We are moving to Macon GA, about a 9 hour drive. I have 3 motorcycles to move. I am going to ride the Goldwing, tow the 1800 VTX in a trailer behind the F150, and I want to haul the 1300VTX in the bed.

The 1300VTX weighs 645 lbs.

Total weight of the trailer is @ 1500 lbs.

I have a wheel chock for the front wheel. The rear wheel will sit right in the gap between the tailgate and the bed, or just on the tailgate. I cant tell for sure until I load the bike.

Does anyone see any problems with hauling the bike this way?

I dont want to break or damage the tailgate, and I sure dont want the bike to fall out of the truck and take out the other bike on the trailer.

How would I explain that to the insurance company?

 

I have hauled a 4 wheeler that way. Never had a problem. You should be fine.

 

you will be fine. Just make sure the front suspension is preloaded (sinched down with straps). The suspension preload will keep it in place. I had my race bike in back of my 03 lots of times. I never used a wheel chalk either

 

Couple of things.

If the rear wheel does end up on the tailgate you can reduce 'tailgate bounce' with a sheet of plywood that extends onto the tailgate. This will reinforce the tailgate staying flat by spread the weight point to a larger surface.

Have you driven the trailer with the tailgate down?
If the tongue isn't long enough the third wheel crank may limit your turning radius with the tailgate down.

 

Hello & good mornin'!

I gotta tell you, I cringe and my stones take up residence in my throat everytime I see a heavy cruiser in a pickup bed Mine also has a 103" wheelbase, so a 5.5' bed puts the rear wheel waaay too far back - enough to dissuade me (got me a trailer instread).

The 1300 weighs 672 dry - so likely over 700 all-in. Static loading on the gate is one thing (you have to estimate how much weight is on the rear wheel) - it's the shock loading - hitting bumps - I'd be more concerned with.

Along with the chock, follow Pingle's tie-down procedure: http://www.pingelonline.com/recommended_tiedown.htm

Total weight-wise - you will need to watch yer total vehicle weight with bike, tongue weight, cargo, passengers, etc to ensure you are not exceeding the truck's specific rating.

Any way of begging/borrowing a dual MC trailer? That's what I'd do ....

Good luck! Have a safe move!


MGD v4.2

 

I've thrown my bike in the back of loads trucks like that, it's about 300 pounds lighter but I never ran into any problems, one thing that I always do is take an old towel and cut it up so that you have padding for the hooks so that they can't scratch your bars. Another thing will be to go across the seat from back left to back right to keep the rear of it from bouncing around too.

 

I have the chock on a 8ft piece of plywood, the bed is a 6.5ft, so the plywood extends onto the tailgate. Im renting a U-Haul motorcycle trailer. Its small, lightweight, and I already hauled an 1800VTX on the same trip once before. Good tip on the turning radius, I better check that.

The 1300 is a C model, its a tad lighter than the S/R/T.

Since the tailgate is down Im debating on useing my tiedown straps or useing chain and turnbuckles on the front. With chain the worst thing that could happen is the bike will fall over vs falling out the back of the truck. My misses is driving the truck and she usually drives like she is at Daytona.

 

Hi.

Couple things - to stabilize the rear - better to go around the wheel if you are not using the 4-strap method.

Instead of towels...

The Best straps to use are these: http://powertye.com/store/index.php

And - NEVER tie to the bars on a cruiser with mild steel bars - good way to bend them - remember - the bike is over 700 lbs. Always use the lower triple-trees.

MGD v4.2

 

Can you get the bike in diagonally? I haul my MX bike (KX450) which isn't as heavy as your VTX but probably as long or longer. I can get my bike in the bed with the tailgate closed by putting the front tire in the far front left (or right) corner of the bed and then scoot the rear into the opposite rear corner. It fits perfectly in my 5.5ft bed and is VERY secure. The tie downs are a little different... if you put the front in the front left corner, your left strap goes on the rear tie down cleat and the right tie down goes on the front right tie down cleat. Hauling the bike this way and tieing it down this way loads both the front and rear suspension evenly and keeps the bike from moving at all. Plus it is wedged in the bed of the truck leaving little to no room for it to move.

Not sure if this is possible with your bike, but if so, it's probably the most secure way to do it that I've found, plus you can shut and lock the tailgate, adding another level of "security"...

Good luck on your move!

 

Late in 2008, I got my SV1000 in an ebay auction...1300 miles away. At that time, I didn't have a truck (only my Bronco) so my gal and I rented a truck and drove out there to pick it up.

What we thought was going to be a Chevy Colorado longbed turned out to be a 2007 Supercrew 6.5' bed. I didn't have a wheel chock...all I had were some ratchet straps. Granted, my SV only weighs a little more than 400 lbs, but the rear tire was still in the gap between the bed and the tailgate.

Yes, it was a rental truck. But I didn't hurt it at all. I checked the bike religiously every time we stopped to pee and/or get gas. The bike arrived fine. The truck arrived fine. And the lady at the counter was very confused when I brought back my "in-state" rental with almost 3000 miles on it.

 

I stopped by U-Haul to get some boxes and look the trailers over.

Im going to rent a 6x12 trailer and haul just the 1800 and ride the GW this trip.

I also have a riding mower and a bunch of odd shaped stuff to fill in the empty spots.

I have alot of $$$ in these bikes and we have plenty of time to make the move, so why take any chances.

 

good idea with the trailer... although I have done a Harley Custom Heritage Classic (heavy damn bike) in my old 2000 no problem... Just had to go diagonally with it... Got the back tire just far enough into the bed... For future reference.

 

Are you going to be able to ride through the Dragon (Deals Gap) on the way there?????
What year is you wing?

 

We go through B-Ham. Deals gap is in the summer riding plans. Dont know if we will each ride our own or go together on the GW. The Wing is an 01 1800.

 

I have hauled my bike like this about 4 times now. Never once had a problem. I don't use a wheel chock either although I would highly recommend it if you have one.