[Monkey vs Robot]

So Ducky and I are wanting to bring our ponies down south for the holidays. Several concerns:

1) Trailer, truck/suv, U Haul Van?
2) How much power would the engine need to haul the bikes up the grapevine and what concerns should we be thinking about going down it?
3) What type of equipment would we need to secure the bikes in the vehicle? Can we borrow some from someone? Or where can we buy?
4) Oh yes, and how the hell do we get them into the truck or whatever?

Any advice or personal experiences (or ways on keeping the costs down) on the matter would help greatly in figuring out what we need to do this safely for our bikes and ourselves. Thanks a lot!

 

[mmoore]

You might want to check out the FAQ I wrote on track day preparations (http://www.ducatimonster.org/faq/faq_track_day_prep.html) - the parts from "Transportation" on down should be applicable.

Basically you can get a big cargo van from Enterprise - I think it is something like $65 a day (or less if you can find a deal). It should be plenty powerful to go over the grapevine with two bikes, plus your stuff is inside and dry if it starts to rain on the way down.

The key issue is finding enough attachment points for two bikes. I'll defer to others with more van experience on what the options are.

 

[georgeludwig]

If you've got a sport chock per bike, you only need 2 attachment points/bike, and having a canyon dancer helps. Basically, exactly what you'd want to take your bike to a track day. So it's a a worthwhile investment if you have the $$$.

W/o the sport chock, things are kinda dicey, so I would defer to anyone else's advice.

sport chock: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/BAXL...012QQitemZ220053475845QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW

BTW, Desmoto has them.

 

[ghostrider]

the straps with the rachet thingy on them i cant remember the name. you'll need 3 or 4 per bike. you can get them in all lengths. this is a bonus as you can use 3 or 4 attachment points as opposed to 6 or 8. when i transported the monster to desmoto i used 4 in the bed of a pick-up. the truck had 4 hooks in the bed so i just stapped it down. it worked really well. as far as getting the bike in the truck, well i used a strong plank of wood as a ramp.
i hope this helps, if its not really clear let me know and i'll try to explain it better.

 

[Mostrobelle]

From a weakling chick's p.o.v. who feels pretty/very comfortable moving the bike around when she's not on it:

I highly recommend the 10' moving van/truck and investing in sport chocks for the both of you. The van will be low and it comes with a ramp--see if you can get two or borrow someone's. If you're like me, you can't get a bike up a ramp (or even a slight incline) without using the engine. ;D The van should be low enough that the two of you can easily push a bike up without using the engine (if you're not comfortable maneuvering a bike around if you're not on it.) The harder part is getting out of the rig backwards--so this is where keeping your transportation low and very accessible is critical. I wouldn't recommend using a van like Tigre's--not enough room to do what you gots to do! (I don't have enough upper body strength to muscle my bike around without putting a lot of my weight into it.) I think the two of you are a bit stronger than I am and your bikes are a little lighter, but I'm not sure how confident either of you are just pushing the bikes around if you're not seated on them. That's where I'm coming from with my post. I've loaded bikes only a few times now, and am still really skittish when it comes to unloading them (i.e. haven't tried.) Oh, and I'd practice learning to spin the back wheel when someone else is holding the bike on an incline--extremely useful to know when you need to straighten a bike in tight quarters, and it doesn't take a ton of strength (even I can do it.)

Good luck!

 

[Grio]

*Sport chocks - definely. I might have a couple I could loanyou, but depends on how long they will be out.

*Van - no...not for two bikes. OK with experience and muscle, but too tight for a first go. Play it safe first time out.

*Ratching tiedowns -yes. Don't bother wiht the pull-taught types. I would reccomend four hold down points per bike. Women just tend to let things be a little less snug than the guys (and better for the suspension).

*Wide ramp - that way you can straddle the bike or have room for a body on each side.

In a pinch, you can always ask a stranger for help. Be sure to get digits if he's cute. [thumbsup] Because of my situation at home, I can load the bike in my truck by myself. I always used to worry about unloading on the other end. Funny, that just hasn't been a problem. :

 

[Bad Dog]

I think I rented from Enterprise...a super cargo van, Ford. Getting two bikes in will be tricky, but I believe doable. Be careful with those Canyon Dancers; they can place quite a bit of stress on the bar assembly. :-\
You'll need a nice ramp, as well...to load and offload. Backing the van into a berm in a parking lot makes for a much slower ramping condition.
Find some nice, young, strong gentlemen at each location and sweet talk 'em into assisting you....works each time for you, doesn't it ? ;D

 

[Tigre]

Most "modern" vehicles (anything you'd get from a rental place) should have enough juice to get over the grapevine with 2 bikes and 2 people.

+1 on Grio's advice re: vans. You'll most likely want a trailer or an open bed truck, unless you get a really big van. Minivans work, and are large enough, but it's tight and a bit trickey -- especially if you don't have a sport chock.

The trick with loading into a pickup or a van is to have the front wheel resting against *something*. A sport chock is great, because it can lock the front wheel wherever you put it. If you're in a van, you could put some big boards across the width of the van to give the front wheel something to push into -- you want to pull it forward and compress the forks to lock the bike into place. Otherwise, in a pickup, just use the front end of the cab. Once you have that, you need to set up the straps to 1) pull the bike forward and 2) give it lateral stability so the rear wheel doesn't flop around.

Let us know when you're closer to having a vehicle selected and we can help you figure out a solution for that vehicle.

Cheers,
Tiggy

 

[Bad Dog]

And, wrap a strap tight around the front brake lever/handlebar once you have the bike in place.


[thumbsup]