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mykerider

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To those who have a pickup truck, what do you use to tow your bike? I'm thinking of getting a blue ox towing sportloader ramp or something similar to it so that I can easily load and unload my bike without asking for assistance. Or do you think a stinger trailer would be better?
 
mykerider said:
To those who have a pickup truck, what do you use to tow your bike? I'm thinking of getting a blue ox towing sportloader ramp or something similar to it so that I can easily load and unload my bike without asking for assistance. Or do you think a stinger trailer would be better?
Click to expand...

What kind of bike? You need vastly different equipment if you're loading a 250 dirt bike than you do a 1000lb dresser.
 
mykerider said:
To those who have a pickup truck, what do you use to tow your bike? I'm thinking of getting a blue ox towing sportloader ramp or something similar to it so that I can easily load and unload my bike without asking for assistance. Or do you think a stinger trailer would be better?
Click to expand...



Using a Kendon single bike folding trailer with the wide ride up ramp for Wing and a receiver rack for dirt bikes up to 400#. Best of both worlds. Ride up ramps for truck didn't appeal to me.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
A board with the ramp end for my dirt bikes and supermotos. Kendon single rail for the heavy pig FJR.
 
Like the others, I have an enclosed trailer that I use when towing my wing or more than 1 bike, and I have a receiver rack for when I am bringing one dirt bike along. Not cheap but very convenient.. Also feel much safer when the bikes are left outside a hotel overnight in an enclosed trailer rather than an open trailer!!

Gary
 
This has my attention; I've always wondered how people get Harleys into the back of a truck. When I was in college and we had 175cc dirt bikes, we simply lifted them, and would tie them down 3 or even 4 across. My VStrom is a bit heavier, and I find the idea of walking or riding a 475 lb bike up a steep ramp into a truck bed frankly terrifying.
 
I ride my dirt bikes and Tenere up and down a wide ramp into the back of my F150 all the time. That said, I always find a spot where I can back the truck towards some rise to minimize the ramp angle. Sometimes it can be a roadside ditch, sometimes it's just a raised curb. I've never gotten someplace where something wasn't available.

Once you do it a few times it because easy and involves no stress. I actually prefer to do it by myself with no other 'help'.
 
As long as I have a place to put my foot down, there's no drama. Agree with loading/unloading by myself.
 
I use a trailer almost exclusively now. Sometimes I'll put the 450 or 701 in the truck if its a long trip otherwise for the ease of loading its hard to beat a trailer.

https://www.alumaklm.com/utility/single-axle/638-utility-trailer

Mine has a folding ramp and three wheel chocks. Weighs very little and can be pulled with my V6 Jeep.

IMG_4840_zpsgudsh8wv.jpg
 
Depends greatly on what kind of bike. I use a 4' wide 6' long ramp to load my DR650 and my stepdad's CRF450 into the back of my Tundra. I use the angle of my driveway reduce the ramp angle at home, but just deal with it in the field. I tend to ride the bike up when the ramp is steep, I find it easier. My stepdad walks his up under it's own power.

I figure any bike that can hop a curb can get up the ramp and into the truck.
 
I have one of these: http://www.discountramps.com/black-widow-motorcycle-ramp/p/BW-40-AMR/

Mine is not bolted together, and I generally use just the wide center section for the bike and one of the side sections for me to walk up. I tried the ride-up thing once and didn't like it. Bike goes up under its own power with me walking beside it, comes down with the bike off and me on the clutch and brakes.
 
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I have a tri-fold aluminum ATV ramp I use. I don't haul dressers or anything. I have used it for a Polaris ATV, 2012 vstrom 650, and many dirt and trials bikes and it worked great.
 
I have a dirt pile that I back trailer up to then just level on. Take bowed aluminum with me.
 
Guess it depends on the bike. For a single dirt bike or dual sport, I follow Thrasherg's example with a Ultimate MX Hauler on the hitch of an Explorer. For multiple bikes I have a three rail and a utility, but any light trailer will do unless you want the security of an enclosed. The nice thing about the three rail is that I don't need a ramp to get the KTM on or off of it because it is low to the ground. I may sell the 3 rail and get a small enclosed.
 
