Im buying a truck.. | GTAMotorcycle.com

Im buying a truck..

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-JERICHO-

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I am buying a truck. I want it to fit at least 2 SS bikes in the back for long trips.

What do you guys and gals out there who have trucks recommend?

Avalanche? bed size? 5 1/4
f-150 6 1/2
Silverado

Im open to anything really, but it has to look good too.. I am a newb to trucks so advice is VERY welcome...

I measured my bike and my buddies bikes at around 6.5 feet... Things I am considering are fuel economy (V8s), ride comfort, and utility...

Thanks
 
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It might be worth considering a trailer that could carry 2 bikes and then a tow vehicle that could pull it. Getting a big truck commits you to always have less then stellar fuel economy. Possibly a mid size pick up or SUV would be capable, with some benefits

Just a suggestion....
 
Ive got the new 2011 F150 V6 turbo eco boost engine .. it has power like a diesel yet sips fuel almost like a honda civic and tows just as much if not more than most V8's.

You really want at the very minimum a 6.5 ft bed .. most bikes wont fit properly in a short bed.
 
If your going new... Dodge has a great product as for chev (and I am a GM guy) stay the fffffffack away.

ford is ford, they are **** and have even worse trannies.
 
I have an 04 F150, its the best damn truck on the road. I've owned it now for 6 years, and haven't had a problem with it since. Just regular maintenance at 10k per oil change. I do suggest a FORD when it comes to trucks. They don't have to put on big rims like Dodge to sell their trucks, or have quality problems like GM. They have been building trucks since they started, I'm sure they know a thing or two about building trucks. And ffs, don't buy and asian import truck, that's just clown **** man.

Oh and btw, when you think of buying a truck, much like a V8 stang, you don't think of gas mileage, because if you do, then you're buying the wrong car for yourself.

I was getting 500+/-kms per 70L-80L of fuel. And that's just above half tank at the price of gas today.
 
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I have a 2010 Honda Ridgeline. I haul 2 bikes around all the time, both local and long trips to S. Ontario (Niagara, St. Catharines). The truck bed was designed around a Honda CBR600 for size and has "tire grooves" for added ease. You can't put the tailgate up when a bike is in the back, but the tailgate was designed with additional grooves for the rear tire.

Overall, I'm really happy with this purchase and have had no problems hauling bikes several hundred km's on weekends.

My only complaint is that you need a ramp longer than 6 foot. A shorter ramp has too steep an angle for the bottom of my SS to clear.
 
infernobuster said:
Ive got the new 2011 F150 V6 turbo eco boost engine .. it has power like a diesel yet sips fuel almost like a honda civic and tows just as much if not more than most V8's.

You really want at the very minimum a 6.5 ft bed .. most bikes wont fit properly in a short bed.
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Pretty sure it doesn't sip fuel ANYTHING like a Honda Civic.
 
nrvswreck said:
I have an 04 F150, its the best damn truck on the road. I've owned it now for 6 years, and haven't had a problem with it since. Just regular maintenance at 10k per oil change. I do suggest a FORD when it comes to trucks. They don't have to put on big rims like Dodge to sell their trucks, or have quality problems like GM. They have been building trucks since they started, I'm sure they know a thing or two about building trucks. And ffs, don't buy and asian import truck, that's just clown **** man.

Oh and btw, when you think of buying a truck, much like a V8 stang, you don't think of gas mileage, because if you do, then you're buying the wrong car for yourself.

I was getting 500+/-kms per 70L-80L of fuel. And that's just above half tank at the price of gas today.
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You just reminded me of the Tundra 5.7L that right there is a badass truck boy.
 
Holmes said:
You just reminded me of the Tundra 5.7L that right there is a badass truck boy.
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That truck is ugly, that thing on the hood that looks like its supposed to be a vent, doesn't do anything.. and the frame is weak, compared to the Domestics. You know how the frame should look like this [] like a beam.. The Tundra was this [ half the beam.
 
Complete overkill for what you are planning, but I have a 2007 Ford Super Duty (F350, single rear wheel, crew cab, 6.75ft short bed, diesel, 4x4). Super comfortable for both driver and passengers, and you can pretty much haul and/or tow anything (also comes with an integrated brake controller driven directly off the truck's hydraulics & computer).

If I'm just cruising along, I've seen as high as 24 mpg average (~9.8 L/100km) on flat highway doing 90km/h.

More typically, though, I get closer to 16-18 mpg average (~13-15L/100km), as I'm usually speeding (120-130km/h).

City mileage is about 12-13 mpg average (18-20L/100km)

Worst I've seen was 9 mpg average (26L/100km) hauling a truck camper (aerodynamics of a brick wall) and 3 passengers + gear (slightly overloaded at ~4000 lbs of payload).
 
Some good info here.

