Can you turn off the rear parking sensors with a bike rack?

[HyperionMark]

I hope there is an update for this.

also - how much trouble am I in at Superchargers with this rig? I have to drive from Colorado to Key Largo with our two bikes....

Let us know how it goes. Will be getting a bike rack soon and want to know how it might affect Supercharging.

 

[Hebert]

I have been able to use a similar bikerack at various "back in" superchargers. One person hops out and watches and provides feedback while I carefully backed up. I was ready to remove the bike or the whole rack, but nothing beyond careful parking was ever needed. I did choose the front in spots where available.

 

[HyperionMark]

Side question regarding bike racks on a Model X. If the bikes are super close to the tailgate, will it just not go up even if you hit the button accidentally?

 

[djillusion]

Side question regarding bike racks on a Model X. If the bikes are super close to the tailgate, will it just not go up even if you hit the button accidentally?

yes that is possible. you need to be careful and remind yourself alot when the bikes and/or rack is on of typical driving scenarios etc.

my rack can be "folded" up, but if the tailgate was to open accidently, it would totally get damaged/scratched in the process.

 

[HyperionMark]

yes that is possible. you need to be careful and remind yourself alot when the bikes and/or rack is on of typical driving scenarios etc.

my rack can be "folded" up, but if the tailgate was to open accidently, it would totally get damaged/scratched in the process.

There aren't sensors on the hatch door like there are on the other doors that keep them from hitting stuff?

 

[djillusion]

There aren't sensors on the hatch door like there are on the other doors that keep them from hitting stuff?

i dont believe so. if there is a bump or obstruction, im sure the tailgate would stop but that probably won't stop some potential scratches or dings pending whats hit.

 

[ecarfan]

I hope there is an update for this.

also - how much trouble am I in at Superchargers with this rig? I have to drive from Colorado to Key Largo with our two bikes....

I expect that for Supercharger stalls that are back in style and with some sort of “EV charging” sign on a post at the center of the back of the stall you are going to have to remove one or two bikes to charge.

BTW, I like your SpaceX logo placed just below the DUAL MOTOR badge!

 

[scottf200]

I expect that for Supercharger stalls that are back in style and with some sort of “EV charging” sign on a post at the center of the back of the stall you are going to have to remove one or two bikes to charge.

Seems like it would work on most I've visited. My rack that I showed above gets around this tho: Can you turn off the rear parking sensors with a bike rack?

 

[ecarfan]

Seems like it would work on most I've visited. My rack that I showed above gets around this tho: Can you turn off the rear parking sensors with a bike rack?

Yes, I had noted your post upthread and that is a pretty cool rack! Nice solution. I saved the link to that rack you bought in case I ever decide to get a bike rack for my X.

 

[HyperionMark]

Seems like it would work on most I've visited. My rack that I showed above gets around this tho: Can you turn off the rear parking sensors with a bike rack?

Love that rack! Great find!
Do you know what the weight limit of that rack is? My wife and I have ebikes and they are heavy AF.

 

[scottf200]

Love that rack! Great find!
Do you know what the weight limit of that rack is? My wife and I have ebikes and they are heavy AF.

I wanted a new bike rack (tray vs hanging) and found this one. A few months later we decided to get eBikes. I'm lucky I got this bike rack as it works with heavy bikes and fat tire (mine).

RockyMount backstage. $650 - Link: BackStage

• The industry’s first 180 degree swing away platform hitch rack
• Carries 2 bikes, up to 60 lbs per tray. Not compatible with Add-On
• No contact with frame, secures bicycle by front wheel
• Carries road tires up to 5.0” fat bike tires, and diameters from 20” to 29”
• Compatible with bicycles’ wheelbases from 34” and 49”
• Folds flat against the vehicle, and tilts down 30 degrees to allow for hatch access
• Only available for 2" hitches. Uses RockyMounts premium 3-axis anti wobble system
• Includes locking hitch pin and cable lock, keyed alike
• Not for use with fender equipped bicycles.
• Rack weight 59 lbs (shipping weight 75 lbs)

 

[HyperionMark]

I wanted a new bike rack (tray vs hanging) and found this one. A few months later we decided to get eBikes. I'm lucky I got this bike rack as it works with heavy bikes and fat tire (mine).

RockyMount backstage. $650 - Link: BackStage

• The industry’s first 180 degree swing away platform hitch rack
• Carries 2 bikes, up to 60 lbs per tray. Not compatible with Add-On
• No contact with frame, secures bicycle by front wheel
• Carries road tires up to 5.0” fat bike tires, and diameters from 20” to 29”
• Compatible with bicycles’ wheelbases from 34” and 49”
• Folds flat against the vehicle, and tilts down 30 degrees to allow for hatch access
• Only available for 2" hitches. Uses RockyMounts premium 3-axis anti wobble system
• Includes locking hitch pin and cable lock, keyed alike
• Not for use with fender equipped bicycles.
• Rack weight 59 lbs (shipping weight 75 lbs)

That's such a great rack! Very interested. Wonder if there is a way to get around the "no fenders" thing since we have them on both of our bikes. I believe they may be pretty easy to remove though. If we are toting our bikes somewhere we probably don't also need fenders.

