I love my Thor | Damon Outlaw!

[Vicap]

I camp host in various states so the Outlaw has lots of exposure to folks who are interested in different rigs.

I saw one (2011 gas) parked at my summer digs - 55 miles east of Fairbanks, AK. I spoke with the owner who had purchased it in Ohio and averaged 6 mph driving it to AK. He had purchased it to haul his 4 wheeler used to traverse the backwoods areas of northern Alaska. A month after I spoke with him I saw it parked in south Fairbanks with a For Sale sign on the windshield. I've often wondered why.

[DGShaffer]

Could be financial. It's a tough economy out there!

[BpK9Miami]

Wow, lots of posts since I last checked in! Don, I'm so glad you started this thread.

I've come "home" to Florida for awhile and am happy to report that this trips MPG was finally in the range of high 8 to low 9's. Have no idea what I did different, but I'll take it.

As with all the rest of you, it seems like anytime I stop, or set up somewhere new, I have a few people who want to stop by for a Q & A session. I don't mind unless I'm sitting in my PJ's trying to enjoy my morning coffee.

I'd love to see a picture of the Smart car in the back of the 2010, I have a new neighbor who has one, and he's been on the edge of getting an Outlaw for that very reason (he hates to tow apparently).

Thanks again Don. . .I think you're going to miss that Key West time this year as the weather, so far, has been great down here!

Dan

[DGShaffer]

Yup Mack, we love our Outlaws! Glad to hear about the uptick in the mileage, I'm still getting just barely in the 7's and that's if I'm driving at a moderate pace. The attention can be a good thing and a bad thing. I guess we know what celebrities go through with the paparazzi

We're booked at the Dauphin Island campground on the Alabama Gulf so we're hoping it'll be warm. Key west was OK but the sites are all so tight due to the cost of real estate there. Maybe next year we'll stay in Florida itself somewhere if this trip turns out to be too cold.

Here are the photos that Vicap posted. She had them in PDF format so I took the liberty (I hope she doesn't mind) of pulling them out.

[BpK9Miami]

That's sweet, thanks for the photos. I'll share them today.

Seeing those photos reminds me that The biggest disadvantage to my having the Murphy bed in the back is losing almost 34" of usable space along the drivers side. With my HD in the back, along with the Segway, and some other knick knacks, I'm always a little tight back there. Although there are times I miss that extra space, I still like that full size bed when I'm settled in somewhere for more than a few nights (or weeks) at a time.

Oh, and I'm glad you liked the blog site. I'll try to keep it entertaining and "G" rated when possible!

[DGShaffer]

Originally Posted by BpK9Miami

Oh, and I'm glad you liked the blog site. I'll try to keep it entertaining and "G" rated when possible!

You have a real knack when it comes to putting your thoughts to paper.

I'm concerned with the weight of my Outlaw with the bike, firewood, and crap I'm dragging along with me these days so I called a Pilot station I pass on my way out of town to see if they will weigh my rig. They can do it but not to a 4 corner accuracy but at least I'll know how I stand front to rear.

I made a couple of fold up wall mounted tables and installed them yesterday. I put one under the TV and one in the garage and positioned it so that when the electric bed is lowered it serves as a night table. They came out pretty nice.

http://www.irv2.com/forums/f120/wall...es-110166.html

[DGShaffer]

Here's a notice for all Outlaw owners!
Weigh your rig loaded and compare it to the GCWR posted which is 22,000 pounds. I have only my bike, fire wood, water and camping gear and I'm over weight by 320 pounds. I've carried 3 bikes at one time and must have been severely over weight!

Be warned that you need to lighten up when carrying toys!

[Vicap]

Your comment of being overweight prompted me to weigh the Beast with the Smart car in the garage. I've been meaning to weigh the Beast since I bought him 21 months ago so thanks for the kick in the pants. My GCWR is 30k lbs (diesel vs. gas is the difference with your smaller GCWR I guess). I stopped at Friendly Gus's Truck Stop on I16 in GA and was the first RV the attendent had ever weighed. The full ensemble totaled 25,780 lbs which is way below the max. Front allowance is 10k, I weigh 8,320. Rear allowance is 17,500, I weighed in at 17,460. Fuel tank almost full, fresh water about 50 gal, empty black and gray water tanks. Interesting notes: the rear axle was 2/3rd of the total weight; the Smart Car is only about 15% of the rear weight and about 10% of the total weight. My garage has a sign on the door that states no more than 2500 lbs can be carried back there so the Smart car is within that limit too.

I am anxious to get a few tanks of fuel under my belt so I can see what the car will do to my average mpg.

[BpK9Miami]

Don, are you sure the weight label isn't incorrect? Wait, what I meant to say was . . . are you sure they didn't put the wrong label in the bus? There sure is a big difference between gas and diesel, but since vicap and I are both at around 30k your's at 22k seems to be understated.

I'm just saying. . .

[BpK9Miami]

Originally Posted by Vicap

weigh the Beast with the Smart car in the garage.

BTW - Vicap - I shared your post with the pictures of the smart car in the box with my neighbors (who are looking for an upgrade and already have a smart car). They've been looking all over for an Outlaw ever since!

Another convert to the expanding world of Outlaw owners.

[Vicap]

From what I've seen on the Thor Outlaw web page they are only making gas models now so your friend should be looking at a used diesel or else she/he will be looking at the same weight limits as DGShaffer.

PS - as soon as I saw "gas only" for 2012 I saw the resale price of the Beast go wayyyy upppp!

[DGShaffer]

My GCWR is stated to be 26k which is only 4k lower than your 30k unit. From what someone posted in reply to my question about the weight ratings, it seems that the GVWR is what we should be considering when loading the Outlaw since the GCWR is a combined rating of the Outlaw and "towed" vehicle. The weight rating placard also rates the front and rear axle load ratings. I was light on the front and overloaded on the rear according to the placard as compared to the readout I was given at the scale.

Now that I'm back home, I plan on cleaning out all the basement compartments and redistributing the load so the heavy stuff is up front. I had it weighed with a full tank of water which is close to 900lbs and two large storage bays packed with firewood.

I met another Outlaw owner tonight at a Flying J, we chatted for a bit and this topic came up. He said that he's owned many Trailers and Class A motor homes and most tell you that you can't travel with full tanks as they come from the factory almost at the maximum GVWR.

I plan a conversation with Thor soon regarding this and see what they say. I only had one bike in the back on this trip with a weight of nearly 650 lbs. In a few months I'll have three bikes back there for a trip to the Smokey Mountains!

[DGShaffer]

Originally Posted by DGShaffer

Here's a notice for all Outlaw owners!
Weigh your rig loaded and compare it to the GCWR posted which is 22,000 pounds.

This should read GVWR.
The GCWR is 26k

[Vicap]

I'm looking forward to reading what Thor has to say about all this. Please pass on any helpful info. Hopefully you'll hear what you want to hear.