How do you carry your bike?

[Quick281]

So my plans to get to Alaska seem to have changed a bit and suddenly I may be looking into a truck/suv and just carry most of my belonging with me instead of riding around and having them sent to me.

Sorta sucks because I wanted to do the big trip but since I have to be in Alaska at the end of April, I would have had to spend some money on cold weather gear and still take various amount of risks with the cold/icy roads.

None the less I am looking into truck and just throwing my bike in the back for the trip. Think my bike is just under 7 feet.

Wondering how all of you do it? I have seen some interesting setups so I know there is a wealth of experience to be shared here. :D

[rogue]

I've used canyon dancers, ratchet straps, and a wheel chock.....

[derf]

I have a wheel schock on a 2x8 that goes from one end of my truck to the other, then I just tie the bike down good with ratchet straps. My cbr fits in my 5 foot bed with the tailgate down, but I learned that you need a piece of wood under the rear wheel or it will collapse the tailgate, and the tailgate will start to fold.

[Quick281]

I have a wheel schock on a 2x8 that goes from one end of my truck to the other, then I just tie the bike down good with ratchet straps. My cbr fits in my 5 foot bed with the tailgate down, but I learned that you need a piece of wood under the rear wheel or it will collapse the tailgate, and the tailgate will start to fold.

Thanks for the input. Ideally I will get a truck and some of the ones I am looking at are either equipped with a short or long bed. I think the short beds are 6 feet long and in that case it will be tailgate down. But I suppose I could fit the bike in sideway.

How do you get the bike in and out of the truck? That seems to be the challenging part to me.

[buzzcutt2]

Backup to a hill or slope or ditch. Drive it right in/out.

[Quick281]

Backup to a hill or slope or ditch. Drive it right in/out.

Figured that as a backup if ramps are ridiculously expensive.

[rogue]

Thanks for the input. Ideally I will get a truck and some of the ones I am looking at are either equipped with a short or long bed. I think the short beds are 6 feet long and in that case it will be tailgate down. But I suppose I could fit the bike in sideway.

How do you get the bike in and out of the truck? That seems to be the challenging part to me.

I've used a 4 wheeler ramp or even backed the truck into a ditch and rode/pushed the bike in. When you do that, it should allow the tailgate to be pretty even with the ground when you let it down. Ok, I didn't....the ex did. No way would I do either. :panic:

[derf]

What he said. I have a small set of ramps, like 3 feet each, I bougth the end at autozone that sits on the tailgate and then I used some 2x8's with a 2x4 screwed into the bottom for strength, I just back up to a hill and ride it right up or down.

It literally takes 5 minutes to load or unload my bikes by myself.

I think the ramps cost me a total of like $35

Also check your PM box

[Dnyce]

collapse the tailgate? huh?

[t-homo]

I agree with the ditch idea. I typically just use ratchet straps to keep it where its at.

[derf]

yeh my tailgate got ver bent in from my first trip with the bike in the back, it sunk in about 3 inches and it stated to fold in half. I wound up having to replace it

[Cutty72]

Use a ramp to load. If a shorter ramp is used, also use the aid of a ditch to lessen the angle of the ramp so you don't bottom out the bike on the tailgate.

I recomend a canyon dancer to tie down the front. They are not too expensive, and well worth the investment. :dthumb:
Ratchet straps to connect the canyon dancer to the tie down points in the front of the pickup bed, and I also recomend strapping down the rear of the bike as well. Not to hold it down, but rather to keep it from moving from side to side.

I have a F150 with a 6 1/2 foot bed. My 1125 fits in the bed perfectly, and I can close the tailgate, even with a 4X4 in front of the tire to space it back off of the tonneau cover so it doesn't rub (as much) on the front fender.
Granted, Buells are some of the shortest wheelbase bikes around so your may not fit :idk:

I do load mine alone all the time, but having a friend around is a bonus.

OH! and if you have 3 decent size friends, you can just lift it into the back of the pickup. That's what we do at track days. :lol:

yeh my tailgate got ver bent in from my first trip with the bike in the back, it sunk in about 3 inches and it stated to fold in half. I wound up having to replace it

What kinda cheap tailgate you got?

[derf]

Chevy colorado

[Cutty72]

Chevy colorado

There's your prob... it's a chevy, and the baby chevy at that.

Go buy a real pickup... ie Ford, and issue will be resolved :dthumb:

[Dnyce]

What kinda cheap tailgate you got?

thats what im saying :lol: my bike lives on the tailgate, and its heavier than everything here cept gmans chop probably. never bent a tailgate, but although it is a chevy, its not a colorado. sux cuz i was lookin at getting one. guess ill stick with my s-10 choice.

