Not sure how nutso yu want to go or the budget alloted for the project, but
modifying an inexpensive towing type receiver hitch and adding any one of
the available receiver bike carriers to it would get the job done and I
can't imagine a bike(s) not being porous enough to let adequate amounts of
air through unless your bikes maybe had the solid disc type wheels.  For a
receiver, try junkyards or sometimews walmart has them at discontinued
prices.  Not sure what there is to weld/bolt under the front of a vanagon,
but with all this collective ingenuity, someone will come up with a plan.
My receiver bike carrier was on closeout at a Play it Again Sports resale
store and was $30 and I'll guyaruntee you there's $30 worth of 2" tubular
steel in that rack.  Carries two bikes and we use it on our Caravan.  I've
seeen cheap 2 bike temporary carriers at bike shops that use clamp hooks
and large wing nuts to hold things in place,  for under
$50, bu not sure how they would work on vanagon late model bumpers; the
early chrome ones should be no trouble.  BTW, I think I saw a receiver
hitch closeout that fit a mini truck bumper for about $70 and the junkyards
should havew thewm for $50.  Hope that helps.

Dimwitted Moose nd Flying Squirrel.

----------
> From: Dane Tessler <dane714@WORLDNET.ATT.NET>
> To: Vanagon@VANAGON.COM
> Subject: Front mount bike rack?
> Date: Tuesday, May 12, 1998 10:24 AM
>
> Mornin, all.
>
> I've seen a couple of Vanagons lately with a couple of bikes mounted on
the
> front side.
>
> Would like to know the following:
>
> 1.)  Does this compromise the airflow to the radiator to the point of
being
> detrimental?
>
> 2.  Does anyone know if there is a manufactured rack for the front of the
> vanagon?
>
> TIA
>
>
> Dane Tessler
> 87 Westfalia 138K
> Treasure Island, FL
> http://members.aol.com/Dane714/westfalia.html