Yakima Bike Rack ??? - Honda Prelude Forum

redlude2k1 · 10-05-2003, 08:05 PM

hey guys/gals,

im looking to get a Yakima bike rack for my lude...

couple qusetions for those who have bike racks...

will my sunroof still open ?

how much am i looking at spending for the bike rack ?

any pics ?

thanks

natcc99 · 10-05-2003, 08:37 PM

i have a Yakima bike rack
i had the some one for the accord and civic.
i haven't mounted it to my prelude yet because I don't have prelude brackets.

the unit cost me about 400-500 dollars.

that included, the towers, bars, brackest, locks and two bike racks (aka "copperhead") etc.
i later bought some snowboard racks.
There are a lot of little pieces that make up the whole unit. Just go to the store, tell them what car you have and what you want to carry.
Or you can go to their website and custom build your own.

the unit is really good.
I am really happy with it.
if the adjustment are correct, it will be as solid as a rock.
however, expect your car to feel different because now it's like a big sail.
plus, you will lose gas mileage.

i'm sure you'll heave enough clearance for your sunroof.
the reason is because the back of the bike rack sits higher than the front.
thus, there is a slight tilt.
it should be enough to open the sunroof.

if there isn't enough clearance, just move the bike racks out futher towards the ends of the rods, then the sun roof will peak between the two bikes.

let me know if you have any more questions.

natcc99 · 10-05-2003, 08:42 PM

oh, i forgot to mention.

before you put the bike rack on your car, make sure you wax your roof really well.
especially along to the top of your door where the brackets mount to.

the bike rack comes with a rubber cushion, but through time it will leave a print.
it's much easier to wipe off the print after a good wax job

plus, if you leave the back rack on for too long, it will warp the weather stripping along your door.
it's not a big deal, but it's something you should know.

lastly, when you do have your bike on your roof, make sure you tie down the pedal.
because if you don't, there is a chance that the wind will catch it and spin it around.
not only does that wear down your bearings, but it also throws grease all over the roof of your car.

here is a picture of my bike rack on my old accord.
it should look the same on your prelude since the roof is about the same size.

more picture go here
http://www.sounddomain.com/member_pa...121440&page=12

hope that helps

redlude2k1 · 10-05-2003, 09:05 PM

Wow, thanks so much for the info

i was thinking, the rack would be like $200 tops...
$400-$500

make sure to post pics when you put the rack on the lude...

also is it easy to install or pay a professional ?

thanks again

natcc99 · 10-05-2003, 10:16 PM

yeah, i was surprised too when i found out the price too.
but this is high quality stuff...especially for it's role.
I look at it this way....there is a bike or two on your roof and you're driving 60-70mph, and the unit has to hold!

you can go for a cheaper route and buy one that attaches to your trunk, but you will probably scratch your paint.

here is the list of things you will need to order from yakima
(forgive me, but the names might be wrong compared to what the company calls it.)

4 towers - the clamps that holds the rods and entire rack to the car
2 rods - vertical rods where you attach your bike racks
4 brackets - custom clips that are specifically made for your car's model and year. these attach to the towers and then attach to your car.
1 or 2 bike racks - Yakima calls these Copperheads, but they may have a new name for whatever model they are selling now.
locks - you will definately want four to lock down the towers to the car. you don't want someone to take your $400 bike rack.
you can get two more to lock your bikes to the rack itself, but i also found that a protect chain lock will work just as well. Just wrap it around the frame and then the rods of the rack.

To give you an idea of the cost, the copperheads were about $70 each!

But, I suggest going to your favorite bike store and ask if they have any used parts.
Sometime, people do trade-ins and you save a few bucks that way.

natcc99 · 10-05-2003, 10:21 PM

oops... I didn't see your last question.

Yes, this is definately a DIY installation.
When you buy the custom brackets, it will come with instructions on how to install your bike rack.

the instructions will include specific measurements on how to assemble your bike rack.

natcc99 · 10-05-2003, 10:39 PM

I went on Yakima's website to give you a more detailed list of parts....including their correct names, instead of my made-up names.

http://www.yakima.com/home.html

(4) Q Towers --- these are the clamps that hold the rods and entire unit to the car.

(4) Q85 Clips --- these are the custom made brackets that hold the Q Towers to your car. "85" is the model number for the Prelude...according to the website.

(2) Crossbars --- these are the rods that stretch across your car vertically. They come in different lenghts, so just get one that is the width or your roof.

(1) Fairing --- (opional) this is a wind deflector. It helps gas mileage, but also helps keep your car quiet. If you don't have one, you'll hear a wissing sound near your sunroof. I made my own out of abs plastic and it works great. However, after making my own, I wish that I just bought one because it would be a whole lot easier. (I'll show you a picture of my custom made wind deflector if you want to see it.)