[t-homo]

My R1 fits perfectly into the back of my dads F-250 with the tailgate up. Maybe like 3 inches to spare.

[Quick281]

My R1 fits perfectly into the back of my dads F-250 with the tailgate up. Maybe like 3 inches to spare.

Shortbed or long bed?

[Gas Man]

6.5' bed I'm sure

perhaps a 7'

[marko138]

Canyon Dancers are going to be your best friend.

[Riceaholic]

I carried mine in the back of my S-10 longbed for ever with a canyon dancer and tiedowns. Used a bike ramp and a step (usually my toolbox) to get it in and out. I have another Suburban now so I usually drag a trailer around now...

[azoomm]

How do you get the bike in and out of the truck? That seems to be the challenging part to me.

Home Depot.

There is a yellow hard plastic ramp that will expand to 8 feet. It's arched, so your bike won't bottom out on it. Get a small bench to put next to it, then it's an easy transition from ground, bench, truck bed for you. Best part - they are $60. :dthumb:

In the back of the truck, I use my sport chock. That way, I can load the bike and tie it down without another human to hold the bike. I also don't have to worry about compressing the forks too far and blowing a seal.

[Mr Lefty]

the other thing you can do it rent a Uhaul. the one I'm renting to go from AK to Mississippi is 6x8 enclosed and it's $550 or so. it'll probably be what my bike gets put in when I get to Knoxville to pick it up... then again I may just have to ride it :lol:

if your gonna get a truck... I'd get a extra cab. more room to keep things out of the weather and readly available durring your trip.

I wouldn't try turning the bike diaganal. with a sport bike it's usually more trouble that it's worth... just get one of those bed extenders that folds into a ramp.

AND GET A RAMP... don't go with the ditch idea... trust me... proper ditches are hard to find when ya need them... and when ya do find one that'll work... it's either someones yard... or there's no way to get the bike back on the road. ramps aren't that expensive.
once you get one I sudgest installing grip tape... it'll make life easier.

how much stuff do you have? that'll help determine what kinda truck you need.

[Quick281]

So far I am open to options but I am leaning hard against a 99 to 01/02 7.3 Ford Powerstroke.

The price ranges are about right and the mileage can be very reasonable for the life of a diesel. Options like trans, interior color cloth/leather, and exterior color aren't important to me. I could deal with all of them but I looking around for extended cabs and 4 door version. My thoughts are that the bigger the cab the more room I have to keep stuff dry/warm on cold/rainy days. 4x4 is assumed and one bonus of the diesels is they all have block heaters installed from the factory.

The gas is a going to be more expensive but the mileage is slightly better and I would assume expenses to be less assuming I am wise in my purchase. I have a couple Ford resources which will allow me to research VIN#s and do OASIS reports to see what repair work has been done.

So far it looks like a sport chock, a canyon dancer will be options. The extended tailgate is a great idea. I have used them before and really like them.

[t-homo]

Great choice. My dad has a 99 F-250 with the 7.3 Powerstroke. Its got 250,000 miles and he just had to take it in for the first time. 4x4 in the front end was having some problems, but that's fairly normal. I think he gets like 16-17 mpg highway running at 70-75. I've been trying for a couple years now to get him to sell me that truck and get a new one, but he wont part with it.

[Mr Lefty]

even with a sport chock... I'd still have it strapped down with ratchet straps and a canyon dancer... just my :2cents: they're cheap insurance IMO.

damn... go'n with a BIG truck... ok... well if you're going that big, personally... I'd go with the 4 door.

I'd look into Light Force lights... they're what I have on the front of my truck... and the nice thing about them is they have covers that you can swap out for different conditions... amber for fog, clear, blue for snow (never used these) red for.... fuck I don't know... but they have'm.... and all the covers are advertised as unbreakable. which is nice when a big ass rock comes fly'n your way.

I'd say about 70% of the Semi's up here use Lightforce if that says anything.

http://ebbs15.smugmug.com/photos/469781317_svWAn-L.jpg
http://ebbs15.smugmug.com/photos/469781264_b3R9y-L.jpg

[Quick281]

Great choice. My dad has a 99 F-250 with the 7.3 Powerstroke. Its got 250,000 miles and he just had to take it in for the first time. 4x4 in the front end was having some problems, but that's fairly normal. I think he gets like 16-17 mpg highway running at 70-75. I've been trying for a couple years now to get him to sell me that truck and get a new one, but he wont part with it.

Thanks. From what I looked up I definitely wanted the 7.3 over the early 6.0s.

