I found this chart and got out the tape measure. A sport bike will fit in the back of a ProMaster City no problem. https://image.slidesharecdn.com/201...key-new-mexico-texas-23-638.jpg?cb=1428708749
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Pickup truck vs trailer vs van
- Thread starter timtune
- Start date
A tri fold ramp. My driveway has a little slow to it, and i put the truck partly on the road. With a 350lb racebike it's easy. Just a little bit at a time.
Trials bikes don't even need a ramp. Front wheel up, lift the swingarm till the bash plate is on the tailgate, climb up and haul it in. 145lb.
Mmmm. Wish I had the space.
Mine would have a 4-bike garage in the back.
Beds? We doan neeeed no steeenkin' beds!
bigpoppa
Well-known member
BigEvilDoer
Well-known member
Get a pair of folding ramps.
I power mine up the ramp - pushing a 400lb bike up ramps in the bed of my F150 isn't practical.
Let the engine do the work. It'll take practice.
The load floor height in my big van is below the height of my kneecap when standing behind it.
This is with a leaf taken out of the rear springs so that the van sits pretty close to level, instead of the stock too-high-in-the-rear look. (Very easy to do that mod)
A stock rest-of-the-world Fiat Ducato (same van) has the same setup but a lower load capacity, which is fine with me.
This is with a leaf taken out of the rear springs so that the van sits pretty close to level, instead of the stock too-high-in-the-rear look. (Very easy to do that mod)
A stock rest-of-the-world Fiat Ducato (same van) has the same setup but a lower load capacity, which is fine with me.
Mad Mike
Well-known member
I have all 3, each has its strengths and weaknesses
Trailer is easiest to load/unload. Youcan tow a bike trailer with anything. Downside is you need a place to store it.
Vans are easy to load. Downside is the stink of oil, gas and tires is always there.
Pickup is hardest to load, like a trailer there is no Nigel or fuel stink in the cab.
My preference is the trailer.
Trailer is easiest to load/unload. Youcan tow a bike trailer with anything. Downside is you need a place to store it.
Vans are easy to load. Downside is the stink of oil, gas and tires is always there.
Pickup is hardest to load, like a trailer there is no Nigel or fuel stink in the cab.
My preference is the trailer.
I haven't had a fuel-smell issue but I can see how that would happen. In my case, it's carrying a modern fuel injected bike with a sealed fuel system (and no carburetor float-bowls), and my generator also has a well-sealed fuel system, and I habitually run the generator at the end of each weekend until its carburetor is empty. What WILL stink up the interior, is carrying fuel in a full red jerry can. But I normally fill that in the last Shell station before I get to Grand Bend, and take it out of the van in the course of unloading at the track 20 minutes later, and if there's anything left in it at the end of the weekend, it goes into either the generator or the bike, which have well-sealed fuel systems, before those get loaded in for the trip home.
Even with a box trailer or a toy-hauler, you really don't want to be stinking up the inside of the trailer with fuel vapors if you are also going to be sleeping in there (which is what most people do at the track) ... or putting on leathers or clothing that have been sitting in there along with that ...
Even with a box trailer or a toy-hauler, you really don't want to be stinking up the inside of the trailer with fuel vapors if you are also going to be sleeping in there (which is what most people do at the track) ... or putting on leathers or clothing that have been sitting in there along with that ...
all the toy haulers I looked at you had to remove the bike(s) to fold out the bed, so if you're camping on the way to the track or riding spot, you have to unload the bike(s).
I have a van, I put the bikes in the van, pulling a little travel trailer makes more sense.
... and a van is more secure than a pickup or trailer... so I can leave the van in the hotel parking lot... screw camping.
I'm in my 60s and I won't ride a bike that I can't put in the van myself.
After this covid, I have to figure out how to remove 75# from my GS1000 if I want to ride it again. It was a major PIA to load BEFORE I lost all my muscle from laying on the couch for a year.
Well, the BIG toy-haulers have the garage completely separate from the living quarters, but you'd better have a serious tow rig to haul those around! I know someone who tows a 7000-lb-ish toy hauler with a F150, but it's pretty much on the limit of what that truck will tow.
With a commercial style van, there are also convenient kits to add extra ventilation to the back. I think the HVAC guys are required to install them in case they have a refrigerant leak. The little spinning turbine on the roof that keeps air moving from front to back.
Bike trailers are relatively light, most cars can tow them although not necessarily ideal.
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It seems like it would be way too short vertically. Maybe if you laid the bike down? That also seems like a bad idea. Maybe take the wheels off? I just don't see how it works in a normal hatchback. I have transported a CT70 in the back seat of a golf, but even that required me to take the handlebars off.
Sure. Got a hatchback that you don't give a crap about?
