Loading Into Truck

Is there a way I can load my VFR into my F150 without damaging it?

Folding ramp and a canyon dancer?

Easily done! I park the rear truck wheels in the gutter and place the ramp up the driveway. This levels the ramp a bit and makes running the bike up the ramp easier. To secure I use a chock now and still employ Canyon Dancers .....and a Chevy!

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If it's something you won't be needing to do very often, rent a motorcycle-specific trailer from U-Haul for $15/day. If your truck doesn't have a hitch, get one (they come in handy). If you don't have tie-downs, get some of those, too (they also come in handy). And yes, get yourself a canyon dancer (I've got one of those, too). All this stuff comes in handy. I guarantee you, you won't be using any of these things just once.

Make sure that your ramp is long enough and preferably curved.

Otherwise,

P.S.

Don't let anyone film ya :goofy:

I have THIS one. Never failed me yet.

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A ramp that's wide enough for you to walk up beside the bike is really nice. Otherwise, a milk crate/stool/MX stand next to it to help you make the step up to the tailgate really helps. The bars get pretty high pretty fast and make it hard to balance and make a big step up.

If you're by yourself, running it in first and feathering the clutch as you walk it up can help a lot. Or run it through the rear window of the truck, or spin the back wheel off the ramp.

Practicing with a smaller bike helps if you can.

BonusVFR

Easily done! I park the rear truck wheels in the gutter and place the ramp up the driveway. This levels the ramp a bit and makes running the bike up the ramp easier. To secure I use a chock now and still employ Canyon Dancers .....and a Chevy!

Might you have a pic of your ramp & how you transport it?

2FAST4U

If it's something you won't be needing to do very often, rent a motorcycle-specific trailer from U-Haul for $15/day. If your truck doesn't have a hitch, get one (they come in handy). If you don't have tie-downs, get some of those, too (they also come in handy). And yes, get yourself a canyon dancer (I've got one of those, too). All this stuff comes in handy. I guarantee you, you won't be using any of these things just once.

I'd be doing it on a weekly basis to go drag racing.

Rice

Make sure that your ramp is long enough and preferably curved.

Otherwise,

I have THIS one. Never failed me yet.

Very tempting to get one of those ramps. Looks difficult to transport with only one bike. Why is there no tailgate on the truck in the pic?

What went wrong in the video? Did it bottom out?

MysteryRider246

BonusVFR

Easily done! I park the rear truck wheels in the gutter and place the ramp up the driveway. This levels the ramp a bit and makes running the bike up the ramp easier. To secure I use a chock now and still employ Canyon Dancers .....and a Chevy!

Might you have a pic of your ramp & how you transport it?

Mine is a foldable "curved" ramp. Sorry about the lousy picture but you can see the Silver back half of one leg on a trip to our launch point for an Alaska adventure with three bikes (two on a trailer...one in the bed). It stores easily as the ramp is not wide enough to walk on.

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Here is what I would get now. This ReadyRamp serves two functions namely as a bed extender and a long foldable ramp. Quite a few more pictures on the readyramp.com site to show tips on loading too.

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MysteryRider246

Rice

Make sure that your ramp is long enough and preferably curved.

Otherwise,

I have THIS one. Never failed me yet.

Very tempting to get one of those ramps. Looks difficult to transport with only one bike. Why is there no tailgate on the truck in the pic?

What went wrong in the video? Did it bottom out?

The bed is just a bit shorter than the bike.

And not sure why it would be more difficult to store the ramp with one bike than with two. Or did I misunderstand your question?

And yah. It bottomed out.

That ready ramp looks like a great idea.

I have used 14"wide folding ramp to get it out, to get it in I found a ditch and was able to ride the bike straight in.

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I've got a VERY steep driveway down to flat garage floor. Park the truck in the garage, and a 6' 2X12 let me load and unload easily...

Like this: :goofy:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KnRS8f9QcrA

Here's another option (I once had one of these). It weighs a little over 100 lbs. and can carry a motorcycle weighing up to 600 lbs. My SUV has a Class IV hitch rated for 750 lbs. and so I never had any problems carrying my bike with it. You can even get optional turn signals with it (which I had). Check out versahaul.com.

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Note in Rice's post, #5:

The ramp is ratchet-strapped to the truck. A great precaution!

Those hitch-insert carriers look like the way to go.

