Stock rack and bike adapter

I know that this has already likely been asked and answered, but I can't understand if it was or not. I have a 2003 mp5 and the stock rack. I want to buy a bike adapter and not pay out the nose for it. I want both tires to stay on the bike. what is the best and/or cheapest way to do it? Does the bike rack adapter from mazda make it possible to mount any yakima bike mounts that I buy or do i need to buy the mazda one? Does the mazda one mount on the frame or pedals?
thanks in advance

Hey man...this is my setup: I have the Yakima Cobra trays attached to the factory rack using the factory mounts from Mazdastuff.com. Just hop on Froogle.com and type in "Yakima Cobra" and see who has them cheapest. I got mine with free shipping, and I think the trays were under $100 a piece.

Don't waste your money on the King Cobra, because if somebody really wants your bike they'll cut that little s*** cable in no time. Just use a Kryptonite cable lock if you're worried about security.

With the Cobra rack my rear tire is a good four inches from the spoiler when the hatch is open, so it's a great setup. Haven't tossed my bike yet...trust me, I've tried!

Just bought me a Raptor. I like that it clamps to the bike (although many people hate it). The clamp can lock and it looks like a real pain to cut it off to steal the bike. I also used the 14H mighty mounts. They aren't a perfect fit, but work better than I expected. The bike mounts great and is very secured. I have never had a bike on my rack before and was very nervous. After I got out of class (USU) I had to go pick up my wife. I was late, forgot I had the bike on the roof, and cranked it on a corner doing about 30. The bike held on tight. I would recommend this setup to anyone. I have heard the Mazda mounts are aluminum, but Yakima told me they don't honor their warranty with either. So go cheaper and spend the rest on more toys.

I have a 2002 MP5 without the roof rack, just the rails and covers...where can I get the crossmembers, and how hard would they be to put on? (uhm)

I am not sure where to get them, but they are really easy to put on. There is a bolt on each end of the cross bars and then you put on a plastic cover to make it more aero. If you have to buy the crossbars, save yourself the time and buy a yakima.

mitaccio said:

I know that this has already likely been asked and answered, but I can't understand if it was or not. I have a 2003 mp5 and the stock rack. I want to buy a bike adapter and not pay out the nose for it. I want both tires to stay on the bike. what is the best and/or cheapest way to do it? Does the bike rack adapter from mazda make it possible to mount any yakima bike mounts that I buy or do i need to buy the mazda one? Does the mazda one mount on the frame or pedals?
thanks in advance

Click to expand...

The Mazda setup clamps to the frame and it works great. I got mine from mazdastuff.com. Here'a link to a thread with some pics of my setup.

http://www.msprotege.com/vbb230/showthread.php?t=24747


It's been just great for me so far. I took a trip from Wisconsin to North Carolina with 2 bikes on top and didn't have a single issue, with the exception of the crappy gas mileage