loading ramp setup or suggestion

[dallastar]

does anyone have a loading ramp setup or suggestion on what ramp to buy and use to load this big ass valk in a pickup with .[now b4 u all go off on it dont need to be loaded this & that] yes i know BUT there jus might come time that i have to load mIne, i want it to be ready. i have the 8' bed on my pickup
ive been looking at some of these ramps  i think there to short at 6'-7' its to much of a angle to ride it up or if had to push it  or it might even high center
IS THERE SOME KINDA LONGER BETTER BIKE LOADING RAMP FOR THIS MONSTER

Im thinking a ramp like pulls out of a Uhaul truck would be great and easy to ride right up

[Joe Hummer]

The best bet would be to get one of those little ramps and find a ditch or bank to back the truck into/against to level out the ramps.  if you have an industrial area around, find a loading dock that the owner doesn't mind you using.  

Regardless what ramps you end up getting, make sure they are wide enough so that you can put both feet on the ramps while sitting on the bike.  The worse feeling in the world is when trying to load the bike and having to stop part way up the ramp, putting your foot down...on...nothing....  Nothing good ever comes from that.  

I have a 5'x7' utility trailer that I have used to haul my bike a couple of times (1. when i bought it in Chicago and 2. got a flat tire).  The ramps I have for it are a little short and have to get off the seat just before bottoming out.  I need longer ramps...but I rarely use the trailer to haul the bike...it isn't worth it to me.    You can see the bike on the trailer in my signature pictures.  

Joe

[hubcapsc]

The best bet would be to get one of those little ramps and find a ditch or bank to back the truck into/against to level out the ramps.  if you have an industrial area around, find a loading dock that the owner doesn't mind you using. 

+1

I can get mine off a truck by backing up to one of the agricultural terraces on my property.

When I got my eBay Valk, my plan was to have the seller deliver it to a local-to-him Honda shop where
they could put on a new rear tire and load it into the truck for me... they loaded it, but they did it exactly
how I didn't want to do it:



I figured, what the heck, better them than me, I just figured that was a hard and clumsy
way to do it... but... and I was lucky... going over such a sharp angle could have caught
and bent the kickstand cross-brace on the frame... so... sharp angled ramps = potentially
worse than hard and clumsy...

-Mike

[sugerbear]

i've been looking at these. bolted together to increase capacity and safety

http://www.harborfreight.com/1200-lb-capacity-convertible-aluminum-loading-ramp-94057.html

more options here. i like the 10 ft length.
http://www.factoryramps.com/products/motorcycle/frame.html

[dallastar]

see that pic of how steep and short that ramp is,,, jus what im tryin to over come avoid ...the ditch idea is all well in good BUT what about the other  end when loading or unloadin so the ditch idea is only good on one end tryin to avoid that also.....now also im NOT really wanting to load or truck  my Valk anywhere BUT jus what if i do hav to ...u kno what i mean   I kinda want to be ready

The best bet would be to get one of those little ramps and find a ditch or bank to back the truck into/against to level out the ramps.  if you have an industrial area around, find a loading dock that the owner doesn't mind you using. 

+1

I can get mine off a truck by backing up to one of the agricultural terraces on my property.

When I got my eBay Valk, my plan was to have the seller deliver it to a local-to-him Honda shop where
they could put on a new rear tire and load it into the truck for me... they loaded it, but they did it exactly
how I didn't want to do it:



I figured, what the heck, better them than me, I just figured that was a hard and clumsy
way to do it... but... and I was lucky... going over such a sharp angle could have caught
and bent the kickstand cross-brace on the frame... so... sharp angled ramps = potentially
worse than hard and clumsy...

-Mike

[John U.]

My advice is to buy or borrow a small trailer. They are much lower to the ground, so they don't need a long ramp or a  ditch.
+1 on the advice to have someplace for your feet, on both sides. You may be able to drive it on without putting your feet down but you will still have to walk it off.

[VegasF6]

They do make long folding heavy duty ramps for large street bikes like ours. They are not cheap at all. I would never sit on the bike while loading it, I always walk up on the left side next to it.

FYI, on my tourer I couldn't close the ramp on an 8 foot trailer cuz the bags actually stuck out rearwards a few inches past even that! (wow, huh?)

That being said, I have to agree with John. If the situation arises, just buy, borrow, rent or steal a trailer instead. You can rent a uhaul motorcycle trailer for $15 dollars a day, and it's a very nice trailer.

