Ducati and caravan a good mix

This proves you can take it with you – a caravan with a special storage area for your Ducati … or any motorcycle or ATV!

Lee and Marina Huddleston of Ipswich bought this Victorian-made Supreme Executive caravan because it has a garage in the rear where they can stow their Ducati 1200 Mulistrada. They’re planning a big loop of eastern Australia, ending up at Alice Springs for the Ulysses AGM in May. He should have plenty of company as there were 110 caravans at last year’s AGM in Maryborough, many of which had trailers with bikes on the back.

Other caravan manufacturers, such as Jayco, make vans that fit motorcycles because they realise many riders want to explore the country, but may be getting a bit old to rough it just on their bike. The Jayco Toy Hauler base station features a rear wall that drops down so you can use it as a ramp, but you have to store the bike in the living area and the structural integrity of the shell can’t possibly be as strong as having a separate walled-off area.

Lee had his 23.5-foot $79,000 Supreme caravan modified to suit his needs with a double bed instead of bunks and no rear door from the living area into the separate “garage”. The van comes with two single-wheel ramps so you can load your bike or quad, however Lee found them too tricky and steep. The height to the opening is just a little lower than a ute tray.

Lee looked around for wider ramps and found some that are 900mm wide, but too short which makes the breakover angle at the top too steep and tricky to load. He found a 0.9m x 3m Scorpion ramp in the US for $1000, plus another $1000 to have it shipped out here. It folds in four and weighs 36kg, so it’s not light, but it is sturdy. It’s made of aluminium and steel and has a convex arc so it doesn’t present a high breakover angle, allowing low-clearance bikes easy access, not that Lee has to worry with his Multi. He says it makes loading and unloading the bike quite easy, although it’s always good to have a second person for a steadying hand and a bit of an extra push.

His caravan has a 2300kg tare which is pretty good for such a long rig and will carry 700kg. His bike weighs 200kg and he carries about 200kg of water, leaving 300kg for food etc.