Triumphrat

ssevy · 06-05-2009, 12:04 PM

I may have to move a Legend this weekend in a friend's pick up. He has ramps for his atv, so we're fine there, and ratchet straps are also available, but I wondered if there were any tips I should know about? I've moved plenty of stuff in a truck, but never a bike. I assume the front wheel goes into the front left corner at whatever angle is necessary to close the tailgate, and then the bike is strapped down securely on its sidestand? Anything I'm missing here?

DCEddie · 06-05-2009, 12:14 PM

Center the bike if your tie-down points allow. That way you can watch for movement in your rear view mirror. A chock setup is the best, and you can get one cheap at HarborFreight.com. Sixty or seventy dollars and it comes with its own frame and tiedown points.

Special note...I brought my new bike home in a 2007 Toyota Tacoma crew cab with the long bed. The rear wheel was on the tailgate, and it bent!!! Bowed severely in the middle. Turns out it's a known issue with bikers, and Toyota paid for a new reinforced tailgate no problem under warranty.

I suggest a long plank under the rear wheel into the bed to give some support to the tailgate.

MickMaguire · 06-05-2009, 01:30 PM

general rule dont put it on the sidestand in a pickup truck - the sidestand mount is not designed to take the pounding it will get over bumps - better to chock the front wheel and tie it down so the suspension is compressed

Seriously I have heard of people using the sidestand and having it break away - result would be a broken engine casting and the bike falling over in the bed, possibly out of the bed - and resultant damage there.

denny · 06-05-2009, 01:37 PM

+1 on what Mick Said.

Don't tie it down on the side stand.
Don't ask me how I know that.

ssevy · 06-05-2009, 02:32 PM

Thanks - once again some very valuable advice that may save some real misery! If my buddy can go with me, we're going to ride it home proper, so the pick up won't be needed. Only 200 and some miles one way, so it should be a great day trip down and back!

grizzly adams · 06-05-2009, 02:58 PM

Agree upright in middle if you can but would also suggest if you can to make a frame for the front wheel and not use stand at all. A piece of timber full width of bed, 2x uprights well braced for the front wheel to sit between then the normal lashings, thats how I moved my tiger and had no problem at all

tnsen · 06-06-2009, 12:18 PM

how bout zip tie the front brake lever tight...

flybiker251 · 06-06-2009, 08:59 PM

For a one time move making a front tire frame may be overkill. I tie my front wheel tightly to either side so it won't move instead of making a frame. If the front wheel is bouncing around while the bike is balanced on its wheels it will finally bounce to one side and collapse in a heap. I don't actually know this but I came close to knowing it.
Flybiker

tbird99 · 06-07-2009, 10:10 PM

I have transported my T-bird several times in a 4x6 trailer that is very similiar in size to a step side pickup. Get the bike centered in the bed of your truck with the front wheel against the front of the bed. Hopefully you have tie-down points in the front of the bed floor, if not, I'd recomend installing them. Use your straps from the handlebars to the tiedown points and compress the front suspension down so that the bike is standing straight up. I also add a strap on each side in the rear of the bike to each side of the trailer. You can hook to the bike frame near the side covers. Make them snugg but there is no need to crank down on them like the front. This keeps the back of the bike from dancing around. If your truck has a 6 ft. bed, the back wheel will be resting right about at the point where the tailgate pivots. Depending on your truck, you may want to add somethig under the tire to prevent bending the tailgate. As long as the forks are compressed down and your straps stay tight, it is not going to move. That said though, keep an eye on it in the rear view mirror just in case.

ssevy · 06-07-2009, 10:24 PM

Again, many thanks to all for the tips! As it turned out, we couldn't pick up the bike this past weekend, and so we have a week to get the title transferred and the proper plates on it. I'll be riding it back, so no pickup worries. Some valuable info here for future searches, though.