| Author | Message | ||
     Hoover_uly |
How do you transport your bike? Trailer? Pickup bed? Trailer hitch carrier? I have a utility trailer with a tilting bed that will work just fine and is definitely the safest option. On some occasions, I would rather not use the trailer. Anyone use a trailer hitch carrier to transport their Uly? Cycle gear is selling one for 50% off and it gets decent reviews. It is advertised with a 500 pound payload so if I run the bike low on fuel, I should be in the ball park. The biggest concern seems to be a short loading ramp. The last option is putting the bike in the bed of my truck (late model F150). This is my least favorite since getting the bike up/down a skinny ramp is not very appealing and watching the youtube videos of people dropping their bikes scares the crap out of me. Screwing up my bike and my truck would really piss me off, www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRvuuCzckJU Anyone used a trailer hitch carrier? | ||
| Motorbike |
I have hauled my 08 XT in my extended cab Dodge with a 6.5 foot box. I load it with two wood ramps that have sandpaper textured tape on the top side. (You can see the bottom of the ramp in the picture.) I place one ramp in the center for the bike to run up on and then another ramp to the left side for me to walk up. I let the bike idle, click it into first, feather the clutch and walk beside it while an able-bodied assistant is on the right side, in case I high side it. So far, no issues but I am a big guy and feel strong enough to handle this. I really don't recommend this method as it even makes me a little nervous. It also helps if you can back the truck into a low spot to lower the tailgate a bit and reduce the ramp angle. In the pic below, the rear wheels of my truck are backed right up to the edge of the driveway where it meets the blacktop. Most importantly though, make sure no one video tapes it! As you can see, I can actually shut the tailgate with the bike all the way forward against the front of the box. 2 straps on front and it is rock solid. Thanks.  | ||
| Callawegian |
I built a hitch carrier to accommodate my Uly, but I haven't used it yet. Most of the carriers have ramps that are 5 foot or longer which is sufficient. I am with you Hoover I don't put a bike in a truck if I can help. | ||
| Hoover_uly |
Well, I found a thread on ADVRIDER that has me convinced I don't want to use the hitch carrier. Some people are very satisfied but no matter how you look at it, there is a lot of weight bouncing on a bar that extends well beyond the normal location of a hitch ball. Makes me think of a diving board. Back the trailer and any inconvenience that comes with it. | ||
| Fltwistygirl |
I use a lightweight (400 lb) trailer that holds one motorcycle. We bought it used and I believe it is home made but it has served us well since 2007. It has a beefy tire chock and I can barely tell I am pulling it with the ridgeline. It's easy enough for me to roll around by hand when its empty. | ||
| Hughlysses |
I haul mine with a pickup- a 2003 Toyota Tacoma at present. It's a hassle to load and unload- I'm using a homemade ramp made from a ~10' 2"x8" board with an extruded aluminum piece from a kit bolted to the end so it sits flush with the tailgate when I'm loading the bike. The 2x8 has 1x4's screwed to either side so the bike can't "walk off the ramp. It would be much better with a 2x10 as the rear tire barely fits between the sides of the 2x8. I also really need to do a second ramp for me to walk on. Up to now, I've used a cheap stool so that when the bike gets too high on the ramp for me to hold the bars, I step up onto the stool and from there onto the tailgate. That gets pretty dicey sometimes. The Toyota (2.4L 4-cyl and 5 speed) does fine on the flatlands but it's down on it's knees when it gets on a steep climb in the mountains. | ||
| Etennuly |
I built a hitch hauler for my Blast so that the wife could drive the Tahoe to long distance events while I rode the Uly. I made it pivot in the middle on the hitch bar, so no ramp is needed. I really don't like it for my taste. Too much weight beyond the center line of the axle of the tow vehicle, and it partially blocks the tail lights, nearly needing it's own set of tail lights. But on the road it is easier to handle/less hassle driving/easier on fuel mileage/harder to steal. So it has it's benefits. I have been thinking about beefing it up for the Uly with wider tire channels. It would work fine with a vehicle with air shocks or load levelers. The weight on the weight distribution hitch would not be an issue IMHO. So many 5,000 lb hitches with 500 lb tongue weight ratings have been, and are out there, towing 12,000 lbs with 1,200 lbs on the hitch. They do need to be properly installed and maintained. | ||
