recommended motorcycle dolly for garage? | GTAMotorcycle.com

recommended motorcycle dolly for garage?

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iblastoff

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my original plan of buying a new bike and selling the old one never materialized. i'm gonna keep both lol. but my garage can really only comfortably fit 1 bike and my car.

after a lot of manoeuvring, i managed to get my second bike in front of my car, with literally less than a 1cm to spare. but im not gonna do this every time i park it.

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the other side of the bike is about another foot or so of space, but i cant get my bike to utilize that area without pushing it from the side somehow. my bike has no center stand (i plan on installing one but i've seen those tiny mini-dollies that only fit the center stand part and keep hearing people dropping their bikes with them) so i want to get one of those full length dollies like this:

www.gpbikes.com

Kimpex Motorcycle Dolly Low Profile 1250 lbs

Motorcycle Dolly Low Profile
www.gpbikes.com www.gpbikes.com

anyone have a specific one they can recommend? both my bikes are essentially mid-weight standards (400lb to 450'ish lb).
 
I had a similar problem, though only one bike. I got the big dolly from Royal distributing: Long track with a connected piece for the side stand, similar to the Kimpex. It was big, weighed a chunk, took up a lot of space when not in use, and the smallish wheels did not roll that well on my garage floor. I liked that I could roll the bike on it on fairly easily.

I have since sold that dolly and fabricated my own out of 3/4" scrap plywood with screw on 2" swivel casters from Amazon. I have two approx 20"x 36" dollies. One goes under the front wheel and the other under the side stand. The rear wheel sits on the floor in neutral. Two of the casters on each dolly have locking wheels.

When mounted on the dollies, I back the bike into a corner of my garage at an angle and then push sideways to get it tight to a wall. I then lock the casters, throw on the cover, and walk away.

My dollies roll better for me than my previous store bought dolly.

I have a 2x10 home built bike lift that I use to lift the bike to slide a dolly under the the front wheel and side stand. Any bike lift will do the trick.

They are primarily used for winter storage and vacations, when I park my car in the garage.

My bike is a Yamaha 950 Cruiser. A lighter cruiser, but still a bit of a beef cake.
 

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Never used one, but this looks like a good alternative to a full-length dolly that weighs less and takes up less space when not in use. Seller is in Collingwood and is asking $75:

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Ive been looking at MC dollies the past 2 weeks.

I am not familiar with the brands but i think my biggest requirement is that the casters are large enough to roll easily within the garage 360 degrees.
 
I envy anyone who can fit motorcycles and a car in the garage. I chose my bikes and tools over the car. I'm hoping working from home continues over the winter.
 
I have the long track dolly from Royal Dist. it works really well on my very smooth concrete floor and if i keep the floor swept its perfect . For me.

I can see where rough concrete or cracks would be almost impossible with the 1 1/2" dolly wheels.
 
Relax said:
Never used one, but this looks like a good alternative to a full-length dolly that weighs less and takes up less space when not in use. Seller is in Collingwood and is asking $75:

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this definitely looks more ideal in terms of space saving. although i took a look at their facebook page (i think the company is now defunct) and it seems like people have had the casters completely explode on them lol. i'll try to find a similar dolly like this with better ones maybe.

dolly.jpg
 
tooCanad said:
I had a similar problem, though only one bike. I got the big dolly from Royal distributing: Long track with a connected piece for the side stand, similar to the Kimpex. It was big, weighed a chunk, took up a lot of space when not in use, and the smallish wheels did not roll that well on my garage floor. I liked that I could roll the bike on it on fairly easily.

I have since sold that dolly and fabricated my own out of 3/4" scrap plywood with screw on 2" swivel casters from Amazon. I have two approx 20"x 36" dollies. One goes under the front wheel and the other under the side stand. The rear wheel sits on the floor in neutral. Two of the casters on each dolly have locking wheels.

When mounted on the dollies, I back the bike into a corner of my garage at an angle and then push sideways to get it tight to a wall. I then lock the casters, throw on the cover, and walk away.

My dollies roll better for me than my previous store bought dolly.

I have a 2x8 home built bike lift that I use to lift the bike to slide a dolly under the the front wheel and side stand. Any bike lift will do the trick.

They are primarily used for winter storage and vacations, when I park my car in the garage.

