> She wonders if there is some way to bring a small 50cc motor
> scooter. I can envision hanging a light one off a sturdy rear hanger
> of some sort, but it would totally get in the way of opening the rear
> hatch

I have a 50cc motor scooter that I periodically transport that way. I have
the OEM VW South African hitch (we used to sell them but they're no longer
available AFAIK). A friend of mine made a platform for me that attaches to
it, onto which I strap down the scooter.  (It is far heavier duty that the
Harbor Freight platform.) This does prevent me from opening the rear hatch
until I remove the scooter, but I use it infrequently so it doesn't bother
me much. Also the scooter partially obscures the tail lights, although not
completely; I instaled a cheap Harbor Freight center brake light on it for
additional safety. The South African hitch is built like a tank and actually
goes very deep into the frame rails of the Vanagon (it does not attach to
the towhooks like most aftermarket hitches). The weight of the scooter and
platform is rather substantial.  I could not imagine doing this with any
hitch that did not have a very high tongue weight capacity, or didn't
distribute its load over a large part of the Vanagon. (I would never do it
with a towhook hitch.) After all, 100 percent of the weight is borne by the
hitch and its attaching points, unlike a trailer which has wheels on the
ground bearing most of the weight.  Maybe my solution is overkill for a
motor scooter, but I would not want to watch my scooter go bouncing down the
road in my rear view mirror, killing the unsuspecting motorist driving
behind me.  Alas, heavy duty Vanagon hitches like this are not easily found.
(From what I've heard Dennis Haynes' hitch may be an exception.)

- Ron Salmon
  The Bus Depot, Inc.
  www.busdepot.com
  (215)  234-VWVW

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