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 bamaTrider |
BamaT's motorcycle ramp for trucks. |
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HSATF 1st Officer
Posts: 3889 05/07/06 6:32 AM |
Here is a link to the fold-up ramp that everyone admired at Eureka Springs. They (USA Ramps) have many models to choose from.
www.usaramp.com/products/saferamps.shtml#a9 I have the 7' all steel version. Stan 1999 Ace Tourer (Silver over Black)
2000 Ace Tourer (Black & Chrome) 2000 Suzuki Marauder VZ800 (Custom) |
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hombldr |
Re: BamaT's motorcycle ramp for trucks. | #1 | ||
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Posts: 1898 05/07/06 3:55 PM First Officer |
I watched him load up Hi-Yo Silver with it and it worked great even being wet as a fish in its element.
Lou |
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mktobob |
Re: BamaT's motorcycle ramp for trucks. | #2 | ||
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Posts: 2311 05/07/06 4:00 PM
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Thanks for the link Stan. I admired the system and was glad to read about it. Dragging a trailer can be a pain. I bet you don't see much of a mpg drop with this system do you? Bob
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alepel |
Re: BamaT's motorcycle ramp for trucks. | #3 | ||
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Posts: 8085 05/07/06 7:28 PM
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Thanks for the link Stan. It really surprised me when you told me the ramp was connected to your truck at the trailer hitch. My only concern with the set up is that it works with a pick up truck. I just sold my pick up and went with the SUV so it seems I am stuck with the trailer set up. While I was with Lou at his home he showed me his small trailer which we believe is a Harbor Freight style.
Lou's trailer is quite reasonable for my purchasing price and what I particularly liked about it is that it has grease fittings for the bearings. The bearings seemed to be a concern of most people and this design feature (grease fittings) played into my acceptance of this model for my purposes. Alain |
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bamaTrider |
Re: BamaT's motorcycle ramp for trucks. | #4 | ||
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HSATF 1st Officer
Posts: 3889 05/07/06 7:31 PM |
Bob, I averaged about 13-14 mpg pulling an open trailer on my last trip vs. 17.5 mpg hauling the bike on this one. Not bad concidering the truck gets 19 mpg empty on the Interstate to work, which is mostly flat. Going thru all those small towns, up steep hills, and sharp curves between Little Rock and ES probably cut into a portion of that mileage somewhat.
The big plus was that I did'nt have to worry about manuevering a trailer around those sharp curves and narrow roads. And , the truck rode smoother with the extra weight on it, which BTW means the bike rode smoother also. Hopefully, by this time next year I will have an extended cab truck and won't have to fool with the overhead luggage box. It worked great but created a lot of wind noise in the cab. That noise tends to wear on you after a few hours. When only hauling one bike, this is definately the way to go for me. The only draw back to one of these is the price. I think they are a little overpriced, when compared to a trailer that can be used to haul other things that you just don't care to put in the back of your truck. I guess the ultimate set-up on hauling 2 bikes would be a small 4 x 8 trailer for one bike and the ramp for the other. That way you would still have good manueverability using a narrower trailer while being able to haul 2 bikes. Stan 1999 Ace Tourer (Silver over Black)
2000 Ace Tourer (Black & Chrome) 2000 Suzuki Marauder VZ800 (Custom) |
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mktobob |
Re: BamaT's motorcycle ramp for trucks. | #5 | ||
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Posts: 2311 05/07/06 11:04 PM
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I sure did like that setup of yours and the mpg performance is impressive.
I like my trailer but it is a bit wide for the narrow roads and no shoulders in MO and AR. I went with that style so I could haul both bikes and still have a rig where I could haul my garden tractor and other related equipment. Like we discussed before, us Northern folks don't have as many trailers as you folks down south. I feel left out with only three. Bob |
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