Choosing the Best Motorcycle Trailer: Drop Deck Advantages

Choosing the best motorcycle trailer can dramatically increase both the enjoyment and safety of your riding experience. 

As official partners of WMST, one of the nation’s best motorcycle training schools, we at GoodMFG® have a special place for riders in our heart. In fact, many of our own team members here in Marysville, WA are daily riders. 

We are committed to reducing motorcycle transport accidents and helping you protect your bike by offering the best motorcycle trailer options out there. Whether you’re an individual rider, track enthusiast, or dealership manager, this guide breaks down when to rent, when to buy, and how ground-level drop-deck trailers transform bike transport. 

Table of Contents

• Who Doesn’t Need a Motorcycle Trailer?
• Who Should Invest in a Dedicated Motorcycle Trailer?
• Pick-Up Beds and Traditional Trailers: Where Loading Goes Wrong
• Before You Buy: Key Specs and Considerations
• For Dealerships and Service Shops: Protecting Customer Assets and Cutting Pick-up & Delivery Costs
• FAQ
• Key Takeaways
• Good Trailers, Good Riders

Who Doesn’t Need a Motorcycle Trailer

Let’s start by talking about who does not need a motorcycle trailer, because not everyone does. You do not need a motorcycle trailer if you:

• View highway slab riding as an essential part of the travel experience. 
• Rarely venture more than 50-100 miles from home and return to your own garage every night.
• Move your bike only once or twice a year for basic maintenance. 

In these scenarios, riding the bike directly or using a temporary rental is usually the most practical choice. No sense spending money on the best motorcycle trailer if you don’t actually need one!

Who Should Invest in a Dedicated Motorcycle Trailer

For many riders, trailering isn’t about avoiding the ride—it’s about getting to the best roads safely and fresh. 

A motorcycle trailer can really destination riders stay safe. Watch Chris Johnson, CEO of WMST, explain during this 2025 interview (starts at 6:21). 

So who needs one?

• Destination & Mountain Riders: Haul through boring Interstate highway stretches so you arrive fully rested to ride scenic passes and twisties.
• Track Day & Multi-Bike Enthusiasts: Transport multiple sportbikes or ADV bikes along with tire warmers, toolboxes, and pit gear.
• Rally & Long-Distance Event Riders: Transport heavy touring bikes or baggers while bringing non-riding family members, luggage, and camping equipment in your tow vehicle.

For these riders, investing in the best motorcycle trailer they can find just makes sense.

Pick-Up Beds and Traditional Trailers: Where Loading Goes Wrong

Nothing beats a drop deck trailer if you want a motorcycle trailer that actually protects both you and your bike. Drop deck motorcycle trailers are especially great for solo or aging riders who can no longer physically wrestle a 900 lb. cruiser or heavy ADV bike up a steep incline all by themselves. 

But even younger riders can have trouble. One of our locals nearly flipped her bike right over, with her on it, while trying to load it up a steep ramp into the back of her pick-up. The aerodynamics of bikes and steep ramps just do not mix. Loading a motorcycle into a tailgate sitting 36” off the ground is going to require an 18° to 22° angle. Most of the ramps you can get aren’t wide enough for easy loading, and are long enough to increase the hazards. 

Plenty can go wrong.

• Loss of Footing: As your front wheel enters the truck bed or high trailer floor, your feet can no longer touch the ground or ramp rungs, causing instant balance failure.
• Breakover Apex Scraping: Low-slung cruisers, baggers, and custom bikes high-center on the steep angle apex, scraping frame rails, damaging exhaust pipes, or jamming the front wheel.
• Traction Failure: Rear tire spin on bare metal or wet aluminum rungs mid-climb can tip a heavy touring bike sideways instantly.

So what’s the alternative?

The Ground-Level Drop Deck Solution

By contrast, ground-level hydraulic drop decks like the GT13FL, GT09AL, or GT13AL lower the entire deck flush with the pavement. You simply walk or ride the bike straight on while keeping both feet firmly flat on the ground. Any of these options could be the best motorcycle trailer for your unique needs.

There is no spotter needed, no death-defying balance act, and the 22-inch long, 74.4-inch-wide short folding ramp provides a gentle 11° approach angle—about as mild as pulling into a paved driveway.

Ground level loading makes a drop deck trailer, hands down, the best motorcycle trailer you can find on the market today.

Should You Rent a Motorcycle Trailer, or Buy One?

Consider renting if:

• You only take 1-2 short trips per year.
• You don’t have a good place to keep or store a trailer. 
• Buying would create a financial hardship. 
• You don’t mind being somewhat at the mercy of rental availability. 

