Sorry, n00b question- transporting your bike without a truck?

[Zombiphone]

So, I finally got all of my gear in order and was planning to sign up for a class with TrackDaz, but the only thing that's stopping me is I don't have any way to get my bike there. I don't own a truck, nor do I know anyone who owns a truck, and being under 25, I don't think I can actually rent a truck either. The only car I own's a Toyota Celica, so my towing capabilities are presumably non-existant.

I considered just riding my bike there, but in order to actually be allowed to use my bike there, I have to disconnect my brake and head lights, remove my mirrors, and tape off everything. So I couldn't really ride it on the street like that, and I wouldn't be able to transport anything so I couldn't bring my rear stand and wrenches so I could just try and do that stuff there (The track in question would be the Streets of Willow, which is about 80 miles from me, if that makes any difference).

So basically, I'm at a bit of a loss. Any suggestions maybe, other than selling my car for a truck or big SUV? Is it possible to tow a bike with a small car without destroying the transmission (That's what I'm told would happen if I even considered it, so I apologize if this question is ridiculous)? Has anyone here just ridden their bike to the track? If so, how do you get it prepped once you're there? Basically, is there anyway to transport a bike without owning an oversized vehicle?

[Alex]

The Celica could easily tow a single-rail bike trailer. I've seen people do it with CRX's with about half the power. The bike weighs less than 400 pounds, and a single rail trailer is around 100 pounds or less. Imagine two 250 lb people sitting in your car, and you're good. :-)

But it's probably easiest to post up either here or on a local sportbike board that you're planning to go to a trackday on X date, and need to bum a ride from X location. Odds are you'll be able to find someone with a truck, a larger trailer, etc. without too much trouble.

[kkim]

Yes, track rats are a very helpful bunch and the fact you are female won't hurt your chances of someone volunteering.

Props to you on getting yourself to a track to improve your riding skills. I wish I could be as lucky.

[ninja250]

Rent the bikes or a truck.

[2WheelGuy]

As others have said you may be able to get a hitch onto your Celica. I two two bikes with my Subaru WRX.



Also, post on BARF about needing a ride. Leg-humpers will jump at the chance to take a girl for a ride.

[CC Cowboy]

TrackDaz has a forum. Post on there the days you will be going and that you need help with transportation. I would have someone transport the bike and follow them in your car (safety factor, being a woman).

There is a trailer that is light weigh all "Trailer in a Bag". Look for a used one for cheap money.

[Dmitriy]

Find a ride, if they are at all friendly they will help you switch the glycol coolant to water-wetter as well. I would NEVER ride to the track, at least in my first year of track riding....

[Zombiphone]

Awesome, I didn't know my car could tow anything. That's great news, and pretty much solves everything. If a CRX can do it, then I'm sure my Celica should manage fine. Here I was all worried I'd have to sell my other baby for a truck in the near future if I started really getting into the track. I went to a uhaul and got a hitch priced after reading over this and found a local one with the right hitch in stock. I'll be having one installed hopefully by the weekend. Supposedly, uhaul also rents out motorcycle trailers for $15 a day, so depending on how big those trailers actually are (haven't seen one yet), I might go that route for the day if I haven't procured a small trailer yet.

I looked into the Trailer in a bag thing, and it looks like that would be absolutely perfect. A bit pricey, but I'm a little more willing to drop a bit of money when it's a one time cost. I'll see if the local dealers have any used or find out if me and craigslist are still friends.

For some reason, it didn't even occur to me to ask for help from some local guys bound to head over there that day. It might be nice to be able to get some tips from someone who does this all the time, too. If I can't get everything in order trailer wise by maybe the middle of next week, I'll try showing a little leg to bum a ride I'm kind of funny about asking for help, especially from total strangers, but from my experience thus far, it seems like the general riding community is mostly pretty friendly/trust worthy/not looking to screw each other over, so I could probably feel kind of okay using that as a last resort. Haha, I often forget that being female can be relatively useful from time to time

Either way, Thanks a lot, guys. I'm feeling pretty confident I'll be able to make it out there no problem. That gets rid of my last reason to hesitate, so I'm officially scheduled for April 17th. Seriously, I can't even begin to put into words how excited I am right now

[kkim]

Congrats!! It's the mental commitment that most can't get past when deciding to go track riding. You seem like you're committed (or should be ) to learning and improving your riding skills. I applaud your tenaciousness.

