# Carthago Scooter garages, are they really all that?



## PhilK (Jul 1, 2005)

We have just swapped from a scooter carrier to a side loading Armitage trailer on the back of a 7.4m Pilote. Having been round France, we have decided that our next m/home should either have a short overhang for the carrier or be short so that a trailer is ok on aires. Another option is the Carthago with a scooter garage. 
Assuming that a Honda PCX is the "scooter" designate, then will it fit in? is the weight ok? being an ALKO chassis, will I need air suspension? Is the load margin ok at 3500kg ? 
I anyone running one and can answer the above, it would be useful. 

Phil


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## adagio56 (Nov 27, 2013)

*CARTHAGO SCOOTER GARAGE*

Hello, 
First, please excuse my rusty english. I am french. I just read your question and I am in a position to give you a documented answer as I am owing both a Carthago + garage and a Honda scooter.
Yes you can store a scooter in the garage provided it is 120 cm high.
My Honda is the new 110 cm3 model called "Vision 110". Height (without mirrors) is 110 cm, weight 100k. 
No problem to load and unload ALONE  
The scooter is fixed on a wonderful Fiamma Carry bike model equipped with a sliding ramp (proper word ?) and screwed on the floor.
No weight problem on overhang as mine is limited to 2 meters. Once the scooter loaded, the overhang gets down only 7 mm. NO air suspension needed. In actual facts, you will just note NO difference in driving.
Hope this answers your question. If not, you are more than welcome to come back to me.
Best regards, Marc.


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## TheNomad (Aug 12, 2013)

We have a 6.5 metre Benimar 6000 overcab coachbuilt (year 2001), which actually has a built-in scooter rack.
Absolutely brilliant idea!
If you don't want to use it, it just pushes back in, and the lights/number plate part is then the rear bumper.

To use it, you just pull it rearwards on it's two sliders/supports, and then tighten down the actual scooter wheel channel. The bumper is then the lights/numberplate board. Takes the length out to about 7.5 metres.
The MH was also fitted with air-assist rear suspension from new.
The rack will apparently take a scooter of up to 120kgs.
Our Honda Innova 125cc (brilliant piece of kit) is 103kgs dry, so maybe 110 kgs all up.

I am very very pleased with this feature. 
It works wonderfully, and is high enough so that there are no grounding out problems.

I've personally not seen any other motorhomes with such an integral scooter rack set-up, but there may be some other, newer models about from other converters that have such a feature that you could consider?


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## bigtree (Feb 3, 2007)

The height is always going to be the problem,having witnessed 2 Carthago owners loading a scooter,they had to remove the mirrors to get them in.That was on the larger models (5t) if you are buying new Frankia will build the van with a higher garage door like mine.


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## selstrom (May 23, 2005)

Our Honda SH300 fits in the garage of our Charisma without removing mirrors or top box.


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## bigtree (Feb 3, 2007)

Eh hello,your Charisma isn't a Carthago!
And neither is my Frankia but I can get my KTM Superduke in mine along with 2 MTB'S,chairs, table and a whole load of other stuff.
I think if you are talking about a 3500kg vehicle,putting a scooter in the garage with severely reduce your payload.Air suspension on the back helps.


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## ned (Dec 12, 2006)

*Carthago and scoote*

Hi,
We have a carthago I 148 with a garage and over single beds at 7.3metres. If you do the sums you will just about get your Honda in after removing the mirrors which Is a five minute job. If you are plated at 3500kg then you are owing to greatly reduce your payload. I think it will leave you about 150kg to spare. We had an uprated chassis to 4250 kgs so we have plenty to spare and with the 2.3litre 150b.hp. Engine the van drives very well with the scoot inside.

Cheers....... Ned


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## HarryTheHymer (May 1, 2005)

We have a Carthago I 4.2, 6.8m long with a garage opening height of 110cm. We currently have a Viti Yamaha scooter (105cm high without mirrors) but would like to upgrade to a Honda. The scooter is housed about a 1 metre behind the back axle and doesn't seem to affect handling at all. The chassis is rated at 4250kg and in the fully loaded condition has 100kg spare on the back axle.
The garage also accommodates a spare wheel, mountain bike, chairs and tables, 3 boxes and general camping equipment (see photo attached).
You may be able to accommodate a scooter on a 3500kg chassis but would suggest the pay load for other things would be drastically reduced.
Hope this helps.


