Carrying bikes on a 328is

[whamman]

Anyone have success carrying bikes on their 328 coupe? If so, how's it work and what are the pros and cons of your system?



Thanks a lot,
Evan

[mankiks323i]

i have a sedan 323 but i bought a rack and mounted it on the factory mounting points ie gutter rails it works pretty well the only cons is wind noise pros bike can be transported without difficulty

[camnipotent]

You can get the trunk mounted racks. THose things aren't too expensive and are easier to install.

[Corkoman]

I have a hitch for pulling my jetski trailer - there is rack that fits the hitch and holds 2 bikes behind the car.

[thinair]

A roof rack is the way to go, certain companies don't make applications for the e36 due to the lack of gutters. Just don't forget that the bikes are on the roof when going through low drive throughs, and entering your garage. They do increase noise (a rack fairing helps), and do increase your fuel consumption though.

Truck mounted racks suck. I worked at a bike shop for 4 years and I've seen them damage a lot of cars, and bikes.

Trailer hitch racks are also awesome, but how many of us have trailer hitches on our e36's (not including corkoman :P)

[jllphan]

I agree, the trunk mounted racks suck, but the roof mounted racks have their disadvantages too. We arent talking about an International Scout or a Range ROver, this is a Bimmer. Picture this, load up your bikes, head to the trails, have a great ride and come back muddy as hell. You now have a pair of mtn. bikes spraying crap on the roof of your car the whole way home. And if you have a sunroof, forget about it.

IF you are an avid rider, drop the coinage and go for the trailer hitch idea. I have seen these and seem to be a good idea. Unlike the cheap trunk mounted racks, these tightly grip the bike and keep it away from the car.

If you ride road bikes as opposed to mtn bikes, i retract the earlier statement. But a trailer hitch mounted rack still prevents you from scuffing your ride when you go to throw your bike on your roof.

[whamman]

cool, thanks for the ideas!

[RallyE36]

As someone who's had both systems with other cars I concur with everything 'jllphan; said ... get the bikes away from the car.