I would never trust a ramp primarily designed for dirt bikes or maybe quads to hold my 750 bike + my considerable weight (won't go into details, but gross would be well over 1,000)

If you wanted to buy a REAL ramp, you could get something like this.
http://www.discountramps.com/motorcycle_ramps.htm
http://www.ramp-master.com/motorcycle.html

Last option would be either the hitch haulers, but even if you felt comfortable with that sort of weight on the hitch, it's more than 8 feet across for goodness sakes :0
Or, some people actually tow a motorcycle but again, why??

[sugerbear]

if you need to go really cheap.

a coupla sets of these and a coupla sheets of plywood, or 2 x 12 or

http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1v/R-202059655/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

rated 1400 lbs per pair

get creative

also, do not tow your bike with the rear tire on the ground. even in neutral the transmission will still turn. with no oil pressure no oil in the gears= bad.

[R J]

When the time comes rent a U-Haul motorcycle trailer.

Last I heard they are like 10 or 15 dollars a day.

[N0tac0p]

at americade this year on the walkway in, there was a tent that had a rollup ramp system, ie as you unrolled it the cogs or brackets stopped it form going any further.   they had 2' wide and 3 " wide i thnk ~ 8-10' long.  a couple of $$$, but looked sweet

[N0tac0p]

http://www.wayfair.com/Roll-A-Ramp-26-Ramp-A126A19-RLR1001.html

take a look here

[Jess from VA]

Jump into the sprinter in capetown	powered by Aeva

[ricoman]

They do make long folding heavy duty ramps for large street bikes like ours. They are not cheap at all. I would never sit on the bike while loading it, I always walk up on the left side next to it.

FYI, on my tourer I couldn't close the ramp on an 8 foot trailer cuz the bags actually stuck out rearwards a few inches past even that! (wow, huh?)

That being said, I have to agree with John. If the situation arises, just buy, borrow, rent or steal a trailer instead. You can rent a uhaul motorcycle trailer for $15 dollars a day, and it's a very nice trailer.

I would never trust a ramp primarily designed for dirt bikes or maybe quads to hold my 750 bike + my considerable weight (won't go into details, but gross would be well over 1,000)

If you wanted to buy a REAL ramp, you could get something like this.
http://www.discountramps.com/motorcycle_ramps.htm
http://www.ramp-master.com/motorcycle.html

Last option would be either the hitch haulers, but even if you felt comfortable with that sort of weight on the hitch, it's more than 8 feet across for goodness sakes :0
Or, some people actually tow a motorcycle but again, why??

'
'





Can you send a pic of the bags being farther to the rear than the tip of the rear fender?
That doesn't happen with my 98 Tourer.
It, too, will not fit in an 8' trailer.

[VegasF6]

Yah? It's been a few years, I very specifically remember not being able to close the ramp and it only being off by a few inches. Maybe it was the fender and the bags both then. I wouldn't mind taking a pick but I don't imagine mine looks any different than yours.

I have a much larger trailer now that I could put it in if needed, but honestly I would still consider renting a uhaul if it came down to it.

[dallastar]

that link dont seem to work for   send pics or some other way to see

if you need to go really cheap.

a coupla sets of these and a coupla sheets of plywood, or 2 x 12 or

http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1v/R-202059655/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

rated 1400 lbs per pair

get creative

also, do not tow your bike with the rear tire on the ground. even in neutral the transmission will still turn. with no oil pressure no oil in the gears= bad.

[R J]

http://www.discountramps.com/powered-motorcycle-ramp.htm

These are slick.    Saw one in Sturgis a few years back.

[sugerbear]

that link dont seem to work for   send pics or some other way to see

if you need to go really cheap.

a coupla sets of these and a coupla sheets of plywood, or 2 x 12 or

http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1v/R-202059655/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

rated 1400 lbs per pair

get creative

also, do not tow your bike with the rear tire on the ground. even in neutral the transmission will still turn. with no oil pressure no oil in the gears= bad.

not sure whats wrong but it works for me ???

it's a "z" shaped piece of aluminum. mount to end of a board/plywood/ etc.
go homedepot.com and search for Werner Straight Ramp Top Kit .

[The Anvil]

If you do the "build it yourself" ramps then be careful. To get up onto a taller-ish pickup and reduce the breakover angle enough to clear then you need a pretty long ramp. A length of 2X12 can be inconsistent in strength from piece to piece and within it's own length. It's not meant to be used structurally in long spans. I have a couple that I have used to load lawnmowers, dirtbikes and even a sportbike or two. But I don't know if I'd use them to load the Valk.

[sugerbear]

yea, that's why i'm thinking plywood. coupla sheets screwed together. or something like that.........