| Reepicheep |
I might put a 250 pound dirt bike on a hitch carrier and a big vehicle, but no way would I put a street bike on one. The easiest are trailers, particularly drop gate trailers. Nice and low, just walk the bike right up with one or two people, no ramps no muss no fuss. You can pull the trailer with car or truck, even the harbor freight trailer works fine (though you need ramps with it. Trucks work fine with two or three people and two ramps and some care. I've done the clutch thing too, including doing it alone, but better to just push it with manpower. Those videos were funny, all those people with plenty of people around them to help and they didn't use them... | ||
| Electraglider_1997 |
I put my butt on the seat and twist the throttle when I'm transporting the ULY. I'll be doing just that this next week on my ride to Sturgis.  | ||
| Hoover_uly |
Electraglider, I got a chuckle out of your post. I knew it was a matter of time before someone chimed in with that. Unfortunately, I'm not that hard core. A two hour ride this morning and my left shoulder was really bothering me. Same thing on my DR650 with different ergos. I was hoping to find something that I could quickly and easily load myself without dragging a trailer around. I just had a vision of an old RV with an older Honda step through 90 hanging on the bumper. Geeze | ||
| Gobadgers |
Just a thought, I might attach a winch in the front of the pickup bed to use in pulling the bike up the ramp. I am thinking of this setup as I use a remote controlled winch attached to the back of the hanger for pulling the plane back into the hanger when it is difficult to push around when there is snow on the ground. | ||
| Rayycc1 |
I prefer riding mine also....although i did have to bring it 1300 miles home in a truck. | ||
| Froggy |
I have a Chevy Colorado with the long bed, all my Buells fit in fine with the tail gate in the 45° position. I got this wheel chock from Harbor Freight, its heavy but it makes loading and unloading the bike so much easier http://www.harborfreight.com/http-www-harborfreight-com-motorcycle-stand-wheel-chock-97841-html.html I drive on up and into the chock, and I can simply stand up and get off the bike, it will hold it upright so I can deal with straps. Since it also holds the bike, if shit happened and a strap broke, you will be able to safely stop and put a new one on without much risk of the bike falling over. For ramps, I got this: http://www.discountramps.com/motorcycle-bike-ramp/p/AF-9034-HD/ It works great, it is 3 pieces that fold, it comes with hardware to make it one piece that folds but I do not have the strength to lift it all. It folds up nice and I put it in my cab or strap it down next to the bike when transporting. Only thing I hate is that the surface is not very grippy, I've had my bikes slowly slide down while full braking. I plan on getting spray on bed liner to see if it helps.   I need to get some pics of the ramps and chock in the truck. | ||
| Mtrider |
There are many ways to haul a bike, and just as many ways to drop one! Never get in a hurry, if have help-use it-even if it's just a steadying hand, always have somewhere solid to place your feet. I've loaded and hauled many bikes, a trailer is the safest if you can, a decent wheel chock that holds the bike while tying down is invaluable.  | ||
| Ramman4x4 |
The bed of my truck is how I hauled my Uly home from Kentucky when I bought it. It fits in the 6.5ft bed of my Dodge and I could even put the tailgate up. Loading was easy because the dealer had one of those elevator lifts.  I have a special bed mounted bracket to keep the front tire from rotating.  Trying to unload is when things got interesting... I used an aluminum tri-fold ATV ramp to unload. I backed it off using the front brake to control speed and walked off with it. About the time I stepped onto the tailgate and the Uly was halfway onto the ramp, one of the cables holding the tailgate in place decided to make me crap my pants...  Luckily the otherside held long enough to let me get the Uly off. The ATV ramps are nice and wide and work great for my DR and YZ...but the Uly is too heavy to make the steep climb easily. I definitely need some longer ramps. |