I have a little '82 S-10 that has hauled every kind of bike, even a Harley bagger. Key to it all is a ditch. I find a near-by ditch, back the bed into it so the tail-gate is near touching, and roll the bike on. I've even used a low rock wall as a ramp once, but the ditch or a tall curb is all it takes. Beyond that, I've used a section of scaffold deck for a ramp, but I still look for and use that advantageous curb or ditch.
 
copb8 said:
I ride my dirt bikes and Tenere up and down a wide ramp into the back of my F150 all the time. That said, I always find a spot where I can back the truck towards some rise to minimize the ramp angle. Sometimes it can be a roadside ditch, sometimes it's just a raised curb. I've never gotten someplace where something wasn't available.

Once you do it a few times it because easy and involves no stress. I actually prefer to do it by myself with no other 'help'.
Click to expand...

NO HELP is the best way to go.

ATV ramp that locks in place. Learned that the wise way when someone else slide a home made lumber ramp off a tailgate. Not a pleasurable thing to see. Wasted a good dinner getting the clown to an ER.

I have a folding ramp wide enough to put feet down if there is wheel spin and chains to the bumper of the truck. I still look for a rise or hole to ease the angle. A taller truck just needs a taller rise or deeper hole.

No longer have a pickup so picked up a cheap Northern Freight 4x8 with about 1000 pound GVWR. Chose 5.30-12 LRC tires instead of 4.80-8 LRB for a smoother ride and more miles. Wore the first set out, on the 2nd now, check the pressure every day. Sits low enough to ride a TW200 on and off, but can be assembled to tilt, so no ramp necessary. 2 x 10 side and end rails with non-skid paint make nice ramps for loading anything. Bolt on the ramp parts and put a couple bolts in each piece, then drill holes through the plywood bed to keep the ramps from slipping. Not rocket science.

It is so much easier with a cheap little trailer set up properly (eye bolts for tie downs and cheap tube wheel chocks) that if I get another pickup or SUV stout enough for a bike or carrier I'd still keep the trailer. Oh, I bolted a piece of angle under the front bed crossmember, sticks out as far as the fenders on each side, for outboard tiedowns when hauling 2 bikes. As for security, I park next to rigs towing much nicer bikes so nobody even considers stealing mine, even when I accidently leave the key in it. A heavy security cable and padlock helps with security, too.

Carriers mess with headlight aim and with the modern blinders you just might piss somebody off and need to buy some replacements. Think twice before driving with miss-aimed headlights these days. Just a matter of time.
 
copb8 said:
What kind of bike? You need vastly different equipment if you're loading a 250 dirt bike than you do a 1000lb dresser.
Click to expand...

I have a sv650. I'm thinking of getting a ramp and wheel choks to secure my bike in the truck bed

VintageGW's said:
Using a Kendon single bike folding trailer with the wide ride up ramp for Wing and a receiver rack for dirt bikes up to 400#. Best of both worlds. Ride up ramps for truck didn't appeal to me.
Click to expand...

Saw that Kendon trailer on the net. Looks functional but quite expensive. I also saw motorcycle carriers that can be attached to a receiver hitch though I have no direct experience with them.
 
:tab If you use ramps, take a strap and connect the hook on one end around a rung of the ramp and the other end to something like a trailer hitch, hook under a bumper, or even the frame if needed. This will keep the ramp from sliding away from the bed of the truck as you load it. I am a BIG fan of using four straps, one per corner, to tie the bike down. Also, check to make sure the rungs of the ramp have serrated edges for the tires to grip. If they are smooth, it won't be pretty... Personally, I would not use a 2 x 8, 2 x 10, etc,... If the tires are wet, the boards are wet, or your shoe soles are wet, it won't be pretty... :twitch:

:tab I mostly use trailers, but I have been fortunate that my Dad has always had some and has let me modify them for hauling bikes. I now have a 7 X 16 enclosed trailer that I really like. But it is a big trailer if you are only hauling one bike! It would be nice to also have one of those little three rail trailers for when I just want to haul a few dirt bikes. I've even seen some that have the drop down beds so you don't even need ramps for the trailers!

:tab The thing with a truck bed is height. Height is the enemy because IF you do fall, which is ALWAYS a possibility no matter how skilled you might be at riding up a ramp or how many times you might do it without any problems, the distance to the ground is going to make a HUGE difference. If you are sitting on the bike because you were riding it up, it will be hard to get clear of the bike if it does start to go over. It could EASILY land on you, which likely won't be pretty... For this reason, I would be more inclined to walk the bike up under power. I think you just have less chance of something going wrong, and if it does, you have a better chance of getting clear of the bike to avoid injury.