[ricoman]

It doesn't hurt to attach the ramp(s) to the vehicle you are loading onto to keep the ramp from sliding off the back when you are on the way up.
Just laying the ramp on the tailgate or whatever will not necessarily keep it there.

[The Anvil]

yea, that's why i'm thinking plywood. coupla sheets screwed together. or something like that.........

Like an  engineered lumber kinda thing? Yeah if you do it right that could work well. I would use a 2X12 with a 2X4 bolted to it on the back side. Gonna be heavy though (and hard to walk off with). But relatively cheap.

[dallastar]

hey the link worked today   and i like this right here   i might just do this with 2"x12" [maybe even 3 wide]  and i will also build it where it will take the load with triangle leg brace at center point or drop dwn legs at 6' mark ...my pickup has 8' bed   i can jus strap dwn ramps in route and read flag the ends ...this is a cheap easy fix   sense it will be laying around most its life doin nothing i jus want to be ready if need be lol

that link dont seem to work for   send pics or some other way to see

if you need to go really cheap.

a coupla sets of these and a coupla sheets of plywood, or 2 x 12 or

http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1v/R-202059655/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

rated 1400 lbs per pair

get creative

also, do not tow your bike with the rear tire on the ground. even in neutral the transmission will still turn. with no oil pressure no oil in the gears= bad.

not sure whats wrong but it works for me ???

it's a "z" shaped piece of aluminum. mount to end of a board/plywood/ etc.
go homedepot.com and search for Werner Straight Ramp Top Kit .

[The Anvil]

You could also put that center brace on a hinge so it could fold flat for storage.

[Motorider]

Check out the Rampage motorcycle loader on Youtube. I bought the Harbor freight model. Works really well, but you have to steady it from tipping to the side.  So I always make sure someone is holding on to the Valk on each side. My Silverado truck bed is just at the upper limit of the height it is allowed to be, according to the instructions. A lower bed would work better.   

[Smokinjoe-VRCCDS#0005]

I'd just buy a trailer I have a 16 ft dual axle I bought new for $900.00 you should be able to find a nice single axle used for around $300 / $350 .

How Not To Load Your New Motorcycle	powered by Aeva

[Earl in Pensacola]

I watched that very type of stunt during a visit to Daytona.  He was on a very customized HD and had about 5 guys on each side.  Once the bike started over, there was no stopping it.

[RDKLL]

I bought a 3 piece set.......8ft long folding with the bend in it to make the transition to the bed of the truck.......dont remember what I paid, I want to say about $400.....but they have been fantastic.

[Chrisj CMA]

+1 RDKLL  I have the same ones. Cant find the pictures of loading into my truck, but its a snap after you do it once or twice......After the first one you may have to clean yer shorts.....its scary but once you get it, not so bad 

[RDKLL]

+1 RDKLL  I have the same ones. Cant find the pictures of loading into my truck, but its a snap after you do it once or twice......After the first one you may have to clean yer shorts.....its scary but once you get it, not so bad 

You are not over estimating the shorts filling possibilities of the first time you use them........after that........I just made sure that I treated each time I used them, as though it was the first time.....no problems or issues and even when loaded into her Colorado, had room to stash the ramps in the bed too

[Atl-Jerry]

I have watched my son load his ST-1100 into the bed of his F-150 on a wide ramp for 8 or 9 years.  For me, the pucker factor is high every time.  For my Valk, I bought a 5 X 10 landscape trailer with the 4' ramp gate.  Has worked fine for 11+ years, cost $500-$600 at the time and if a buddy needs his bike hauled he can take it and go.  As mentioned above, have to watch the break-over angle, I once broke the pin that holds the kickstand spring.  I keep a couple of bricks on the trailer to put under the corners of the tailgate for loading, reduces the angle greatly.

AJ

[sugerbear]

hey the link worked today   and i like this right here   i might just do this with 2"x12" [maybe even 3 wide]  and i will also build it where it will take the load with triangle leg brace at center point or drop dwn legs at 6' mark ...my pickup has 8' bed   i can jus strap dwn ramps in route and read flag the ends ...this is a cheap easy fix   sense it will be laying around most its life doin nothing i jus want to be ready if need be lol

that link dont seem to work for   send pics or some other way to see

if you need to go really cheap.

a coupla sets of these and a coupla sheets of plywood, or 2 x 12 or

http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1v/R-202059655/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

rated 1400 lbs per pair

get creative

also, do not tow your bike with the rear tire on the ground. even in neutral the transmission will still turn. with no oil pressure no oil in the gears= bad.

not sure whats wrong but it works for me ???

it's a "z" shaped piece of aluminum. mount to end of a board/plywood/ etc.
go homedepot.com and search for Werner Straight Ramp Top Kit .

be sure to add a coupla straps from about 1/2 way down to the ends of the tailgate to keep the ramp from sliding off!!!!!!

