WheelDock wheel chock - (Edit) - Reviewed w/pics

[BF]

Have looked at several wheel chocks available such as the Condor and LA Chock, but I ran across this one and it looks interesting.  

Anyone have any experience with these?  Looking for feedback.  

http://www.wheeldock.com/store/item/wheeldock

[BF]

Wheeldock Basic Operation	powered by Aeva

�	powered by Aeva

[PAVALKER]

I've got the LAChock as a gift from my GF years ago and love it.  There wasn't many choices back then and it works well.

But, if I were buying one again, or even wanted one for a gift, and with my limited use if it......I would opt for this one from HF. It has a great price and is adjustable and solid in appearance like most of them..

http://t.harborfreight.com/http-www-harborfreight-com-motorcycle-stand-wheel-chock-97841-html.html?utm_referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F

[salty1]

Hey Bruce! I have a Condor chock and the HF one mentioned by PAVALKER. I like the weight of the Condor and it's versatility to be used as a stationary or mobile device (transport of my bike in a trailor). The HF chock in my case is used only for stationary parking. I also had to do some shiming so the tire wouldn't get pinched and allowed for the release of the tire. With a coupon from a MC mag like Rider, you can purchase the HF chock for somewhere between 40 and 50 dollars. A negative for both of my chocks is that it takes a yank backwards to release the front wheel. Another negative for the HF is that you may have to mount it on a piece plywood so it won't move when you try pulling your bike out of it. Some good rubber pads maybe the answer too. I like the way one goes about locking and releasing the wheel with the Wheeldock, it looks much easier. FWIW 

[R J]

I've had 2 LAChocks for several years.      Never a problem with them.     Once in North Dakota, someone stole my holding straps.

I tried to buy new ones and the little town I was in all they had was a short, very short ratchet type strap.

I went out an mesaured my front wheel and the LAChock.   Figured it would fit and bought it.

I had pulled the bike about 6 blocks to this have almost everything hardware store.    Put the strap on and worried my self sheetless for about 200 miles.

Bike never wavered and set still as planned.

It rode 600+ miles that way.

Got home unloaded it and hung the strap up on the wall.   It is still there.  

My current trailer has built in straps, so unless ya got a couple of very good wrenches, you ain't getting these ratchet straps.

[PAVALKER]

Hey Bruce! I have a Condor chock and the HF one mentioned by PAVALKER. I like the weight of the Condor and it's versatility to be used as a stationary or mobile device (transport of my bike in a trailor). The HF chock in my case is used only for stationary parking. I also had to do some shiming so the tire wouldn't get pinched and allowed for the release of the tire. With a coupon from a MC mag like Rider, you can purchase the HF chock for somewhere between 40 and 50 dollars. A negative for both of my chocks is that it takes a yank backwards to release the front wheel. Another negative for the HF is that you may have to mount it on a piece plywood so it won't move when you try pulling your bike out of it. Some good rubber pads maybe the answer too. I like the way one goes about locking and releasing the wheel with the Wheeldock, it looks much easier. FWIW 

My LA Chock works similar to yours in hAving to give it a good yank to get it to roll back.  The LA Chock I have is the wide one with rubber feet for garage use,  it also has holes drilled in the frame base where I can and have bolted it to my utility trailer.  The HF one above does have just 2 rubber feet up front, and that one could be bolted to a trailer floor very easily if needed.... But, strapping the bike to the trailer walls/floor/sides it probably isn't all that necessary to bolt the chock as well.

[9Ball]

Bought a Condor chock at the NY M/C show a few years ago and it is worth every penny.  It's built sturdy and is easy to use and store.

Love it....

[HayHauler]

I've got the LAChock as a gift from my GF years ago and love it.  There wasn't many choices back then and it works well.

