Pace American Legacy Motorcycle Trailer

Cycle Matters staff recently chose a Pace American Legacy motorcycle trailer as its official trailer because of the appearance, construction, and the commitment to quality products made by Pace American and its employees.

We toured the manufacturing plant in Middlebury, Indiana, and had the opportunity to see first hand how each of Pace American’s models are designed and assembled during the manufacturing process. Engineers, designers, managers, supervisors, and craftsman expect a quality product. It’s that simple.

Pace American emphasizes great looking trailers that can be customized to individual needs, are easy to load, and easy to tow.

The materials and assembly processes are selected and implemented to build a trailer that not only looks great, but also performs to ensure there are no worries when traveling with your motorcycle. You can rest assured that you will arrive at your destination with your motorcycle or motorcycles just the way they left home: e.g., clean and safe.

When we placed our order, we were given a date to anticipate completion. We began making plans to drive to the manufacturing plant to pick up the new Legacy trailer on the date it was promised. When we arrived, the trailer was ready to go.

First Impression

The trailer looked great! The VHB smooth side fastener-less exterior really stood out, due to the fact that there were no screw heads to distract from the smooth black finish. The tandem axle and wheels provided an impression of excellent balance and stability.

We inspected the Legacy inside and out. From the outside, the doors closed tightly, latched, and locked. The ramp was easy to lower and return to its closed position, tires were fully inflated, and the hitch assembly and jacks were greased and operated smoothly.

We found the same quality construction on the inside. The switches and lights were placed and operated as expected. Red aluminum cabinets and closets were secured while doors opened, closed, and locked for travel. The white aluminum walls looked great and the black Coin flooring and D-rings were installed in a superior fashion.

We hitched the trailer to the Cycle Matters Dodge, secured the safety chains, connected the electric brakes and lighting, made a final check to assure the “clear lens LED exterior lights” were operating, and we were ready to go.

Our first trip was through Northern Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, and South Central Nebraska to our office in Louisville, Colorado. We were empty: i.e., no motorcycle, so I placed the spare tire in the middle of the floor on the inside of the trailer. I wanted to observe how much bounce there was to the trailer and extent of spare tire movement.  I anticipated there would be some movement due to the normal bumps and uneven surfaces found on today’s roadways.

After 1200 miles, 600 of which were on snow and ice making ruts on the roadway in some places, we arrived on the Front Range in Colorado. Believe it or not, the spare tire had moved no more than one inch in any direction. It was within an inch of where I had placed it 48 hours and 1200 miles earlier. I was convinced that I need not worry about transporting our Harley-Davidson Ultra.

The trailer towed superbly. There was no sway in spite of a 30 mph, gusting to 45 mph, cross wind over the Nebraska prairie. The brakes and lighting all functioned just the way they were designed to function and the truck and trailer felt like a single unit. I am very pleased.

Features and Operation

Click here to see a complete listing and detailed explanation of available standard and optional features for the Pace American Legacy trailer.

• Standard Features on the Cycle Matters Legacy trailer:
  Low Profile Design (7'10" Overall Height – 12 inches option added), recessed rear ramp door w/spring assist & flap, beavertail for easy loading, drop down corner post jacks, floor mounted d-rings (each rated at 5000 lbs), removable wheel chock, SX flow-through sidewall vents, precision built solid core side door w/flush lock & stainless steel piano hinge, ATP Stoneguard, polished aluminum front corner wrap, Lauan finished ceiling, 3/8" plywood walls, 3/4" plywood floors, 4" tube frame, bent tube tongue, aluminum fenders, truck body styled flat top design, patented dust proof sidewall design, chip resistant undercoating, cast aluminum rear corners, Dexter Independent Torsion Suspension axles, E-Z Lube hubs, trailer rated radial tires, all wheel electric brakes w/12v breakaway switch with battery, welded safety chains, TPO front cap, Long Life Coating on fasteners, frames are phosphate power washed and all exposed steel is painted w/premium quality paint, semi-trailer quality 12v lighting, automotive style weather stripping, ABS molded license plate holder w/built-in light and a real 3-year warranty.
  