[fudgie]

I got a funny story about a guy loading a Beemer, it falling, and a turkey. If I get home i'll post it. 

[VegasF6]

Can you send a pic of the bags being farther to the rear than the tip of the rear fender?
That doesn't happen with my 98 Tourer.
It, too, will not fit in an 8' trailer.

Yah, double checked on that and you are correct, the bags don't extend beyond the fender. I am sure that's obvious to anyone that has one though

[fudgie]

We look forward to Sturgis every year to meet up with old friends at the campground. The guy, a FF from Witch-a-tall KS, always has funny stories. The last 3 years he left us crying. Some weird stuff happens in Kansas. 
Last fall he took his Beemer in to get work done on it. It was done and he was home going to unload it out of the back of his truck by himself. It was 10p and his wife was out shopping. He had one ramp so he thought he will put a folding chair next to the tail gate, roll the bike off and step onto the chair then to the ground. Bike was on the ramp half way down and he stepped onto the chair. He stepped right into the fold of the chair.  He goes down with the chair wrapped around his leg and the bike goes down on top of him. No phone and wife wont be home for hours. He's like 'great'. Then his wifes pet wild tom turkey comes up to him strutting his stuff. Him and the turkey (Chuckles) hate each other. So in between fighting off the Tom and trying to get the bike off of him he makes it out unscaved.

[The Anvil]

Back in 2001 a friend and I took a trip to Virginia International Raceway for the AMA Superbike race. It was mid-October, the first race after 9/11. On Saturday morning we were hanging outside of the tent nursing very unpleasant hangovers when we watched a Ford Ranger with a GSXR in the bed pull through the gate and come to a stop about 100 feet away from us. Two people got out, dropped the gate and set a ramp. The driver of the pickup climbed into the bed, unstrapped the bike and then sat across the saddle. You know, like he was actually going to ride it backwards off the ramp.

Which, after some hesitation that SHOULD have resulted in his thinking better of it,  is exactly what he then tried to do. Mike and I were looking back and forth at each other...

Me: "Do you think he's going to try to ride it off?"
Mike: "Looks like it but he can't be that dumb."
Me: "Should we maybe go tell him that's a bad idea?"
Mike: "I don't wanna insult the guy..."
Me: "Hoo boy, he's gonna try it!"

We both jumped up as fast as our headachey, tequila poisoned and dehydrated bodies could carry us and started shouting at him to hold up but it was too late. Almost immediately after his rear wheel kissed the ramp the rear tire went off and he and the bike wound up in the grass. Amazingly there was almost no damage to the bike or the rider. Just a scuffed lower and some mortally wounded pride. I learned two thing that day:

A.) Never try to ride a bike backwards down a 12 inch wide wooden ramp unless you're Danny MacAskill.

B.) To hell with tequila. Stick to Everclear which is available in an abundance that borders on criminal irresponsibility in the state of North Carolina. God bless North Carolina.

[capehoorn]

I can tell you that the LoadAll system is by far the best way to load a bike by yourself safely ! I have personaly seen this system and know for a fact it makes loading a bike of any size seem effortless ! Go to loadall.com and see it for yourself ,you will not be disappointed .

[hubcapsc]

This is what I'm saving up for:

   

The Razor Cycle Trailer.mov	powered by Aeva

I already got the Mini wired up for a trailer, and got a "tow link" for the sport-link:

  http://dannyspics.smugmug.com/Cars-MINI-Cooper/MINI-Fini-Tow-Link/859937_6PqJw#38741599_drn69

Supposed to be good for around 1600 lbs...

-Mike

[Hoser]

This one works purdy good, low boy golf cart trailer.  Don't give me no crap, two bikes to move, one rider.  Hoser  

[rich_kildow]

I had about 10 minutes of flashbacks after watching the video of the guy dumping a bike off the side of a ramp.  I loaded my '02 ACE (before I man'd up and got a Valk) into a tractor trailer for a move when I got out of the military.  I remember taking a practice run just like he did and deciding that I could ride it up a ramp that was just barely wide enough to get both feet on.  It never crossed my mind that the tire might have spun on that smooth metal...it all turned out fine, but I'll never do that again.  My vote is for a trailer.