HALP!! Loading bike into the back of a budget truck

[csmith12]

Hey @choneofakind, remember when I tied my little pit bike to the side of the uhaul when we did mid-o?

Tell em what I found when I opened my rental enclosed trailer with those same crappy wooden rails. FTL

[choneofakind]

Oh yeah those tie downs on the sides of the trailer/truck are pretty much garbage.

The rails on the wall came loose when Chris was driving. The 250 fell onto the R6 IIRC and cracked the tail light and left a scuff on the 250. We also managed to dump the pit bike's entire gas tank in the trailer when we were loading it back up. Chris said something along the lines of, "Good thing no one saw that..."

I don't really trust UHaul equipment. Ask @Kevin2109 and Gurk how they feel about UHaul. I vote you make/buy a legit crate, or have a friend ride it, or tow the trailer with the uhaul van or something like that.

[csmith12]

We didn't dump the pit bikes gas & oil. It was also tied to the side. It fell completely over during transit, we just picked it up and cleaned up the mess. hahahahahhahaha

Good times.....

[choneofakind]

[YORCHI]

Latest update, we have two spare pallets in our warehouse that I'm going to screw a 4x8 piece of plywood on top and use that to put the bike on top of. I'll attach the straps to the corners of the pallets and then double it up with straps from the bike to the side slats on the truck.

If it still falls over or gets damaged then I'm going to chalk it up to be God's will and not being able to stop it from happening at all lol

[LoD575]

Soon I will be in a similar situation relocating the family across the US. I have been wondering how to transport the ninjette and think building a separate bracing system will be the best option.

Will probably buy a sheet of OSB for a base then anchor 4-6 dring attachment points and a wheel chock for the front tire.

[YORCHI]

Originally Posted by LoD575

Soon I will be in a similar situation relocating the family across the US. I have been wondering how to transport the ninjette and think building a separate bracing system will be the best option.

Will probably buy a sheet of OSB for a base then anchor 4-6 dring attachment points and a wheel chock for the front tire.

I'll try and take as many pictures as I can and be as detailed with my information as possible. If it works for me then I'll let you know how it all went and maybe it'll be something you can do as well. I've gotten stories and suggestions from everybody so far that range from just packing it between everything else and not worrying about it because it worked out fine to not tying it to anything because the tie downs came loose or the anchor points broke. Ideally, building a shipping crate for it and assembling it once the bike is on the base and tied down does appear to the best idea of all. I wish I could pull it off but I can't so I'm going with what I think is my next best option.

When do you move? I'm moving from Sacramento to Ontario on April 6th and if my system works and if you're in the area you can swing by and pick it up to use yourself.

[LoD575]

I won't be moving until late mid to late June. Moving from eastern New Mexico to southern Georgia which is a 1,400 mile one way trip.

I have been keeping an eye on this thread and seen the suggestions. I figured OSB base with probably 6 dring attachment points and a front wheel chock will be a solid method of transportation.

I don't think its any different then anchoring to a trailer.

Keep us posted on how the process goes.

[csmith12]

Originally Posted by YORCHI

When do you move? I'm moving from Sacramento to Ontario on April 6th and if my system works and if you're in the area you can swing by and pick it up to use yourself.

[ChaoSS]

Originally Posted by YORCHI

Latest update, we have two spare pallets in our warehouse that I'm going to screw a 4x8 piece of plywood on top and use that to put the bike on top of. I'll attach the straps to the corners of the pallets and then double it up with straps from the bike to the side slats on the truck.

If it still falls over or gets damaged then I'm going to chalk it up to be God's will and not being able to stop it from happening at all lol

That will serve you well, like I said, it couldn't hurt to pack a few things on top of the pallets to help keep it from falling over.


BTW, since you are using pallets (a great choice, just not everyone has easy access or knows where to buy them) you could make sure you screw them together the correct way so that you can put some 2x4s through them, perpendicular to the bike, with stuff stacked on those, that will make damn sure nothing goes anywhere.

