For those using receiver hitch carriers

Secure wheel/rim with strap so no roll or pop-off.

Two things...1 remove a pin under the front and rear tire. That allows the tire to sink into carrier and helps prevent rolling.  It makes loading and unloading a bit more work, but worth it. 2 I always do a strap from the end of the carrier up and over the tire. Strapping the tires to the carrier, again preventing rolling and popping.  After that it's straps to the foot pegs or frame to keep the bike upright.  I usually strap one to the vehicle's hitch chain loop. Maybe I'm paranoid, but I figure it's good to have an anchor that isn't on the hitch carrier.  I've also had friends use turnbuckles to the pegs. And last but not least a couple around the bars.... and I still don't trust those things... lol. 

I modified mine.  I also use an anti rattle clamp on my hitch.  I use ratchet straps on less and the normal tie-downs up front. 
 

I recently stored my Van / cancelled it's Rego,  as I'm not using it much, and got a Hitch / Towbar unit for my old 'runaround rust bucket', as I only take a bike on the same road to a mates place, around 20 miles away.

I've never liked them : seeing a bike wobbling at the back of a car, with a wheel poking out each side has never been re-assuring. but, many people don't have a Ute, Van or a Trailer or space to keep a trailer in. 

I always tie the wheels, Use a front fork compression limiter so as not to have the bike bouncing on it's suspension,  tie downs from the triple clamps, not the PHDS mounted bars , tyre pumped up to around 60psi, and made a block that goes under the frame, keying into my bash plate, and that into the rail. Turnbuckles to the pegs, pulling it all together. The bikes not wobbling, it's going nowhere. Though, you never know, the back end of the old AU Ford might just break off..... 

As side note, the unit I got, I did some research on. Rated well, even on our corrugated outback roads with the 4WD Mob. Was listed as $400 AUD. Then , that week, I went to ALDI. and there was the same thing  / same manufacture markings etc, and, unlike the mfrs / suppliers delivered product in a plain brown box,  the packaging was all fancy and printed,. $190 AUD, And, it had the full lighting kit that you had to pay extra for from the supplier. I guess the volume ALDI sourced, made for Big discounts. I changed  / added various affixing bolts and large diameter washers for under bolt heads and nuts, and made RA plates to key to the rails, so as to Not compress the rails, .

Had to make a 50mm receiver (with a whole bunch of clamp / pinch bolts for No movement between receiver and 50mm bar), as the old AU's  tow bar was just a Tongue, got some auxiliary plates ( can't have the cars number plates obscured, fair enough) - and it's quicker to put the bike on than re-locate the original plate for the 2 cars I might use it on and, deemed it good to go.

It works OK for what I need right now.

The first time I used mine I didnt know you needed to secure the rear wheel and the bike jumped out turning into a parking lot. Luckily I was going slow and the bike hung up on the rack and didnt get dragged.

I always strap the swing arm with a ratchet strap to take the rear suspension cycling out of the equation. When you strap the pegs the rear suspension is still in play and can compress, lowering the frame and creating slack in the tie down. I go over the swing arm and through the rear wheel with ratchet strap and secure to the carrier and the rear wheel cant move.

I should have taken a pic of the clamps I use to keep the wobble down.  I took two anti rattle clamps, one on top, other on bottom, U-Bolt through both.  It helps a lot.  Also ratcheting the pegs down helps a lot too.

Have there been a lot of incidents where your $10K motocross bike came off one of of these while headed down the freeway? Surely they wouldn't sell them if this was even remotely common, but I'd still like to know.

Biggest thing is I run a ratchet strap from the foot peg, under the carrier and over to the other foot peg to suck the bike down into the carrier.  I also use the anti wobble thing on the hitch and it works great.  

Must haves: anti-wobble hitch!!.....and ratchet style tie strap from frame to one of the receiver hitch chain loops. 

First thing I do is load the bike and tie strap the bars to carrier points just like any dirty bike. Then I strap the tires to carrier to prevent hopping out. You can do this by strapping tires and/or swing arm as both take suspension out of the equation. Once bike is fixed to carrier, last but most important, use ratchet style strap from frame to one of the receiver hitch chain loops and crank er down pretty good. Not so the handle bars touch window or back of vehicle but enough to prevent sway away from vehicle. I've used this with my Hyundai Tucson to carry my son's KTM 150SX. Easypeasy! Plus I've used it to haul my KTM 690SMR a 1000km. Also easypeasy. With the ratchet strap from frame to chain loop your good to go. Acts like those sway bars for RV trailers. No bouncing around and it's pretty stable to the point of no worrying about it.  