But, if I were buying one again, or even wanted one for a gift, and with my limited use if it......I would opt for this one from HF. It has a great price and is adjustable and solid in appearance like most of them..

http://t.harborfreight.com/http-www-harborfreight-com-motorcycle-stand-wheel-chock-97841-html.html?utm_referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F

I have this HF chock.  I mounted it to a piece of 1 X 8 so I can roll up on it in the garage.  A quick jerk of the bars frees the front wheel.  Adjusted correctly, it really grips the front tire and causes no damage.
My $.01875

Hay 
Jimmyt

[Paxton]

+1 on JimmyT's comment.

[BF]

 A negative for both of my chocks is that it takes a yank backwards to release the front wheel.

My LA Chock works similar to yours in hAving to give it a good yank to get it to roll back. 

That's one of my main concerns.  I'm not young anymore and I'm worried about just how much of a yank/tug/jerk it takes to get the Fat Gurl over that pivot point trying to get it off of the chock.

I really like the Condor and the LA Chock, but I'm wondering if the extra cost of those chocks justifies their worth compared to the WheelDock and it's features....it's a little cheaper than the Condor and the LA Chock.   

The main selling points that I do like about the WheelDock is the roll in and out flat without having to go over that pivot point, having the built in tie down points so you can strap off the front wheel (they offer a strap just for that as an accessory)....and that wheel lock lever thingy. 

Anyone have any direct experience with a WheelDock?  I'm really leaning heavy towards placing an order.

[$ Ball]

i've owned one since 2009, best one out there,made in the USA.

You get what you pay for. i left my bike in  AZ  with a friend to trailer back to MN and told him to tie it down when he left, he forgot too. 2000 miles later it never moved.

[BF]

i've owned one since 2009, best one out there,made in the USA.

You get what you pay for. i left my bike in  AZ  with a friend to trailer back to MN and told him to tie it down when he left, he forgot too. 2000 miles later it never moved.

Wow.   

Which model did you order,  Model 5, Model 5B...or?....or does the Valk require a "custom" built size?

[IamGCW]

I have two of the HF chocks on my trailer.  It does take a slight yank to get it out of the chock.  These have been on many trips totaling around 10k miles (or more).  No issues other than they rattle when empty.  My first trip using them it was great loading the trailer, pull in, get off bike and strap it down.  Getting the bike out of the chock was near impossible, pull, yank, jerk, get help and the bike stayed put.  Then I took it out of gear and easy as pie it popped out.  Lesson learned.

For me the chocks work fine and would get them again.  Having to be off the bike to release the WheelDock would concern me.

Gil

[Gryphon Rider]

www.webbikeworld.com did a review of it.  Their reviewer's conclusion:

Conclusion

If you need a front wheel chock for a large, heavy motorcycle or if you're smaller in stature, I can't imagine buying a "normal" uphill-and-downhill chock instead of the Wheeldock.

For lighter bikes, I still think the Wheeldock is a good idea, although it may lose some of its appeal; in any case, it's priced about the same as the competition, so why not?

I won't say that for me, using the Wheeldock is a pleasure, because I'd just as soon not push nearly half-a-ton of anything anywhere -- up, down, or flat. Pushing a big, heavy touring bike into a front wheel chock is never fun, but at least the Wheeldock makes it tolerable.

http://www.webbikeworld.com/motorcycle-wheel-chock/wheeldock-review/

[donaldcc]

www.webbikeworld.com did a review of it.  Their reviewer's conclusion:

Conclusion

If you need a front wheel chock for a large, heavy motorcycle or if you're smaller in stature, I can't imagine buying a "normal" uphill-and-downhill chock instead of the Wheeldock.

For lighter bikes, I still think the Wheeldock is a good idea, although it may lose some of its appeal; in any case, it's priced about the same as the competition, so why not?

I won't say that for me, using the Wheeldock is a pleasure, because I'd just as soon not push nearly half-a-ton of anything anywhere -- up, down, or flat. Pushing a big, heavy touring bike into a front wheel chock is never fun, but at least the Wheeldock makes it tolerable.

http://www.webbikeworld.com/motorcycle-wheel-chock/wheeldock-review/

  BF, this review looks good!