[ChaoSS]

Originally Posted by LoD575

Soon I will be in a similar situation relocating the family across the US. I have been wondering how to transport the ninjette and think building a separate bracing system will be the best option.

Will probably buy a sheet of OSB for a base then anchor 4-6 dring attachment points and a wheel chock for the front tire.

I'm sure you will, just remember, the osb isn't strong enough by itself, it needs some sort of frame built on or under it.

[REDCOMET]

Is there any way that you can ride it or have a friend ride it for you? cause all this sound crazy.

[YORCHI]

Originally Posted by REDCOMET

Is there any way that you can ride it or have a friend ride it for you? cause all this sound crazy.

It's a 6-8 hour ride depending on traffic and how much you stop. The first hour is in the city and major metro area and then it's nothing but flat freeway with nothing around you except cows, orchards, and creepy gas stations. Then the final 2 hours start with a climb up the grapevine which is a pretty steep climb going south on the 5 and then it's southern California traffic through busy freeways depending on what time you arrive. I don't know anyone who'd be willing to do that just because and I wouldn't want to do it myself. I'd rather drive down PCH and make it an entire day or two but I won't do it just driving down the 5.

You might of missed the first post though, I'm in the Marines and getting out so that's why we're moving back to LA from Sac. I get paid to move all of my stuff so I'd be making money for everything I move myself. If I really wanted to do this as stress free as possible and not worry about how much it cost I would fly my family down first and fly my brothers up to help me drive everything down. Or I could have the military movers pack and move everything for me including my motorcycle and I'd only have to drive myself and my family down. But then I'd be losing out on at least 4k dollars.

[LoD575]

Originally Posted by ChaoSS

Ok. Let's do this nice and simple. Go down to lowes, buy 3 8 foot 2x4s, and one piece of osb board, 4x8. If you need to, buy a 10 dollar hand saw and have them cut one of the 2x4s down to size so you can build the frame. A 2x4 tends to be about 1 3/4 inches, so you would want them to cut it to 44.5 inches. (2 pieces)

Nail the thing together, just a simple frame on the bottom of the osb board, screw in the eyebolts, and tie it to the frame. I wouldn't worry about it sliding, but you can have stuff around it to block it in. If you are still worried about it (I wouldn't worry about it, just drive conservatively) you can put some stuff on the empty parts of your base to help weigh it down.

This is going to be my game plan unless I can get a trailer.

[REDCOMET]

Originally Posted by YORCHI

It's a 6-8 hour ride depending on traffic and how much you stop. The first hour is in the city and major metro area and then it's nothing but flat freeway with nothing around you except cows, orchards, and creepy gas stations. Then the final 2 hours start with a climb up the grapevine which is a pretty steep climb going south on the 5 and then it's southern California traffic through busy freeways depending on what time you arrive. I don't know anyone who'd be willing to do that just because and I wouldn't want to do it myself. I'd rather drive down PCH and make it an entire day or two but I won't do it just driving down the 5.

You might of missed the first post though, I'm in the Marines and getting out so that's why we're moving back to LA from Sac. I get paid to move all of my stuff so I'd be making money for everything I move myself. If I really wanted to do this as stress free as possible and not worry about how much it cost I would fly my family down first and fly my brothers up to help me drive everything down. Or I could have the military movers pack and move everything for me including my motorcycle and I'd only have to drive myself and my family down. But then I'd be losing out on at least 4k dollars.

that is one heck of a situation you got. however you go about doing it be safe and good luck. hope noting gets damaged.

[Motofool]

Originally Posted by YORCHI

.........Then the final 2 hours start with a climb up the grapevine which is a pretty steep climb going south on the 5...........

Then, you will need to anchor or tie that pallet to the truck.

[ChaoSS]

Originally Posted by Motofool

Then, you will need to anchor or tie that pallet to the truck.

