I'd like to be able to haul my T in the bed of my pickup, but have a couple of concerns/questions. The plan is to ride it up on ramps and use ratchet
tie-downs on the handle bars and saddle bag rails. I'll have to leave the tailgate down and the rear tire would ride on the last 3-4 inches of the tailgate
section closest to the bed. Any idea if the weight on that part of the tailgate would cause it to buckle? (even slightly would not be a good thing). According
to Toyota, the tie-down cleats bolted to the side of the bed have a 220-lb rating. Unfortunately, they couldn't (or wouldn't) answer my question about
the tailgate. I'll be hauling it about 600 miles, with 400 of it in the mountains.
Does any one do this? Anything to watch out for?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance!
Winger
Hauling a 'T' in a pickup.
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 WingerNC |
Hauling a 'T' in a pickup. |
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HSATF Tail Gunner
Posts: 68 09/28/07 5:06 PM Tail Gunner |
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dukey33 |
#1 | |||
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HSATF 1st Officer
Posts: 755 09/28/07 7:38 PM |
The back tire sitting on the tailgate should be no problem. Every bike I've hauled had to be this way in my 85 Toyota (btw, 240k miles, still going
strong). And the factory corner cleats have never failed me (although in my old truck they are welded in).
-Don't use the sidestand. Keep the bike upright and centered to make it easy to strap in. Use a motorcycle wheel chock if you have one. However, if you put the bike in at an angle you may be able to close the tailgate. -Try to keep the tiedowns closer to the triple tree in the front. If you pull too hard on the handlebars, they could get bent. -Tie downs on the factory saddlebag guards should be fine. They are rather stout. -Sit on the bike while tightening down the straps. Else the straps can become loose when the suspension compresses. -Riding it up into the truck can be quite the experience if you've never done anything like that before. Consider pushing it up. -DO NOT try to unload the bike by yourself.
duke
loud horns save lives |
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West Tn Dawg |
#2 | |||
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Posts: 1613 09/28/07 9:17 PM
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Be SURE you secure the ramps!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I didn't and was lucky! It kicked the ramp out and the back wheel fell off the tailgate. I was able to keep it
from falling over. I was lucky to have my cell phone and called my Buddy. He came from about 7 miles away and helped me get it back out of the truck. It could
have fallen clean out of the truck and on top of me! As Duke said, the tailgate will not be a problem!
BE CAREFUL LOADING AND UNLOADING!!!!!!!!!!! Rick
The "BIKE" is why we came, The "PEOPLE" is why we stay!
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rod rounds |
#3 | |||
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HSATF Tail Gunner
Posts: 185 09/28/07 11:54 PM |
i have a Ford Ranger and i have put my T in it twice, but i backed my truck into a small ditch and just road my bike straigh in. Works like a champ, no ramps
needed. Go find you a ditch !
ROD
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danbgt |
#4 | |||
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HSATF 1st Officer
Posts: 1983 09/29/07 10:14 AM |
Don't strap down the front by the handlebars. Loop around the bottom of the risers. Where the rises meet the top of the triple tree.
-Dan |
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Triderhouston |
#5 | |||
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Posts: 233 09/29/07 11:36 AM |
rod rounds wrote: I have done that with one of my old bikes to get it loaded . But I did run into a little bit of a problem when I got where I was going and there was not a suitable ditch anywhere in sight to unload the bike . I had forgotten to load the ramp after getting the bike loaded and had no way to unload the bike . Lucky for me there was another guy who brought his ramp and helped me unload the bike , or I would have spent the weekend watching everyone else ride . I have never tried to put the T into the back of my truck , and really don't plan to . I have a bigger truck now and the T is a bigger bike than I want to try to get up a ramp that tall . I am considering a trailer for when we need to take the bike somewhere far off . I have looked at the Kendon trailers and really like the looks of them , so I might go with one of them . Or , I might get bored over the winter and just build one the way I want it . Bag Rails Needed!!!!!!!!!!! |
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alepel |
#6 | |||
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Posts: 8239 09/29/07 1:05 PM
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I use to own a Ranger and have transported by Honda VT800 in the back of it. It was piece of cake. I have not transported my Tourer however and I do not know
that I ever would. Trailering seems best to me.