[Rexbo]

what track day were you looking at?

I try to track once or twice a month and I'm in the LAX area. Sometimes I rent a truck to haul it up there, but if we're plannin on hitting up the same day, we could probably just split it. I've got ramps, tools, tie downs, the whole deal, so hit me up when you're thinking of going. I'll actually be at buttonwillow this saturday with hypercycle.com, try to head up!

PM me when you want to go!

[CC Cowboy]

Tiff, check in with the local bike shops and dealers and see if anyone from there races or does track days. They might be able to hook you up with someone that goes all the time.

How much leg you going to show? There is a guy from this forum, Steve from LA, rumor has it he is a leg man. He will probably post about sharing a ride. He will probably be able to help you with all the first time questions also.

[petiteninja]

you can also check out places that sell lawn mowers/tractors etc., we bought a used trailer for $100. out here you have to get it registered and put turn signals on it, not sure what california is like...it's been a while since i lived out there.

i had owned a '84 celica, then i got a '93 toyota 4x4 with the same 4 cylinder engine. great on gas, but weak in torque. keep that in mind if you're going through the high desert (or any other steep grades) you will be driving in a lower gear. don't worry though, just give yourself some extra time and room for patience.

another suggestion is to rent a uhaul moving van and get some tie downs. it's what i was planning to do to transport my vespa. i think they may even have loading ramps in the rear, not sure. check for weight limits and make sure you have enough headroom, ie handlebar clearance. try to get it tied down towards the center of the van for better handling.

[Sailariel]

I bought a landscape trailer at Home Depot for $400. Lowes has the same rig. The trailer comes complete with lights. Pulls fine with a Pontiac Vibe (Has a 1.8L Toyota engine)

[Zombiphone]

Unfortunately, Steve couldn't do the 17th (Thanks for the offer, just the same!) so I decided I'd see if I could get everything in order to do it myself so I won't have to worry about this in the future.

I ended up getting a hitch welded onto my Celica over the weekend- Uhaul told me they would have to cut a small notch in my bumper in order to install the hitch, and even in the name of motorcycling that was pretty unacceptable. Just because I don't drive her as much as I used to, doesn't mean I don't still love her I combed craigslist for a while and ran around to a bunch of hardware stores, but none of them had much in the way of smaller trailers. I found someone selling the Trailer in a Bag for $950, so I took a deep breath and went for it. It was pretty pricey, and I'm sure I could have found a cheaper alternative if I kept looking around, but this way I've got it in time, I'm confident it'll be easy enough on my car, and it's a one time price tag. I think the stress relief alone was worth the price, and minimal storage space required for it is a nice plus. This is why I work, right?

So, I've got a means to get there and I don't need a truck afterall. I'm really glad this was pretty easy. Thanks for the advice! Now I've just gotta get some new tires, learn to change out the coolant for waterwetter (not totally sure what that is, but I'm hoping it's simple), figure out how to tie it down, and hope that driving with a trailer is relatively straightforward. I've got a very busy weekend ahead of me. But still, so stoked! Less than two weeks to go. This should be interesting ^_^

[Snake]

Tiffani,
I'm looking foward to see some pics of you on the track. Have fun.

[Racer x]

I rented from Enterprise for two years before getting my own van .It cost 300 dollars from Thursday to Monday morning when I dropped it off . 900 miles of driving.

I did that 5 times a year.Thats 1500 dollars a year for transportation costs. I just got an Astro van . I am a mechanic so I can work on it myself and save money. I spent 2000 on the van and another 2000 fixing everything . So 4000 is the cheapest thing I could do . It will take 3 years to pay for itself and I have to change the oil.And buy tires myself.

[Greg_E]

Trailer in a bag looks nice but I just haven't been able to swallow that much of a hit. Works good for when you need to bring the car to the shop, or the bike to the shop, just ride/drive the other away.

[ithaca00]

I'm using a friend's three rail dirt bike trailer at the moment (it's older than me!) and it works well. My 1995 Toyota Corolla tows it just fine so far. I haven't been over any passes with it yet but it'd be fine as long as I'm cool going slow.

