ideas re. best way to transport motorcycle

[trailernovice]

We would appreciate advice re. best way to transport a motorcycle...it's fairly small, with a full-up weight of just under 600 pounds...

options we've considered...
1.) back of pickup...downside is the loading and unloading scares me to pieces--several hundred pounds, up and down a skinny, steep ramp...nightmares about the thing going over the side of the ramp, with possibly me underneath it...upside is minimal expense and nothing to buy or deal with other than a ramp

2.) get or have constructed a small utility trailer and double-tow behind the TT...upside is low ramp and basically no engineering concerns...downside is it would be a hassle because the motorcycle would have to come off the trailer and then the trailer would have to be unhooked and hand-pushed out of the way before backing the RV rig into a site..other downside would be need to have a hitch welded to the trailer frame and get the TT wiring jiggered such that it could run the lights on the double-tow

3.) have a small platform welded to the TT frame...would allow the motorcycle to be loaded from the side of the trailer...upside is compact, out of the way and pretty much hassle free....downside is, if not done right, the thing breaks loose, dumping the bike and endangering everyone following us

A small toy hauler would be ideal, but that's not in the cards for the time being...

Would appreciate input, especially from those who have faced and solved this issue...

thanks!

[BarneyS]

Since the OP has decided what to do and posted his decision, I am going to close this thread.
Barney

[trailernovice]

okie? I think you missed the last post....the one that I'm putting in the truck bed is a little Honda scooter thing, not our 'big' bike

[Okie1]

I pull a motorcycle trailer behind my fifth wheel with my 1200GS on it, about the same weight as yours. I have been riding, hauling, and trailering motorcycles for over 40 years and there is no way I will haul a motorcycle that size in the bed of a truck.

[trailernovice]

latest...soon after starting this thread, upgraded our little bike to a behemoth...Harley electraglide...no way is that monster going up any sort of ramp, at least when I'm in the line of fire...sooooooo, came up with a solution...got a little Honda scooter for the dw to use and for us to take on our trips....and, got a three-piece ramp system with a total width of over three feet so I can walk the scooter up and down the ramp....solved! have a bike, now, that fits in the pickup bed with the tailgate up, won't overload the truck, can be put in and brought out without causing nightmares, and has (barely) enough power for two-up use at reasonable secondary highway speeds

[gijoecam]

RTrider wrote:
First of all, You likely do not have enough truck to carry the mc, the loaded trailer, and the loaded Truck, but to each their own.

I would have to say I agree with this... I mis-read the original post and, for some reason, though he had a 3/4 ton. His payload will likely be too low.

[RTrider]

First of all, You likely do not have enough truck to carry the mc, the loaded trailer, and the loaded Truck, but to each their own.
I have done the 3-ramp thing and even though I have been riding for 20+ years I was always scared to death on going up the ramps and after a couple of years I actually had an incident and was lucky to come away with minimal bruising to both the mc and myself.
I now have a rampage loader with a long bed truck, so the hitch is not extended as would be the case with a short bed truck.
I know I have too much truck for my total setup, and a 3/4 Ton would do, but this one presented itself to me at the same cost so went with it.
The advantage of the Rampage is that you attach the bike to the loader with both wheels "on-the-ground" and don't have to ride it up onto a chock. This is a blessing for us vertically challenged and takes all the drama out of loading the bike.

After 3 different rigs and configurations including a toy hauler, I don't think there is a perfect setup, but I can say for sure, the rampage or any loader for that matter is the one with the least drama in hauling the bike.

[5S_Dude]

Hi Glenn,

Having the bikes in the bed of your truck is nice, safe and secure.



I used to load our bikes with a long wide folding ramp from discount ramps. Their alot less scary. http://www.discountramps.com/motorcycle_ramps.htm

Moderator edit to re-size picture to forum limit of 640px maximum width.

[gijoecam]

For getting mine into the bed of my truck, I have ALWAYS used three motorcycle ramps: One in the center to hold the bike, and one to each side to put my feet on. I tried it once with just one and was terrified of leaning just a little too far the wrong way and falling over.

Those wide ATV ramps aren't crowned like the single ones I got from Lowes, and the wide ones are a bit tougher to store. Sure, lugging three ramps around could prove to be a pain in the butt, but it's better than one IMHO. (The interweb is FULL of videos of folks who tried it with one and failed!!)

A third option (and the one I used repeatedly until I bought the ramps) is to back up to a hill, ditch, ramp, or embankment, drop the tailgate, and ride it on/off, being careful not to let the tailgate rest directly on the ground (you'll crush it with the weight of the bike). Choose wisely, as it's possible to get the truck AND the bike stuck simultaneously... And even if you don't, it's still a pain in the butt.

[ryhed]

This is different

[MrWizard]

both the idaho and swivel '2 wheel' models, look like what i was talking about

[AUWing]

Carry it like this

[nomad_289]

mr wizard wrote:

maybe thinking of the (expensive but nice) Idaho tote:

http://www.idahotote.com/

[Davehrn]

Blue ox overbilt sport loader

[SRockwood]

A small ATV winch helps a lot when loading into the truck. Just hold the remote as you load, that way you're responsible for balancing, and the winch is responsible for pulling it up the ramp.