But some thoughts on Pick-ups that I have are this. When I brought my VT800 home in the Ranger it too was too long. So I put a 2 X 12 X 8 on the floor of the bed and rode the bike onto it. The board reached out over the tail gate and distributed the weight of the bike across the board. If you do decide to haul the bike in the back of the Pick-up there are quite a few places that will accommodate your loading and unloading. My first pick would be a freight terminal. I'm certain that they would let you unload the bike and drive it out of the terminal. Someone once suggested using the loading ramp of a hospital once. (?) Don't know about that one. But there are a lot of places with loading and unloading ramps that would let you get your bike on and off. In fact I know of a lot of bike dealers who have ramps. A lot of shops that repair lawn mowers, yard equipment, snow mobiles (thats a really good one), all have ramps for loading and unloading machinery in and out of pick-ups. Once you really start to put your mind to it I'm certain that you can think of more. Oh and by the way, tieing down my VT800 (500 lbs) with just two straps on the risers was all that I needed to secure the bike. It wasn't going anywhere. alepel |
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mtn hiker biker |
#7 | |||
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HSATF Tail Gunner
Posts: 116 09/29/07 1:17 PM |
if you did use the hospital loading ramp and something happened, at least you wouldn't need to ride in an ambulance to get medical attention...
craig (mountain hiker/biker) |
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danbgt |
#8 | |||
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HSATF 1st Officer
Posts: 1983 09/29/07 3:55 PM |
I love my Kendon Trailer.
I even hauled the Ded Dragon back from Alabama on it. -Dan |
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Triderhouston |
#9 | |||
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Posts: 233 09/29/07 4:07 PM |
danbgt wrote: I have seen the pics of your trailer and read a few posts of yours about the trailer and that is part of the reason I am looking at them . I did a Google search for Kendon trailers in Houston to try to find a local dealer to be able to go and check them out and one of the top returns was this  http://hondashadowacetourer.yuku.com/topic/2308/t/Kendon-Trailers.html . It was
like the fourth or fifth link down from the top when entering " Kendon Houston " into Google .
Bag Rails Needed!!!!!!!!!!! |
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danbgt |
#10 | |||
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HSATF 1st Officer
Posts: 1983 09/30/07 7:28 AM |
Cool!!
-Dan |
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bamaTrider |
#11 | |||
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HSATF 1st Officer
Posts: 4012 09/30/07 10:39 PM |
Buy yourself a pair or set of cinch straps. These are made of the same material as the tie down straps, except that they are about 1 ft in length and have sewn
in loops at both ends. You loop one end around the lower fork brace and back into itself. The you put the metal hook of you tie downs in the remaining loop.
This prevents the metal hook from accidentally marring the bikes finish. An old pair of cotton athletic socks with the toe cut out works great to prevent the
tie down strap from rubbing the paint.
If you're ever planning to buy another truck in the future, then this is the best set up. You get better mileage, anyone can drive it, and better ride. 
Stan
"We are different - yet we are the
same"
2004 GL1800 Goldwing (Titanium) 1999 Ace Tourer (Silver over Black)
Last Edited By: bamaTrider 09/30/07 10:49 PM.
Edited 1 time.
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Skip MMShadowT |
#12 | |||
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Posts: 5751 09/30/07 11:11 PM
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Hello Stan. Good to see you back on the keys.
"We want to be free... Free to ride our machines without being hassled by the man!" |
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WingerNC |
#13 | |||
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HSATF Tail Gunner
Posts: 68 10/01/07 4:15 PM Tail Gunner |
Thanks for the input everyone... it's been a great help!