[Zombiphone]

Hey, I have one more silly question- Does anyone have any tips on actually loading it onto the trailer? Like is there sort of a secret technique to it? Or do you guys just muscle it up?

I can't ride it up mounted because there's nowhere to plant my feet, so I wouldn't be able to stabilize it or dismount, and I tried just wheeling it up walking beside it, but I couldn't get the momentum or strength to get it up the ramp. I'm sure a couple of you guys must wheel your bikes up skinny ramps into decently tall trucks, so how do you generally go about it?

[CC Cowboy]

You do it with the help of others. You can't do it by yourself. Have the tie downs ready (on the trailer and ready to be put on bike).

[RaceBikeRentals]

I do it myself, by walking the bike up the ramp under power, feathering the clutch. I would not recommend this method, however, unless you're really confident.

[Zombiphone]

Drat, alright. I wasn't sure if there was like an obvious trick to it or something that I just wasn't thinking of. I found a guy who said he'll help me while I'm at the track, so I'll grab my little brother to help me the day before. I was just terrified of dropping it, but I think it'll be doable with two people then.

[CC Cowboy]

Originally Posted by RaceBikeRentals

I do it myself, by walking the bike up the ramp under power, feathering the clutch. I would not recommend this method, however, unless you're really confident.

Show off!

I remember a guy at Loudon one year thinking he was cool. He rode up the ramp into the back of a pickup. Unfortunately, when he braked and hit the back of the bed, the bike stopped and he went over the top of the cab onto the hood and then rolled off onto the ground. I still laugh when I think about it. Not recommended unless you're on jackass!

[RaceBikeRentals]

I used to ride the bike up into the bed, but had a bad experience last year. Started my cold Ninja 250. Rode it up the ramp. Right at the top, gave it some gas to get it in & the bike died. I went all the way down (which is a long ways) with the bike on top of me, trying to save damage to the bike. Broke my collarbone AND messed up the bike pretty badly. Won't do that again

[Alex]

Richard - the most important question is, did anyone have video running for that escapade?

[RaceBikeRentals]

No, thank God. And none of my neighbors saw, either. It is sooooo hard not to scream in pain when you feel like a complete idiot. Biggest FAIL I've had for quite awhile!

[kkim]

thanks for sharing. your secret's safe with us.

[tristatejames]

Originally Posted by RaceBikeRentals

I used to ride the bike up into the bed, but had a bad experience last year. Started my cold Ninja 250. Rode it up the ramp. Right at the top, gave it some gas to get it in & the bike died. I went all the way down (which is a long ways) with the bike on top of me, trying to save damage to the bike. Broke my collarbone AND messed up the bike pretty badly. Won't do that again

X2 with thankfully no injuries.

[Momaru]

If it's any comfort Richard, I barely saved myself from a similar mishap. Have a pair of ATV loading ramps I use to get the bike in the bed of my truck. Usually walk up one ramp and clutch-feather the bike up the other. Tire started slipping on a joint so I goosed it a bit to get over that last lip and into the bed (not bright). Tagged the front end of the truck bed hard enough the bike tipped on the rebound. I managed to brace myself for it though, between the bike and the bed side, no harm done save some confused neighbors.

[2WheelGuy]

With my low trailer 250s are an easy push in. Having a nice wide arched ramp really helps. I just start about 10 feet behind the ramp and can get enough momentum for the bike to roll right up and into the trailer.

For bigger bikes like my old GSXR750 I use the engine to get it up the ramp. I just feather the clutch and walk beside it.

I try and leave the kick stands on my bikes so I can just put them on the stand once they are in the trailer. That makes it easy to attach the straps by myself. Some people put chocks into their trailers to hold bikes without stands.

I recommend that you enlist help when loading your bike until you've done it enough times that you are confident in doing it yourself. Even if you think you can do it yourself it is nice to have someone there to give that little extra push when your stuck 3/4 of the way up the ramp, or to hold the bike while you attach the straps.

Don't ride your bike up the ramp. I've seen far too many accidents like Richards.

Don't use a Canyon Dancer. I know many people love them but I hate them. I have to fix several stuck throttles at every track day I run, all of them f**k'ed up by Canyon Dancers.

