sweet man congrats on getting the color you want! rack looks sick!

 

Since they don't recommend installing a towbar on the fit, I figured I'd be safer with a roof rack. As I thought, it's quite annoying to get a 40# bike up there but with a step or a small ladder its possible. I also like the fact that I now have the foot pack and bars so I can just switch the bike carriers if I need to carry something else.

Thule 594xt sidearms with a 400xt aero foot pack:





I got the entire setup for 650$ (it was used, but like new), which is about 1000$+ new.

Pretty happy with the results so far. I can't wait to see how it's going to hold up when I hit the road for a few hours with 2 bikes on though.

 

i would def. invest in a front fairing. Mpg and noise reasons. It was a really good investment. I think its around $75

 

I was thinking about it. I wasn't sure because I've been told it doesn't affect MPG and it was strictly for noise reduction, which I find bearable.

Did you do any "before/after" testing about the mpg?

 

no i didn't get that technical with it. I just assumed that with all that drag happening that there had to be some sort of decrease. Plus i think that it looks a little cleaner with the fairing.

 

I saw a red Fit with this type rack installed (it was a Thule)- I spoke to the owner & he said REI installed the trailer hitch & all. Yours looks great. I think I would feel safer traveling mountain passes with bikes in the rear.

 

i used to have that style, but there wasnt a bottom part, it just hung from the top part. I never installed it bc you had to get the hitch installed. Plus when you didnt have a bike back there, it either looked ridiculous with this big piece if metal hanging off the back or you kept on having to take it off and put it back on. i like the roof system bc it can stay up there 24/7, not look ridiculous and it relatively easy to get them up and down.

 

That rack is a lot cheaper than the top end hitch racks with trays like that. it's also lighter. And that's a cross country bike, they usually weight like 25pounds or so if I remember correctly. so 2x 25# bikes and a 30#(?) rack, you're around 80# and honda states that if you tow anything it has to weight 100# max. But then again I've seen some fit towing trailers full of heavy stuff. I know it can be done but I still have a warranty on mine and I'd rather not void it. Best way to be sure would probably be to talk to a dealer. That's what I was going to do but I got a very good deal on a roof rack so I went with that.

The better version looks like this:


They cost more and they also weight more but they have life time warranties. Some people who used the smaller versions told me they fall appart after 2-3 years so they are a temporary investment at best. If you carry a 200$ walmart bike you might not care but some people spend 10k$+ for a bike. Anyway, If I had a 10k$ bike I'd probably get a big enough truck to store them inside or a car that can tow more and buy a locked trailer.

 

so think im gonna go with the yakima my dist. stocks more of the yakima stuff than the thule plus, yak was cheap got everything plus one fork mount for $358.

 

I'll be getting 2010 soon. I going to go with the Softride Versa. It's not as light as the Kuot (42 lbs vs 28 lbs) but it's also 100 bucks cheaper.

 

thats a good deal, i would have went with the yakima too if i had that deal.

 

After using a full tank of gas, it seems like the roof racks with empty bike racks on do not affect milage even without a fairing in front of the bars. I thought it would drag a lot more. The whistling on the thule bike racks is also very bearable without the fairing.

Can't wait to see how it's going to be with the bikes on.

 

I decided that a hitch+rack was cheaper than feet+towers+bars+bike mounts+fairing, so I have a hitch on the way. It's only going to get used once/twice a month when I need my wife to pick me up, so I'm not too worried about the weight.

 

i wanted to share more pics, so here you go =)
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Enjoy
roof rack ftw!

 

yo is that the thule basket? also what kind of bike you have, riding a mt bike now but looking for a cheap road bike.(not that yours looks cheap or anything)

 

Yeah its Thule OEM Safari Basket, J/k lol i made it. my road bike is hand made from Fetish Cycles. check ebay they have some good road bikes.

 

What did u do with your fog lights i want mine like that but so far i only have yellow 3000K HID but i want the fog themselves yellow?

 

i just painted the glass with yellow stained
glass paint. i dont have HID's

 

I talked to someone who was shopping for a small car that was hitch friendly. She said the dealers at honda told her that they didn't recommend using a hitch for anything at all due to the geometry of the fit. If you put something heavy in the back, it offsets the weight distribution from the wheels, lifting off the front, which kills some of the traction. If about anything happens when you're using a hitch, you pretty much void your warranty right there they said.

Now you'll tell me that about 150# in the back probably doesn't change that much in the practical world and you're probably right but yeah, I'm happy with my roof rack.

 

Hard to tell, but that's a Thule Helium Rack on a Curt Trailer Hitch. Hitch was installed by Hitch King in Queens, NY. Rack held steady on 120 mile Drive to Montauk.