No, the pallet will be fine, unless he tries to get crazy. Even if it slides a little bit, the only thing that would be a problem would be if the whole thing tipped over, and that's only going to happen if he goes crazy around the curves.



Drive it like a big truck, when the speed limit drops to 35 for the big rigs, drive 35 and keep it in the slow lane. You want to keep it slow anyway, in a truck that size, with an automatic transmission, and a trailer, you want to keep it slow down that hill and avoid using your brakes as much as possible.

[csmith12]

KISS my friends.... Use some scrap 2x4s to keep it from sliding more than a few inches. A few small tack nails will keep the boards in place and budget shouldn't care about that.

[YORCHI]

Yea the climb is worrying me as well because it climbs quickly. When you're coming north on the 5 it's a long slow climb with a rapid decline once you get to the actual pass. It's the opposite coming from the north to the south with a really fast climb that doesn't last too long, maybe like a few miles, and then a long slow steady decline all the way to the 210 freeway. I was going to put my heaviest bins and boxes directly around the pallet and then put everything else around all that trying to spread everything out so that it fills up the entire truck without having to stack anything on top of anything else. The other thing I was thinking of was getting more ratchet tie down straps and putting them across the sides of the truck to try and put some more pressure on all the stuff and prevent it from sliding back when I hit that mountain.

I'm definitely going to pull over once I pass the summit and take a look at the inside of the truck to make sure everything is still how I packed it. I swear this is turning more into "The Oregon Trail" with everything that comes up. Before you know it I'm going to have to barter for an ox and a yolk, someones going to get diarrhea, and I'm going to have to ford a river or two...at least I'll get to hunt

[csmith12]

Pulling over to "check your load" (snicker.... ) is a wise move.

[choneofakind]

Originally Posted by csmith12

Pulling over to "check your load" (snicker.... ) is a wise move.

this makes me giggle a bit.

[Motofool]

Originally Posted by ChaoSS

No, the pallet will be fine, unless he tries to get crazy...........

It may also slide for any up hill with slope above 3 inches in one foot or 14 degrees.

And that is without any acceleration or braking or hard turning.

The coefficient of friction of wood against wood can be as low as 0.25 or 30% of the friction between rubber and wood.

There is a reason for airplanes and trailers to have floor locking mechanisms.

[YORCHI]

Originally Posted by csmith12

Pulling over to "check your load" (snicker.... ) is a wise move.

giggidy giggidy goo!

[ChaoSS]

Originally Posted by Motofool

It may also slide for any up hill with slope above 3 inches in one foot or 14 degrees.

And that is without any acceleration or braking or hard turning.

The coefficient of friction of wood against wood can be as low as 0.25 or 30% of the friction between rubber and wood.

There is a reason for airplanes and trailers to have floor locking mechanisms.

Incline is measured in percentage points, usually, and the grapevine is nowhere near a 25% incline, which is what that would be.

That being said, yes, it is bumpy enough that stuff sometimes slides. I wouldn't worry about it, what I would worry about is if he had anything stacked near the bike, the top could slide off the bottom onto the bike.


But hey, I didn't realize he was making 4 grand out of this, if he is worried about it, then he could use some 2x4s to extend the frame to the walls of the truck, which would guarantee it could not flip or slide, and he could pack on top of and around that frame.


Maybe he should buy me lunch and a bus ticket to his house and back home from LA, I'd ride it down for him. I've always wanted to take a bike up over the grapevine.

[YORCHI]

Originally Posted by ChaoSS

Incline is measured in percentage points, usually, and the grapevine is nowhere near a 25% incline, which is what that would be.

That being said, yes, it is bumpy enough that stuff sometimes slides. I wouldn't worry about it, what I would worry about is if he had anything stacked near the bike, the top could slide off the bottom onto the bike.