CT70, my first bike. Handlebars folded down for transport and it fit in the trunk of my dad's '69 Olds 98 with plenty of room to spare.
The golf would almost fit in that trunk
Priller
Well-known member
I've done loading into the bed of a truck (F-150 and Tacoma), hauling a 4x8 utility trailer with a car (Honda Accord V6) and my current setup of a utility trailer towed by an F-150.
I actually never had an issue loading and unloading a sportbike into the pickup bed on my own. I had two curved ramps, one for the bike and one for me. Loading required lots of clutch slippage and making damn sure the ramp was tied to the hitch, and unloading just meant carefully watching both wheels to stay centred. The bigger issue was needing to leave the tailgate down and use a bed extender, which never felt as secure as I'd like. Then again, if I'm relying on the tailgate to keep the bike in, I probably have problems anyway. The biggest advantage of this was the simplicity. No trailer to store, maintain, back up/turn around in tight spots, etc. I also felt like the bike was slightly more secure at hotel stops, as it required a bit more planning to remove vs. a lower trailer (which could also be stolen).
Towing a trailer with the Accord was fine, but limited. It was specified to a max of 1,000 lbs, so needed a light trailer and could only do one sportbike. I also was limited in what I could add to the trailer, as the 400 lb trailer and 450 lb bike didn't leave a lot of capacity. The advantage was I could use the trailer for all sorts of other stuff (600 lbs max, though), almost replicating basic truck usage, but then have something nicer to drive for the 95% of the time that I didn't need to haul anything. I did love that Accord, and the V8 F-150 burns about 70% more gas (lead foot caveat, but roughly 8 l/100 km vs 13-14 l/100 km), which isn't ideal on a bunch of levels.
Towing the same trailer with a truck allows for two bikes now, and having the bed free means I can haul a lot more crap that I rarely use. This in turn frees up the seats in the truck for sharing a trip. The problem is I almost never use the trailer for anything else, so it becomes a big driveway hog. If I could do it again, I'd buy a folding trailer that would be easier to hide. It's also the least secure way to overnight in hotel parking lots, as both the bike and the bike and trailer are potential theft targets. A covered trailer is the next logical step, and certainly adds to the security level, but also costs a bit more and is harder to store and move around...
I think a van is the best solution as a single-use vehicle, and addresses a lot of the issues above (easy maneuvering, secure, lower load height, doubles as a camper, etc.) but isn't an option for me, as it's not ideal as a daily driver. They're also a pain in the butt in the winter, as they take forever to warm up unless you have a divider between the front seats and the cargo area.
I actually never had an issue loading and unloading a sportbike into the pickup bed on my own. I had two curved ramps, one for the bike and one for me. Loading required lots of clutch slippage and making damn sure the ramp was tied to the hitch, and unloading just meant carefully watching both wheels to stay centred. The bigger issue was needing to leave the tailgate down and use a bed extender, which never felt as secure as I'd like. Then again, if I'm relying on the tailgate to keep the bike in, I probably have problems anyway. The biggest advantage of this was the simplicity. No trailer to store, maintain, back up/turn around in tight spots, etc. I also felt like the bike was slightly more secure at hotel stops, as it required a bit more planning to remove vs. a lower trailer (which could also be stolen).
Towing a trailer with the Accord was fine, but limited. It was specified to a max of 1,000 lbs, so needed a light trailer and could only do one sportbike. I also was limited in what I could add to the trailer, as the 400 lb trailer and 450 lb bike didn't leave a lot of capacity. The advantage was I could use the trailer for all sorts of other stuff (600 lbs max, though), almost replicating basic truck usage, but then have something nicer to drive for the 95% of the time that I didn't need to haul anything. I did love that Accord, and the V8 F-150 burns about 70% more gas (lead foot caveat, but roughly 8 l/100 km vs 13-14 l/100 km), which isn't ideal on a bunch of levels.
Towing the same trailer with a truck allows for two bikes now, and having the bed free means I can haul a lot more crap that I rarely use. This in turn frees up the seats in the truck for sharing a trip. The problem is I almost never use the trailer for anything else, so it becomes a big driveway hog. If I could do it again, I'd buy a folding trailer that would be easier to hide. It's also the least secure way to overnight in hotel parking lots, as both the bike and the bike and trailer are potential theft targets. A covered trailer is the next logical step, and certainly adds to the security level, but also costs a bit more and is harder to store and move around...
I think a van is the best solution as a single-use vehicle, and addresses a lot of the issues above (easy maneuvering, secure, lower load height, doubles as a camper, etc.) but isn't an option for me, as it's not ideal as a daily driver. They're also a pain in the butt in the winter, as they take forever to warm up unless you have a divider between the front seats and the cargo area.
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