I've read the other threads and followed Pablo's links but am unclear about one thing:

It seems that people are assuming a ramp.  Buy a ramp or make one?  How does the ramp secure to the truck?  Ride the bike up the ramp or push it?  What angle of incline?  How thick if its made from wood?  Does the ramp need legs to support it?  How wide is necessary?

Thanks,

Trev

I use a ramp kit bought at Wal-Mart.  You have to use your own boards.  The kit only comes with rubber ends for the bottom end of the boards, metal lips for the top end, and non-slip metal grates that get nailed to the boards.  The kit is made for 8" wide wood.  I bought a 10' treated 2x8 and cut it in half.

Push the bike up the ramps unless you have some way of securing the ramps to the truck so you don't shoot the ramp out from under yourself with too much throttle.  

You could also buy a metal ramp that is almost as wide as the tuck's tailgate, but they are well over $100 where I live.  

The taller the truck, the longer ramp that is necessary.  I have a Nissan pickup and the 5' ramp is good.  For a full-sized truck, you would probably need 6'.  If you go with wood, use boards without any knots in them.  Knots make the wood much weaker.

Also, if you can back the truck to some kind of depression, it will lower the angle of entry to the bed.  I have a shallow ditch in my front yard that is always dry, so I can almost load it without the ramps at all.  I can load my 4-wheeler without them.

Hey thanks!  Walmart rules, doesn't it?

Trev

I just use an 8' 2x8 and push her up with someone waiting on the truck

I just back the truck up behind a hill so its level w/ the bed and roll it out.
Good solution assuming you have a lil hill handy.

when I baught my bike we used a 5"x5' board, and my Toyota is slightly lifted so it was very hard,  threee ppl and still a pain, thought I was gonna loose her
I would suggest a 6" board at elast, unless you have a 2wd smaller truck like a Yoda or nissan.

Geez, with all of this talk about motorcycles ridin' around in the back of pick-ups, I thought for a second there that I had inadvertently stumbled into some kind of Harley forum.

Quote from: Delta88Geez, with all of this talk about motorcycles ridin' around in the back of pick-ups, I thought for a second there that I had inadvertently stumbled into some kind of Harley forum.

The difference is that we usually only put GSs in the truck when they're broken; Harleys are in the truck all the time.

Oh wait...  Now I get it

Trev

My GS's first trip from the dealer was in a trailer. My parents wouldnt let me ride it an hour and a half from the dealership to my house. It was the hardest hour and a half of my life. so depressing.

Whenever my bike sees a truck or trailor, I remove the mirrors and stuff like that. sometimes i even cover it to reduce drag. but im an engineering student (read: geek)

QuoteMoment of Zen: Id rather be fondled by Arnie, than bent over by Davis...
Classic line

yeah, if arnold can fondle only 2 more, he'll be a honorary priest :mrgreen: