Transporting a Motorcycle

[glhs837]

If motovation doesn't work out, send me a PM, my schedule is pretty booked, but I might be able to help you out.....when I bought my bike, it was a sight unseen deal with a private seller, up in Romney, WV, and I used the trailer rather than deal with a temp registration on a bike I wasn't %100 I was going to buy.

Heres a post I made over on the Vstrom forums about the best way to strap a bike down

How to strap your bike to a trailer. W/Pics - Stromtrooper Forum : Suzuki V-Strom Motorcycle Forums

I appreciate the offer, but again, I don't feel comfortable enough riding the bike back even with an escort... especially since it would mean riding a good distance on 301/Crain Hwy.

Also, one hesitation I've with accepting such gracious offers to help from people here, is the uncertainty on a date and time of pickup. Speaking of which, still no bike. While the Crofton dealership does a lot more effort to give me answers, my patience is wearing thin.

Anyways, going over my game plan for picking the bike up myself, I realized getting the bike ONTO a pickup/cargo van at the dealership shouldn't be a problem (I'm sure the dealership folk would gladly assist me) but once I get back home... there's the whole issue of getting it OFF the pickup/cargo van by myself. While the bike is relatively light compared to some bikes (~359lbs)... I'd rather not risk dropping the bike unloading it from a pickup or cargo van.

I don't have any wooden planks or anything since I live in an apartment. Meh, just went out and bought 4x ratchet tie-downs, looks like I'm going to need to buy something to roll this thing off the pickup truck or cargo van.

I know what you are saying, but this might really be your safest bet. I dont recall if you have a vehicle that can tow, but if you do, U-haul does rent small trailers that I think have a ramp built in.

One other way to unload from a truck or other high vehicle is to get the rear end of the vehicle near a raised section of earth, so that you are unloading on a more level area.

 

[Larry Gude]

I used to get my dirt bike out to races by positioning the front tire in the trunk, removing the chain and tying it in, letting the rear tire roll on the road. Beverly hillbilly style. I might have taken the front tire off now that I think about it.

There're worse ideas...

 

[GWguy]

There're worse ideas...

Ouch.....

 

[glhs837]

YouTube - ‪How To Load A Motorcycle Alone‬‏

some good does and dont here, watch a few of the recommended ones....

Harley load fail

YouTube - ‪Loading Harley Fail.‬‏

the easy way....

YouTube - ‪Loading a bike in the truck (the easy way)‬‏

 

[Dupontster]

Here is how I load em.....

YouTube - ‪A stupid but funny way to load your bike.‬‏

 

[Mikeru]

Be careful...Those things will get away from you....Remember you are trying to roll the bike down a small board that may be 12" wide and you are walking down too...Doesn't leave too much room for a foot or 2....I have a small trailer with a drop down gate that works great if you want to borrow it....

Thanks for the offer, but it will probably be less of a scheduling and logistics task for me to just rent a U-Haul motorcycle trailer along with the U-Haul pickup.

@glhs Heh, funny videos. There are so many idiots who record their idiocy: YouTube - ‪Guy loading a sportbike onto the truck fail‬‏

It's times like this I wish I owned a truck or a vehicle with a hitch installed. I have a Dodge Caliber... it doesn't have a hitch. If I owned a pickup truck, I'd buy a single motorcycle ramp like the one used in glhs' first video.

If I find that I really get into riding, my next vehicle will definitely have a hitch so I can invest in a trailer of some sort to transport a bike.

 

[glhs837]

You know, your Caliber can tow up to 1,500lbs with a 150lb tongue weight. A small trailer and motorcycle wont exceed that.

Dodge Caliber Trailer Hitch and Accessories

I have a similar setup on my Charger, and its fantastic. Bolted on in about an hour, the wiring install is supposed to be drilled through the trunk. but I leave mine coiled up and drape out through the trunk when towing.

When not towing, its really invisible. Now, it is about $400 dollars, but I know having this setup on my car has saved me a bunch in truck rentals. Not to mention the ability to put stuff like bike carriers and cargo carriers on it.

Do call Uhaul and ask them if thier pickups are set up to tow, I am not sure about that.

 

[GWguy]

You know, your Caliber can tow up to 1,500lbs with a 150lb tongue weight. A small trailer and motorcycle wont exceed that.

Dodge Caliber Trailer Hitch and Accessories

I have a similar setup on my Charger, and its fantastic. Bolted on in about an hour, the wiring install is supposed to be drilled through the trunk. but I leave mine coiled up and drape out through the trunk when towing.

When not towing, its really invisible. Now, it is about $400 dollars, but I know having this setup on my car has saved me a bunch in truck rentals. Not to mention the ability to put stuff like bike carriers and cargo carriers on it.

Do call Uhaul and ask them if thier pickups are set up to tow, I am not sure about that.

I was going to recommend checking out JC Whitney for a bolt-on, but wasn't sure if the Caliber was front wheel drive or not. Many times the car manufacturer doesn't recommend towing with FWD.

 

[glhs837]

Funny how many people are shocked to see the Charger towing, but they forget that in the 60s, families towed behemoth trailers around the country all the time with 4,000lb cars with big ol engines. About the Caliber, thats why I used the Mopar hitch, if it says Mopar, it has to pass testing.

 

[GWguy]

Funny how many people are shocked to see the Charger towing, but they forget that in the 60s, families towed behemoth trailers around the country all the time with 4,000lb cars with big ol engines. About the Caliber, thats why I used the Mopar hitch, if it says Mopar, it has to pass testing.

I used to tow a very heavy 17' wooden boat and old ('64 ?) Johnson o/b with a Subaru Brat. 1500cc, 4 speed. Trailer was twice as long and twice as heavy as the car. Just glad I never had to panic stop...

 

[Mikeru]

You know, your Caliber can tow up to 1,500lbs with a 150lb tongue weight. A small trailer and motorcycle wont exceed that.

Dodge Caliber Trailer Hitch and Accessories

I have a similar setup on my Charger, and its fantastic. Bolted on in about an hour, the wiring install is supposed to be drilled through the trunk. but I leave mine coiled up and drape out through the trunk when towing.

When not towing, its really invisible. Now, it is about $400 dollars, but I know having this setup on my car has saved me a bunch in truck rentals. Not to mention the ability to put stuff like bike carriers and cargo carriers on it.

Do call Uhaul and ask them if thier pickups are set up to tow, I am not sure about that.

Ok, cool thanks for the link.. I had briefly looked into how much money and how feasible it would be to install a hitch on my Caliber back before I first created this thread months ago, but if I recall I didn't get a feeling of confidence about it at the time; I couldn't comfortably determine if I would be able to install it myself without having to also buy some new tools, find the right parts, be voiding any warranties, etc. etc. with any good degree of certainty.

But looking at these MOPAR accessories and reading their installation instruction PDFs (having access to these is the dealbreaker for me- being able to see these helps me to know if my Caliber's model year is compatible and what not), it's definitely something I have the tools to install on my own and will be seriously considering for future transportation tasks.

Seeing how my bike's first service will be at the ~600 miles mark, I'm going to have to go through all of this again in the future likely, so $400 will probably be worth the investment and hassle in the long run.

 

[glhs837]

Ok, cool thanks for the link.. I had briefly looked into how much money and how feasible it would be to install a hitch on my Caliber back before I first created this thread months ago, but if I recall I didn't get a feeling of confidence about it at the time; I couldn't comfortably determine if I would be able to install it myself without having to also buy some new tools, find the right parts, be voiding any warranties, etc. etc. with any good degree of certainty.

But looking at these MOPAR accessories and reading their installation instruction PDFs (having access to these is the dealbreaker for me- being able to see these helps me to know if my Caliber's model year is compatible and what not), it's definitely something I have the tools to install on my own and will be seriously considering for future transportation tasks.

