping for a used camper, remember that new ones can be financed for much longer—check with your bank for details, as they vary from bank to bank.
Buying the machine new gives you the right to specify such items as air conditioning, fluorescent lighting, heavier batteries, etc. Air may be expensive, but you’d be crazy to do without it in most areas of the country. On a sultry August night, with six people washing for supper, which mother is cooking on a hot stove, everybody’s temperature will soon be over the boiling point without it. At this point, too, used Rec Vees are scarce; they command an almost new price, with much of the usefulness gone, and less time to pay for it.
Once you’ve bought your recreational vehicle, you’ll be happy to know that it doesn’t require much in the way of maintenance. The chassis requires some periodic service, and the structure will require occasional waterproofing if yours is of traditional construction methods, but the appliances rarely give trouble. Most frequent source of trouble is the thermocouple on gas/electric refrigerators and other gas appliances. But this can be adjusted easily, and requires no periodic servicing.
The units must be drained thoroughly or winterized each fall, and many owners prefer to let their friendly local dealer do that job. Most alcohol solutions will eat the PVC pipes, so get a non-toxic winterizing agent from your dealer. NEVER attempt to use automotive anti-freeze in the RV’s water system.
Aside from that caution, the only other frequent service problem occurs with trailers. Always check the lug nuts on the wheels before starting a trip. If you sense something wrong with the appliances, have it checked as soon as possible. Often the dealer will have a simple bit of advice for you—like “Park so the wind doesn’t whistle at the pilot light.” It’s that simple.
One more thing-Rec Vee owners wave to each other on the road. [O]