Nice setup Stan - that's the kind I'm looking for. Where'd ya get that ramp? |
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West Tn Dawg |
#14 | |||
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Posts: 1613 10/01/07 10:18 PM
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The "BIKE" is why we came, The "PEOPLE" is why we stay!
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bamaTrider |
#15 | |||
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HSATF 1st Officer
Posts: 4012 10/02/07 12:12 AM |
Winger, I lucked up on mine used for $100 because it was missing the receiver connector. It's made by USA Ramps and there is a warehouse located locally.
They donated an imperfect receiver mount that was returned (great bunch of folks). Mine is the older R7W model meaning it is 7' long. If I were to buy a
new one, I'd buy the R8W model in aluminum. On taller trucks like 4wd or full sized, some bikes like my Wing drags slightly at the tailgate area when
parked on an even level surface with the 7 ft model. The extra foot in length would eliminate that. When I pull a trailer I get around 14 mpg on my 2002
Silverado 5.3, vs. 17 mpg when hauling the bike in the bed. The truck not only rides smoother with the bike in the bed, the bike rides a lot smoother also. If
you decide that you need to haul one bike and pull a trailer, then there is an optional receiver ball mount adapter that you can add for that purpose. Someone
mentioned putting the bike in the bed at an angle would allow you to shut the tailgate. That is not rue on a bagger because of the the bags width. Here is a
link to the source for these; http://www.discountramps.com/truck-motorcycle-ramp.htm
Stan
"We are different - yet we are the
same"
2004 GL1800 Goldwing (Titanium) 1999 Ace Tourer (Silver over Black) |
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ngmcbiker |
#16 | |||
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HSATF Tail Gunner
Posts: 140 10/02/07 2:38 PM |
danbgt wrote: Dan's comment is dead on. You MUST compress the front forks and rear shocks or it will move and dump in the bed. Since the handle bars do not normally handle the weight of the bike (don't forget if you compress the forks the entire force of the compression is on the straps) you really don't want to use them to compress the forks. Also, make sure the straps go straight down, no rubbing or parts will lose paint or bend. |
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Triderhouston |
#17 | |||
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Posts: 233 10/03/07 8:49 AM |
Stan , the ramp like yours would be great for loading the T and still allow for hauling a camper . I really like that better than the Kendon trailer option . I
think with my truck I could also load the bike and have room to close the tailgate . Mine has an 8ft bed on it . I wonder if there is a dealer for them around
here somewhere .
Bag Rails Needed!!!!!!!!!!! |
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fedspaz |
#18 | |||
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Posts: 668 10/03/07 3:10 PM
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what the hell??? when did this turn into a Harley forum? haul your bike in a pickup... go hang your head in shame.
Keep your knees in the breeze!
-Kirk |
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Triderhouston |
#19 | |||
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Posts: 233 10/03/07 3:21 PM |
If there is ever going to be a time when I get my wife AND my T to all of the fun roads in the US it will involve my bike being in the back of the truck to get
there . It is really just too long of a ride from here to the Pacific Northwest to ride the T up there with my wife on the back . Same thing with New England ,
upstate New York , Tennessee , and many many other really nice places I would like to ride . Really , for us I would rather haul the bike to any ride over a
few hundred miles away than have to ride there with my wife . She is a great woman , but she is a better companion when she has A/C and a full seat under her
for long rides like that . I can ride several hundred miles per day myself with no problem , but it is more likely that I would get to go more places with the
bike by hauling the bike to those places . If all you ride is locally then I agree , there is no need to trailer or haul the bike , but for more extensive
travels I vote for hauling the bike . Unless you have a setup like Dan's where your wife can just climb on and go to sleep . That is usually what my wife
does in the truck anyway .
Bag Rails Needed!!!!!!!!!!! |
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alepel |
#20 | |||
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Posts: 8239 10/03/07 4:48 PM
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Trider.....you're not alone in your thinking. In fact most of us are in the same age bracket and you'll hear more and more talk like this as time
marches on.
alepel |
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