Seeing how my bike's first service will be at the ~600 miles mark, I'm going to have to go through all of this again in the future likely, so $400 will probably be worth the investment and hassle in the long run.

No kidding, that install is a piece of cake. I would add some antisieze to the threads, given the location but thats it. For mine, I had to loosen up my exhaust and drop it off the hangars, and cut away the plastic fascia support, since the hitch crossbar supports the fascia now. Oh, and when you do, check these guys. I and many SRT-4 guys have been using them for years.

Hitch Receiver 1,500 lb with 1 1/4" opening

hitch is only $143 from them. Other pieces lower in cost also.

 

[Mikeru]

UHaul sucks, they didn't have a receiver to attach the pickup to the trailer, so my co-worker ended up driving me and escorting me back... I can say I safely made it home alive.

The bike got home alive and well too. I did not drop it or lay it down, technically? Meaning... I did get a scratch on a piece of plating near the inner part of the tailpipe going around a traffic circle... skimming a curb... it was a side swipe of the curb at stopping speed... wheels/rubber never touched the curb... it looks like only one small piece would need to be replaced and maybe a nut/screw, not the whole tailpipe or anything.

I'm so noob, so pissed at myself. Was all going well until that, wasn't even on a busy traffic or on the worst part of the drive back (US-301/ Crain Hwy). Meh, gah, I'm such a screw up. Oh well, it's what I get for being impatient and too cheap to rent the 14' UHaul truck.

http://img856.imageshack.us/img856/6697/c1e081bf.jpg

 

[glhs837]

Hmm, is that like my Vstrom? Actually a plastic shroud around the exhaust? Is so, a simple fix for that is to just hit it with flat black spray paint. Getting a match might be tough, but you should be able to close enough that most folks would never notice. Sucks to ding a new bike, but dont beat yourself up too bad. Very few folks never mark a bike some way or another. AS long as you dont do it the same way twice, your learning

 

[aps45819]

Seeing how my bike's first service will be at the ~600 miles mark, I'm going to have to go through all of this again .

FYI - that first service is a $300 oil change

 

[Mikeru]

Hmm, is that like my Vstrom? Actually a plastic shroud around the exhaust? Is so, a simple fix for that is to just hit it with flat black spray paint. Getting a match might be tough, but you should be able to close enough that most folks would never notice. Sucks to ding a new bike, but dont beat yourself up too bad. Very few folks never mark a bike some way or another. AS long as you dont do it the same way twice, your learning

Unfortunately it's not plastic, its metallic (would probably be cheaper to replace if it were plastic). I still might be able to paint it with something, going to go around to some stores and see what kind of DIY solutions I can come up with to hide it a little better.

FYI - that first service is a $300 oil change

Wow, WTF?????

 

[aps45819]

Unfortunately it's not plastic, its metallic (would probably be cheaper to replace if it were plastic). I still might be able to paint it with something, going to go around to some stores and see what kind of DIY solutions I can come up with to hide it a little better.

Satin black Rustoleum

 

[glhs837]

Unfortunately it's not plastic, its metallic (would probably be cheaper to replace if it were plastic). I still might be able to paint it with something, going to go around to some stores and see what kind of DIY solutions I can come up with to hide it a little better.



Wow, WTF?????

What he means, I think, is that you pay $300 for a lot of checks that you can perform yourself like coolant level, tire pressure, chain adjustment, and the dealer charges you double for the oil and filter, and $80 an hour for the mechanic, when the skill required is about what a trained monkey would be capable of. Of course, they lead you to think it's required that the dealer do it, or no warranty for you, but that's not true.

 

[Pasofever]

We have a closed in aluminum motorcycle trailer it has a place for the front tire and ties down the side of the trailer..easy..

 

[ShyGirl]

Yay! Sounds like time for a forum group ride!