Hauling Motorcycles and UTVs from St. Peters: Trails, Rides, and a Trailer That Fits Four Bikes

St. Charles County has a lot of riders and not a lot of places to ride off-road close to home. The good riding is a drive away, and getting there means hauling. Whether it is dirt bikes, a side-by-side, or street bikes headed somewhere with better roads, our 20' Spartan enclosed trailer is set up for it.

Why an enclosed trailer for bikes and UTVs

• Up to four motorcycles. Room for a group trip in one trailer instead of three pickup beds.
• E-track on the walls and floor. Tie-down points wherever the bike lands, not just where a fixed D-ring happens to be. E-track straps are included.
• A ramp door that makes rolling a bike in much easier than a narrow loading ramp into a truck bed.
• A 12,000 lb Badland APEX winch up front for pulling a UTV aboard, especially one that quit on the trail.
• It locks. At a hotel or campground, your bikes and gear stay behind a locked door overnight.
• Gear rides inside, too. Gas cans, helmets, coolers, and tools ride with the bikes, out of the weather.

Where local riders haul to

These are the trips we hear about most. Drive times are rough, from St. Peters:

St. Joe State Park, Park Hills (about 1.5 hours)

The off-road vehicle area at St. Joe State Park is one of the best-known places in Missouri to ride dirt bikes, ATVs, and UTVs, with sandy trails left over from the area's lead-mining days. It is close enough for a day trip. Most people take I-270 to I-55 and head south.

Finger Lakes State Park, north of Columbia (about 1.5 to 2 hours)

Finger Lakes has off-road trails and a motocross track built on old strip-mine land. It is an easy shot west on I-70, then north out of Columbia.

Lake of the Ozarks and the Ozark backroads (about 2.5 to 3 hours)

For street riders, the twisty roads around the Lake and deeper into the Ozarks are worth the trailer ride. Haul down, ride all weekend, and haul home without putting 300 boring highway miles on your tires.

Track days and races across the river

World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, Illinois, hosts motorcycle and car events. If your bike is not street legal or you would rather not ride home tired, a trailer is the way to go.

Loading motorcycles

1. The first bike goes to the front. Weight up front keeps the trailer stable. Load the heaviest bike first and push it forward.
2. Use a wheel chock if you have one. A front-wheel chock holds the bike upright while you strap it. If you do not have one, have a helper hold the bike.
3. Use soft loops on the handlebars or lower triple clamp, then run the strap hooks to the E-track. Hooks on bare bars scratch, and hooks on cables or brake lines are a bad idea.
4. Pull the front forks down part way, not all the way. Compressing the suspension a little keeps the bike from bouncing loose. Bottoming the forks out for hours can damage seals.
5. Add a strap at the rear to keep the back wheel from walking side to side.
6. Alternate bikes nose-left, nose-right if space is tight, so the handlebars do not tangle.

Loading a UTV or side-by-side

• Back the trailer square to the UTV on level ground and lower the ramp door.
• Drive it in slowly, or winch it if it will not run, hooking to a solid frame point.
• Center it side to side and keep most of the weight ahead of the axles.
• Strap it at all four corners to the E-track. The winch alone is not a tie-down.
• Check the width first. The trailer is about 83 inches between the fenders inside. Most UTVs fit easily, but measure wide-body models before you book.

On the way home

After a day of riding, everyone is tired, and that is when straps get rushed. Take five minutes. Check every strap before you pull out, and again at your first stop. The trailer is currently $160 a day, and riding weekends book up early from spring through fall.

Have a question about fitting your bikes or your machine? Call or text 314-866-0009.