  Would you go ahead and buy the Wheeldock and then let me know how you like it and what size you get.  I may get one of these.   

[BF]

  BF, this review looks good!

  Would you go ahead and buy the Wheeldock and then let me know how you like it and what size you get.  I may get one of these.   

Read that review.....lookin' good.  Thanks for that link. 

Will do Donald.  If I buy one (and I most likely I will), I'll let ya know.   

[quexpress]

www.webbikeworld.com did a review of it.  Their reviewer's conclusion:

Conclusion

If you need a front wheel chock for a large, heavy motorcycle or if you're smaller in stature, I can't imagine buying a "normal" uphill-and-downhill chock instead of the Wheeldock.

For lighter bikes, I still think the Wheeldock is a good idea, although it may lose some of its appeal; in any case, it's priced about the same as the competition, so why not?

I won't say that for me, using the Wheeldock is a pleasure, because I'd just as soon not push nearly half-a-ton of anything anywhere -- up, down, or flat. Pushing a big, heavy touring bike into a front wheel chock is never fun, but at least the Wheeldock makes it tolerable.

http://www.webbikeworld.com/motorcycle-wheel-chock/wheeldock-review/

That is a GREAT review done by Bill Pollack who "used to own" an I/S Valk and participated on the VRCC tech board quite a few years ago.
Bill, who is my riding buddy/close friend, demonstrated the use of this Wheeldock for me in his garage.
I was VERY IMPRESSED. It makes things so much easier than with all other wheel shocks on the market.
Go for it! I do not believe that you would ever regret it! 

[Mr.BubblesVRCCDS0008]

I have the HF. chock mounted to the floor in the garage and park the bike in it all the  time. I also transfer the chock to the trailer for trailering. Only problem I've ever had was could not get bike out of the chock on the trailer but after I let go of the front brake it came right out. For the money the Haulmaster chock is a keeper.

[BF]

Ordered the "custom" chock. 

My front tire is a Dunlop Elite 3, 150/80R-17 and it's 6 1/8" wide.

Can't wait 'till it gets here.   

[$ Ball]

Good for you,you won't be disappointed. it comes with a allen wrench for the bolts that go thru the floor of your trailer,I drilled a hole for that wrench in the  front of it for a place for that wrench, so you have it on hand.

[Paxton]

I saw that video about the Victory on the wheel chock. The chock sure looks well constructed but the side movements of the bike are more pronounced
than with the one I and others have. Frankly, this one is all one would need for very secure parking.

http://www.harborfreight.com/http-www-harborfreight-com-motorcycle-stand-wheel-chock-97841-html.html?utm_referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F&utm_referrer=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.valkyrieforum.com%2Fbbs%2Findex.php%2Ftopic%2C66673.0%2Ftopicseen.html

When the little ones come to visit they like playing on the bike (Wing). I have no worries about the bike falling as the chock locks her in place.

[quexpress]

I saw that video about the Victory on the wheel chock. The chock sure looks well constructed but the side movements of the bike are more pronounced
than with the one I and others have. Frankly, this one is all one would need for very secure parking.

http://www.harborfreight.com/http-www-harborfreight-com-motorcycle-stand-wheel-chock-97841-html.html?utm_referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F&utm_referrer=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.valkyrieforum.com%2Fbbs%2Findex.php%2Ftopic%2C66673.0%2Ftopicseen.html

When the little ones come to visit they like playing on the bike (Wing). I have no worries about the bike falling as the chock locks her in place.

I have 2 of these HF chocks and like them.
However, after watching Bill in his garage use the Wheeldock, I know that the Wheeldock is in a class of it's own.

