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Your Loading Thoughts/Advice


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The last couple years I've been taking my bike drag racing. I load it into my truck by riding it up my ramps & into the bed which I'm not real comfortable doing. I feel too much could easily go wrong.  A trailer is not an option for me. 

So, I'm thinking of getting one of those BackRack things that mount to the front of the bed & mounting a somewhat small electric winch on it to pull my bike gently & slowly into my truck while i sit on it. But might it be too slow to keep it balanced even with my legs out? I'm picturing attaching the winch to my bike with a strap around both forks. 

 

Has anyone done something similar?

 

Any thoughts or advice would be appreciated. 

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The winch is sounding like a bad idea to me. Firstly I think your right about balance and going slow. Then if it does go wrong, there are straps attached and under tension, twisting as the bike tips and doing even more damage than the tipping over itself.

Riding up ramps which are not bolted down or somehow fixed in place and which are probably flexing under the weight and forces involved can also be a recipe for disaster. Just check YouTube for videos of failure. Seen it a million times.

I hope the tray is at least quite close to ground level.

Otherwise you need to go to somewhere with a loading bay, like a large warehouse or a train station and load from the same or a very similar height.

The VFR weighs a quarter of a tonne and gravity is a bitch.

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I watched a guy load a Ducati Multistrada into the back of a big Ram 4X4 using a winch and soft ties around the forks  His winch was mounted to the top of the front of the bed using some sort of quick release system of his own design. After the bike was loaded, he stashed the winch behind the seat in the cab.  He used a folding ramp that was the width of the tailgate, and he walked the bike up rather than ride it.  He said he'd done it many times with no issues...

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31 minutes ago, Darrenk said:

I watched a guy load a Ducati Multistrada into the back of a big Ram 4X4 using a winch and soft ties around the forks  His winch was mounted to the top of the front of the bed using some sort of quick release system of his own design. After the bike was loaded, he stashed the winch behind the seat in the cab.  He used a folding ramp that was the width of the tailgate, and he walked the bike up rather than ride it.  He said he'd done it many times with no issues...

Although on a trailer, I have used this method both to wench up and to reverse the wench to get it off.  I to, use a tri-fold ramp.  I have also straddled the bike and used the wench to get it up.  I have never had any problem balancing the bike up or down.  I have one of those cheap ATV wenches (3,000#) from harbor freight.  I rubber band the remote to the left grip within reach of my index finger.  It's painfully slow, but sure way to load, without having assistance.  On the trailer I have a front wheel chalk and on the rear I have a tire guide.  I run it up until the front tire falls into the chalk.  If you get the wench centered (very important), the bike centered onto the ramp and have plenty of ramp support to walk it or straddle guiding it up, you should feel confident. 

If you are loading into a pickup of course the angle will greater than the 18" height off my trailer gate, and if your truck is 4-wheel with a lift I can understand your concerns.   Longer ramps would help reduce the angle.  Still I think you will feel much better only having to balance the bike while the wench does the labor. 

Also with pickup trucks I have heard/seen nightmares if the gate gives way.  On some trucks you can run tie-down straps to support the gate, or better yet, just pop the gate off, if your bed is log enough to support the rear tire, but I'm sure you have thought of this or feel confident in your gate.

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16 hours ago, Darrenk said:

I watched a guy load a Ducati Multistrada into the back of a big Ram 4X4 using a winch and soft ties around the forks  His winch was mounted to the top of the front of the bed using some sort of quick release system of his own design. After the bike was loaded, he stashed the winch behind the seat in the cab.  He used a folding ramp that was the width of the tailgate, and he walked the bike up rather than ride it.  He said he'd done it many times with no issues...

 

That's pretty much exactly what I want to do. I have a tool box in the front of the bed so I'd have to find a different way of mounting the winch which is where the BackRack may help. I already have wide ramps.

Is there a video of the guy doing that?

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On 6/3/2017 at 9:20 AM, Auspanglish said:

The winch is sounding like a bad idea to me. Firstly I think your right about balance and going slow. Then if it does go wrong, there are straps attached and under tension, twisting as the bike tips and doing even more damage than the tipping over itself.

Riding up ramps which are not bolted down or somehow fixed in place and which are probably flexing under the weight and forces involved can also be a recipe for disaster. Just check YouTube for videos of failure. Seen it a million times.

I hope the tray is at least quite close to ground level.

Otherwise you need to go to somewhere with a loading bay, like a large warehouse or a train station and load from the same or a very similar height.

The VFR weighs a quarter of a tonne and gravity is a bitch.

 

The tailgate is about 4' high.

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On 6/3/2017 at 9:44 AM, jhenley17 said:

Do you have a ditch you can back into?

 

I do have a fairly steep slope in my front yard which helps. But its all really flat.

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On 6/3/2017 at 9:10 AM, Sweeper said:

Check with VFRpwr (Rob). He has a winch in his truck. 

 

PM sent

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19 hours ago, Darrenk said:

I watched a guy load a Ducati Multistrada into the back of a big Ram 4X4 using a winch and soft ties around the forks  His winch was mounted to the top of the front of the bed using some sort of quick release system of his own design. After the bike was loaded, he stashed the winch behind the seat in the cab.  He used a folding ramp that was the width of the tailgate, and he walked the bike up rather than ride it.  He said he'd done it many times with no issues...

If his MultiStrada is anything like my Y2K 996 was, that winch will get a lot of use?

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3 hours ago, MysteryRider246 said:

 

That's pretty much exactly what I want to do. I have a tool box in the front of the bed so I'd have to find a different way of mounting the winch which is where the BackRack may help. I already have wide ramps.

Is there a video of the guy doing that?

 

Sorry, no video. He also used the winch to lower the bike down the ramp when unloading. It is doable, just make sure everything is secure...I'd hate to find out the hard way that my soft ties were not up to snuff

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I do have some questions to this but she seems to have it fairly undr control, although she's far too low herself compared to the bike and operating the clutch and throttle at an awkward position which often leads to unwanted mistakes. The wooden plank also looks too slippery and flexible. Can't tell if it's hooked at the front like the metal ramp. I think I can see some sort of shiny metal appendage. I have had to watch the video several times due to distractions.

 

 

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This guy puts two ramps together but doesn't fix them together so they can split apart at any time. He already knew he was going to fail as the bottom of the bike always jams on the tray and he needs a second par if hands but he tried anyway. Luckily it's a caged bike. Still, if he had used the girl's idea of having a second ramp he can walk up beside the bike on, he might actually have been able to achieve something.

 

 

 

 

This is innovative but not available to everyone...

 

 

 

 

Anyway, if you can do something to lower those 4', just using an embankment or the gutter, it always helps. Then if you use two ramps, or some way you can walk up beside the bike, it is infintely better than riding the bike up the ramp. Even with a winch.

 

 

Lots of common sense here>

 

 

 

Good luck

 

 

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