Center stand vs side stand

[snark]

I understand the graphic vision of twisted metal. My wife and I had a fun expierience with a part bike. Thankfully it was the parts bike. I just built a new ramp out of 5 2x4's that clamps onto my tailgate that I can take with me when I haul the bike. Hopefully it works. Everybody is right, though, about using the bike suspension and not the stands. It hepls put extra tension on the tiedowns, helps stabilize the bike, and lets it ride the bumps better. The only good excuse for hauling it is when you are getting it inspected and don't have time to sit and wait for it. Isn't it spring yet? I'm getting bored!

[Wingnut]

Three ratchet straps on each side pulling the bike forward. One ratchet strap fron left to right and on top of the rear tire.
One ratchet strap on each side of the forks straight across. One ratchet strap on each side straight across at the frame at the rear shocks. The ramps are also held in place with ratchet straps.

Earl

NOTE TO SELF: Buy stock in ratchet straps!

[earlfor]

heh heh heh

Earl

NOTE TO SELF: Buy stock in ratchet straps!

[Giblet]

Straps

OK, I think I've got it. On the wheels, anywhere from 4 to 40 straps, forks compressed approx 90% & don't look back. Yep, I think I've got this one down but I'm way short on straps. 8)

[RacingJake]

If your short on straps then 100 feet of rope should do the trick 8)

[Anonymous]

I dont haulk my GS becasue well to be honest the moster will over load my tralor as far as wieght gose. I do haul a Yamaha 650 for street racing and a Suzuki 250 for motorcross on my trailor. When I haul one of them I put a strap on each side of the bars and rached the hell out of it compressing the front end at least 4-5" and I put a strap on each side of the fram in the rear and rachet the hell out of that as well. I hook the straps to the trailor fram as far out as I can. So far I have had no problems. I must admit it is hard to unload the bikes. I lode and unload them with a single 2X6 I push them up sence its a low trailor its not hard but there is a bump to get them over were the front tire finaly parks so even the verry light 250 takes a good jerk on one end to get it over the bump and can be tricky at times even more if I am not parked on level ground.

[dpep]

This looks like about easiest way to load up a bike there is.

http://www.jwww.com/razor/

For myself I prefer truck to trailer. I have tried to come up with an easy 1-person way to load my fairing-and-luggage G models into the back of my pickup. The best I have come up with so far is to find a loading ramp or a hill. When the bike is broke and you have to push it up without power it is especially fun. I keep thinking there has to a more intelligent, civilized way to perform this task than how I inevitably end up doing it each time. It is never pretty.

You can get an electric winch at harbor freight for $70-80. I am thinking that would be a good start. But I haven't been able to visualize anything to secure the bike upright as it is being pulled or how to connect the cable to the bike in a way that causes no damage.

[snark]

Anybody try fabricating "training wheels" for loading yet? I was at the Suzuki shop earlier this week and saw some on a kid sized dirt bike. That would keep it up right while it was winched onto the truck.

[Anonymous]

I use my pickup to haul my bikes, but not without some trouble. I have a ramp I made out of 2x6's that works pretty well most of the time. I usually ride the bike up the ramp. But there was that time at the dealer when I stopped while the rear wheel was still on the ramp. I let out the clutch and the rear wheel pushed the ramp off the tailgate and I ended up high-centered with the rear wheel dangling in the air. I killed it and sat there looking stupid for a moment. Thankfully, the service manager saw what had happened and helped me get the bike on the truck. He seemed to act like it wasn't the first time he'd seen such folly. I've since added straps to hold the ramp to the back of the truck. Now all I have to do is fix the exhaust.

So far, I've only used my truck but have been thinking about getting a trailer. The problem with the truck is that the bed is so high off the ground. It just about takes two people to get a not-running bike up the ramp. I've thought about using a winch or pulley system, too... If the ramp is wide enough and strong enough, you can straddle the bike as it is pulled up the ramp.

Once I get the bike in the truck, it's not hard to tie it down. I use the three-point strategy--two wheels and the side stand. I do strap it down with ropes. (I use ropes because one of my hobbies is studying knot tying techniques.) I wedge the front wheel into the corner of the front and side of the box. I think one thing to remember is that sudden, hard braking, or cornering, can cause loss of your load, so you want to make sure the bike can't move forward, which is part of the problem of using the center stand.

[earlfor]

If I have to get a non running bike up a ramp and into a pickup by myself, and the bike is too heavy for me to singlehandly push it up the ramp, I remove the spark plugs, put the bike in 1st and press the starter button while walking alongside the bike. It takes about 5 seconds to go up a ramp, which is not long enough to overheat the starter. Works every time. :-)

Earl

[RacingJake]

When I truck my Harley i just backup to the curb and remove the tailgate then start the bike and slip the clutch as the bike goes up the ramp. Piece of cake. As for the Suz I don't need any curb just a running start.