I'VE DONE IT !!! (see next page for details and pics)
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So I need to move my bike from Reno NV back to California next saturday.
My first option was of course to ride it, but there's the possibility of getting snow and ice on that weekend (I'm going 395 North and then 70 west), so then I started thinking about renting or borrowing a truck to haul the bike back. Somebody offered me a small trailer, but I feel uneasy about them, and I still have to come up with a truck to haul the trailer anyway.
I've never done this, so what things (straps, etc) do I need to secure the bike on a truck? is there a how-to somewhere? :icon_rolleyes:
tyty
I just used ratcheting tie down straps, 2 at the front, 2 at the back. Some people will say put the bike on the centerstand, I used the sidestand, it worked fine for me. 2 straps on the handle bars, 1 strap on each side at the rear, I used the luggage rack. Ratchet until tight, without bending your forks :laugh: If you need a ramp for loading, most home depots rent tools now, and they have an aluminum folding ramp that you can rent for $5/day, and it works GREAT for this.
just when I was about to add the remp issue... 8)
thanks for the advice. sounds like an adventure :thumb:
I would suggest using straps and not rope. the rope is hard to tie off and comes loose. you can safely tighten straps, coast a few extra bucks but much safer.
Allow me to offer a different way of tying bikes down. I have done this on many bikes and it works well in my s-10. I learned it from my Dad who also has had many bikes.
All you NEED is 2 tie down straps. It is pretty much essential to have another person with you. Push the bike up a ramp into the truck, and put the front wheel right up against the front of the bed, in the center. Try to center the bike in the bed. Then have a friend sit on the bike WITHOUT ANY OF THE STANDS DOWN. Loop or fasten a tiedown strap over each handlebar where it meets the mount. Hook the other end to the front bed tie points, the lower the better. Then ratchet down each side evenly until the front suspension is between 1/2 and 3/4 compressed. The friend can now get off the bike. You will be amazed how steady this keeps the bike, and there is no need for center stands. It also allows the bike's suspension to give a little bit. I usually also throw in a safety around the back wheel in case, but it is best to let the back end float a little, so don't ratchet it down super tight. I would suggest checking the straps periodically to make sure they aren't loosening. I know this method might sound strange, but if once you do it you will see how solid the bike sits in the bed. As always, do drive more carefully with the bike in the bed, but it will be able to withstand really hard corners if you had to make an evasive maneuver in the truck.
any pics of a bike strapped down on a truck?
thanks for the advice Sicarii, but I was wondering, what if the bike doesn't fit on the back of the truck and I have to put it at an angle? :dunno_white:
Sicarii beat me to it, but I already wrote all this so I'll post it anyway.
I've done thousands of miles with the GS in my truck (lots of moving to and from college and after college) and I just use 2 straps. On my naked GS I attach them (with some pull through loops) to the handlebar, close to the triple clamp. Some times I really think I should be using two more just in case, but I've never gotten around to it and never had a problem.
My procedure for transporting the GS by pickup:
-Set up ramp or back up to a slope
-Load bike... me stabilizing/ pushing on bars, someone else pushing on back grab rail
-set bike down on sidestand with front wheel touching the front of the bed
-attach straps to bike and tie down points loosely
-Start tightening down right side, getting bike to stand straight up and down
-Tighten down side straps evenly to compress forks some, but not too much
-optional: tie down back end with two more straps
Notes:
-3-4 strong people can lift bike into pickup bed without a ramp
-Compressing forks too much will cause the seals to blow
-From my understanding, you never want to leave the bike resting on the sidestand or centerstand. Let the bike shocks cushion the ride. Also, if either stand fails/retracts, there may be too much slack in the straps and the bike could fall
-Check the straps whenever you make stops
edit: response to last post... I just leave the tailgate down in my tacoma, the tire still sits in the bed, but the back of it hits the tailgate
Pics:
I have a folding aluminum ramp and use a long wood board to walk on next to the bike while loading
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v213/manofthefield/biketruck2.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v213/manofthefield/biketruck1.jpg)
sorry, no closeups
Oh, one more :icon_mrgreen:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v213/manofthefield/P1010011_3.jpg)
the 2 strap works wonders with any "toy" ive hauled dirt, street, an several quads this way. just be sure to get the forks compressed evenly.
awesome. thanks for the response and pics
manofthefield :thumb:
I'll post some pics of my adventure later on :icon_mrgreen:
Quotejust be sure to get the forks compressed evenly.
will do :-)
To repeat others, don't put any stand down!! You risk tweaking the bikes frame and the pickups bed. 2-straps, compress the front forks. I use and really like a harness called a canyon dancer, which slides over the bars and connects to the end of your straps. Ratcheting straps are overkill and you can potentially bend stuff. I've had no issues with the sliding type. Don't cheap out on straps.
I have never used the stand, but I used 4 straps, a $20 set at Wal Mart. Two at the front that go to the front hooks of the truck bed and two near the rear pegs to the back of the truck bed and then tighten down the straps and let the straps hold the bike in the middle of the bed. Plus, no dented truck bed whatsoever. With my S10 I can close the tailgate. Gone from Ohio to SC and back with no problems set up like that.
Hey Calamari, if you are leaving from Reno, I have a ramp that you could use/buy (I'm in Carson City). I sold my bikes and have a really nice aluminum ramp that I used to load my GS into several trucks. If you are coming back to Reno after the trip you are welcome to borrow it, if you want to invest I'll let it go for a fraction of what I paid.
When I bought my bike 100 miles from home the guy selling the bike advised me on a neat trick when we loaded GS onto Ford Ranger.
Use a piece of rope to tie up the front brake lever. i.e. compress the brake lever.
This way the bike is locked in place with its own brake system and not going anywhere. Also, Ranger bed was too short to center the bike so we did it diagonally. We made it home fine and dandy.
