Transporting an 1100g in a 6' pickup bed

[Joe Garfield]

I don't have room for a trailer and own a 2015 Frontier, so I was thinking about getting setup to haul the bike in the back of my truck. If I could load my bike myself, I'd take the bike to more places and would be able to drop off my truck for service, etc.

The internet's a dangerous thing and I read about tailgate failures. Does anyone have experience or knowledge to share about hauling bikes? I've done it once or twice with a different bike in different truck but I don't want to find out the hard way I was lucky.

The 1100g is ~550lbs, I weigh 180lbs, and the wheel would probably end up half on the tailgate and half on the bed. I can dream up all kinds of crap to support the rear wheel but wanted to hear and/or see your experience.

Thanks,

 

[cowboyup3371]

It will be easier to load/unload/haul using a small trailer in my opinion

 

[Gorminrider]

Blue-sky but How about: attach the bike to a pallet. Drag the pallet into the truck. A "pallet" opens up a lot of design opportunities but the main thing is, with the centre of gravity well inside the pickup box, a wheel "over" the tailgate won't matter because the tailgate won't be supporting it- the pallet will.

Dragging the pallet into the truck is a single-handed idea...winch, come-along, block and tackle but the interesting bit will be dealing with the last foot, where the come-along is...so, route the hauling part through a snatch block so you can get the pallet all the way in.

 

[thebusdweller]

I've seen lots of damage done loading and unloading bikes. I personally wouldn't try it alone, just in case. Tom

 

[Ray916MN]

I wouldn't worry about it. Hauled a 420 lb. bike in a 2015 crew cab Frontier from Texas to Minnesota after a young lady totaled my Titan in San Antonio when I went to the MotoGP in Austin in April. Not a problem, or a sign of problem and the rear tire sat on the tailgate the entire trip. Hauled a Ninja 1000 and Multistrada back and forth from MN to VT this summer with the rear tires of both bikes sitting on the tailgate (easily 500+ lbs sitting on the tailgate) of a Titan the entire trip without a problem or sign of a problem. Been hauling bikes this was for decades without a problem.

I load and unload bikes all the time alone and I'm a small guy. Titan 4x4 or F250 4x4 never a problem. Practice makes perfect. Have a trailer which fits up to 6 bikes, but never use it, unless I need to haul more than 2 bikes.

 

[thebusdweller]

I wouldn't worry about the truck hauling the bike, I'd be concerned about him loading the bike by himself and having issues. I'm thinking that his truck sits high and the ramp would be steep. With an extra set of hands, no worries. Tom

 

[Nessism]

The loading/unloading is made much easier if you can find a ditch to backup into to lower the back of the vehicle. Saved my butt big time when transporting a bike by myself.

 

[thebusdweller]

I agree, the last time we loaded my Gs1000, the header collector got hooked on the tailgate. If I were alone, I would have dropped the bike. Tom

 

[tkent02]

I built a loading ramp in my front yard. Perfect height for the tailgate. Don't tell my wife, she just thinks it's a pretty rock wall for flowers and stuff.

 

[Joe Garfield]

I've loaded bikes by myself before - although I was dumb and loaded them with a single ramp while standing on the bumper. My plan for this one would be ramps wide enough for the bike and my feet, with straps holding it in place.

Loading a trailer is much easier - but storing it, towing it, parking it, registering it, etc. is all a PITA. I had a nice enclosed trailer and recently sold it because I got tired of dealing with it.

Regarding the crate - I was thinking of something like a wood frame, or even a 2x__ the length of the bed and tailgate to park the bike on. My gut feel is the bike will be fine once it's in the truck, but I'm not sure about ~800lbs riding across the tailgate.

I didn't think about any of this the last times - I hauled a Triumph Sprint (450lb) from VT to OH, and hauled my 650L (460lb) a couple of times in the back of a Ranger. It was easy and fun when I wasn't thinking about breaking **** or killing myself

 

[Vmass]

As Ed said, a ditch or a slope you can back up to will be your best friend, it definitely makes loading much easier. All you will need is 4 good straps, and a good ramp. I have one of these: http://www.cabelas.com/product/Yutr...gclid=CLOw0bnqwM4CFYMehgodX-8LnQ&gclsrc=aw.ds

My ramp has two chains that wrap around the tailgate cables, keeping the ramp in place as you WALK up the bike. Crank the front wheel against the front of the bed. Back straps to keep it from bouncing.