But hey, I didn't realize he was making 4 grand out of this, if he is worried about it, then he could use some 2x4s to extend the frame to the walls of the truck, which would guarantee it could not flip or slide, and he could pack on top of and around that frame.


Maybe he should buy me lunch and a bus ticket to his house and back home from LA, I'd ride it down for him. I've always wanted to take a bike up over the grapevine.

I should have enough room in the truck that nothing should be stacked on top of anything else and the entire floor of the truck can be filled from the front to the back. If anything does slide it shouldn't have much room to go back. I will stop just below the grapevine and give everything a good check to make sure it's still okay and then I'll stop again at the top to double check and fix anything that might of moved. After that I should be home free minus the stop and go traffic I'm sure I'll run into.

Most of all this is speculation until I actually get the truck and see if it's going to work or not. If I have to go buy some pieces of 2x4 to make a better anchor for the pallet then I will. If I have to buy some sheets of plywood to make walls and a roof for the pallet then I will. But just judging from the picture I posted at the very start of this I should be okay with just strapping everything down to the sides as much as I can. It's going to look like a spiderweb once it's all done lol

[YORCHI]

Update on the progress:

1) I took the two pallets we had in my warehouse and used some regular wood screws to reinforce where they were cracked or not screwed down all the way.

2) Went to Home Depot and bought a single sheet of 4 x 8 plywood for 15 bucks. Laid the sheet over both pallets and used some better quality wood screws to screw it down into the pallet. I screwed into the slab of wood that is vertical so it holds down tight. I wound up using about 24 screws total putting 8 down the middle, and 8 on each side. You can use more but it felt fine to me after that many.

3) I bought a pack of d-ring anchors. Home Depot sells them in a pack of 4, and Harbor Freight sells them in a pack of 2. I wound up using 6 of them total, 2 in the front corners at about the spot where your front tire touches the floor; 2 in the middle on the sides about the spot where the pedals are at; and 2 in the back on the corners wherever it's strong enough.

4) I bought the cheap front wheel stand from Harbor Freight. It's the black one that's under 20 bucks. It comes with 4 holes on the bottom so you can bolt it down to something. I bolted it to the front in the center directly above the center slab of wood holding the pallet and plywood up.

5) I ended up using 1/4" hex bolts from home depot. I got (12) 1/4" by 2" hex bolts, (12) 1/4" lock washer, (12) 1/4" washers, and (12) 1/4" nuts. For the wheel chock I used (4) 1/4" by 3" hex bolts and then (4) lock washers, washers, and nuts in the same size. Last thing you're going to need is a good power drill with a 1/4" drill bit to make the holes into the plywood and pallet.

Basically what I did was put the plywood on the pallets first and secure it using wood screws. I then put the front d-ring anchors in the corners first. I drilled the holes with the anchors in place and then put the bolts in it to make sure I made it all the way through. You're going to want to go through the plywood and the first piece of wood in the pallet. After that was done, I put the wheel chock up and did the same thing by drilling the holes first and then putting the bolts through. You're going to want to make it as centered and even as possible. I messed this part up and mine is a little slanted but the bike still sits even down the center and that's more important I think.

Once that part is on, you can put the bike on it to see where about to put the next sets of anchors if you want. I knew I was going to put as many as I could so I put two on the sides around where the cluch and brake pedals are and then put the last two in the back corners the same way. Once you have them in and the bolts go through all the way where you want them, you can take everything off to make securing them easier.

With help from a friend, we put the pallet on it's side and then secured the anchors from both sides using a socket wrench and a set of pliers to hold one side while you tighten from the other. I made them very very snug and tight but be careful that you don't over tighten and crack something.

The finished product is a lot better than I imagined. I have the canyon dancer bar harness that will be tied down to the front anchors. The middle anchors will be tied to the center part of the frame. And the back anchors will be tied down to the passenger pegs. The only things I'm missing now are a set of fork braces to help with compression. Aside from those six tie downs, I'm going to use another two and tie the bike down to the sides of the truck as well, and then one really sturdy one to tie the entire pallet contraption to the side of the truck as well to help prevent it from sliding around.

