This thursday or so I should be getting my first bike (i'll describe all that in a future thread). My friend is gonna use his truck to pick it up. I'm assuming the guy where getting it from can help us get it into the truck cause he has a truck and bikes so I assume he has the ramp and etc.

Problem is unloading bike from truck at my place. I plan on buying or borrowing 4 tie-downs. What do I do about the ramp? Could I use a wide piece of wood. Some of my friends thought they could lift it out but I doubt they could and I dont trust that idea. Also any tips on how to tie the bike to the back of the truck. I know you put one on each handle...where do the other two go? Also I heard if you find the right hill you could roll it off, what do you think the odds of finding one of those?

edit - anyone know what exactly your suppose to get when you buy a bike. I know a title, anything else? Bill of sale? Its from a private user, thanks.

 

get an 8ft long peice of 2x10 and use that... just one person on each side of the bike to roll it off...

 

yup, what he said, just make sure to cover the brake, and have someone put thier foot on the end of the 2x10 (the ground side) to keep it from sliding back when you first get the bike on it. seen ramps slide out from under bikes before, it's never pretty.


and as far as tieing it down, load it in straight, one strap from each bar going forward to a tie down point on the truck, cinch down tight (compressing the front suspension in the process) you can put a couple straps on the back if you insist, but not really necessary. we drove from here to colorado and back with 2 straps on each bike, never had a problem. i see alot of people putting thier bikes in cock-eyed so they can close the tailgate. not reccomended, i've seen more than a few bikes fall over that way.

 

I made a generic bill of sale, back in 2001, that i use all the time. It is in Word format. Just download it and make the changes that you need(motorcycle model, price, VIN, etc.). Free to anyone else who needs a bill of sale. Just download it if you want.

I put it on my google group. I don't know if this link will work, if not pm me your email and i'll email it to you.

http://groups.google.com/group/files-support?hl=en

file size: 39kb

 

btw, what are you getting?

 

1999 Ninja 500

Im going to have to rent a Uhaul, should I get their pickup truck or their Van. Which do you think is easier.

 

congrats on the new bike! I personally would suggest getting 2 2x10 boards. It will make unloadign a lot easier as you will be level with the bike.

If you are going to rent a vehicle from uhaul, why not just get a moving van with the ramp already built in? It will make loading/unloading a lot easier and you don't need to purchase any wood.

Congrats on the new bike and keep the shiney side up!

 

The only issue with using a moving van is you might be hard pressed for secure tie down locations. Your best bet is to take a look at their rental vehicles and find a truck or van with reliable tie down locations.

I, personally, use Harbor Freight ramps I bought for $35(Linky) and 3 tie downs. The ramps have a 1000 pound limit, but for sportbikes, you will never max the weight limit out.

After you get the bike in the bed of the truck, I use skr00z's method for tying the bike down and use a strap through the rear tire.

It's pretty easy and straight forward, just take your time and double check your straps before you hit the road.

Congratulations on the new bike. My first bike was a '99 EX500 and I still love to ride it.

 

+1

I have had my bike tip over....make sure..double and triple check to make sure it is secure...

Pucker factor of a 10 when you are driving and you see that baby tip...

 

I've had no issues with transporting 1 to 10+ bikes in a uhaul. The trick is to slide the tie down hook behind the bars that are mounted inside the vans. Or you can tie one end of a tie down to the bar if the hook won't slide behind it. ALWAYS make sure to rock the bike around before moving as well to check if anything might come loose.