(4) or (6) SKS Lock Cores --- locks that you stick into the Q towers and the bike rack. Turn the key and it will lock the Q tower to your car. It's nice because it protects your rack from being stolen, but also make sure it stays in place on your car.

(1) or (2) CopperHead --- These are the actual unit that holds your bike in place. Yakima comes with many styles on how to mount your bike to your car. I found this the easiest and one of the cheapest. You have to remove your front tire and the fork of your bike attaches to the front of the CopperHead. If you get a lock, it will lock the folk of your bike to the copperhead.

The front tire will be store away inside your trunk.
Or if you don't want your trunk dirty, you can buy a "Wheel Folk" and you will be able to mount your front wheel on the rack as well. (but there is no lock)

Scriber · 10-06-2003, 10:53 AM

Get a hitch mounted rack...then u don't have to lift ur bike 4ft into the air. No worry about scratches or dirt, or driving into a low garage.

crashandburn · 10-06-2003, 11:58 AM

Pics of hitch mounted rack are here:

Who had the trailer hitch/bike rack. Pics.

natcc99 · 10-06-2003, 06:41 PM

the hitch idea works, but i don't like the idea of having a hitch on the back of my car.
although, there ARE hidden hitches out there that you can buy.

my 4Runner has a Yakima hitch bike rack (just like the one in the picture) http://home.attbi.com/~tstuff/wsb/me...2/site1014.JPG and I fould it much harder to mount the bike to the rack compared to the roof rack.

this especially true for my mountain bike, because it does not have the standard triangle frame.
I have to used an attachment that goes on the bike before I can mount it to the bike rack.

However, my friend's Del Sol has a hitch bike rack that solves that problem
this is because it has a long beam that the entire bike sits on.
it's bascially the combination of the hitch bike rack and my copperhead
I'll try to find a picture of it to give you an idea.

Strengths and Weaknesses.

-- roof rack --

-strengths-
"easy" to mount the bikes
does not block rear view
does not block the trunk's opening
keeps it high away from people who want to steal stuff off your bike
easy to disattach the rack from the car (just undo the clips and grab the both rods..then lift off the car, it takes only a few seconds!)

-weakness-
it's up high, you have to lift your bike in order to mount it.
the difficulty depends on how heavy your bike is.
it "may" damage your paint considering it is touching it.
your car is now twice as tall and you have to watch out for low garages and trees etc.
hard to assemble bike rack when you first get it

-- hitch rack --

-stengths-
easy to disattach the rack from the car - just remove the hitch bolt and the unit slides out
"easy" to mount the bikes since you do not have to lift as high.

-weakness-
blocks access to the trunk (you can lower the hitch rack, but now your bikes can hit the ground at an angle.)
blocks rear view
"harder" to mount the bike to the rack - depending on your frame size. Bascially you have to wiggle your bike into the holders and it's especially harder when you have more than one bike on the rack.
you have a hitch on the back of your car (or you can get a hidden hitch to solve the problem)

both systems have their disadvantage and advantages
i like the roof mounting system over the hitch.
if I can, i stay away from my 4Runner's Yakima hitch bike rack....I only use the 4Runner when I get a group of my friends because we can fit 6 bikes into the 4Runner....two inside and four on the hitch bike rack

natcc99 · 10-06-2003, 06:45 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Scriber
Get a hitch mounted rack...then u don't have to lift ur bike 4ft into the air. No worry about scratches or dirt, or driving into a low garage.

YES!!! very true

I have a question:
When you lower your bike rack at the hinge, do your bikes hit the ground?
I can do it to my 4Runner, but it's much higher than the Prelude.

redlude2k1 · 10-06-2003, 11:29 PM

thanks again Natcc99

im defintely gonna stop by my local bike store soon...
how exactly does a bike rack affect gas mileage

pics of your custom fairing would be great...

hitch racks are ugly IMO...

natcc99 · 10-07-2003, 12:06 AM

sure, no problem!
i'm glad to help out.

i bought my bike rack last summer and spent hours in the bike shop asking all sorts of questions.

hopefully reading some of this helps out.

I noticed a chance in gas mileage when I had the bike rack on my car.
It's not very aerodyanmic and causes a lot of drag.

When I put the wind deflector on, I noticed a little improvement in gas mileage.
However, the biggest change I found was the reduction in wind noise on the freeway.

I'll try to find some pictures of my ghetto custom wind deflector for you to see.

Alih22barron · 07-03-2011, 11:18 PM

I don't know if u bought ur bike rake yet but I have one and I'm not able to open the sun roof.

S-LudeDan · 07-04-2011, 04:45 PM

STICKY THIS!!! ton of info here!