Triumphrat

hypervista · 07-09-2009, 07:37 AM

I'm waiting to take delivery of my T-bird and have been eye-balling my garage space and found an empty wall I can store it against once I get it. Trouble is, the wall is the back wall, which will require me to turn the bike 90 degrees and push it against the wall.

Do any of you guys have any experience with motocycle dollies like this one?
http://www.mygaragestore.com/detail.aspx?ID=998
(Scroll down on the link and check the demo video.)

The T-bird is over 700 lbs. wet and as this is my first motorcycle, I'm concerned about dropping it trying to move it around the garage. This thing will certainly help moving it, but I'm wondering if I'm raising the risk of dropping it by just getting it up on the dolly. Anyone have one of these or can recommend another?

Thanks.

hypervista · 08-19-2009, 09:59 PM

I bought the garage dolly and am pretty pleased with it. It enables me to easily move the bike around in any direction and into tight spaces. The only negative I have so far is it takes quite a bit of effort to get the bike fully up on the dolly. You really do have to get a running start at it. But once up on it, it's a breeze to move it around. I recommend this device for winter storage, or daily storage if you have limited space in your garage. Now I can get both the cars in the garage AND my bike..

The idea is to get the tires into the trough and swing the kickstand down into it's own trough (kickstand trough is adjustable to fit any bike)

Once the bike is in on the dolly, it's pretty secured and you can really jerk it around without fear of dropping it. I ordered from JC Whitney. Recommend.

Birdy68 · 08-20-2009, 05:21 AM

BRILLIANT....

Thanks for the heads-up on this one! Just what I need.

<edit>
Quick question: Does the trolley not bend when the weight of the bike goes over the center section? (or are there rollers in the center too?)

hypervista · 08-20-2009, 06:37 AM

Hi Birdy68 - no flexing or bending in the middle. It's heavy duty steel (weighing ~70 LBs). There are caster wheels under the two bolts that attach the kickstand trough to the center trough. There is also a caster wheel centered just opposite the kickstand trough on the main trough.

Check out the video link on my original post in July. There's a nice demo of the device (just click the YouTube logo).

digitalray · 08-20-2009, 12:19 PM

That does look pretty good. I bought a bit of kit called the "tailswinger". You get the rear tyre onto it and then can just swing the bike around.

http://www.cyoma.com/

I did find that as I am unable to flatfoot my bonnie it is a major pain in the ass to use it. It now sits on a shelf in my garage and I am back to doing a 7 or 8 point turn to get the bike up against the wall!

hypervista · 08-20-2009, 12:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by digitalray

I bought a bit of kit called the "tailswinger". You get the rear tyre onto it and then can just swing the bike around.

Actually, I was going to buy one of those, but that company is basically out of business. If you go to that link you provided and click "Order Now" at the bottom of the page you get a page that basically says they weren't too good at marketing but if you are enterprising and want to make and sell them to contact them (I guess they want to license the patent) .... kind of a wierd message, but that's the scoop on them for now. I couldn't even find one on e-bay. So, i just bought the dolly instead.

Birdy68 · 08-24-2009, 06:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by digitalray

...I bought a bit of kit called the "tailswinger"...

...I did find that as I am unable to flatfoot my bonnie it is a major pain in the ass to use it....

Question:
Can you not ride up onto the device, put the stand down, step off the bike, and then very carefully slide the rear of the bike into the desired position - leaving the bike on the tailswinger?

digitalray · 08-24-2009, 01:06 PM

I did try that but the device is not very deep. It is very easy for the wheel to come off it. Plus I did not feel in control as the movement is not very smooth with it like that. I may have another go at it, as I am more used to the bike now. It might just be me being a bit crap!!

BigNoseG · 08-17-2010, 04:55 AM

Hi there, nice bike,

do you know what length the dolly is, I have a speedmaster and not sure what the minimum length I can get away with is as there is one for sale in my area but the working length is 1930, thanks

hypervista · 08-17-2010, 09:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigNoseG

Hi there, nice bike,

do you know what length the dolly is, I have a speedmaster and not sure what the minimum length I can get away with is as there is one for sale in my area but the working length is 1930, thanks

Hi BNG - The dolly is 76 inches (193cm) in length. If the Thunderbird fits, I'm sure your Speedmaster will. The specifics and video demo of the dolly can be found here. The kickstand plate is adjustable so you can move it where you need it for your particular bike.

Hope this helps.