997, esq

I looked into all of the options for toting around my mbike, and ultimately decided that I didn't want to use the Porsche. The roof racks are apparently a pain to take on and off. The trailer hitch requires some work to install and may impact rear license visibility. Either way, there is a risk of scratching the car. I bought an old low miles 4x4 Xterra for biking, surfing, heading to the mountains for skiing, and carting around my Great Pyrenees (OP, I believe, has the same dogs!). An offroader is also good when you have to drive off road for a while to get to an interesting trail.

Ahmet

A cheap vehicle is good for a multitude of reasons, but I enjoy driving. At one point I owned a Corvette, a WRX, and an M3 in addition to the 911. I ended up not driving any of them, now the 911 is my only car. I've gone to the trail head with my bike on top, I track it often, I take it to the beach, and I love every mile of it. Why else would you put up with a 911 if you don't enjoy it!

The roof transport system works great, it's actually rated to carry a higher load than a Nissan Xterra's factory roof rack capacity FYI.

mikey175

Ahmet,

Your argument is persuasive. Maybe I should reconsider the roof rack. My experience with the Tequipment rack for the 996 was not great. On my Targa at least, the wind noise was awful. And the only faring that seemed to fit was a junky one from Thule. All this to carry a bike once a week maybe? Why can't this car be normal?

patela

There are also some hitch and license plate frame mount systems that might work. Check out what Adrienne on the 993 board has.

Ahmet

I don't think the wind noise is excessive at all, though it IS there. Here's a few pictures from today as I had taken it off due to the forecast of rain for a week, but decided to go for a ride when it was clear anyway. Mine's a custom set up (I actually wanted the old school Thule racks), but the red GT3 in the pictures is running a full factory set up, and is the current/only style available for 996 and 997s.

Last picture is from a different batch btw.

mambodoc

Great photos Ahmet...thanks!. Is the set up any different for road bikes?

rijowysock

i personally love the oem rack.. too bad i gave up riding and just hit the gym instead now.

Ahmet

No problem, hope these are helpful.

I use mine for both road and mountain bikes, since the current style racks only lock at the frame it shouldn't be an issue, though if your rims are short (from tires to where the spokes start), the straps may not tighten down your wheels very much, but obviously the frame mount will work fine. EDIT: I don't think my friend uses his for road bikes that often, but looking at the picture, I would think that it would work great for road bikes also. The base of the bike racks seem flatter so road bike tires won't sink as far into them.

I've taken mine on and off the roof many times, it's not a problem and doesn't take long either. I'm contemplating carrying a second set of wheels w/it regularly. If I pick up a GT3, I'll probably make something that attaches to the factory transport system for that purpose. Anyway, I am leaving it on more and more often recently. It gets a lot of looks though -even more so w/the GT3.

ricster

A bike rack on a 911 just looks wrong. Ge yourself another vehicle for this task..seriously

mikey175

Thanks, Ahmet. I give you and your bud tons of credit for combining your two passions. I'm still not there on the roof rack. Ricster, I agree with you and will probably end up there. One more year and the kid is out of the house; then the third car belongs to me! I am seriously considering a pickup so I can explore my inner redneck.

ricster

One more year and the kid is out of the house;

You hope lol. He/she may stay there with the economy so bad

zanwar

My targa can't take a bike rack so I bought an Airnimal Joey:

http://www.calhouncycle.com/productc...97&pageStyle=H

Takes about two minutes to fold and bag up. Fits in the rear luggage area. Fast and twitchy bike.

MyEmily

Yikes!!! Why can't this car be normal?? Double Yikes!!! If you want a normal car, you wouldn't buy a 911. Go with the roof rack system. It can also carry a kayak. My lawyer do it all the time. I use it to carry my mother-in-law, just kidding.

mikey175

The 997 Targa won't take a bike rack? I previously had a 996 Targa with the roof mount. Though noisy and ugly (in my opinion), it was very cool to be able to put the roof back and see my bike up there.

DMoore

The 997 Targa revised the roof structure from the 996. My g/f has a 996 targa with a bike rack which she uses routinely to haul her Colnago. She's presently shopping for a 997.2. She'd prefer a Targa, but we verified that the 997 roof will no longer accept any kind of roof rack. She may end up with a coupe instead of the Targa, specifically so she can still carry her bike.

She was also considering the new GT3, but that's the only 997.2 coupe that does not have the roof rack pointing points in the roof. So (to my bitter disappointment!) she ruled out the GT3.

DMoore
'09 C2S PDK