Goldwing Retriever
August 24th, 2005 by Paul Crowe - "The Kneeslider"
What happens when a car stalls in traffic on a busy highway? Instant traffic jam, naturally, but how does the tow truck get to the car if the highway is filled with cars? Suppose you had a small agile vehicle like a motorcycle that could also tow the car from where it was stuck? Enter The Retriever. It’s a Honda Goldwing with a foldable towing rig that rides through traffic like a normal motorcycle, splitting lanes and weaving through the jam until it arrives at the scene. Then it unfolds the towing rig, loads up the car and rolls away.
The Retriever’s towing rig carries the weight of the car on three wheels so the motorcycle can still be ridden normally. Since the motorcycle is only providing the torque necessary for towing and doesn’t have to carry extra weight, the vehicle is easily moved and a six cylinder Goldwing has all of the power you need. The Retriver can tow cars up to 5500 pounds.
The Retriever is the product of a Swedish company, Coming Through, that took something like 5 years to perfect the product. The designer got the idea when he was stuck in a traffic jam and saw a motorcycle ride by and he wondered if a motorcycle could tow a car to relieve the congestion. That is great thinking combined with no small amount of follow through. I like this a lot.
You need to watch the video to see how well this really works. There are several on the site as well as one from the Discovery Channel.
Thanks, Eric, for the pointer.
The Kneeslider: Honda Gold Wing motorcycles for sale
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17 Responses to “Goldwing Retriever”
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August 24th, 2005 at 6:33 pm
That is too cool! Not that I want one but I definitely want one to be available to me if my cars ever break down on me.
May 19th, 2006 at 1:51 am
That is absolutely genius. I would have never thought of that. And the towing mechanism is pure genius as well. Very nice. That would sure be nice to have here in Dallas.
May 24th, 2006 at 12:49 pm
It looks rather interesting and it seems like a good idea but … since I have been an avid towing person over the years, I know one major concern: how does it STOP? Lots of companies tout their towing ability by stating how much the vehicle can pull but the important thing is how much it can stop. The brakes on light duty trucks have become better over the years but I don’t think the brakes on the Goldwing were increased in their size and stopping ability for this purpose.
May 24th, 2006 at 2:55 pm
whether or not it has them it is easy enough to add trailer brakes to the hauler. They would be activated by the momentum of the towed car.
-todd
July 12th, 2006 at 1:47 pm
Pretty slick idea…I wish I had thought of that!!! I bet the clutch life in the bike is not good…but you probably make up for that cost in fuel saved.
September 17th, 2006 at 6:42 am
Absolute genius!
October 23rd, 2006 at 7:21 am
Absolute genius invention, I agree with most of the comments made so far especially with the stopping ability.
The brakes certainly need to be addressed, as performing an emergency stop whilst towing a car or even worse a car plus a caravan, then the brakes would almost certainly not be up to the job and could cause a serious accident.
I feel that this idea has huge potential, and by added momentum activated brakes to the trailer, the braking issue would be resolved.
I am a keen motorcyclist and the benefits of that when in traffic jams is amazing, having the ability to filter through the traffic is certainly a blessing and the Goldwing Retriever takes full advantage of that and I for one would certainly love to see these in use within the UK.
January 11th, 2007 at 3:41 pm
I agree that itsa good idea but it has to be upgraded with trailer brakes and the clutch should be up graded or maby even an automatic transmission? but still sweet
July 8th, 2007 at 7:47 am
Brakes? Clutch life? Saves on gas?
Don’t you people realize the whole point of this machine?
It’s to get where other wreckers can’t, quickly. If it can get the car to where a full size wrecker can take over, quickly, then it’s accomplished it’s purpose. Quickly is relative of course. If it pulls at 20 mph, then it does not need massive brakes to stop, but 20 MPH is a lot faster than the disabled vehicle was moving before, and will get it to where a full sized wrecker can take over in minutes.
Think of this like a helicopter. A helicopter costs more to buy and operate, but it can go places where other vehicles cannot go easily or at all.
July 12th, 2007 at 12:43 am
thank you Wayne! you must be an Aussie! don’t any of you think before typing?
August 29th, 2007 at 11:52 am
This is the COOLEST MOTORCYCLE SITE!!!!!
October 7th, 2007 at 4:26 am
Several cities in China where new affluence is bringing major traffic congestion have already aquired these tow-bikes, and from all reports they are proving themselves many times over!!
December 2nd, 2007 at 8:02 am
Na. This bike is a great idea. I’m sure the goldwings brakes are up to it, plus theres also engine braking that can be used, which you couldn’t really do with an automatic. These would be dead handy in the uk where cars always seem to breakdown in the worst place they could.
December 18th, 2007 at 7:05 pm
They should make a diesel goldwing sometime. Can you imagine what a powerhouse that would be then?
February 2nd, 2008 at 4:46 am
LOL, no I’m not an Aussie, but I have stayed at a Holiday Inn Express…(US TV Ad)
Just got a GL1800. Such a sweet bike. It could easily pull a car…
I live in Houston, though I’m usually elsewhere and probably about to move to the San Francisco Bay area, two places that could certainly use this transporter.
February 24th, 2008 at 6:48 pm
This product would be great in the U.S. like all the big cities with traffic problems. Waiting on a tow truck can be a pain.
April 28th, 2008 at 5:42 am
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