Every truck/trailer/motorcycle is different. Spend some time finding a tie down method that works for you. On my trailer attaching to the lower triple clamp usually works best, but that is my trailer. Many old-timers like myself don't want help loading our bikes because it will just mess with our system.

Get a good ramp. I often have people borrowing my ramp because theirs are so hard to use.

Use Ancra brand tie downs. The cheap replicas are not worth the cost savings.

If your truck/trailer is too high for you to step into, place a sturdy box behind it to make a step. A big flat top cooler often does the job. If you use the step method you really should have a buddy.

[Dmitriy]

and the MOST important step in loading your bike on the trailer is to securely HITCH the trailer to the car before hand. Make sure the ball is locked on :-)

[Alex]

Originally Posted by 2WheelGuy

Don't use a Canyon Dancer. I know many people love them but I hate them. I have to fix several stuck throttles at every track day I run, all of them f**k'ed up by Canyon Dancers.

If you do use a Canyon Dancer, get a short piece of PVC pipe to put over the throttle cable and run the dancer around it, it will protect the throttle. Alternatively, the cycle cynch is similar to the canyon dancer, but is much easier on the grips.

[Zombiphone]

Originally Posted by Dmitriy

and the MOST important step in loading your bike on the trailer is to securely HITCH the trailer to the car before hand. Make sure the ball is locked on :-)

Haha, I found that out right quick when I got the bike about 3/4 of the way up the ramp and got the seesaw effect. Wiser things, I have certainly done Fortunately, I got it back down safely.

So the canyon dancers are a bad idea? I thought they just went over the ends of the handlebars, so I didn't realize they could mess stuff up. A couple of people recommended them so my tie downs wouldn't be vibrating against my fairings the whole way there, but they also recommended the canyon dancer 2 over the canyon dancer 1 because it has small cups on the end. Looks like this:

Is that probably going to be just as bad?

Right now I just have some generic tie downs I picked up at harbor freight. If I have to order them, I probably won't be able get the Ancra tie downs for this time, but I'll see about getting some for the future. I think I'll start experimenting with some ways to tie it down before I put it up on the trailer. On that note though:

Originally Posted by 2WheelGuy

What part of the bike are you lassoing up front for these?

And one last note, would I probably be better to tie the back down by the passenger pegs, loop it over the rear wheel, or wrap around somewhere else entirely?

[Alex]

Many people use Canyon Dancers with no issues whatsoever. Some people have ruined grips by using Canyon Dancers. I think it comes down to where the tiedown is pulling from, how tightly it's cranked down, and what position it is on the grip, making sure it's not pulling it in a direction that could end badly. FWIW, I've never had an issue with them, using them for years on a bunch of different bikes. I did end up getting the cyclecynch anyway, as its design does lend itself to be a little easier on the grips. For most bikes I've used passenger pegs in rear, and canyon dancer / cycle cynch for the front. Not the only way to do it, but it works for me.

[2WheelGuy]

I really, really, really don't like Canyon Dancers. I tech motorcycles at track days and rarely do we have a day where at least one, if not several, bikes come through tech with stuck throttles caused by Canyon Dancers. Often a lot of pulling and twisting will get the damaged grip back into position. Many times the grip will be so badly stretched that we will have to remove part of it with a razor blade to get the throttle to function safely. Canyon Dancers can and do cause an extreme safety hazard.

The original Canyon Dancer was so bad that they came out with the Canyon Dancer 2. It does look better though it does look like it could crush the plastic throttle tube. I don't know if this model really is any better.

I am a big fan of Harbor Freight. I buy lots of stuff there but I wouldn't trust my motorcycle to their tie-downs. A pair of Ancras are only 10 bucks more. At least use Ancras at the front of your bike. Use the cheap ones for the rear or to strap your ramp, gas can, etc.

I hook the tie-downs to the lower triple clamp. It works well on my trailer. The rear straps are just used to keep my bike from walking around on our beautiful bumpy California roads. I hook to whatever is available: passenger pegs, sub-frame, etc. I don't crank them down really tight. On a side note: Since I don't have any kind of chalk to hold the front wheel straight I angle the rear straps forward like the front straps to keep the bike against the front of the trailer.