My bike is a Yamaha 950 Cruiser. A lighter cruiser, but still a bit of a beef cake.
Click to expand...

very cool! i've made my own dollies for some heavy guitar amps using some thick playwood and casters from home depot. not sure if i trust myself to make one for a much heavier bike though haha.

how are you getting the front wheel onto your homemade dolly? sounds like its at least 3" off the ground?
 
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iblastoff said:
very cool! i've made my own dollies for some heavy guitar amps using some thick playwood and casters from home depot. not sure if i trust myself to make one for a much heavier bike though haha.

how are you getting the front wheel onto your homemade dolly? sounds like its at least 3" off the ground?
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I have home built lift...a flip up 2x10 piece of lumber with a 2x4 as a leaver. Search YouTube for home made bike lifts. I position it under the bike closer to the front to get the front up.

Not a glamorous solution to getting the rear or front off of the ground, but it works for my bike.

I also use the dollies for moving heavy stuff around the house. The dolly casters were rated for 450lbs. Since the weight of the bike is distributed between the rear wheel that's on the ground, the side stand on a dolly, and the front wheel, the weight of the bike doesn't seem to be an issue.
 
Scuba Steve said:
Why are cars going in garages is all I want to know

Sent using a thumb maybe 2
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Exactly. Best to keep them outside if you drive them in winter and want them to last.

Why saute it in a nice salt brine each night when you can keep all the crud frozen and benign outside.
 
timtune said:
Exactly. Best to keep them outside if you drive them in winter and want them to last.

Why saute it in a nice salt brine each night when you can keep all the crud frozen and benign outside.
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Putting kids in car seats is much nicer in the garage than with wind and snow blasting through the car. Engine comes up to temp way faster when it starts at +5c than -25c. Body may take a hit but it should be easier on engine. I try to keep cars 10 to 15 years and havent lost one to cancer yet. Only had a garage for the last two years so we'll see if that has an effect.

I kick the daily cars out for the summer to make toy/bike access easier. After parking inside in the winter, it would be hard to go back to frozen cars.
 
I bought one from Royal Distributing several years ago. Still have it in my garage but I don't use it anymore as my garage spot is bike dedicated now and organized to do maintenance work. It worked great when I had to do exactly what you are doing, putting a bike perpendicular to a car.

www.royaldistributing.com

Maxx Motorcycle Dolly for Sport Bikes - Non-Adjustable

FEATURES Powder coated steel prevents corrosion. Swivel casters makes it easier to move the bike around your shop. Non-adjustable kick stand plate Maximum capacity: 1100lbs For Sport Bikes
www.royaldistributing.com www.royaldistributing.com

Its not the greatest quality but it works and better just isn't worth the price. Just be sure to lock the wheels if you are riding on or off or it'll shoot out from underneath your rear tire. Worst bits of it are the loosening bolts and the questionable manufacturing tolerances, but its not like it'll cause a bike tip over.

Steer the front and slide the rear as needed, however, I had enough space to put myself between the bike and the car.
 
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GreyGhost said:
Putting kids in car seats is much nicer in the garage than with wind and snow blasting through the car. Engine comes up to temp way faster when it starts at +5c than -25c. Body may take a hit but it should be easier on engine. I try to keep cars 10 to 15 years and havent lost one to cancer yet. Only had a garage for the last two years so we'll see if that has an effect.

I kick the daily cars out for the summer to make toy/bike access easier. After parking inside in the winter, it would be hard to go back to frozen cars.
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Not a slope I want to go down I only have 5 garage bays and dont want my wife to think cars can go inside. My classic is the only one that gets a inside spot.


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GreyGhost said:
Putting kids in car seats is much nicer in the garage than with wind and snow blasting through the car. Engine comes up to temp way faster when it starts at +5c than -25c. Body may take a hit but it should be easier on engine. I try to keep cars 10 to 15 years and havent lost one to cancer yet. Only had a garage for the last two years so we'll see if that has an effect.

I kick the daily cars out for the summer to make toy/bike access easier. After parking inside in the winter, it would be hard to go back to frozen cars.
Click to expand...
Hey I hate scraping windows in the morning and agree a garage kept car is handy but like you say it will be hard on the body rust wise.
 
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