Carrying Bikes with our Suzuki Jimny

If you're a fan of the great outdoors, there's a likelihood that you might also enjoy cycling! While the Jimny is certainly not the most practical car for transporting bikes, it can definitely be done, and there are a few options at your disposal.

We're lucky enough to live in a part of the world that allows us to cycle from our front door to mountain bike trails and incredible roads, but what about when we want to travel further afield?

We'll keep this blog post updated with any further findings but, for now, we hope you find the information useful!

Roof-mounted setup

Our first setup involved mounting bikes on the Jimny's roof. This involved a Front Runner roof rack with bike carrier mounts and it was certainly impressive to look at!

Equipment used:
Front Runner Slimline II Roof Rack for Suzuki Jimny (2018+) (you can also use Front Runner Load Bar Kit for Suzuki Jimny (2018+))
Front Runner Fork Mount Bike Carrier (Power Edition) for Slimline II Roof Rack
Front Runner Thru Axle Adapter For Fork-Mount Bike Carrier

Please note: the reason for adding the Thru Axle Adapter is because it allows you to alternate between carrying traditional bikes (with quick-release front wheels) and modern mountain bikes (with thru axle front wheels). If you only wish to carry bikes with quick-release front wheels, you can solely use the Fork Mount Bike Carrier.

If you plan on only carrying bikes with thru axle front wheels, you can use the Front Runner Pro Thru Axle Bike Carrier - Power Edition.

• Tailgate opening and closing is not restricted
• No need to clean bike before loading it
• Doesn't restrict rear visibility
• No need to install a tow bar
• If using with a Front Runner Slimline II Roof Rack, you can utilise the remaining space on the rack for storing or mounting other items (awning, light bar etc.)

Cons:

• You need to be quite tall and/or strong in order to lift a bike atop the Jimny
• Bike front wheel(s) need storing elsewhere (likely inside the car) - bike wheel bags are available
• Multiple heavy bikes (i.e. e-bikes) will adversely affect Jimny's handling
• You need to be conscious of height restrictions/low hanging tree branches!
• If using with Front Runner Load Bars, the bars will need to positioned to suit the wheelbase of the bike(s) - this can be an issue if you have two bikes of different sizes (i.e. 1x adult bike + 1x kids bike)

Tow bar-mounted setup

Our latest setup involves an OEM Suzuki tow bar and a Thule OutPace bike carrier, which brings with it its own perks and nuances! 

The biggest benefit is ease-of-use: simply roll the bike on and tighten the three lockable straps. The Thule OutPace also quickly folds away, so it can remain mounted on the car while causing less of an obstruction to other road user or pedestrians (and allowing you to fit in smaller parking spaces!). It also quickly detaches from the tow bar and is small enough to be stored inside the Jimny, should you need to do so.

It's worth noting that we have conducted all of our testing with the OEM Suzuki tow bar. Other tow bars might not extend as far outwards, causing clearance issues between the spare wheel and the bike at the rear of the carrier. The above image shows the extension length of the OEM Suzuki tow bar.

Clearance also depends on the specification of your spare wheel - wider wheels with lower offsets will reduce the amount of available space for a bike in the carrying position nearest to the tailgate. Our testing has been conducted with a HIGH PEAK J-02 15x6.0J-5 wheel with a 215/75R15 BF Goodrich KO2 tyre.

With the OEM Suzuki tow bar on our Jimny, the bike arm closest to the tailgate needed to be folded outwards in order to provide enough clearance for the tailgate to open

Equipment used:
OEM Suzuki Tow Bar (72901-78R01-000) with 13-pin Tow Bar Wiring Harness Kit (9921U-78R00-000)
Thule OutPace Bike Carrier (2-bike version shown, 3-bike version also available)

Pros:

• No need to clean bike before loading it
• Easy loading - no need to remove front wheel or lift bike atop car
• Bike carrier can quickly be removed when not in use
• Has less of an effect on Jimny's handling compared to a roof-mounted setup
• Leaves the roof area free for other uses (i.e. a roof tent, roof box etc.)

Cons:

• Requires installation of a tow bar that extends far enough
• Restricts tailgate opening/closing
• Restricts rear visibility
• Larger bikes will extend beyond the track width of the Jimny, so be careful on narrow roads!

If you have any questions at all, please don't hesitate to get in touch!