:tab Wide ramps are best, but they do take up a lot of bed space. Two ramps side by side with a bit of space between will work, but again there is just more opportunity for something to go wrong. More than anything, getting the bed as low as possible before you start loading will be a BIG help. Height works against you.

:tab Buy quality straps. Make sure the hooks come back on themselves a full 180 degrees if the straps don't have carabiners on the ends.

Regular ratchet straps with full 180 hooks
https://www.ratchetstraps.com/1-motorcycle-ratchet-straps

Carabiner style straps
https://www.ratchetstraps.com/1-ratchet-strap-with-stainless-carabiner

NEVER use straps with the S shaped hooks... :nono: Trust me...

:tab Some people will use the cam buckle style straps, and I did for a while. However, I no longer use them for anything that I cannot afford to have fall over or come loose. They have a bad habit of coming loose if they get wet. They also tear up the strap material over time because the teeth on the cam are digging into the strap material to generate the needed friction. I have had them wear through and break. Ratchet straps don't have this issue. It is also just easier to reliably tighten the ratchet strap.

:tab If you don't use the carabiner type, because they are obviously expensive, then I recommend using cheap bungee cords with the hooks on each end to connect each end of the strap once the bike is set and the straps are tight. Just hook the bungee hook to the part of the strap hook where the strap attaches. This way, if the bike bounces and the suspension compresses, when the tie downs go slack, the bungees will keep the hooks under tension so they don't fall out of whatever you have them hooked to.

:tab I am also a BIG fan of using soft tie downs. These are basically strap loops about 12" long that have the center of the loop sewed together, making a figure eight shape. This keeps the hooks off the bike and away from the bike so they don't scratch, rub, or bang into anything. They are very versatile in where they can be attached as well. Some straps will have soft ties built into them. They will be more expensive, but you tend not to misplace the soft ties ;-)

Soft ties
https://www.rockymountainatvmc.com/p/1010/24188/Rider-Cargo-Tie-Down-Extension-Straps

Carabiner straps with soft ties
https://www.rockymountainatvmc.com/p/1010/15453/Rider-Cargo-Ratchet-Soft-Loop-Tie-Downs-W-Carabiner

:tab I bought several sets of 1" ratchet straps at Home Depot. There were eight straps per set I think. They had the full 180 degree hooks. I want to say they were $20-30 per set. The ratchet handles are rubber coated, which makes them easier to use. I use them for tying down anything from my kid's dirtbikes to my BMW 1200 GS. They work great. I have hauled a lot of bikes over a lot of miles and have never had any issues with them. I don't remember where I bought my soft ties, but I don't recall them being real expensive either.
 
One thing many neglect is the loose extra ends of the straps. I've been called paranoid but I fold them up and then use zip ties to fasten them to the main strap so they don't come loose. Make sure to bring something with you to carefully snip the zip ties with or you might not be doing much unloading.

I do this because I was riding in a friends truck with all our bikes on his utility trailer. All of a sudden we started hearing this banging noise behind us. I saw a horrified look on my friends face as he looked in the mirror so I turned around to see his bike slamming down into the side of the trailer. One end of the strap got loose and kept getting caught under the wheel of the trailer which would tighten up slamming the bike over before being ripped loose only to do it again. He managed to get pulled over before any real damage was done but I learned my lesson about loose straps. Not so much an issue in an enclosed trailer, but in the bed of a truck or an open trailer you need to pay attention to them.
 
gixxerjasen said:
I learned my lesson about loose straps.
Click to expand...

The tails will whip the crap out of your paint, too.

A good practice is after the ratchet in bailed over in the "locked" position, wrap the tail around the mechanism to keep the ratchet from releasing and slipping through the bail slot.
 
Yeah, I forgot to mention the loose strap end thing. I always just ran the extra strap back and forth through the eyelets of each hook, tying off the last bit so it would not flap around. That is one nice thing about the enclosed trailer. I no longer have to worry about that. I just pull them up and pile them on the floor under the ratchet.
 
Lowe's had HD branded ratchet straps with 180* hooks with spring loaded keepers so if things got loose nothing feel off a hook point, soft ties attached to one end, Velcro for loose ends, ..., all the best stuff. $28 a pair, if memory serves. Worth every penny and then some compared to any other straps for motorcycles I ever used.
 
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