  
• Optional Features included with the Cycle Matters trailer:
  Internal lighting, recessed wall E-Track, 12 inches additional cargo box height, Aluminum base and overhead cabinet with closet, 12v battery and vented box hotwired to tow vehicle, E-Track, dome lights, clear lens LED tail and clearance lights, 8500 series 14 ft. awning, spare tire with aluminum rim, finished interior package with black coin flooring, tire mount, and Legacy Gold package.

The Cycle Matters Legacy trailer has a payload capacity of 4440 lbs. and GVWR of 7000lbs. The cargo area is 16 feet long by 7 feet wide by 6 feet 4 inches high. There is ample room and lighting in the cargo area to clean and work on your bike on those occasions when you need to do so with protection from rain or other weather.

With its beavertail and LXT ramp door, loading and unloading the trailer is simple and easy. While hitched to your tow vehicle, lower the two rear corner jacks to increase stability, and you can ride your motorcycle right into one of two wheel chocks. It is no more challenging than a speed bump, but much more satisfying.

Quality and Value

Earlier in this review, I gave my opinions on the quality of the materials, manufacturing processes, and accessories making up the Pace American Legacy Trailer.

Pace American takes pride in their trailers and builds them with features that add strength and functionality. With standard features such as easy-towing suspensions, heavy-duty steel frames, sidewalls, and roofs, your Pace American trailer is built to transport your motorcycle in a manner that guarantees arrival, at your destination, just as it was when you loaded up.

The real tests of a quality motorcycle trailer lie in towing proficiency and the safety and security of the valuable motorcycles intended to ride inside.

Included in this assessment are drag on the tow vehicle, turning, and braking. Simply put, the Legacy follows the tow vehicle. There is no sway or drag that gives me, as a tow vehicle driver, the sensation that the trailer is resisting or otherwise influencing the tow vehicle. This assessment and conclusion was also true for our rather extensive distance spent on snow and ice.

I could not be more pleased with the towing proficiency of the Cycle Matters Legacy trailer. It is reassuring to know that as long as I drive the way I should, the trailer will function as designed: i.e., to carry the load.

Safety and security have to do with the softness of the ride, the mechanism for stabilizing and securing the motorcycle/s inside the trailer, doors, latches and locks, and keeping moisture, and any other elements, out of the cargo area.

Earlier, I mentioned having placed the spare tire in the center of the floor of the cargo box and how it had not moved from within one inch of that position after 1200 miles of interstate at an average of 65 miles an hour on clear pavement and 35 mph on ice and snow covered pavement. While interstates tend to be pretty smooth, there are exceptions and entrances to and exits from after service interludes also tend to be pretty bumpy.   I expected the tire to move and could not have predicted the extent of movement. However, I was pleasantly surprised with the apparent “soft” ride.

Stabilizing and securing the motorcycles is a cinch. Seven D-rings rated at 5000 lbs each are sufficient to ensure that once the bike is secured into position, it will be stabile.

All doors, latches, and locks function properly while giving no reason for concern that there will be change due to extended use.

The cargo box remains clean and dry.

Final Thoughts

With Pace American's Legacy Series of enclosed motorcycle trailers, you can leave all of your hassles behind when transporting your favorite ride.

Pace American promises service after the sale if needed, coast-to-coast dealers (400 nationwide) and factory service centers, parts stocked or shipped within 24 hours, and warranty claims satisfied in days (not weeks).

Regarding warranty, Pace American, Inc. warrants that a Pace American trailer will be free from defects in materials and workmanship for the period of three (3) years. Exceptions are electrical components, lights, mechanical jacks, fiberglass, doors, sealants, seals, locks, couplers, and paint which are warranted for a one (1) year limited warranty.

Our experience with Pace American has been super. Personnel made ordering, manufacturing, and delivering the trailer easy. When we placed our order, all standard features and options were explained in detail so we were assured that the trailer would be manufactured to our specifications.

Check back here for periodic updates on our experiences with the Pace American Legacy trailer.