Here's what it looks like now all put together, I'll let you guys know how it goes when we actually load it up and strap it down.

http://www.harborfreight.com/motorcy...ock-97145.html

[csmith12]

Looks awesome! Just like the one my dad and I built when we moved from tampa to KY. With our crate secured, our only worry was something else falling into the bike.

[csmith12]

I don't want to start a big debate or anything but I have found that the canyon dancers are fine for short trips. I like the soft straps around the lower triple much better. The pressure from the dancers seem to mess with my grip and throttle turn. I did buy some cheap dancers too, maybe that is why.

[Motofool]

Originally Posted by Motofool

.........Don't tie anything to the throttle !!!

[choneofakind]

Originally Posted by csmith12

I like the soft straps around the lower triple much better.

I got mine cheap on Amazon. They seemed to work just fine.

[csmith12]

Originally Posted by choneofakind

I got mine cheap on Amazon. They seemed to work just fine.

I remember yours were really nice. You have the link to the ones you purchased? I need another set.

[choneofakind]

Originally Posted by csmith12

You have the link to the ones you purchased? I need another set.

Here you go sir:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[csmith12]

Rain + leathers + hot temps + high humidity = swamp a**. lol

[YORCHI]

Final update:
Made it home fine. Bike stayed upright and even though the harness was on the throttle it works fine still and springs back like normal.

Only bad thing that happened to the bike was that a table we put next to it fell over and rubbed on be back right corner of the bike, by the passenger seat and took a small size of the paint off. It looks black like the size of a half a dime from the paint getting rubbed off. Oh well, still incredibly happy that it worked out fine.

The really bad thing that happened was that the actual truck itself overheated twice coming up the grapevine. Slowed us down 2 hours having to wait for it to cool down. Made it home fine once we passed the peak and turned it in this morning. I let them know and they said its fine and normal. As long as the truck doesn't run hot still it's all fine with them.

So there you go. Now I'm gonna keep this in my storage unit for our next move or if someone else needs it. Whole thing cost me about 50 bucks including the straps.

[BlueHairSar]

Alright, I'm about to do this same thing.

Do you need the harbor freight wheel stand if you're strapping it down to the crate? Any other tips? I have home depot near me, some rachet straps, and a screw gun. Any DC guys wanna help?! @tnr4, @subxero

[csmith12]

A few pieces of scrap 4x4 make fine wheel chocks. Those + the straps work well too.

[subxero]

Originally Posted by BlueHairSar

Alright, I'm about to do this same thing.

Do you need the harbor freight wheel stand if you're strapping it down to the crate? Any other tips? I have home depot near me, some rachet straps, and a screw gun. Any DC guys wanna help?! @tnr4, @subxero

would love to help but not sure if i can. I am beyond busy right now and will be in Pennsylvania this weekend. What day you looking to do this stuff?

[BlueHairSar]

Nuts. Have the truck sat - tues, so I was hoping to load on Sun and drive on Mon.

[b.miller123]

Be glad you didn't have movers take it. The movers that moved me from TX to WA strapped my RC51 down badly and the track bodywork rubbed through the paint on the frame. On top of that they scratched the **** out of just about everything they could, and broke some stuff. The guys were idiots and packed stuff we told them not to, like a bag of trash with dirty diapers in it.


Personally, if I ever put a bike in the back of a moving truck with other stuff, I'll just yank off all the bodywork and stick that in boxes. Then just put the bike into a spot where it can't fall over and won't harm anything around it, and shove a bunch of moving blankets around it.

[tnr4]

Originally Posted by BlueHairSar

Nuts. Have the truck sat - tues, so I was hoping to load on Sun and drive on Mon.

On Memorial Day?! Out of town...