Yeah I drive a v8 stang as well... she drinks aplenty. I don't really want a trailer because its just another thing taking up space when I don't use it, so I want to eliminate that "issue" as a concern.

I have no problems with buying new or used, price range 20-40k, and yeah its not going to be used constantly for hauling anything. Just a couple of SS's to visit a buddy in Cali to go riding etc...

I like the como trucks ala Avanlanche, but if the bed is too small its a no go. Hearing about the ridgeline bed being tailor made to fit a pair of CBR's is encouraging, but I don't want to buy foreign. I also buy a lot of Ford, but am not against Chevy. I am not sure about Chrysler though... I have had issues with previous cars...

Anyone that drives a RWD truck, does this affect your drive-ability in the winter? I never even bothered with my mustang after a couple of slips. So I was mainly sticking to 4wd.

1 Avalanche (unless bed is too short even with bed extender)
2 F-150 AWD (bed length is good, lots available for cheap) (super duty is def overkill lol)
3 ? Specifically chevy?
 
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IRONLUNG said:
Anyone that drives a RWD truck, does this affect your drive-ability in the winter? I never even bothered with my mustang after a couple of slips. So I was mainly sticking to 4wd.
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Most pickups don't have much weight in the rear when unloaded, so you'll definitely need a good set of snow tires and some ballast (sand bags, bricks, or even snow) in the bed if you aren't going to get 4WD.

If fuel efficiency is a big concern, Chevy does make a Silverado hybrid that you may want to check out.
 
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^^ +1

I put over 500lbs of sand bags in my truck and no issues with traction. I do run 4 snow and only have 2 wheel drive. I have a 2002 Sierra SLE and haul 2 sleds on a trailer..
 
IRONLUNG said:
I am buying a truck. I want it to fit at least 2 SS bikes in the back for long trips.

What do you guys and gals out there who have trucks recommend?

Avalanche? bed size? 5 1/4
f-150 6 1/2
Silverado

Im open to anything really, but it has to look good too.. I am a newb to trucks so advice is VERY welcome...

I measured my bike and my buddies bikes at around 6.5 feet... Things I am considering are fuel economy (V8s), ride comfort, and utility...

Thanks
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You want a V8 truck with good fuel economy? Good luck!
 
buy a 1500 gmc pickup with a 5.3l , fords are ****
 
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k-man69 said:
You want a V8 truck with good fuel economy? Good luck!
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I am concerned with which engine in which configuration gives the best fuel economy between them. Perhaps that blurb I posted wasn't clear enough. I know I am going to pay for gas, I just wanted to know which engine to pick. From what I have read Chevy has this feature of shutting off 4 cyl to save on gas, seems to help mildly. That is the kind of info I was hoping to glean off of other members experience.
 
IRONLUNG said:
... but I don't want to buy foreign.
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Honda Ridgeline point of final assembly is Alliston, Ontario. A good many of the parts suppliers are local, too. For what it's worth, both the Toyota Tundra and Nissan Titan are also built in North America - those two are both built in the 'States.

IRONLUNG said:
1 Avalanche (unless bed is too short even with bed extender)
2 F-150 AWD (bed length is good, lots available for cheap) (super duty is def overkill lol)
3 ? Specifically chevy?
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I'm pretty sure the Avalanche will get the job done with a bed extender, and if you have a need for hauling people in addition to the bikes, the overall length of an Avalanche is shorter than that of a Silverado crew cab (think about parking lots).

The way I see it, there are two reasonable choices.

2011 F150 with either the base 3.7 V6 or (if you need the extra power - and you probably don't ...) the Ecoboost V6. Previous model years had the 4.6 or 5.4 V8 engines which used a lot more fuel. The new base V6 has roughly the same power output as the old 4.6 V8.

Any GM T900 (take your pick of body style and model year) with the 5.3 displacement-on-demand V8. The base engine is the ancient 4.3 V6, which is thirsty and not very powerful (I had a contractor-special Silverado V6 as a loaner for a few days, and fuel consumption was dismal, 15-ish L/100 km), but I think those are only in the contractor-special models. The others mostly have a 4.8 V8 but it doesn't have displacement-on-demand. The 5.3 with DOD is the one that runs on 4 cylinders when cruising.

I wouldn't touch a Dodge. V6 = no power and thirsty, V8 Hemi = thirsty. They need a new generation of powertrains. When the new Phoenix 3,6 V6 becomes available with MultiAir then they might be worth a look. Or if they decide to shove the still-being-developed Cummins 4-cylinder diesel in the light-duty pickups. (problem is that it's being developed under contract to someone other than Chrysler, so it might not ever happen)

Tundra V8 is really thirsty. Titan V8 takes thirsty to an extraordinary new level.

Ridgeline V6 has about the same fuel consumption ratings as a Chevrolet with the DOD 5.3 V8, so why bother. Dated powertrain in a dated vehicle.
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