[BF]

I saw that video about the Victory on the wheel chock. The chock sure looks well constructed but the side movements of the bike are more pronounced
than with the one I and others have. Frankly, this one is all one would need for very secure parking.

http://www.harborfreight.com/http-www-harborfreight-com-motorcycle-stand-wheel-chock-97841-html.html?utm_referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F&utm_referrer=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.valkyrieforum.com%2Fbbs%2Findex.php%2Ftopic%2C66673.0%2Ftopicseen.html

When the little ones come to visit they like playing on the bike (Wing). I have no worries about the bike falling as the chock locks her in place.

To each their own Paxton, and I'm glad the Harbor Fright chock works fine for you, but I really don't think that the HF is in the same class as the WheelDock, LA Chock or the Condor.  But, that's just MHO.   

[BF]

Got the WheelDock delivered today.  Out of the box it's ready to go....no assembly.   

Have to say I'm impressed with the quality. 

I ordered the "custom" chock.  You send them the tire width and what bike you're gonna use the chock with and they build it for you and your bike.  I have an Elite 3 and it's 6 1/8th" wide.  They also offer shims that you can attach if you ever use a narrower tire or different bike. 

Bike is really solid in the chock and there's NO room for a bigger tire.  It's snug against the Elite 3 (no wiggle room)....and very sturdy. 

Just roll the bike in, step on the lever (you don't even have to get off of the bike....easy peasy) and the bike is snugged up in the chock.  Bike sits straight up.  When ready to go, step on the lever, get on bike and with a ever so very slight tug, roll the bike out.  It rolls in flat and rolls out flat.  You don't have to mussel the bike out over a pivot point out of the chock....at all.   

I know that there are alot cheaper wheel chocks available out there (AND more expensive ones too), but after looking at them, they didn't fit my wants and needs.

[salty1]

Looks great Bruce!     May have to get one of those.?

[Jess from VA]

Nice report.  Very nice product.   

In my 10 by 12 shed, I snug one bike up to the wall, then roll the second in and lean it against the first one (bag rail to bag rail).  First I need a garage, then maybe a chock would be nice.

[Brian]

I sure like that roll in feature after having the teeter totter self locking one from HF. I use this HF model mounted on the lift table. The HF model does an excellent job at keeping the bike up right. I need the help of my better half to pull it out. If any one has had a gas pressurized shock on a vehicle knows they loose capacity over time. I have had to replace these on our mini van and on a truck bed cap. Is the gas shock the only thing holding the wheel keeper in place?

[rhinor61]

I like the write up on the WheelDock, a lot... first hand testimonial..

I just emailed them at WheelDock to see if we can get a group discount for us, like a group buy of 10 or more units....
Email me back if you are interested in a group buy and I will let you know what WheelDock can do for us on the pricing... If I can get those who are interested, pehaps a discount code can save us some $$ to make it better.

The best advertisement is word of mouth...

Thanks.

[BF]

I sure like that roll in feature after having the teeter totter self locking one from HF. I use this HF model mounted on the lift table. The HF model does an excellent job at keeping the bike up right. I need the help of my better half to pull it out. If any one has had a gas pressurized shock on a vehicle knows they loose capacity over time. I have had to replace these on our mini van and on a truck bed cap. Is the gas shock the only thing holding the wheel keeper in place?

Yes.  Although, I'm pretty sure that you'll know when/if it starts to wear out....easy enough to replace it.  

Regardless, if you've given them the correct width of your tire (or if you have your tire shimed snug), the bike doesn't move....at least mine doesn't whenever I release the locking lever.  They say to hold the bike when you release it (probably good advice regardless), but at least with mine, the bike is still fairly stable in the chock....primarily because the tire is still snug in the upper portion of the chock.  

If I was to order one again, I'd give them the width of the widest tire I thought I'd ever run (for all I know the Elite 3 just may be the widest....it is a very wide tire) and let them build it to that.  Then order whatever shims you'll need from them and use those whenever using the chock with a narrower tire.....then you should be good for mulitple tires or multiple bikes.  

