Hauling Kayaks/Bikes

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Clamps

Clamps

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Anyone here haul anything on top of their Kona? Which rack system would you recommend? Do you remove the rack when you are not hauling? How much of a range impact would you say you get from two kayaks?
 
Consumer reports studied it.
For an SUV the hit is 19% with a loaded roof rack. 5% unloaded.
For a hitch rack (I'm thinking rear mounted rack is similar) it's 12% loaded and 2% empty.
 
I can tell you there is a huge hit on range if you put anything on your roof. My son has an M3 and he hauls a bike and sometimes a Thule box up there. And he has to really watch his range when he does that. It is much better and less drag to mount a hitch for bikes and luggage rack (not kayaks, though). Unfortunately though, he can't install a hitch on his M3. And the roof racks were expensive, too, and need to be sourced from Tesla (because of their glass roof).

I mounted this hitch on my Kona, and works very well for bikes. I have another SUV that I use if I want to haul large stuff on top.
https://www.insideevsforum.com/community/index.php?threads/installing-a-trailer-hitch.5084/page-3
I found very little hit on range (or any that I noticed) with bikes on the back.
 
Yep, really want to carry my kayak and sometimes kayaks. Not too far though there are some longer range destinations. I suppose any EV would have the same problem. Just want to know how much of the rack I need to remove between paddles. I used to have a Yakima system on my Mazda 3, it was real clean install. All I had were these four little landing pads that the bars locked into when I wasn't using the rack.

Does a typical mountain/road bike fit in the back with the rear seats folded down? I would imagine you would want to remove the front wheel. Could you fit two??
 
Clamps said:
Yep, really want to carry my kayak and sometimes kayaks. Not too far though there are some longer range destinations. I suppose any EV would have the same problem. Just want to know how much of the rack I need to remove between paddles. I used to have a Yakima system on my Mazda 3, it was real clean install. All I had were these four little landing pads that the bars locked into when I wasn't using the rack.

Does a typical mountain/road bike fit in the back with the rear seats folded down? I would imagine you would want to remove the front wheel. Could you fit two??
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Well, depends on far you want to go. Losing range for a short distance is no big deal, but on a long trip could have an effect.

No, mtn bike will not fit inside, maybe if you remove front wheel. I didn't even try that. For sure not two of them. That's why I got the rear hitch, and so much quicker and faster to mount your bikes.
 
Clamps said:
Yep, really want to carry my kayak and sometimes kayaks. Not too far though there are some longer range destinations. I suppose any EV would have the same problem. Just want to know how much of the rack I need to remove between paddles. I used to have a Yakima system on my Mazda 3, it was real clean install. All I had were these four little landing pads that the bars locked into when I wasn't using the rack.

Does a typical mountain/road bike fit in the back with the rear seats folded down? I would imagine you would want to remove the front wheel. Could you fit two??
Click to expand...

I have put my mountain bike and my road bike in the back with the seats folded down with no problem. Only the road bike required the front wheel removed. with the front wheels off the mountain bike you might be able to get two in. I am 5'7" so the front seats tend to be forward.
 
Fastnf said:
I have put my mountain bike and my road bike in the back with the seats folded down with no problem. Only the road bike required the front wheel removed. with the front wheels off the mountain bike you might be able to get two in. I am 5'7" so the front seats tend to be forward.
Click to expand...
Yeah, maybe a smaller one might fit. I have a 29er FS mtn bike and I know it does not fit, at least without removing the front wheel (which I did not try). I do have two folders that will fit in. But even those were a pain having to lift them in and get the jigsaw puzzle just right.
 
You could try something like this, though it only holds one kayak. Reviews look positive. Fully removable when not in use. I’ve used a similar system for hauling canoes and it works fine.
Adjustments.webp



Sent from my iPhone using Inside EVs
 
Clamps said:
Anyone here haul anything on top of their Kona? Which rack system would you recommend? Do you remove the rack when you are not hauling? How much of a range impact would you say you get from two kayaks?
Click to expand...

I regularly carry a pair of kayaks on the roof with a yakima rack and Jaylow carriers. Its smart to take off the rack when you don't need it, but not always practical.

If I have the rack on (no kayaks) on the interstate (70mph) I will lose ~25% range. Seems to go from 4+kwh to ~3kwh

love the ev though.
 
Kevin Roughton said:
I regularly carry a pair of kayaks on the roof with a yakima rack and Jaylow carriers. Its smart to take off the rack when you don't need it, but not always practical.

If I have the rack on (no kayaks) on the interstate (70mph) I will lose ~25% range. Seems to go from 4+kwh to ~3kwh

love the ev though.
Click to expand...
Amazing the difference in resistance those make.
 
I want to dust off this old thread by first saying thanks to everyone that gave me suggestions, this Kona group is very active and very helpful. I was at the dealer for a test drive of the Kona EV and it was parked next to an ICE model. I noticed the gas version had roof rails. I asked the salesman if I could add those and he told me they were installed at the factory and cannot be added though he seemed to troubled to actually find out. Any thoughts on the roof rails?
 
This reminds me, when I owned my Mazda 3, the US version had black plastic tracking on either side of the roof as did the Canadian version. However the Canadian version had four plastic tabs that were sliding covers that hid metal bolts welded to the roof underneath the plastic. These were used as mounting points for roof rack systems. These metal bolts were on the US version of the car but because the plastic runners were solid you could not access them unless you were handy with a dremel too. As I needed to haul kayaks even back then I had to order the black plastic runners from Canada and replace the stock ones on my US car. Just can't fathom why they make these kinds of decisions.
 
Clamps said:
I want to dust off this old thread by first saying thanks to everyone that gave me suggestions, this Kona group is very active and very helpful. I was at the dealer for a test drive of the Kona EV and it was parked next to an ICE model. I noticed the gas version had roof rails. I asked the salesman if I could add those and he told me they were installed at the factory and cannot be added though he seemed to troubled to actually find out. Any thoughts on the roof rails?
Click to expand...
There was someone here who installed it themselves. I think it involved taking down the headliner and drilling holes in the car roof at the appropriate spots. He ordered the rails from Hyundai - that apparently wasn't hard. There should be a thread with pictures.
 
ericy said:
There was someone here who installed it themselves. I think it involved taking down the headliner and drilling holes in the car roof at the appropriate spots. He ordered the rails from Hyundai - that apparently wasn't hard. There should be a thread with pictures.
Click to expand...

Sounds like a project beyond my scope. I will look for the thread and check out the details. I guess the salesman was right, it's best installed at the factory.
 
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