With that said, nothing beats an enclosed trailer if you have the space to store it. I have a 6 x 10 that I have had for many years. So easy to use and comes in handy all the time! And don't forget that it can double as a two bike garage!

 

[Ray916MN]

To load bikes in my trucks, I use 2 folding arched ramps (~7' long). One for the bike, one to walk on. They have straps to keep them hooked to the tailgate. Proper ramps, a ditch or hillside, make it easier, but the thing that really makes it easy for me is using the motor to power the bike up the ramp while walking next to it. Don't be afraid to fan the clutch, the worst thing you can do is stall the bike. When you don't have to push when loading, balancing the bike is a cinch. I use to mount chock in the truck bed, but have gone to using roll in chocks. Makes it easier to tie the bike down and reduces the amount of tension needed to tie a bike down properly. I've got a number of roll in chocks including Condor and Baxley chocks and have found the ones that look like this to work very well and can be purchased for $60.

 

[Gorminrider]

I've loaded bikes by myself before - although I was dumb and loaded them with a single ramp while standing on the bumper. My plan for this one would be ramps wide enough for the bike and my feet, with straps holding it in place.

Loading a trailer is much easier - but storing it, towing it, parking it, registering it, etc. is all a PITA. I had a nice enclosed trailer and recently sold it because I got tired of dealing with it.

Regarding the crate - I was thinking of something like a wood frame, or even a 2x__ the length of the bed and tailgate to park the bike on. My gut feel is the bike will be fine once it's in the truck, but I'm not sure about ~800lbs riding across the tailgate.

I didn't think about any of this the last times - I hauled a Triumph Sprint (450lb) from VT to OH, and hauled my 650L (460lb) a couple of times in the back of a Ranger. It was easy and fun when I wasn't thinking about breaking **** or killing myself

yes. I agree. I've loaded a few bikes into pickups but I wouldn't do it alone without a contrivance or a helpful slope (which is seldom conveneniently available) or some very long ramps. I would like to have cleats or something nonskid on the ramp I walk up with the bike. Most will think this overkill but I have a good imagination and a respect for Murphy's law....
Tailgates have always been ok so far but if your tailgate is weak, or you fear for it, why can't you take the tailgate off and replace with a cargo-net for the times you are moving the bike? as to frames......It's true that having the bike on a cradle or pallet is going to load the tailgate entirely as the bike is tipped into the box from the ramp..while rolling the bike in is never going to load the tailgate with the entire weight. Still, I like the idea for heavy loads. Many heavy loads are moved on pallets.

 

[Guest]

You could look for something like this in your area. http://daytona.craigslist.org/mcy/5714447067.html

 

[gbw]

I've been thinking of picking up a pair of these: http://www.discountramps.com/tailgate-support/p/TAILGATE-SUPPORT/

I've heard the stock tailgate supports can snap and that would suck if it happened while you were loading or unloading. Guess it would suck if you were going down the road too, but maybe the bike would stay in the bed if it was tied down well.

 

[Buffalo Bill]

I think if you just had one friend to help, you'd be ok.
Me, I bought this just for bikes and it's way easier, plus I use it for hauling lumber, sheetrock, whatever :

 

[thebusdweller]

Nice looking rig, Bill!

 

[Dogma]

Jim (who bought that Triumph) decided to rent a trailer, after years of owning one. He was downsizing his living situation, and didn't want to keep, store, register, etc. anymore for the one or two uses per year.

I wouldn't want to load/unload a bike into your truck by myself, because of height. Well, your yard presents some opportunities to help with that, IIRC. If you have Missouri in mind, I don't remember any convenient embankments at the hotel, though there will be willing help if you have good ramps.

I just remembered my tow vehicle needs an oil change and leak assessment. *sigh*. Something else to get done this week. I'd offer you a spot on my trailer, but I've seen 2 bikes on a Harbor Freight trailer, and it scared me, the way it creaked and flexed.

 

[Gorminrider]

...of course, just putting a sheet of thick plywood in the truck-bed would keep the load off the tailgate...

I Don't know where the wheel wells are in this PU, but is there any chance of loading it in diagonally? ie: onto a narrow plywood pallet and then turned.

 

[Joe Garfield]

Actually Jim's Triumph is what drove in the back of my truck from VT to OH. And diagonal is what I did - I might have been able to even shut the gate with that one, can't remember.

I am/was thinking about a HF trailer - is it working out OK? If the dedicated single bike trailers weren't $1000+ it would be an easier decision.

I try a set of ramps and see what I think.