Princess Auto sells them for under $200 and have capacity of 500 lbs.

Rice

MysteryRider246

Rice

Make sure that your ramp is long enough and preferably curved.

Otherwise,

I have THIS one. Never failed me yet.

Very tempting to get one of those ramps. Looks difficult to transport with only one bike. Why is there no tailgate on the truck in the pic?

What went wrong in the video? Did it bottom out?

The bed is just a bit shorter than the bike.

And not sure why it would be more difficult to store the ramp with one bike than with two. Or did I misunderstand your question?

And yah. It bottomed out.

That ready ramp looks like a great idea.

So I take it that you prefer to remove the tailgate then to leave it down. Just curious.

Looks difficult to transport because it's too wide to be able to lay it flat in the bed. Not sure how I could secure it. Sure as heck would not want it falling over on the bike. Being able to put it between two bikes looks easier then figuring out where to put it with one bike.

Is the reason for it being arched to prevent the bike from bottoming out?

The hitch mounted carriers are probably fine but I couldn't trust one. It's just not mounted to the vehicle securely enough for me.

Since I have a truck with an 8' bed, I'd like to make use of it.

Upon reviewing the ebay listing, I see the ramp can be separated into 3 separate ramps which would make transporting it much easier. Leaves me wondering, what's involved in doing that.

The ramp I use does come with two straps that secure it to the truck while loading and unloading. A must IMHO.

I transport the ramp folded on its side leaned to one of the bed sides. Same straps are used to secure the folded ramp to the side of the truck. Zero chance of it moving or falling.

It does consist of three pieces, but disassembling it and assembling for transport is not an option. Too much time and effort for no reason.

I did consider the hitch carrier, but having somewhat of an engineering background, I just don't trust 5-6 hundred lbs dangling on a stick. The breaking force generated on a bump is just too much for the frame and for the 750lb rated hitch. I mean it probably won't break, but I'd be thinking about it and looking back after every good bump. Not fun.

I had a ramp that consisted of three separate ramps that I bolted up into one ramp when I used it for stability. It worked but took up a lot of room. I also had the one that Rice shows a link to. A very good ramp, and easy to move around since it isn't extremely heavy.

Securing the ramp to the vehicle you're going to load the bike into is mandatory unless you want to be on YouTube under "Motorcycle Loading Fails". :happy:

I use the steel Harbor Freight ramps like the one > MISUSED < in the video. However, I have one ramp for the bike and one ramp for me to walk up. That guy also has the front wheels of his truck in the gutter which makes the rear even HIGHER. Bass ackward job!

Rice

The ramp I use does come with two straps that secure it to the truck while loading and unloading. A must IMHO.

I transport the ramp folded on its side leaned to one of the bed sides. Same straps are used to secure the folded ramp to the side of the truck. Zero chance of it moving or falling.

How do you go about strapping the folded ramp in the bed of your truck? Like what do you attach the straps to?

The mailman

I use the steel Harbor Freight ramps like the one > MISUSED < in the video. However, I have one ramp for the bike and one ramp for me to walk up. That guy also has the front wheels of his truck in the gutter which makes the rear even HIGHER. Bass ackward job!

I noticed the same thing in the video. Poor bike was doomed from the get go.

I was looking at those ramps also and thinking that since they aren't arched, the bike would bottom out. Apparently you don't have that problem.

My truck has attachment points in each corner of the bed. It's a Chevy thing ;)

Tacoma has a couple of d rings in the back corners that are handy. If you don't have rings you can clip onto the latch hooks for the tail gate if you need to go over the top of the tailgate, or hook onto the bumper if you can go under.

I know there seem to be a lot of videos around of things going wrong, but it's really not that difficult. Just step back and look at your setup for a sec and you'll be able to spot problems. It's pushing on anyway at that point that leads to videos. :o)

dawson

I know there seem to be a lot of videos around of things going wrong, but it's really not that difficult. Just step back and look at your setup for a sec and you'll be able to spot problems. It's pushing on anyway at that point that leads to videos. :o)

You could argue that it is the presence of the video that virtually guarantees epic failure...when was the last time a video of an uneventful loading went viral? I rest my case. :happy:

Ciao,

The ramp I use does come with two straps that secure it to the truck while loading and unloading. A must IMHO.
I transport the ramp folded on its side leaned to one of the bed sides. Same straps are used to secure the folded ramp to the side of the truck. Zero chance of it moving or falling.