 

[ecarfan]

Love that rack! Great find!
Do you know what the weight limit of that rack is? My wife and I have ebikes and they are heavy AF.

How much do your ebikes weigh? While they are probably less than the 60 lb limit of that rack, the real limit is the Bosal hitch which is 120 lbs total for the bikes AND the rack. That Rocky Mount rack is 59 lbs.

 

[scottf200]

How much do your ebikes weigh? While they are probably less than the 60 lb limit of that rack, the real limit is the Bosal hitch which is 120 lbs total for the bikes AND the rack. That Rocky Mount rack is 59 lbs.

I'm carrying our eBikes without the battery installed so they are 7.7 lbs lighter. Still I'm at 156.6 lbs and even though I'm technically over the 120 lbs I don't have any concerns at all. The heavier bike is on the tray closest to the X's hatch. Tongue weight after all is 500 lbs.

That's such a great rack! Very interested. Wonder if there is a way to get around the "no fenders" thing since we have them on both of our bikes. I believe they may be pretty easy to remove though. If we are toting our bikes somewhere we probably don't also need fenders.

The issue is like most tray platform bike racks like that is that they have an arm (purple box) that pulls down on the tire and it ratchets/locks down (yellow arrow in picture).
On my wife's bike I found a place above the fender that I can put the arm (blue arrow). On my bike I don't have a front fender (see area between red bungee cord).

 

[ecarfan]

I'm carrying our eBikes without the battery installed so they are 7.7 lbs lighter. Still I'm at 156.6 lbs and even though I'm technically over the 120 lbs I don't have any concerns at all. The heavier bike is on the tray closest to the X's hatch. Tongue weight after all is 500 lbs.

So you are exceeding the hitch manufacturers weight carrying specification by over 30%.

Tongue weight is very different than hitch carrying weight. In another thread, @ohmman explained it well:

Regarding the difference between tongue weight and hitch-carrying weight - they aren't the same thing. In the case of tongue weight, that represents near direct downward force on the trailer hitch at the point of connection. Trailers, after all, have an axle of their own. Hitch trays, on the other hand, are cantilevered out of the back. Torque increases by distance away from the hitch attachment point... If that doesn't make immediate sense to you logically, imagine picking up the tongue of a trailer that weighs 150 lbs. You can lift it, but you're doing it like a seesaw with the axle as the fulcrum. Now imagine holding the post of a flat tray, and putting 150 lbs on that tray. You can't hold it from underneath, only by gripping the post. Obviously the latter is significantly more strain.

Hitches have a tongue weight spec and a separate carrying weight spec for a reason; they aren’t the same thing; not even close.

I just don’t want to see you damage your hitch and/or your bikes when you hit a sharp bump or a pothole at speed.

 

[scottf200]

So you are exceeding the hitch manufacturers weight carrying specification by over 30%.
Tongue weight is very different than hitch carrying weight. In another thread, @ohmman explained it well:
Hitches have a tongue weight spec and a separate carrying weight spec for a reason; they aren’t the same thing; not even close.
I just don’t want to see you damage your hitch and/or your bikes when you hit a sharp bump or a pothole at speed.

I wonder how many times people are putting a four bike (non-ebikes) on their Model X hitch every week. 30 lbs * 4 is magically 120 lbs. Then add any 4 bike bike racks weight to that. Seriously that 120 lbs is exceed many times by many people in many different driving conditions. On all types of vehicles with a 120/500 setup.

I'm aware there is a difference in the HW vs TW and have researched this. Note that I also said I put my heaviest bike near the hitch point to emphasize I understood the effect. (ref: "Torque increases by distance away from the hitch attachment point")

Certainly that 120 lbs is not absolute and they errored way on the side of caution. The 500 lbs certainly is also on the side of caution/extra_safety.

I'm 100% comfortable about the 120 vs 156.6 considering the tongue weight of a direct 500 lbs.

 

[ysrysr]

I noticed that the trailer mode is automatically activated if i connect the bike carrier's lighting board (which carries lights and number plate) to the built-in 13 pin connector. Therefore i do not get the agonising reverse parking chimes

However if i didn't use the lighting board, let's say if i only had one bike instead of 4 bikes, the trailer mode had to manually enabled each time i drive, otherwise the bike's carrier is detected as an object when reversing.

 

[scottf200]

I noticed that the trailer mode is automatically activated if i connect the bike carrier's lighting board (which carries lights and number plate) to the built-in 13 pin connector. Therefore i do not get the agonising reverse parking chimes

However if i didn't use the lighting board, let's say if i only had one bike instead of 4 bikes, the trailer mode had to manually enabled each time i drive, otherwise the bike's carrier is detected as an object when reversing.

Trailer mode, however, disables AutoPilot and for many that is a very bad trade-off. I drove 300 miles yesterday and did a solo mountain biking ride (unwinding trip). Did 99% of that drive with AutoPilot. My only 'inconvenience' is some extra light radiating flares on my display in the back of my vehicle. No extra noises or anything.