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## teemyob (Nov 22, 2005)

*Re: CARTHAGO SCOOTER GARAGE*



adagio56 said:
 

> Hello,
> First, please excuse my rusty english. I am french. I just read your question and I am in a position to give you a documented answer as I am owing both a Carthago + garage and a Honda scooter.
> Yes you can store a scooter in the garage provided it is 120 cm high.
> My Honda is the new 110 cm3 model called "Vision 110". Height (without mirrors) is 110 cm, weight 100k.
> ...


(Proper word?)

You are correct with "sliding ramp"

Trev


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## Soldat (Mar 25, 2013)

selstrom said:


> Our Honda SH300 fits in the garage of our Charisma without removing mirrors or top box.


Hi,
Sorry for squeezing in with my question to selstrom:

We are about to collect our concorde and are having this issue of how to get our SH300 in and out of the garage easily. Which fixing/sliding ramp have you got in our set up , if you don't mind me asking? As you know, The SH300 is pretty heavy on itself, would I be able to board the bike on my own alone? I believe the charisma and the cruiser have got very similar garages, and we've both got the same bikes, so it should also work in my case...

Cheers


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## selstrom (May 23, 2005)

I built my own rack from timber and 9mm ply, then fixed it to the floor using some brackets cut from 20 mm aluminium screwed to the 4X2 and pop riveted to the garage floor. The ramp is also made from timber with a piece of 5 mm steel plate used to connect to the rack.

I can easily load the scooter on my own using its power. Once in position the scooter is held upright by the rack allowing me to fit the tie downs.

Total cost less than £50 as I had most of the timber.


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## JohnWebb (May 1, 2005)

I have a Carthago Chic i47 rated at 4100Kg and have a Peugeot Vivacity 100 in the garage. This only weighs 98kg according to the MoT test whereas Hondas are up to 30Kg more? On a previous van I had the same scooter on a slide out rack. The scooter was strapped to the rack and the whole lot came out and one end was lowered to the ground. It was bad for my back and difficult to push back in such that I had to fit a block and tackle. On the Carthago I have a U section on the garage floor and another U section which is the full lenght of the garage which forms a ramp. Loading is then:
take the mirrors off to clear the roof
push it backwards up the ramp with straps ready on the handlebars.
hook the straps on the hooks on the tracks each side of the garage.
push the sccoter back to tension them, they are preset.
go to the other door and put other straps onto the carrier
put the removable top box on and put the keys in the safe. the top box prevents it from being removed so is a bit of security.
5 mins to get out, 8 mins to get in.


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## HarryTheHymer (May 1, 2005)

I like the Selstrom idea of the timber rack (approximately same width of tyre) so it is held upright whilst you attach securing straps.

I use a remote controlled winch to draw the scooter backwards into the garage - similar to this Italian guy on youtube, see link 




The Italian guy in the video folds his mirrors down in a very convenient way - anybody know if you can buy anything like that in UK?

Cost of winch system about £250 - but saves the back trying to push it up the ramp. The Carthago only has a big door at one end so reversing the scooter in means you can strap the handlebars down from the big door end.


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## Soldat (Mar 25, 2013)

selstrom said:


> I built my own rack from timber and 9mm ply, then fixed it to the floor using some brackets cut from 20 mm aluminium screwed to the 4X2 and pop riveted to the garage floor. The ramp is also made from timber with a piece of 5 mm steel plate used to connect to the rack.
> 
> I can easily load the scooter on my own using its power. Once in position the scooter is held upright by the rack allowing me to fit the tie downs.
> 
> Total cost less than £50 as I had most of the timber.


Nice job, selstrom, well done!

I would love to have something like this. IMHO the simpler the structure the better!

From your post it seems to be straightforward, but to me with no prior knowledge in building and engineering this task seems to be hard to accomplish  Especially the way it is fixed to the alluminium floor with brackets... given that you need to keep it low enough for the bike to come through..

I'd be very much grateful if you could share more anything you can to help me with understanding, like instructions or links...

Cheers


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## JohnWebb (May 1, 2005)

It might be simpler to pop down Metal Supermarket and see if they have any ally channel to suit. I got mine by chance from a friend who was giving his scooter up but it is simply channel about 50% more than the tyre size wide and a reasonable wall side to stop the wheels coming off the side. Two lengths, one screwed to the floor and the other with a 9" or so kink to go over the door lip. Even at my age I can push the scooter back up.


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## PhilK (Jul 1, 2005)

*Cathargo garage*

Thanks for the input everyone. I think that as i will not get my licence changed, 3500 kg is my limit so the latest really light Hymer with 750 kg load capacity is ideal with the scooter on the back. The overhang is not that long so no axle issues. I. Am also going ro consider a smaller, lighter scooter.

Philk


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