Sunday, 5 January 2014

Bikerack and reversing aids

Unfortunately the tailgate means that I can't add a towbar , which is my preferred bike rack solution.
So I had a look around for something that would fit onto one barn door, so that we could still get access to the rear without removing the bikes.
Fiamma seem to have cornered the market, which means expensive. My main problem however was getting something to fit. Most racks are deigned for motorhomes or larger VW transporters, however I did find one picture on the net where a carrybike CB200D had been fitted to an Expert van, so snapped one up on eBay for £50.
As usual its not quite fitted as intended, but it does go on with a little modding.
My main worry is that the the brackets are bolted to the door skin which can flex - and maybe pop the window. So I used long bolts and filled the internal cavity with expanding foam. Its rock solid, but it remains to be seen if its up to the job.
A lighting board is an absolute necessity - especially in France, where it can be a bit of money earner for the local gendarmes. So there is a 7 way socket mounted underneath the rear.



Since I wasn't sure of the final design, I was concerned that visibilty out the back would be restricted.
So the rear bumper has 4 reversing sensors, and a camera mounted in the centre.
Internally there is a small LCD screen mounted next to the mirror, which comes on when the van is reversing. Unfortunately the bike rack interferes with some of the sensors, so I may have to disconnect one or more - or maybe mount some on the rack.




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