[salty1]

Bruce like the solo look of your bike. 

[wspollack]

As the webBikeWorld Reviewer, I thought I'd chime in here. I  signed up for an account on this forum a few days ago, after my friend quexpress pointed out this thread to me.

My Background:

I owned a Valkyrie Interstate, bought new early in 2000 and sold in 2007; see http://www.billanddot.com/valkyrie/ for pics. While a VRCC member, I did a lot of posting on the Tech board. I also wrote a how-to on installing and using Speed Bleeders on a Valk; that write-up is still a page on my personal web site -- http://www.billanddot.com/brake-bleeding.htm -- and eleven years later I still get an occasional email from people reading that.

In 2012 (after riding a Suzuki Burgman 650 for five years ( www.billanddot.com/burgman/ ),  I bought a Victory Cross Country Tour ("XCT"): http://www.billanddot.com/victory-xct/ . The XCT, if you're interested, is not as smooth nor as powerful as the I/S was, but it has a much lower CofG and much lower seat (both important to someone like me, who is both rapidly aging and of average inseam), more storage than maybe any other bike (important to my wife), factory cruise/heated seat/heated grips, EFI, extremely easy maintenance (except for the fuel and air filters, but you guys know about PITA air filter replacements), comfy, good ground clearance and handling, and so forth.

Chock Background:

This winter, it was time for a chock, mostly because I was replacing the handlebars and wanted to work on the bike straight up doing that (and it makes some other tasks easier, too, like lubing the sidestand and some aspects of cleaning). (The XCT is not as friendly to those standard two-flat-bar bike lifts as a Valk, because it doesn't have frame rails underneath.) I did my research, and settled on the Wheeldock. I detailed my experiences in that webBikeWorld article ( http://www.webbikeworld.com/motorcycle-wheel-chock/wheeldock-review/ ), which pretty much said it all.

Chock Update:

Since I submitted that article and in what little riding I've gotten in -- talk about a crappy early riding season in the northeast -- I have yet to use my sidestand in the garage. That is, I've grown accustomed to the space saved by having the bike straight up, and have become accomplished at just riding the bike into the garage, directly into the chock (feathering the clutch at the very end). I've found that I can just reach that trip lever while still sitting on the bike. So, while you can see me struggling -- manually pushing the bike -- in the video in that review, I don't do that any more: I use bike power. (And you can imagine how hard it would've been for me if I had to go "uphill," manually, using one of those ordinary chocks.)

The chock slides a bit on the garage floor during most entries -- if you have very good clutch skills, this wouldn't be an issue -- and I reposition it every few rides (with the bike in the driveway, warming up). I put some rubber pads under the back crossbar, but they were quickly mushed and scrunched up, unusable. What I think might work better is a couple of those car stop thingees, that have both a backstop and a large flat portion before that. That is, the kind of stoppers that you drive onto, with the weight of the tires on the flat part, which means that the bumper part can't move, as you bump into it. Some people mount their chocks on a chunk of plywood, with suitable friction material underneath, but to me that defeats the purpose, somewhat, of having a nice low chock.

When I park the bike and trip the lever, I can feel the front tire getting snugged up, if it wasn't already positioned smack dab against the front of the chock. That is, that gas shock is plenty powerful. In answer to one question, that would be one way to tell -- years later? -- that the strut is losing its mojo. Certainly seems to have plenty of reserve power now.

I didn't have to order a "custom" size, but if you Valk riders do, as seems to be the case, make sure you follow the directions in one of the videos at the site, regarding a simple way to get an accurate measurement (using a wood clamp, as I recall).

BF: glad you like the Wheeldock, and good suggestion regarding ordering for the widest Valk front tire, and Wheeldock shims (they're cheap enough) for the rest. You folks might want to post a collection of measured widths, for whatever front tires are being used on Valks these days.

Cheers,

Bill Pollack
Niskayuna, NY