Pickup Tie Downs

[Scootstado2]

Can anyone suggest what to use to haul a MC in a pickup truck bed. I'm thinking of getting a ramp but would like to get some input on how to secure the bike for transport. I assume I would need some kind of wheel brace/chock and bed tie down points. Any help is welcome.

[Czekus21]

I postion the bike centered and the bars turned full left. Small ratchet tie downs with the rubber stuff over the hooks. I have tie downs "D" rings bolted to the lower corners of my truck bed. one ratchet strap per front side. ( hook to "D" ring, other end wraped and hooked to bottom corner of handle bar/ or fairing mount ) Ratchet them down evenlly and squash the front end down. This is the front end only. On the rear, for short hauls in town, No strap. Short hauls out of town, One strap over the back to stop the bike from hopping around. On long hauls, One strap for each corner point and mabee another over the works just for safe measure. I've seen too many bikes toppled over in the back of trucks.

[DiverRay]

I've used both the "motorcycle" tie downs, and the ratchet type. DON'T use the "motorcycle" type!! buy the ratchet type, as they are a much more secure way of locking the "load".
If you don't have eye bolts or "D" rings in your bed, you can position the front tire in the center of the bed, against the front. Then run a tie down from the lower tripleclamp too the stake pocket in the front corner of the bed. tighten each side a little at a time, so they are even as you compress the front forks.
If you have a fairing, you will probably need to install "d" rings or eye bolts in the bed. The back of the bike can be secured with a single strap over the seat for short trips, and two straps, from the rear corner pocket to the rear upper shock mount. This will keep the bike upright, and keep it from moving about on a long haul. Be carefull, and have help when you release the front straps. as you let the first one go, the bike will fall over to the other side.( don't ask! )

[Scootstado2]

Thanks for the input. I'm trying to figure out a way to transport and secure the bike without help and without compressing the forks (or is there no choice but to compress thr forks). I assume a wheel brace/chock would be necessary. Also where do you secure the eye bolts to the pickup bed so that you have a solid connection?

[DiverRay]

Compressing the forks is a must for transport. You can put eye bolts through the be, with fender washers between the nuts and the bed. If you get a 3/8" eye bolt, it would hold almost anything. The 3/8" fender washer should be about 1 1/2" diameter. I would install the eye bolts in the corners, as close as you can get and still fit the washers.
The other option would be to weld up a triangular "cradle" for the fron tire. I would use angle iron, so the tire rolls "into" the "slot", and there is a steel bar running from the front, about 16" high, to the back. The bar should be strait, and end up about 1/2" below the axle when the bike is in place. That would keep the front from "falling over". You would not have to compress the front forks as much, but you would need to secure the back end.

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[Czekus21]

If compressing the forks are a concern, You can build a block stand out of wood to go under the motor and frame to support your bike. There would be a minimal fork compession but nothing huge. You would then need the 4 tie down ratchet straps to keep everything secure.

[fredintoon]

use enough straps.

Hi Russ,
the longer the ramp the better for loading/unloading. A hinged in the middle 12-footer is ideal.
You gotta have hooky things in the bottom of the truck bed to do a proper job, the stake holes along the top of the box sides are too high to get a good angle on the tie-down straps.
Ratcheting straps are great but IMHO nothing wrong with cam-action straps either, just don't skimp on how many you use.
Just shove the front wheel in a front corner of the box and swing the back end over kittycorner. Do not use the centre or the side stand. Use 4 tiedowns at the front, 2 straight down and 2 angled out, all from the bars. Reef 'em down good. Yes you will partially compress the fork springs but so what? That's what they designed them to do and the springs keep the tiedowns tight.
Same at the back, 2 straight down and 2 angled out, from the frame tubes this time. The partially compressed rear shocks will keep the rear tie-downs tight.
Fred Hill, S'toon.

[Ken Talbot]

To hold the front wheel, all you have to do is snug it into the front right corner of the box. Leave the bike on the cidestand, compress the forks with a ratchet strap on each side, and you're ready for short-distance moving. If you're going farther, add one more strap at the rear from side to side with a loop or two around just about anything.

[bkush]

Hi Russ

I just recently drove from Peoria, IL to Sandhurst ID to pick up an 82 XJ1100 that I purchased off of ebay. To get the bike into the back of my Dodge Ram short bed, luckily the seller had a loading dock nearby, but any decent little hill will work, just lower the tailgate and backup to the hill. Now, I made a ramp out of 2 8 ft pieces of 2x8, tied together with 2x4s underneath. I bought "ramp toppers" at Lowe's, just machined pieces of aluminum that attach to the the 2x8's and sit on the taligate to make the transition nice and smooth. I have a 4x4 pickup, so the bed sits up pretty high. Even a small hill of 1 or 2 feet will significantly lessen the angle on the ramps and make it so much easier to load the bike.

For tiedowns, I brought with me 4 rachet type tiedowns, 1 inch x 15 ft straps, with the rubber coated hooks. I ran one from each side of the handlebars to the little stake holes in the top of the sidewalls of the bed of my truck and cranked them til I couldn't crank them any further. Yes, it definitely compresses the forks, but that's what they're made for. I also ran a third tiedown across the back of the truck, from one stake hole to the bike, around the grab handle and across to the the other stake hole. Again, crank it til the sides of the bed move.

With this setup (and my tailgate hanging open of necessity) I drove 2000 miles from Idaho back to Illinois, thru mountains, snow storms, high winds and rough roads. The bike never moved an inch!

Good luck,

Bill

[Hepcat]

Ok, first off, be careful loading into the back of any truck. You're putting quite a bit of weight on the tailgate and getting a bit of leverage hanging out there. Most tailgates are removable. You want to be especially careful of older pickups, but most careful of those that show signs of rust on the tailgate.

As far as ramps, you can shim a ramp underneath with an appropriate height of 4x4 or 2x4...whatever. In doing so, you cut in half the length of the ramp. Basically it makes a slanted 'T' shape and significantly straightens your ramp. I like to put mine on so that the ramp sags about 1/2 - 1" before it makes contact with the vertical support.

Compress the front shocks for 2 reasons.

1.) If you don't and you hit a bump, it can compress the shocks, releasing tension on your tie-downs and letting one or more fly loose.

2.) Again, if you hit a bump and bottom out the shocks, it's just not good for them to ram the bottoms with that kind of force.

Either way, you want to decrease the amount of give, or play, in the system. If the load can shift, it probably will. If you strap it down solid, it's a part of the truck and can't gain any momentum relative to the truck.

You can get away without compressing the shocks if you support the front end by means of a wood block or something under the frame below the engine. You might want to attach straps further back on the bike so that you're pulling down against the block through the frame instead of against the shocks.

One more word of wisdom, be careful with those ratchet tie-downs, I put the hooks in the stake holes and my brother tightened them...when I looked at them, he had stretched the holes to a diamond shape.

If the bike's got a fairing, you might consider taking it off, when I hauled mine with it on, the cab passed most of the bugs right into the windshield on the fairing.

Good Luck
Jon