Hey guys and gals,

Just looking for some 411 on how to go about properly loading and unloading the bike on the truck.... I have a dodge dakota and am thinking about making some trips to Deals Gap next year....

Does anyone know what to use like tie downs, cheap but good ramps, tie down accessories and any tips on how to safely transport the bike and not have it flying out of the truck.

Like always...any and all info will be greatly appreciated !

get a bike ramp at least. tie down straps and a bar harness would be ideal, but rope will do in a pinch. just make sure you hold the bike upright, front wheel to the front of the bed (if space permits) and route your straps, rope, whatever. then have someone pull them tight while you put all your weight on the handlebars...the goal is to compress the front forks as far as possible. keep them compressed while your buddy ties the ropes/straps off. assuming the knots are good, the bike will not move.:fact

Check these sites for some of the stuff you will need...

http://www.kwmarketing.com - good prices but the ****ers wouldnt help me out cause im in Japan even though they claim to ship internationally...

http://www.ramp-master.com/ - good ramps...

Hope it helps..

shady

give me your address. I have a handlebar tiedown I will donate to you. My girlfriend lives in Aurora so I know priority mail takes 2-3 days to get things to you. I also have motorcycle tie-downs with rubberized hooks I will donate. What I have is all you need to secure your bike in your truck.

Jim

I used the tiedowns previously mentioned in my last reply to haul my Y2K in a friends truck and they worked perfectly.

One Tip,

Leave the bike in gear, just use the tie downs/rope/straps to hold the bike upright, use the transmission to hold it in the truck. I used to work for a bike shop as a runner and that's the first thing they taught me when I had to go get a bike to be worked on. Also pull pretty firmly against the suspension so that it compresses when you tie it down, the action of the suspension working against the ropes will keep it pretty tight. Also watch out if it rains, the water makes some kinds of ropes/straps strecth and that can be bad news. Overall it's easy enough to do just keep an eye on things.

Good info here, except the compress the suspension part. It is not necessary, and you will run the risk of blowing fork seals (I did this repeatedly on a former zx-11 and replaced 4, yes 4 sets of seals) Just tie it down enough that the straps are taut when you pull against them.

Buy a canyon dancer harness. I have been using the same one for 5 years now, it has out lasted 6 or 8 sets of tie downs. It will be a little rough on your grips, however.

You may be able to get away without a ramp, especially if your trk is 2wd, by backing into ditches, up to hills, etc, and you use a short 3ft 2x6 or 8. Use the xtra $ to buy a canyon dancer. really.

When you pull the bike into the back of the trk, make sure the bike is wedged against 1st gear against the front of the bed. Then completely tie the front of the bike down, before you tie the back down.

kickstand up.

take your time, and find a buddy for some help. Shoot me a pm and I'll meet you at the gap to help you unload.
;) :thumbup

Everything you need is avabile at any motorcycle shop.

First to getting the bike into and out of the truck. You have a Dakota so the tailgate will have to stay down once the bike is in most likely. Best way to do it is to get an arched motorcycle ramp, they cost about $100. If that is too spendy then no big deal, just buy a motorcycle ramp kit (about $25) and a good strong 2 x 12. Also get another smaller board for you to walk up and walk down. I assure this will take most all of the drama out of loading and unloading the motorcycle by yourself.

To load the bike just place your main ramp in the middle of the truck bed, and your smaller ramp to one side of the main ramp (usually the left side, but either side will work). Then push your bike up near the ramp, start it, and standing next to the bike holding the handle bars click it in gear and walk the bike slowly up the ramp. It sounds odd maybe at first, but I assure you this is the easiest way.

To hold the bike in place once it is in the truck: if you are only loading one bike place it in the middle of the truck bed. Realize once you have hauled your bike around a 100 times the front of your truck bed will bend slightly. Buy a "Canyon Dancer". This is the best sport bike hauling product known to man. Get 4 tie down straps. I like the ratchet kind, but they take longer to use. Either kind will work just as well. With the bike on it's side stand hook up your front two tie downs to the canyon dancer and the truck. It is better if you have some tie down ancor points near the bed of the truck bed, but the top square posts will work too. A word of warning if you are using the square post holes in the top of the truck bed you might want to buy some sort of anchor to put in them, the sheet metal is not very thick there and hauling a bike with a tiedown strap in the square post hole will usually, given enough time, bend the sheet metal. It will put small crease's near the square hole where the end of the hook was. Tighten down the side stand side tie down first. Don't go godzilla on it, just make it snug. Then tighten down the rear brake side tie down. You DO NOT want to FULLY COMPRESS the front suspention. It is a MISTAKE. You want the bike to be about %50 compressed. make sure once you have both tightened to where you want them the bike is standing straight up and down. Now use your two rear straps to tie the rear end down. You do not need to compress the rear end, just make sure that the bike does not have any side to side movement. I usually tie down to my passenger peg brackets. ( don't scratch your pipe!!)

