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ever haul your bike in back of a truck?

Joined
Mar 16, 2006
Messages
98
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Location
freeport,tx
First Name
Ray
i am strongly considering purchasing a new Triumph speed triple and the nearest dealer is some distance away, i could do the ride, but would like the option of hauling the bike.

i have a ford ranger truck, im sure the bike will fit in the bed, but what about getting it loaded and unloaded? certainly some of you have done this before.

advice? tips? is it easily done or better off to buy a $400 trailer from lowes.

God knows i wouldnt want to damage a bike loading or unloading it.
 
The shop should have a ramp, and should be more than willing to help you load the bike in a damage-free manner. Show up with 4 good tie-downs, and you should be set.

Somebody 'round your part of town should have a ramp to help you unload. Or bring it by my house, I'll unload it for the cost of a test ride.
 
I carried mine in the back of my truck almost 500 miles when I moved to Texas last year. I bought ramps and tie downs at Home Depot.
If I were to do it again, I might buy a trailer and install a hitch, as it would be easier for one person to deal with the loading / unloading.
 
Take a buddy. It is alot easier to load/unload and tie down with two people working together. Most dealership have a loading dock or atleast some ramps to load the bike into the back of a truck.

If you are by yourself, a trailer with a fold down ramp is best.

To tie down the bike, hook up the left side first kind of loose with no slack and then do the right side and snug until the bike is straight. Then back to left side, then right then left.......until done.

I use the ratchet straps, cayon dancer and soft ties.
 
when I was in college I would carry my old bike from victoria to waxahachie in the back of my ranger [well I did make the ride once]
heck I even had two bikes back there for some of the trips
I've used ramps, 2x4s, what also works well is if you can find a ditch [that you can get out of], or there was a spot on campus in front of one of the building that my tail gate when down came to the top of the steps, so I'd get up early the day I was to load and leave back the truck up there and ride the bike up the handi-cap ramp and into the bed
 
Don't strap the front end down too tight, you might damage a fork seal. (ask me how I know this). Get something to step up into the truck with like a step stool. Get on the left side of the bike and have one or two fingers on the right brake. You'll probably need someone to help you load it, but unloading it is easier as long as you have a finger on the front brake.
 
I've hauled bikes in the back of my Toyota pickup (std, not T-100 nor Tundra) without problems.
I have ramps made with those extruded aluminum ramp ends (available in lawn-n-garden area of home improvement center). Instead of a pine board, I bought a piece of fir.
Another idea is to borrow a loading dock to load/unload the bike. Check around places like Best Buy and Circuit City. Their loading docks are usually pickup truck friendly in terms of height.
If you're still unsure about putting it in the pickup, you can rent a u-haul trailer pretty cheap.
Last recommendation, don't try to load or unload by yourself. Get a buddy to help you. 2 are even better.
 
Cycle Cinch, good product, made in Texas. The web site also has step by step illustrated instructions on how to tie down.

I'd second the motion for a UHaul trailer
towing-motorcycle.jpg

I think it's $10 a day, and it will be a lot easier to unload when you're nervous about your new bike. Even has a built in chock in the front, you see them at track days a lot.
 
Use the truck... heck, when I picked up my CBR 2 years ago, I just had a friend come with me (300 miles) to get it. 3 of us picked up the bike and put it in the bed (no ramps). When I got home, I found a good place to back the truck up to, which I could just ride it out of.

These days, I have a good ramp, which makes it alot easier. Heck, I have 2 trailers now too, but that's besides the point (one is for sale!) :)
 
mnapuran said:
Use the truck... heck, when I picked up my CBR 2 years ago, I just had a friend come with me (300 miles) to get it. 3 of us picked up the bike and put it in the bed (no ramps). When I got home, I found a good place to back the truck up to, which I could just ride it out of.