99 to 01 are early in the generation and are at the right price where I could afford one but still find one with reasonable mileage. Once you start getting up to 03 and up the trucks go up quickly in price or are way beat down in order for me to afford them.

Now is a great time to be buying so even if I end up going through a dealership I know I can talk them down or get some things thrown in with the truck.

By taking the truck I obviously won't be doing my long trip to keywest. So instead of a 12k mile trip at 40 mpg, I will do a 6k mile trip at 18-20 mpg. :) Comes out about even and I don't have to worry about weather or being heated stuff for the bike. Also won't need to worry about all the extra maintenance and instead of having to carry limited things I can carry everything I own.

As far as what I own: 1 large computer, 1 motorcycle, shit ton of clothing (mostly tshirts),snowboard, paintball gun, stereo, 1 dog ( not coming to Alaska right away), shot glasses, and some camping gear.

Considering I still plan to be on the road for around 6 weeks, the extra cab space will be essential in storing my stuff.

Edit: Thanks for the advice Ebbs. I have been looking into some rust free trucks around here in the south and so far it seems like a lot of them have added on various lights and stuff light that but I will definitely look into what you brought up. I love your Yoda. I bought a run down little Mazda truck last year and I loved that thing but it would have exploded on first haul of anything. I am going to look into some Toyotas just to be fair. Always liked them and they are reliable as you can ask for.

I am trying to avoid buying new/newer since in my current state of life I could have a wild hair to get up and live in Australia and would then want to sell my belongings. I would rather lose a couple of grand over the years of owning a truck than buying a brand new truck and losing a ton more on depreciation.

[buzzcutt2]

Going a little older...I had the '89 7.3L F250 IDI, actually handed it over to my old man just recently with 318,000 miles on it. Only issue I ever had was tranny early on - it was the first year of the E4OD. They say that the '95 7.3 was the year to have, apparently they ran the strongest.

[Quick281]

Going a little older...I had the '89 7.3L F250 IDI, actually handed it over to my old man just recently with 318,000 miles on it. Only issue I ever had was tranny early on - it was the first year of the E4OD. They say that the '95 7.3 was the year to have, apparently they ran the strongest.

To be honest, I haven't looked before 99 and so I should probably do that as well.

I know they put forged slugs in the 7.3 up to 01 and then after that it depends. Forged goodies are going to be a bonus for when I feel like cranking up the boost.:dthumb:

[Cutty72]

Going a little older...I had the '89 7.3L F250 IDI, actually handed it over to my old man just recently with 318,000 miles on it. Only issue I ever had was tranny early on - it was the first year of the E4OD. They say that the '95 7.3 was the year to have, apparently they ran the strongest.

94 was the first year of the turbo'd 7.3. We've owned 93 NA's and a 94 Turbo, as well as a 00 and a 02 7.3 turbo.
The 93 NA was a pooch.. power, yes, but NO get up and go. ~16 mpg
The 94 runs like a raped ape, with the 5 speed manual will burn tires in second, sometimes 3rd. ~ 19 mpg, when not burning tires off it.
00 and 02 are both good ~ 16 mpg driven hard, ~21 mpg when driven "efficently" and 65 mph or so.
All of these had the manual tranny.
The auto tranny in anything before 97 are junk. Plan on replacing it if you buy those years.

A power chip will also help mileage a great deal.

The 6.0's are junk, less reliability. More HP out of less L = not long lasting.
Mileage is similar to slightly lower than that of the 7.3

New 6.4 twin turbo... Can pull anything you put behind it... at 8 mpg.
Will drive forever empty, getting 8 mpg... :lol:

As for the bed, any length you get (6.5' or 8') will fit your bike nicely. If you don't add a tonneau cover or tool box in the front you should be able to close the tailgate.

[Digifox]

Puch it to the front of the truck
Hold it up right
put a ratchet strap on either the bars of works(between the triple)
and tighen them up.


How we do it, and never had a bike fall.

[Quick281]

94 was the first year of the turbo'd 7.3. We've owned 93 NA's and a 94 Turbo, as well as a 00 and a 02 7.3 turbo.
The 93 NA was a pooch.. power, yes, but NO get up and go. ~16 mpg
The 94 runs like a raped ape, with the 5 speed manual will burn tires in second, sometimes 3rd. ~ 19 mpg, when not burning tires off it.
00 and 02 are both good ~ 16 mpg driven hard, ~21 mpg when driven "efficently" and 65 mph or so.
All of these had the manual tranny.
The auto tranny in anything before 97 are junk. Plan on replacing it if you buy those years.

A power chip will also help mileage a great deal.