Now grab the bike and shake it side to side. Your truck should rock more than the bike. Take your main ramp and slide it up inbetween the tires of the bike (the ramp will be on the left of the front tire and the right of the rear tire or vise versa). Throw in your little walk up board and your ready to roll. Take you about 10 solid minutes once you get used to it.

Total cost: From $75 to $160.

A word of caution. Sport bikes have some low hanging bodywork. This is where the arched motorcycle ramp comes in handy. It will keep the lower from dragging on the ramp when the front tire is in the bed and the rear tire is on the ramp still. If you use a board instead, work the terrain in your favor. park the truck in a low spot, and load from a high spot. When I lived in an appt I would use my ramp to drive my bike up onto the median, and then load the bike from the median to the truck. I hate having scratched up lowers, everyone can see the scratches when you wheelie.

i got lots of expierience hauling bikes this is what i do...

1. make sure my buddy is alright.
2. hurry up and throw it on its side before the cops get there.
3. go home look at the bike and tell him how ****ed up it is now that we had a chance to really look at it.
4. drink beer and watch wheelie and stunt videos.

this order has worked for me for the last few bike crashes but may not work for you. we never had to worry about fork seals either...who cares about fork seals when the forks are shaped like a boomerang.

Originally posted by spdrcrj
I used the tiedowns previously mentioned in my last reply to haul my Y2K in a friends truck and they worked perfectly.


thanks man..... you really are helping me out on this one.....i am loving this R! forum already.

Once again....thanks a bunch.

:fact I can send you the straps I have. If you would like to have them email me your addess. My email address is spdrcrj@cox.net. :yesnod :yesnod :thumbup

[QUOTE]Originally posted by JAYSTENSEC4CYL
Everything you need is avabile at any motorcycle shop.

[B]Canyon dancer ??

What is that?......how much does it cost?...... is there a website I can go to check this out?
Do I need any special strapping of the home made ramp kit to the tailgate to stop it from slipping?

Thanks JAYSTENSEC4CYL, I am glad I asked about loading bikes in trucks....a lot of good info.

Is there a website I can go to check this out?

Oddly enough, canyondancer.com (http://www.canyondancer.com).

Originally posted by spdrcrj
:fact I can send you the straps I have. If you would like to have them email me your addess. My email address is spdrcrj@cox.net. :yesnod :yesnod :thumbup

Thanks spdrcrj
I have emailed u my address. U r alright ;)

Originally posted by Abe Froman
What you're going to want to do is get yourself a 7-foot 2x4. Use this as your ramp.

Make sure truck is in Park. Position bike about 30 feet from back of truck, start bike and proceed to accelerate toward ramp. You must make sure you get enough speed to get up the ramp, but not so much that you crash through the board and impale the bike on the lowered tailgate. Keep the bike centered on the ramp as well, as a 2x4 is pretty narrow when you're moving 15 miles an hour. The 'springboard' effect of the 2x4 (it's pretty flexy) should throw you and the bike into the air and prevent your lower bodywork from being dragged on the edge of the tailgate/ramp. Keep your body centered over the bike as you land in the bed of the truck, keeping your right foot on the brake in case you need to bring the front end down to avoid smashing out the rear window glass.

Once bike is loaded, put a bungee cord on each clip-on and attach to edge of truck bed. Lower kickstand. While driving, you will want to go slower during right-hand turns than left.

Ride safe!

Abe


:confused: That is the craziest sh$t I have ever heard:confused:

Originally posted by champs387
i got lots of expierience hauling bikes this is what i do...

1. make sure my buddy is alright.
2. hurry up and throw it on its side before the cops get there.
3. go home look at the bike and tell him how ****ed up it is now that we had a chance to really look at it.
4. drink beer and watch wheelie and stunt videos.

this order has worked for me for the last few bike crashes but may not work for you. we never had to worry about fork seals either...who cares about fork seals when the forks are shaped like a boomerang.

That is actually funny you asshole .:lol :finger .

Originally posted by spdrcrj
:fact I can send you the straps I have. If you would like to have them email me your addess. My email address is spdrcrj@cox.net. :yesnod :yesnod :thumbup

Thanks spdrcrj
I have emailed u my address. U r alright ;)

Originally posted by champs387
i got lots of expierience hauling bikes this is what i do...

1. make sure my buddy is alright.
2. hurry up and throw it on its side before the cops get there.
3. go home look at the bike and tell him how ****ed up it is now that we had a chance to really look at it.
4. drink beer and watch wheelie and stunt videos.

this order has worked for me for the last few bike crashes but may not work for you. we never had to worry about fork seals either...who cares about fork seals when the forks are shaped like a boomerang.

:lol :lol :lol :mad: :mad: :lol :lol :lol :thumbup

LMAO - champs387, that's good stuff!

Maybe you could ride it?:confused: