Bike Rack

[DarkStar]

Has anyone installed a roof rack? It looks like Thule doesn't have an option for the leaf, Yakima does?? We have a Thule rack on our Prius and would use that but there doesn't seem to be a fit kit for the leaf. I'm looking into the rack mount too. My husband and I made a mess of our Prius after a few years of putting 2 bikes inside the car. I'm feeling very protective of that gorgeous white interior and want to keep the bikes outside the car. I do not want to use a strap-style trunk mount after reading the posts here.

dyhopper posted pictures of the Yakima rack installed on his Leaf: https://picasaweb.google.com/113841571320620826939/LEAF?authkey=Gv1sRgCMW6xdeojOG4oQE

He took his Leaf to the Yakima office here in Beaverton, Oregon and they based the measurements on their website on the fit of his car, so it's definitely accurate!

 

[bwilliams]

dyhopper posted pictures of the Yakima rack installed on his Leaf: https://picasaweb.google.com/113841571320620826939/LEAF?authkey=Gv1sRgCMW6xdeojOG4oQE

He took his Leaf to the Yakima office here in Beaverton, Oregon and they based the measurements on their website on the fit of his car, so it's definitely accurate!

Nice pics, thanks.

 

[ruckus]

I got the Yakima roof mount with the recommended fit kit and a Highroller bike mount. It feels solid and sturdy. Holds my Cannondale Mt bike well. Its pretty noisy above 30mph and sure it hurts the range a bit, so I take it off when not biking. Removing only takes 5 minutes.

Seems the Yak rack is louder than the Thule I used to have on my Accord. Maybe its just that the Leaf is quieter and now that I'm older, I dont play my stereo as loud...

 

[DarkStar]

If you live near Tempe, Arizona, you can get a free trailer hitch with a lifetime warranty on your Leaf from U-Haul right now!

Since I'm way up in Oregon, this won't work for me, but if you go to http://www.uhaul.com/MovingSupplies/Hitches.aspx, punch in 2011 Nissan Leaf, you'll receive the following message:

Your vehicle requires a custom-built hitch

If U-Haul doesn't have a hitch for your vehicle, nobody does!

Your vehicle requires a custom-built hitch which we will gladly fabricate for you. If you are able to bring your vehicle to our Tempe, AZ Research & Development facility we'll provide you with a free U-Haul custom trailer hitch, including free installation, and a lifetime unlimited warranty in exchange for the use of your vehicle to fabricate the trailer hitch. We'll need the vehicle for two to three days. If you are interested in this offer please complete the form below and we'll contact you to schedule your appointment. This offer is only valid until one customer per vehicle can fulfill our requirements.

 

[Spies]

Fascinating find DarkStar! I wonder who will take them up on their offer. Hopefully someone on this board and hopefully they will provide pics.

 

[Volusiano]

If you live near Tempe, Arizona, you can get a free trailer hitch with a lifetime warranty on your Leaf from U-Haul right now!

Since I'm way up in Oregon, this won't work for me, but if you go to http://www.uhaul.com/MovingSupplies/Hitches.aspx, punch in 2011 Nissan Leaf, you'll receive the following message:

Your vehicle requires a custom-built hitch

If U-Haul doesn't have a hitch for your vehicle, nobody does!

Your vehicle requires a custom-built hitch which we will gladly fabricate for you. If you are able to bring your vehicle to our Tempe, AZ Research & Development facility we'll provide you with a free U-Haul custom trailer hitch, including free installation, and a lifetime unlimited warranty in exchange for the use of your vehicle to fabricate the trailer hitch. We'll need the vehicle for two to three days. If you are interested in this offer please complete the form below and we'll contact you to schedule your appointment. This offer is only valid until one customer per vehicle can fulfill our requirements.

Thanks for the tip. I live near Tempe, AZ so I took up on their offer and filled out the form. Let's see if they pick me or not because it looks like they only need 1 volunteer and hopefully I'm the first one.

 

[amtoro]

Has anyone considered the Saris Bones 3? I have used it on a Mini and the Toyota Yaris and plan to use it on the LEAF.

It has been the best bicycle carrier I have ever had.

 

[DarkStar]

Has anyone considered the Saris Bones 3?

I think the primary issue has been that there isn't enough clearance for the clips to properly hook onto the hatch.

 

[amtoro]

Has anyone considered the Saris Bones 3?

I think the primary issue has been that there isn't enough clearance for the clips to properly hook onto the hatch.

Hmmmm... I will have to take mine to the dealership to try it on the demo...

 

[sambird]

I am a bike rack designer/manufacturer and am just introducing our solution for the Leaf. It is similar to the racks we make for many hybrid and sports cars, since 1999, and we sell world-wide. All of our orders are by phone because we need to talk to every prospective customer to be sure the rack meets their needs and that they can deal with installation. It is in stock and can be viewed at:

http://www.birdautomotive.com/Bike%20Rack%20Nissan%20Leaf%202011+.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Happy to discuss in detail by phone: (203) 834-1119 in Irvine CA.

Sam Bird

 

[TonyWilliams]

Happy to discuss in detail by phone: (203) 834-1119 in Irvine CA.

Sam Bird

Sam, I'm not sure this isn't spam, but why does your phone number not match the location?

