Loading a motorcycle in an 8'
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Loading a motorcycle in an 8'
Since I am a gentleman "biker" I've decided to buy an F-150, to haul it those places that are too onerous to ride. Any and all suggestions about loading it (and, of course un-loading it) onto the truck-bed will be appreciated. Thanks!
Junior User
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 77
Likes: 1
From: Dayton, Ohio
Loading a motorcycle in an 8'
I suppose it depends on your size of motorcycle and whether you ride uni-cycles on a suspended wire for a living. I ride a 1500cc Goldwing and you couldn't make a ramp that would fit in the bed that I would attempt to ride my bike up into the truck bed. The angle is just too steep with an 8 foot ramp. Now if you could design a folding ramp that is 12 feet long and 4 feet wide that can support 2,000lbs, I might consider it. Some of these youngsters with lightweight dirt bikes and 2 feet of suspension travel, may actually make their bike climb in the bed without any ramp at all! I suspect that you are probably more like myself and are neither young nor ride a dirt bike. If you can find an elevated surface to place your ramps on, a couple of the folding ramps placed side-by-side might get the job done. You can almost find a street-to-sidewalk step to work from, but that is still to steep for me. In my opinion, you want at least 1/2 the height of the bed for a step and use the ramps for the second 1/2. Width should be wide enough to put your feet down and stabilize the bike as you "walk" it up under power. I have done this with a Silverwing that was 500cc.
New User
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 9
Likes: 0
From: USA
Loading a motorcycle in an 8'
You may not need this information any more as your riding season may be over depending on where you live...
I own 2 motorcycles and a '97 F150 4x4. I have an 8' long 2x12 board with a 12" ramp-end bolted onto the end of it. I got the ramp-end from Farm & Fleet. They come in packages of 2 since they are usually used for loading a tractor into a truck.
When I want to load one of the bikes into the truck, I back my truck up against the curb so the truck is perpendicular to the curb. Since the street is slightly sloped and with the height of the curb, the tailgate ends up being only about a foot off the ground. With the ramp, I can pretty easily walk the bike up into the truck with my brother there to help me steady it.
If you have a big bike, you may want a friend or 2 to help you push and to keep the bike from leaning. My bikes are both 650cc bikes and neither weigh over 500 lbs.
Also, use good tie-downs (I think Ancra are the best that I've found) and the tie-down extensions are always good to use. You don't want the tie-downs rubbing against any paint on your bike. The Ancras cost more but they're worth it.
Good luck!
Denise
I own 2 motorcycles and a '97 F150 4x4. I have an 8' long 2x12 board with a 12" ramp-end bolted onto the end of it. I got the ramp-end from Farm & Fleet. They come in packages of 2 since they are usually used for loading a tractor into a truck.
When I want to load one of the bikes into the truck, I back my truck up against the curb so the truck is perpendicular to the curb. Since the street is slightly sloped and with the height of the curb, the tailgate ends up being only about a foot off the ground. With the ramp, I can pretty easily walk the bike up into the truck with my brother there to help me steady it.
If you have a big bike, you may want a friend or 2 to help you push and to keep the bike from leaning. My bikes are both 650cc bikes and neither weigh over 500 lbs.
Also, use good tie-downs (I think Ancra are the best that I've found) and the tie-down extensions are always good to use. You don't want the tie-downs rubbing against any paint on your bike. The Ancras cost more but they're worth it.
Good luck!
Denise
