Bike Rack

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I have the 2" Torklift on my 2013 Leaf and have had no problems with it. Installation was easy even for a relative non-mechanic such as myself (I did not have any trouble with the bolts like another poster mentioned.) Probably about half the driving I do is going to/from bike rides. I have a hefty 4 tray Thule rack and have put 3 heavy mountain bikes on it at once, with no signs of sagging. The one thing I did notice is that the combined weight of the hitch/rack/bikes is enough to noticeably raise the front end of the car. Not a big issue, but if you really punch it the front tires can spin a little. Also at night people tend to think you have your high beams on.
 
if you have the LED headlights (Not sure of the others) there is a small roller knob in your left of wheel dash panel. just lower the angle of the headlights when you are "loaded"

I don't see a relevant enough different in the torklift and the curtis to justify the extra $140. I have so far has zero issues with my curtis. although the only thing I have put on it is my cargo carrier and generator.
 
nerys said:
I have so far has zero issues with my curtis. although the only thing I have put on it is my cargo carrier and generator.

Good advice on the LED light re-aiming!

How much does that generator weigh? I'm quite impressed if it hasn't bent with that kind of weight cantilevered off the back.
 
67 pounds. plus the mass of the cargo rack. no bending at all car handled fine zero issues. drove over 180 miles with it on their.

I don't think there is a mass that would bend this curtis hitch that would not first rip apart the cargo carrier first.
 
Alas, there is no headlight aim adjuster on my 2013 SV, at least not that I can find. Too bad, that would have been quite handy!
 
LED headlights? are you sure? I had no clue what it was till I looked it up :) it is a roller knob that looks like a dimmer knob. I will post a picture later.
 
The LED low beams are honestly one of my favorite parts about the car. So much better than the HIDs I have in other cars.
 
nerys said:
LED headlights? are you sure? I had no clue what it was till I looked it up :) it is a roller knob that looks like a dimmer knob. I will post a picture later.
It may be something they dropped with the 2013 models, not sure. This video from Nissan shows where the knob is on a 2012:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xnyYGjNIA4" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

There is definitely no such control at that location in my car.
 
agreed. gorgeous clean bright non headache inducing light.

it is horrible to get into an older car with crappy lights in comparison.
 
nerys said:
if you have the LED headlights (Not sure of the others) there is a small roller knob in your left of wheel dash panel. just lower the angle of the headlights when you are "loaded"

I don't see a relevant enough different in the torklift and the curtis to justify the extra $140. I have so far has zero issues with my curtis. although the only thing I have put on it is my cargo carrier and generator.

Thanks for the input about the Curtis hitch. Were you able to reinstall the deflector after some modification after installing the hitch? Did the instructions reference the deflector?
 
Thought I'd revive this thread a bit in hopes of helping other folks like me who google "Nissan Leaf bike rack".

We're taking our first road trip in our Leaf (2013 SV) this weekend. Going down to the beach and will need to drive just about 200 miles. I've been studying plugshare and making my route, but we have also been considering whether to take our bikes or rent some there.

I have a Saris Bones 3 that I used prior to getting our Leaf. I got it out today to test it on the Leaf. I was able to mount it and it seemed pretty secure. I know some folks said that they weren't sure it would work with the Leaf. I was able to get it to fit. I did have to open the hatch all the way and slide the upper clips in from the side, but it worked. It was a bit of a pain, though. The side clips had to go over the bottom of the glass or they would just slide down. i didn't love that placement, but it seems to have worked fine. I checked Saris ' site and they do not give their approval for using the Bones on the Leaf. I read somewhere (maybe in this thread) about the panels on the Leaf being too lightweight so maybe that's why. Not sure.

Anyway, I tested it out with 3 bikes and remembered how I hate loading bikes on bike racks — we also have a big old beater van that holds them fine inside. Got them all loaded and secure and took the whole kit and kaboodle for a very short test spin to Trader Joes. Our Leaf does not have a back-up camera (we're considering an aftermarket one — just got the Leaf in June — but have been doing okay without). As expected it was really hard to see out of the back window. There was a little bouncing and rattling that made me a bit anxious and I remembered that I don't really like to drive with a bike rack either. Got to Trader Joes without incident (just 3.5 miles), shopped, and returned home without incident, too. It really seemed to do okay.

After I unloaded the groceries I unloaded the bikes. Although it's a very short trip (7 miles roundtrip) I wanted to see if I lost much efficiency with the bike rack on, so I made the same trip, the same way, and parked in the same parking place.

With the bike rack and bikes I started out at 69% charge, drove 3.5 miles to TJs and had 63%. Shopped and left with 63% came home (why it was 3.4 one way and 3.5 the other I don't know) and ended up in my driveway with 58%.

After I offloaded the groceries and bikes and rack I did the same trip again. I started this time with 65% (I charged a little to try to get up about where I was before), drove 3.5 mi to TJs and got there with 62%. Left and came home and had 57%. I went the same route each time.

The trip to TJs has a big uphill section. The return has that same section as a downhill (duh) and I usually am able to gain 1% point back through regeneration on it if that gives you an idea of the type of hill. It's significant, but not a mountain or anything. So it looks like the bike rack and bikes reduced the efficiency on that uphill ride to TJs. I used 6% with the bikes. Without the bikes I used 3%. The bikes didn't seem to make a difference on the way home. Used 5% both times. That hill and the bikes are the only thing I can think of that would be different. I was in ECO and B both times and tried to drive the same.

Talked it over with the spouse and we agreed that we'd just rent bikes when we get there. I think it will make the ride more pleasant to not carry them and they won't be a drag on our range. I think I could use the Saris if I needed to for a short trip (like someone else was using the van). I can't recommend buying a Saris Bones since Saris doesn't endorse it with the Leaf, but if you've already got one in the garage it seemed to work for me.
 
I have a Yakima that is about 5 years old. The key components are the plastic Dumbbells that I surprisingly kept even though I never used on previous car. They allow you to attach the rack to the top of rear window and not run straps over the roof extension. Running the straps over that extension forces it to bear weight for which it was not likely designed to bear. If you do not have them, recommendation is to not attach the straps to roof top groove forward of the solar cells.
 
I'm resurrecting this thread --maybe someone has what I need. I have a 2011 SL, and am looking for a trailer hitch for my Leaf, including a hitch-mounted bike rack for two bikes. I know I can buy this stuff new, but I'm really on a limited budget. If anyone out there has one that they are not using, I'd be happy to purchase it at a reasonable price. I am mechanically inclined, and can do my own installation of the hitch, etc. Please PM me. I live in the San Diego area.

Thanks.

derkraut
 
I use a Thule roof rack (Thule makes a 'fit kit' for the Leaf) and a Rocky Mounts Brass Knuckles roof-mounted bike rack to carry my mountain bike on my 2013 Leaf.

Range is reduced by about 50% when driving at freeway speeds with a mountain bike on the roof (air resistance is a big deal).

It's possible to fit a bike in the trunk with the back seats folded down and the front tire removed, but it's a tight fit, especially for large mountain bikes.
 
Installed a Thule Trunk Bike Rack on 2018 Nissan Leaf and although it worked and I got the straps off of the spoiler, I did not like how it felt. Very wobbly and some of the hooks were attached to the plastic molding on the sides. I would not recommend for long distance road trips. I installed a trailer hitch from etrailer.com and will get trailer hitch bike rack instead.
 
Just installed a Brink towbar this weekend, loving it so far! Extremely sturdy
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More on the installation here: https://secondlifestorage.com/showthread.php?tid=6308&pid=60403#pid60403
 
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