To make our summer trip more interesting, we decided to take along a pair of motorcycles.  We purchased a pair of Bashan Storm 250 Dual-Sport motorcycles.  We named them Lewis and Clark, so we could say things like “We explored the desert with Lewis and Clark.”  They come in a box from China and look like this when assembled:

Of course, we need a way to carry the motorcycles.  Ultimately I’d like to convert our 5th wheel into a toy hauler, but for now the quickest solution is to mount them on the front of the truck.  I started with a store-bought front hitch receiver:

I then welded two more receivers to the bar, one of each end:

The triple receiver mounted:

I bought some steel and laid out how I thought the rack would be configured:

We adjusted distances using clamps and tested the fit:

I screwed the rails to be beams and then welded everything together:

I then cut and bent up and welded the end of the rail as a rear wheel holder:

Lewis and Clark on the rack:

The rack installed:

Since the motorcycles block the truck’s lights, I welded a receiver to the front of the rack and fabricated a light bar using some steel and a snowplow light kit:

I had to remove the truck’s headlights and splice into the wires, then run wiring harnesses out to the light bar.  Using toggle switches I mounted under the hood of the truck, I can route power to either the truck’s lights or the snowplow lights:

All done!

Lewis and Clark are ready for action!