 

I was looking at those ramps also and thinking that since they aren't arched, the bike would bottom out. Apparently you don't have that problem.  

I use mine to get my VFR into my trailer so it isn't as high as a truck bed but you can compensate for that by paying attention to how you park in the first place. 

Don't let anyone film ya :goofy:

Unless the rider said: "Film me in my sunglasses while I ride the Bonnie unaided up a skinny ramp at an acute angle ..." what about the two doofuses (doofi?) filming rather than helping the guy load his bike?  Isn't a Bonnie about the same weight as a 6th gen VFR? Surely three guys could push it up the ramp, lift it over the hump and into the truck? Isn't that how a lot of bikes are stolen?  Three (or four) guys hop out of a truck or van, pick the bike up, load it and take off?

I have cleats in the 4 corners of the bed & 6 stake holes on the rails on my truck. But I still can't picture how I'd be able to run a strap high enough on the ramp to keep it upright. I must be misunderstanding something. Maybe using the stake holes would be high enough.

We are talking about how to secure the ramp in the bed during transport because it is too wide to lay down. 

I noticed that when unloading my XR. So I put it in gear (engine not running of course) that way while I walk beside it, I can keep my hands on the grips & work the clutch like it's a rear brake. I'm figuring that I can do the same with my VFR.

In actuality.  I roll with a PitBull Trailer Restraint System.  and it is trey groovy

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How did you load the one in your truck?

I have THIS one.  Never failed me yet.

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Could this ramp be used with the 3 sections strapped together rather than bolted?

I have THIS one.  Never failed me yet.

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Could this ramp be used with the 3 sections strapped together rather than bolted?

It could.  But you wouldn't want to.

Is Canyon Dancer Bar Harness II better than the original?

And which size would I need?

Is Canyon Dancer Bar Harness II better than the original?

And which size would I need?

 I have both and yes Gen II is superior as it protects the grips better.  However I used this PVC pipe mod with the CD to protect the grips on my VFR and other bikes. It works like a charm!

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You can see also that the original CD with straps will ride a little closer to the fairings than the new version.

Thanks, BonusVFR.

When using the original one, does it tend to twist the grip enough that it causes the throttle to open?

Not that I am aware of?  I think I only used the CD once before I added the PVC protectors.

MysteryRider246

I don't understand how I could do that with this strap since the part of it that attaches to my truck has a loop to grab onto on one end & nothing on the other. The hook of it is attached to the cam buckle part.

I finally went out and under the deck to recheck how I attached the strap to the ramp. It's just tied on, nothing else, just a knot. I thought it had some kind of attachment. Guess not. Sorry.

MysteryRider246,

Regardless of the system you end up with couldn't you test your method/materials with a bicycle?

If you need to step on something like a box or whatever as you push the bike up the ramp wouldn't it be easier with a 20 pound bicycle than with a 500 pound motorcycle?

Good luck,

LookingHard

I intend to test it with my XR. And I'm not planning to use anything else to step on since the ramp is 34" wide.

Thanks for the input though.

Veefer800Canuck

MysteryRider246

I don't understand how I could do that with this strap since the part of it that attaches to my truck has a loop to grab onto on one end & nothing on the other. The hook of it is attached to the cam buckle part.

Buy a different tiedown.........

This is what Titan Ramps had to say:

"If you see there is a loop on the other side of the strap. Take the hook though the loop (around the ramp) then connect the other end to your bumper and tighten the strap."

I suppose it would have cost more if the strap provided had 2 hooks .

Yeah, that sounds about right. I looked at mine at it looked like it was just tied, but I do seem to recall that I just looped the strap through a loop. Pretty low rent, but it does work.

Low rent, and possibly stronger than a cheap hook

Yeah, you could be right there.

MysteryRider246

Veefer800Canuck

MysteryRider246

I don't understand how I could do that with this strap since the part of it that attaches to my truck has a loop to grab onto on one end & nothing on the other. The hook of it is attached to the cam buckle part.

Buy a different tiedown.........

This is what Titan Ramps had to say:

"If you see there is a loop on the other side of the strap. Take the hook though the loop (around the ramp) then connect the other end to your bumper and tighten the strap."

I suppose it would have cost more if the strap provided had 2 hooks .

You don't want two hooks. The loop does exactly what it should - keeps the strap in place permanently.