In Washington State? Rent your motorcycle trailer here. 

Buy if you:

• Take frequent trips to rallies, track days, and scenic drives throughout the year or peak riding season. 
• Want to invest in a riding asset that will be with you for the long haul.
• Have other things you might want to haul, like mowers, tractors, or other gear. 

Renting before you buy can also be a nice way to try out a Good Trailer and to decide if it’s right for you before you invest in owning one. 

Before You Buy: Key Specs and Considerations

We’re going to tell you to buy a drop deck as table stakes. Expected from a drop deck trailer company, right?

But here are some other considerations to evaluate. 

1. Space! Is there room for two full-sized bikes side by side? (The GT13FL’s 76.5” ramp width and 82” deck width gives ample clearance for two).
2. Have you thought about tie-downs? We recommend the D-ring stake pocket system to make tie-downs easier. It’s an add-on to our trailers, but they’re helpful. If you want an enclosed trailer we can add internal D-rings or E-track to help you keep your bike safe and secure.
3. What kind of towing vehicle are you rocking? A 7,000 GVWR trailer like the GT13FL or GT09AL easily handles two heavy bikes and gear while remaining within the towing capacity of most mid-size pickup trucks and SUVs, but you should know and think about this before you buy. 

Bring these concerns to your local dealership and they’ll help you find the best motorcycle trailer on your lot.

For Dealerships and Service Shops: Protecting Customer Assets & Cutting Pick-Up Costs & Delivery Costs

Do you run a dealership, repair shop, or motorcycle rental outfit? Good Trailers could really be helpful to you as well. 

1. Low liability transport. Transporting a customer’s $40,000 custom cruiser or heavy touring bike for service, warranty work, or home delivery means taking on a lot of liability. Why risk dropped or scratched bikes on standard high-incline ramps? Get a drop deck and save the headache. 
2. Lower labor overhead. Traditional delivery vans or high ramp trailers often require two technicians: one to steer or push the bike and one to spot. That means your shop buys double the billable hours for a simple pick up or delivery. A hydraulic drop deck lets a single technician safely load, secure, and unload any motorcycle or trike solo in a matter of minutes.
3. VIP Delivery. Delivering a newly purchased motorcycle to a customer’s driveway on a sleek, professional ground-level drop deck or an enclosed drop deck like the GT13AL creates a premium, white-glove experience that justifies delivery fees and builds customer loyalty. 

Remember, if you run a dealership or transport customer bikes daily, your math is different from an individual rider’s. Preventing just one dropped bike pays for a drop deck trailer immediately once you factor in avoided insurance claims, bodywork repairs, and retained customer trust. The best motorcycle trailer for your fleet is the trailer that helps you protect profits.

FAQ

Key Takeaways

Here’s your TL;DR as you consider which trailer qualifies as the best motorcycle trailer on the market today.

• Eliminate ramp hazards. Ground-level drop decks allow riders to keep both feet flat on the ground during loading, avoiding dangerous tailgate failures.
• Zero-scrape approach angles. A gentle 11° approach angle over a 22-inch short folding ramp prevents scrapes.
• Dual-bike capacity. Generous 82-inch deck widths easily accommodate two full-size touring bikes or track bikes side-by-side. 
• Reduced shop overhead. Dealerships cut delivery labor in half by allowing single technician pick-ups and white-glove customer delivery. 

Good Trailers, Good Riders

Don’t let steep loading ramps and trailer anxiety stand between you and your next great ride. Get the best motorcycle trailer for riders like you.

Whether you need an open flatbed for track days or an enclosed hauler for cross-country rallies, GoodMFG® delivers safe, ground-level motorcycle transport. Contact your nearest authorized GoodMFG® dealer or reach out to our team in Marysville, WA to find the best motorcycle trailers today! 

See also:

The Top 4 Advantages of Trailers that Lower to the Ground

Why a Hydraulic Drop Deck Trailer from GoodMFG® is the Perfect Motorcycle Trailer

Choosing Your ATV Trailer or UTV Trailer 

This resource was compiled by the GoodMFG® Product Team, drawing on 75 years of combined experience in hydraulic systems, heavy-duty transport, trailers, and modular structures.

P.S. – We build trailers every day, but we don’t run your crews. If there’s a specific logistical headache or a “field reality” we’ve missed, we want to hear about it. Help us refine the equipment that makes your day easier! Email our Marketing Lead at devan-h @ goodrv.com and let us know what we should solve next.