Just my .02
Quote from: reminor on January 11, 2007, 09:42:06 AM
When I bought my bike 100 miles from home the guy selling the bike advised me on a neat trick when we loaded GS onto Ford Ranger.
Use a piece of rope to tie up the front brake lever. i.e. compress the brake lever.
This way the bike is locked in place with its own brake system and not going anywhere. Also, Ranger bed was too short to center the bike so we did it diagonally. We made it home fine and dandy.
Just my .02
I just leave it in first gear instead of using the brake. It can move a little but it's not going very far.
I use the two strap method that everyone else has described, and I highly recommend the canyon dancer mentioned above.
Quote from: Sicarii on January 07, 2007, 04:07:47 PM
Allow me to offer a different way of tying bikes down. I have done this on many bikes and it works well in my s-10. I learned it from my Dad who also has had many bikes.
All you NEED is 2 tie down straps. It is pretty much essential to have another person with you. Push the bike up a ramp into the truck, and put the front wheel right up against the front of the bed, in the center. Try to center the bike in the bed. Then have a friend sit on the bike WITHOUT ANY OF THE STANDS DOWN. Loop or fasten a tiedown strap over each handlebar where it meets the mount. Hook the other end to the front bed tie points, the lower the better. Then ratchet down each side evenly until the front suspension is between 1/2 and 3/4 compressed. The friend can now get off the bike. You will be amazed how steady this keeps the bike, and there is no need for center stands. It also allows the bike's suspension to give a little bit. I usually also throw in a safety around the back wheel in case, but it is best to let the back end float a little, so don't ratchet it down super tight. I would suggest checking the straps periodically to make sure they aren't loosening. I know this method might sound strange, but if once you do it you will see how solid the bike sits in the bed. As always, do drive more carefully with the bike in the bed, but it will be able to withstand really hard corners if you had to make an evasive maneuver in the truck.
In my adventures this is the best way to do it. If it's a borrowed truck I would suggest trimming a piece of thick plywood or an old plank to put between the front wheel and verticle front of the bed... When you ratchet the straps down there's a tendancy to bend the thin sheetmetal of the front of the bed sometimes. The plank will distribute the load accross a larger area lower the chances of damaging the borrowed truck. In my own truck I don't give a shaZam! about that it's already bent. I recently picked up a cheap ass tire chalk for $17 at a cycle shop to solve that problem but that's something that needs to be drilled and bolted into the bed.
Okay... Here's a photo of what can happen to the bed...
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y29/fettcols/bed.jpg)
And some cheap ass tie-down points you can pick up for $10. If you're fortunate enough to borrow a tacoma they have some really nice tie-down points that are located in the front of the bed. Damn, I miss my tacoma...
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y29/fettcols/tiedown.jpg)
Sorry for the low quality camera phone stuff, just what was handy.
Quote from: fettcols on January 11, 2007, 01:11:15 PM
Okay... Here's a photo of what can happen to the bed...
And some cheap ass tie-down points you can pick up for $10. If you're fortunate enough to borrow a tacoma they have some really nice tie-down points that are located in the front of the bed. Damn, I miss my tacoma...
Sorry for the low quality camera phone stuff, just what was handy.
tacomas are the best trucks in the world. i love mine.
and +1 to the two tiedown method. you can leave the bed open if the bike is too long, it aint going anywhere.
i dodged a phsycho on the beltway that pulled out right in front of me at 70mph like that, had to swirve into the next lane, then back, REALLY hard. bike went nowhere. scared the shaZam! outa me tho
the new ford ranger has hookes inside the bed and the bed liner leaves them exposed. you can use the ratchet straps on all four sides. and you can still have a truck box in the back and fit the gs500 and it is secured perfect just crank the straps down so the suspension is cranked down aswell and the bike will not budge .
(http://www.jjvphotography.com/moto/gs500night/loadedinfordnight.jpg)
CELLPHONE PICS, so don't expect superb quality. rotfl
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Ok guys, thanks for the advice... It is until now that I was able to read the extra information... but I already brought the bike back :icon_rolleyes:
In all, it was a success :thumb: Here is the bike already on the small truck (click to enlarge):
(http://s3dl.com/imagehost/timages/rgh1168843466l.jpg) (http://s3dl.com/imagehost/ver.php?id=rgh1168843466l.jpg)
I bought some really nice straps (and pricey) along with some protector-type straps for faired bikes (finger got on the way of the pic, lmao):
(http://s3dl.com/imagehost/timages/cqs1168843735i.jpg) (http://s3dl.com/imagehost/ver.php?id=cqs1168843735i.jpg) (http://s3dl.com/imagehost/timages/opt1168843783o.jpg) (http://s3dl.com/imagehost/ver.php?id=opt1168843783o.jpg) (http://s3dl.com/imagehost/timages/viu1168843806j.jpg) (http://s3dl.com/imagehost/ver.php?id=viu1168843806j.jpg)
And here's the finished product from another angle:
(http://s3dl.com/imagehost/timages/jdv1168843871k.jpg) (http://s3dl.com/imagehost/ver.php?id=jdv1168843871k.jpg)
So there, it was great. Very stable setup with just two straps. I tried to compress the forks a bit... equally. Then, I secured the ramp (borrowed it from the now local bike mechanic, lols awesome guy), secured the backpack to the ramp, and drove for about 3 and a half hours from Reno NV to Chico CA (395 north and 70 west).
I was a little worried about the great amount of curves I would be facing on 70, but after 2 hours or so, I stopped, inspected the straps, tried to move the bike, took off again and I almost forgot I was hauling a bike.
Well, I got my first time out of the way :thumb: (I'm still waiting to taste the asphalt). Thanks all for the suggestions.