All good advice. I make sure the rear wheel is fully seated. If you hang a knob up it could bounce and settle and you could get some loosening of the tie downs. I have the aluminum and steel type. There were too many moving parts so I welded the receiver part to the steel bracket and took a lot of movement out of it. I was really nervous about my own welding but it's been 3 years and everything has held. I use a ratcheting tie down and pull the rack tight towards the bumper to stop the swaying motion.

When I first started using this rack I stopped a lot to check. The only time I had a problem was in a slow bumpy turn that the real wheel popped off. It seems to me that the problem is not moving in a straight line as long as you aren't trying to skim whoops, as turning at speed. 

Anywho, that's my story.

Please do not use these. My buddy had his brand new husky on one and got rear ended by a dude with no insurance. Bike was totaled and insurance wouldn’t cover anything. 

Do a trip over Ortega if it’s still there you will never worry again

I didn’t trust those either, so I bought the ultimate mx hauler. It has bolts that goes through each foot peg and you tighten down to a platform. The bike isn’t coming off that thing and I’ve had it drag pretty hard driving offroad with no issues.

Many miles on a Harbor Freight 600 lbs capacity carrier bike weighs 300+.

Works perfect easy to load and unload. I did add safety chains to it just incase. Drop a bike off the back at highway speeds that could be trouble.

It’s always a concern.  My 97 2 dr Tahoe got rear ended with my hitch carrier but no bike.  Wiped out my carrier.  Had to build another carrier.  Tore hell out of my Tahoe also.

That's his fault. Insure your bike, it's a no brainer

It doesn't matter how you haul it, if something happens and your bike gets damaged your car/truck insurance won't cover it.

Same with a trailer.

I hauled one once with a hitch carrier about 3500 miles round trip. Multiple occasions someone about hit the bike while in traffic. Have avoided using it again and try to fit everything in the truck bed. Found with our bike combinations, we can fit 4 bikes in the bed of our trucks negating the need to the hitch carrier.

I ran fork straps, peg straps, straps on both wheels to the carrier, a strap to the truck so it couldn't fall backwards. Way over secured but was extremely rigid and stable the whole trip.

I would check the hitch rating on the RV. I was surprised to find out my inlaws had a rating of something ridiculous on theirs. 100 lbs or something completely useless. They had 2 bicycles off the back and it all failed dragging the bikes behind.

I’ve used this with no issues, but never deal with much traffic.  If I’m going far, I usually take more stuff, and use a trailer. 

I've used them for many years. The only issue I 've ever had (and this is an educated guess) is with a moto jack. The wheels hang and the bike is supported through the foot pegs. I dragged the bikes wheels in a dip and broke a peg mount weld. Still have it and use it. With my camper on the truck, it's often easier than hauling a trailer.  To answer the OP question, before I bought it I followed a friend using one on a mile or so, fairly rough forest road. His bike bounced all over the place but stayed on.

The inlaws may have attached it to the bumper, which has that ridiculous low rating that you mentioned. Not to a frame mounted hitch, A common oversite with RV's.

I use those load binders to secure the bike from the footpeg to the rack and then zip tie the lever so that it for sure will stay closed. The bike is not going anywhere. Just for added peace of mind I run one strap from the bar to the rack. Works great, been running this set up for years.

There are definitely good ones and crappy ones, my Ballards rack is awesome! Longest trip was 1300 k in a day, bike never moved!

I have two I use every once in awhile

have the ultimate mx hauler one for when I need one bike on the back. No trust issues with that one

then I have a double aluminum one when I need two bikes on the back. Always looks sketchy, hasn’t let be down yet. Wouldn’t be surprised if it did though lol 

Yes. My buddy had a brand new bike fly off one on the highway. Bike was toast. I would never consider putting my bike on one of these

It blows my mind why you'd have a pickup truck and use a hitch carrier instead of just putting the bike in the bed. They're so easy to load

Anything else around the circumstances of his this happened? Did he swerve or something? Or did the hitch trailer simply fail and the bike fell away?

The best part is the blocked tail lights....if you get rear ended, enjoy the litigation or put some basic Lights on it like a trailer.

Otherwise, they work, as mentioned elsewhere, i use the anti-rocking things too, helps a bunch. Until you get the technique down, they can be a PITA to figure out balance and strapping... my SH 500 ended up upside down once when I missed a strap. 

Ive done a few different setups, I have one of the bigger heavier hitch haulers and it works good but you have to get it tied down well and once you get it solid it doesn't move and is very stable. Nice when its raining I can keep stuff in my topper and keep it dry. 

We have since bought a really small 2 bike rail trailer that only weighs a couple hundred pounds and this is my favorite setup besides our little toy hauler when we are going for a long trip. 

I bought a cheap truck tailgate light strip that plugs into the 4 pin trailer connector and it has brake/turn signals on the hauler so blocked tail lights isn't an issue. 

Nice set up^^ ,at least you thought of the possibility. Thumbs down dolt can just bury his head in the sand