 

[sambird]

Thanks. After 20+ years in Connecticut (area code 203) we moved our business to southern California. Unplugged our Vonage telephone adapter, plugged it in here in CA, and continued business as usual without interruption. Half our business has always come from CA so delivery is improved for many customers. None has had an issue with 203 and you are the first to raise the question. Spam we don't.

Regards,

Sam Bird

 

[solartim]

I saw one of these in use, or something very similar, on a Prius. It did catch my eye, but I can't say anything about it though, as I did not get to talk to the driver. Looked like it worked well.

 

[bwilliams]

Sam - thanks for the post. I've been looking for a bike rack solution but had resigned myself to using the prius for my 3+ rides per week. Can you provide more pictures of how the tubes are mounted on the leaf? Do you remove the plastic cover permanently? Do the straps rest on the top of the bumper? Last question: does anyone in the San Diego area have one that we could look at?

Welcome to CA. I'm from MA and still live part time in NH.

I am a bike rack designer/manufacturer and am just introducing our solution for the Leaf. It is similar to the racks we make for many hybrid and sports cars, since 1999, and we sell world-wide. All of our orders are by phone because we need to talk to every prospective customer to be sure the rack meets their needs and that they can deal with installation. It is in stock and can be viewed at:

http://www.birdautomotive.com/Bike%20Rack%20Nissan%20Leaf%202011+.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Happy to discuss in detail by phone: (203) 834-1119 in Irvine CA.

Sam Bird

 

[sambird]

Thanks for inquiring. Our Leaf rack puts a black U shaped tube, the Receiver Pipes, under the plastic belly pan under the luggage compartment. The tips of the Receivers are recessed about 4" from the rearmost face of the bumper and are nearly invisible when the bike rack (or ski or luggage rack) is removed, probably 95%+ of the time. Ground clearance is not a problem; the Leaf is considerably higher than many of the sports car racks we make.

All of our racks use a pair of straps coming out of the trunk which give the rack strength and stability without a lot of extra weight. The lid closes on top of the straps and a vinyl sleeve on the straps protects the paint on the lid and upper surface of the bumper. This has proven effective over thousands of racks and 10+ years. The straps can be seen on our Leaf page at

http://www.birdautomotive.com/Bike%20Rack%20Nissan%20Leaf%202011+.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

and is also well shown on the 2010+ Prius page

http://www.birdautomotive.com/Bike%20Rack%202010+%20Prius.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The Leaf page also shows the strap attachment points inside the trunk, the seatback anchors.

For patent protection and competitive reasons, we do not put pictures of our under-car components or instructions on the web. Through picture instructions are provided with the rack; more than half our customers install themselves. I personally handle all tech support calls by phone and as the designer of our racks, can explain all details and installation issues quickly. (203) 834-1119 in Irvine CA. In a brief phone conversation I can help you figure out if installation assistance is needed, and if required, help locate a qualified installer. Sorry but the Leaf rack has not yet been sold in the San Diego area. We sell with a money-back guarantee. Fortunately, returns for all our racks are exceptionally low, less than 1/2 of 1%.

Thanks. Sam Bird

 

[torkliftcentral]

I have good news for those of you who want a true trailer hitch that is frame mounted for your leaf. We are a licensed hitch manufacturer here in Kent Washington. We are Torklift Central. I am only posting this reply because our company already has the trailer hitches made and manufactured in both sizes. We have the 1 1/4 size as well as the 2". Both are ready for production and offer a stealth look. You won't see anything on the leaf besides the actual receiver itself. These are also designed for self installation. You will be required to trim some of the lower black plastic on the bottom pan. Other than that its very simple. It comes with all the hardware necessary for installation as well as instructions.


If you are interested here is the youtube video of the installation.

http://youtu.be/ExLXaagJT9E

 

[Ingineer]

Nice, but I'm skeptical about the "no drill". I didn't find anything substantial on the left side to bolt to that didn't require some drilling. Can you please post pictures or a video that actually show HOW it attaches?

Thanks!

-Phil

 

[torkliftcentral]

We are using a standard practice. Fishing bolts with plate washers through the frame. There are no threads in the frame on the leaf on the left side ( facing the back of the car ) There is a hole in the back of the frame that is large enough to fish the bolts, and plate washers through the frame to have the bolt threads facing down towards the trailer hitch.


This is a common practice on vehicles with no threads.


Unfortunately, I have no pictures with details. It is very similar to this picture here.

This is how we achieved the no drill installation. We try to keep out hitches no drill as much as possible. The less holes you have to add to your car, the better.

We also offer a lifetime guarantee on all of our hitches.

 

[Ingineer]

Thanks for posting that. Awesome! I can see how that all works, though personally I wasn't comfortable with the bottom of the box on the left. I made mine such that it also connects to the side webbing of that left box, and the right side simply duplicates the way the factory tie-down hook is mounted.

If I had to do it over, I'd definitely buy your solution rather than fab my own. I will also recommend you to anyone who asks.

-Phil

 

[torkliftcentral]

Here is a pic of the hitch during r&d. It sits about an inch behind the bumper and perfectly between the bumper molding with just the receiver showing. We have found that hitch mouted bike racks won't rub through the paint like a trunk mounted rack. Your hitch looks great!