Originally Posted By: maverickfhs
Originally Posted By: gathermewool
Will hills be a problem? How far would you tow it and how often?
I had to load up with 2 small women and a baby in a car seat during an emergency once and my Civic was a DOG going up even small hills. The brakes seemed fine.
So, the above is with 270-280# extra in the car. You're asking about 500# + trailer, right?
I'll be towing very rarely, say 2-3 times a year on interstates, that's it.
No hills or anything.
Rent a truck.
Originally Posted By: Johnny2Bad
Tow Capacity for the 06 Civic is apparently 1500 Kg [3306 lbs]*
That is the complete, all inclusive, load capacity ... passengers, fuel, cargo, trailer, and whatever is on the trailer.
If it's an Automatic Transmission, leave it in Drive. DO NOT haul that load in an overdrive gear. Ever.
"Good, Cheap tow packages" don't really exist. You want a proper trailer lighting harness installed on the towing vehicle.
Check with your local regulations (and every State/Province/Country you plan to travel through) as to how heavy a trailer must be before it requires trailer brakes. That's the trailer weight itself and whatever is on the trailer.
If you need them, you will need the proper interface installed on the vehicle. Finally there is proper installation of the hitch in the correct Class on the vehicle. Because the Civic is not a body-on-frame construction vehicle, installation might be more involved than otherwise, but it's certainly doable.
Finally, if you want answers, please provide complete relevant information. Vehicle make, model year, and in this case, engine and transmission (manual or automatic) all matter. Plus, there are a lot of motorcycles that are under 500 pounds, but there are a lot that are not. 800 pounds for the bike alone is certainly possible and remember, if you stuff things in saddle bags, they count as cargo weight. So, what motorcycle?
* Honda Civic 1.8 i-VTEC VXi Automatic
2006 + auto = R18 only (1.8L engine, 5-speed AT.) Drive is 5th gear, 3rd is 3rd gear. There are no OD/non-OD options with this transmission.