The 6.0's are junk, less reliability. More HP out of less L = not long lasting.
Mileage is similar to slightly lower than that of the 7.3

New 6.4 twin turbo... Can pull anything you put behind it... at 8 mpg.
Will drive forever empty, getting 8 mpg... :lol:

As for the bed, any length you get (6.5' or 8') will fit your bike nicely. If you don't add a tonneau cover or tool box in the front you should be able to close the tailgate.


Cutty, thanks for the input.

Would I need to worry about autos in the 97s or can I just assume normal wear and tear issues with them?

I have been scanning Ebay like a hound and once I have cash in hand I am hoping to pick up a local auto trader so that I can get out there and kick some tires.

Decided to look from 87 to 01 7.3, 4x4, 4 door and long bed. Figure up to 200k since those often allow big price decreases and some of them have recently replaced trannies. I would of course verify that before buying anything though.

Manual would be fine with me but they seem harder to come by.

[DLIT]

Uhaul has decent motorcycle trailers. I use one of those, some canyon dancers and 3-4 tie downs to secure Bikey. They're $15/day. Had that bitch up to 80 and it was stable as hell.

[VatorMan]

I have a Chevy 2500 with an 8 ft. bed. I did buy the 3 piece ramps and a Condor MC stand.
http://www.bikersfriend.com/pages/stand.htm

Basically you can put the Condor in the bed of the truck and use one strap to tie it down. When you get where you are going-Put the Condor on the ground and drive into it. Great MC stand. Well worth the money.

[Gas Man]

Uhaul has decent motorcycle trailers. I use one of those, some canyon dancers and 3-4 tie downs to secure Bikey. They're $15/day. Had that bitch up to 80 and it was stable as hell.
truth!

http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l311/cjclark69/BDM/Trailer007a.jpg

[Papa_Complex]

I gave the truck to my mother, but this is how I used to do it. Add a wheel chock and a Canyon Dancer, and that bugger ain't going nowhere:

http://www.morallyambiguous.net/members/rmaclennan/buddy_ramp/br_1s.jpg

http://www.morallyambiguous.net/members/rmaclennan/buddy_ramp/br_2s.jpg

http://www.morallyambiguous.net/members/rmaclennan/buddy_ramp/br_3s.jpg

[DLIT]

I gave the truck to my mother, but this is how I used to do it. Add a wheel chock and a Canyon Dancer, and that bugger ain't going nowhere:

http://www.morallyambiguous.net/members/rmaclennan/buddy_ramp/br_1s.jpg

http://www.morallyambiguous.net/members/rmaclennan/buddy_ramp/br_2s.jpg

http://www.morallyambiguous.net/members/rmaclennan/buddy_ramp/br_3s.jpg

Damn, you weren't fucking around with that beast. Nice.

[Papa_Complex]

Damn, you weren't fucking around with that beast. Nice.

Ride up the ramp right into the chock, tie off, and gone in literally 5 minutes.

[Cutty72]

Cutty, thanks for the input.

Would I need to worry about autos in the 97s or can I just assume normal wear and tear issues with them?

I have been scanning Ebay like a hound and once I have cash in hand I am hoping to pick up a local auto trader so that I can get out there and kick some tires.

Decided to look from 87 to 01 7.3, 4x4, 4 door and long bed. Figure up to 200k since those often allow big price decreases and some of them have recently replaced trannies. I would of course verify that before buying anything though.

Manual would be fine with me but they seem harder to come by.

The best Auto trannys came in the new body style (99 and up)
97 was ok... but not great.
FYI you won't find a 98 F250 w/a diesel. that year they only made a "light duty" 3/4 ton, basically a heavy duty half ton. Stay away!
again... 87-93 is gonna be a non-turbo engine... ie doggy as hell.
I would suggest looking 94-02.
One thing to remember though. Diesels have a higher routine maintenance cost. 18ish quarts of oil per oil change adds up. :panic:

Good luck! :dthumb:

[Quick281]

Diesels have a higher routine maintenance cost. 18ish quarts of oil per oil change adds up. :panic:

Good luck! :dthumb:

Yeah thats gonna hurt. But I am willing to pay to play so to speak.

Plus, the sweet sound of a turbo will put more smiles on my face then my ex-girl friend. :rockwoot:

Oh and I love big trucks.

Thanks for the help, I am looking forward to the hunt.

[Mr Lefty]

Hey about those lights. Youtube light logic. You'll know why truckers up here use them

[Mr Lefty]

Nm code is for mobile youtube

[Quick281]

Hey about those lights. Youtube light logic. You'll know why truckers up here use them

Very nice. Bad ass.

Defeated by nothing it seems. Survived the baseball bat and the shotty.

Very impressed, thanks Ebbs.

[Mr Lefty]

not a prob...