These days, I have a good ramp, which makes it alot easier. Heck, I have 2 trailers now too, but that's besides the point (one is for sale!) :)

heck yes, done that one plenty of times. and getting it out, we'd lift the back up and set it down and just pull it the rest of the way and let the front tire drop

I've loaded mine many times by myself with the use of a ditch or plank of wood
 
sounds like a good excuse to do a 4-link/airbag suspension conversion on the Ranger...dropping the rear down to the bumper should make it easier to load a bike... ;)
 
Chirpy's suggestion to rent a U-Haul bike trailer sounds ideal for a one-time project. However, buying the tools needed to haul your bike in the back of your truck (a ramp, 4 ratchet tie downs and 2 nylon loops) will allow you to transport it quickly and easily whenever you want.

To safely load and unload a bike into a truck when you're on your own, you'll need to use a strong, wide ramp that allows you to ride on/off, and also provides the ability to put your feet down on it to steady yourself. Good, wide folding ramps of the size you'll want start at about $130.00 or so.

To begin, lay the ramp on the lip of the open tailgate and secure it to the rear bumper with one of the ratchet tie-downs to prevent the possibility of it slipping off, then ride up into the truck. Once the bike is on the truck, a sturdy front wheel chock is ideal for positioning it straight and securely in the bed, but isn't an absolute necessity. Instead of using a wheel chock, I simply angle my bike diagonally across the bed of the truck and push its front wheel snug into the forward passenger-side corner of the bed, then lean it over on the kickstand before attaching any of the tie-downs. I'm careful not to put an excessive amount of tension on the tie-downs that are on the same side as the kickstand, as too much force pulling on the stand might bend or break it.

I use a pair of figure-8 nylon loops wrapped around each of the fork tubes just above the lower triple clamp as the forward tie-down attachment points on the bike. To those, I attach a ratchet tie-down on the right side to pull the fork down into the forward passenger-side corner of the bed, and a ratchet tie-down on the left attaches to the corresponding point on the drivers-side of the bed. I also tie down the rear of the bike on both sides using either the passenger footpeg mounts or the exposed seat frame rails. After driving for 15 or 20 minutes with the bike in the back of the truck, pull over, get out and check the tension on all of the ratchet tie-downs and snug up any that might have developed slack.

If you currently have a bike, practice loading and securing it a couple of times to get a better idea of the procedure. It's probably best that you don't do it cold for the very first time with your brand-new Speed Triple. ;-)

My method isn't the only way to do the job, nor will I claim that it's the best way, but it works well for me.
 
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As mentioned already, it's MUCH easier if you back the truck to something that is higher than the ground. Loading docks and ditches have been mentioned, but any elevation will be a big help. When my son wants to load his bike (a Suzuki SV-650S) into his truck here, we go to the cul-de-sac at the end of my street where the mailbox and a couple of trees are - the 2.5 foot or so elevation really cuts back on the amount of pushing required to get the bike up the ramp and into the bed. He has a narrow, ladder-type ramp made of aluminum that fits diagonally in the bed between the wheels of the bike when the bike is loaded. He also has a soft tie gismo that goes over each handlebar and has a loop on each end that pulls from the opposite side. That and 4 ratchet straps hold his bike very securely.

Getting the bike out of the bed is no problem with the aid of gravity, but keep a firm grip on the front brake to make a controlled decent.

I've never had my Goldwing in a truck or on a trailer - I ride it anywhere it needs to go.
 
Go with the Canyon Dancer harness instead of the cyclecynch its about $20 cheaper and nicer with soft cover and longer side straps. As for loading and unloading the shop will load it for you take a few minutes to drive around your home town and find a loading dock at a business thats the right height then when you get home just back it out onto the loading dock park it move the truck and then ride it down the ramp that the loading dock will most likely have built into it. Second recommendation is find a house with a steep driveway, back the truck into the gutter which should be the LOWEST point and then put your ramp out onto the driveway which hopefully is quite a bit taller and with the back of the truck running downhill and the ramp running uphill onto the driveway the exit angle should minimal allowing for a less terror filled exit.
SRAD
 
If you use the Canyon Dancer Bar Harness, be sure you snug it down by pulling all the slack out first. If you don't, the first bump you hit will pull the slack out for you, and it can allow one of the straps to come undone. DAMHIK. That's why folks claim that "they come loose".

It's also pretty apparent that a lot of folks have trouble with the Bar Harness. You read lot's of stuff about them chewing up grips and switch gear. I used one for about 30,000+ miles of trailering over three years and never had a problem, but I was always carefult to have the straps in front of the grips and make sure things were smoothed out and snugged before tightening the straps.

The CycleCynch was actually designed as a result of the Aprilia demo truck having to replace so many grips and switches. The rep for the ArkLaTex area sat down and noodeled out a more idiot proof way. He then decided to go into production, and now he's no longer the Aprilia guy (but it does explain why all the pictures on the web site are Aprilias), he's the CycleCynch guy.

Again, I never had a problem with the Bar Harness in my usage, but lots of people do. Oddly, I know it's inventor as well, as Ken had a Superhawk in the golden days of the Superhawk mail list. With care, they can work great, but I'd say it's obvious that the CycleCynch is a little more tolerant of not paying attention.

That said, I have four Bar Harnesses, and the CycleCynch is still in the package. Yes, I bought it. I don't know Mark well enough to have gotten a free one. In the interest of full disclosure.

No matter what you use, after about 10 miles or so pull over and check all the straps. That will make you rest easier for the rest of the trip.
 
That is a lot of weight up high in a pickup the size of a ranger, easy to roll in a sharp turn. I'd try to borrow or rent a small trailer
 
A decent ramp and some ties downs are a better investment than a trailer rental but as already said have someone help as it can be tricky. I have loaded my heavy Bandit a few times alone and you just have to go slow and maintain balance. Loading in my Ranger is much easier than in the 4X4 Dodge unless I can find a ditch. The lighter dirt bikes are easy since I do them more often but I did slip once and cracked the throttle open. The bike ended up on its side pointed out the back of the truck. I was lucky the only damage was a cracked fender.
 
SparkyBlue said:
That is a lot of weight up high in a pickup the size of a ranger, easy to roll in a sharp turn. I'd try to borrow or rent a small trailer

You used to work at Consumer Reports, didn't you?
 
Since lots of good information has already bin given, I will go ahead and give some not so pertinent.
I one time loaded two BMW R90/6's in the bed of a short bed Mazda pickup. Not that they were any bigger or heavier than the 600's of the time, All BMW's were the same back then. I had to load one backwards becouse the cylinders were to wide to set side by side. Part of that problem was that I could not put the tailgate up because the bikes were to long. The truck used the tailgate for rigidity so I was not able to hook the tiedowns to the sides of the bed since the weight of the bikes would have pulled the bedsides in being unsupported. So had to tie the back tiedowns to the bumper.
Another time I had an old 3/4 ton truck and no building to store my trials bike in so it stayed loaded unless I was riding it.I had a tarp that covered it even when traveling. I prided myself in loading the bike by riding it into the bed of the truck. No wide custom made loading ramp for me. One 6ft 2x10 treated board and I was good to go. In fact so I would not compress the forks of the bike I would tie it down backwards in the truck. In doing that I would ride the bike up the ramp stopping half way to show off if any one was watching. Plant one foot in the bed and pull the front wheel high enough in the air to bounce it off the back of the cab above the rear window. Pivot the bike on the rear wheel and land both wheels back in the bed before riding off the tailgate. Unloading was easy, just start the bike let it warm up while still tied down. Unhook the tiedown's drop it in second gear and ride it off the tailgate. Never touching the ramp.
By the way I have crashed bikes spectacularly loading and unloading them, especially if there were many witnesses. Thank goodness video cams were not as plentiful then as they are now.:lol2:
 
Hairsmith reminds me of my trip to Daytona in '81. I went out there with my TZ250 in the back of the van and my buddy who rode up with me was riding "Battle of the Twins" class on his BMW. Thankfully the TZ was slim and small. That thing took up 3/4 the width of the back of the van. We loaded it on the right side of the van because my home made fold up bed was on the left and I didn't want the cylinders fouling the bed somehow. The weight of that thing had my 1/2 ton Dodge van in a permanent list to the right.. :lol2: All the way out there and all the way back, I felt like I was going to roll over on the right side in left handers. :rolleyes: Beemers are great street bikes. Never had the urge to RACE one. I'd rather ride it TO Daytona, not haul it there and race it. :rofl:
 
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