Moving my FZ6

[af_tourer]

Ok so I need some help. My wife and I are in the Panhandle of Florida in the U.S. and we are moving up to North Georgia (approx 400 miles away) we rented a truck that is more than big enough for our household goods. I will be driving the truck up by myself and I will be taking my FZ with me. So I need to pack the bike in the truck. Space is not an issue in the truck.
I was thinking of making a 8 ft X 4 ft pallet and bolting the bike down that way, seeing as i'm renting the truck and I don't want to drill holes in the truck. Any other suggestions would be most helpful.:thumbup:

 

[Hoshiko]

I moved from Charleston SC to Brooklyn NY on a uhaul, I left the bike on the center stand with the front wheel against the wall, covered it with some towels just in case anything fall in.
I passed some really bad bumps and I was sure the bike was already down, stoped to check and it was fine, I don't think you really need to drill anything, just have the locked front wheel against the wall to avoid the bike from falling. Good luck on the move.

 

[DefyInertia]

Just be careful loading and unloading it!

 

[rsw81]

I have put my FZ (When I had one) in a uhaul no problem. I don't agree with the center stand business though. Pull the bike up close to the left side of the truck, put on side stand. Get some ratchet straps and put first tension to the left side to anchor the bike against the side stand. Then the right side pulling forward and down at the front of the bike, and another strap pulling back and down from the bike of the bike.

The key point being that the first tension should be pulling the bike down and left against the side stand. This will keep it from tipping right. The bike is very unlikely to tip so hard left to come over the side stand. I do agree with the above mentioned recommendation to pull the bike up all the way to the front of the truck so that the front tire is against the front of the truck. Also be sure to cover it up and put the softer items around it that are unlikely to fall and cause any damage.

 

[Smersh]

When i bought my KLR, i brought it home in a u-haul truck (first bike, newly out of MSF, too scared to ride on highways).
I got those ratchet straps and used 2 of them on each side of the bike, tying them to handlebars and down to the floor in front of the truck (there was a bar of some sorts, so i was able to hook it up to it). No centerstand, no sidestand, i just tensioned those straps equally on each side, so the bike stood verticallly, compressing the front suspension with the front wheel pressing against the front wall of the truck.

My drive was about 30 mins - no problem (unloading a tall bike off a truck backwards, alone and without a proper ramp is a story for another time). For a longer ride, I'd probably get another set of straps and tie the tail down too.

One thing that comes into mind with this method is - I am not sure if there is any risk in having the suspension compressed all the time - i'm no expert in suspension, so maybe somebody else would chime in on that.

 

[tuningfork]

good suggestions so far, but tiedowns should be hooked to the triple-tree and not the bars. The bars can bend if you apply too much tension. A little suspension compression is good.

You will enjoy riding at your new home.....lots of great roads in North Georgia.

 

[rsw81]

good suggestions so far, but tiedowns should be hooked to the triple-tree and not the bars. The bars can bend if you apply too much tension. A little suspension compression is good.

You will enjoy riding at your new home.....lots of great roads in North Georgia.

Yes, thank you for clarifying that. Absolutely do NOT strap to the bars. Always strap to the triple tree. No harm in some compression to the suspension so long as you aren't bottoming it out for extended periods of time.

 

[Smersh]

good suggestions so far, but tiedowns should be hooked to the triple-tree and not the bars. The bars can bend if you apply too much tension. A little suspension compression is good.

Agreed - I realized I didnt mention it - I did tie the handlebars, but right by the triple-tree.

 

[af_tourer]

Thanks everyone for all of your suggestions. I definitely feel more confident in moving my bike. Thanks again all. I can't wait to ride those North Georgia roads on my FZ. RIDE HARD OR STAY HOME! :thumbup:

 

[gamblingwithguns]

for moving a bike, two words (caynon dancer) check them out. hauled my fz 80 miles the day i bought it on an open utility trailer and it was rock solid.

 

[tuningfork]

Thanks everyone for all of your suggestions. I definitely feel more confident in moving my bike. Thanks again all. I can't wait to ride those North Georgia roads on my FZ. RIDE HARD OR STAY HOME! :thumbup:

http://www.motorcycleroads.com/routes/SouthEast/GA/GA_index.htm :thumbup:

 

[af_tourer]

Ok. Finally packing day is here for the big move up to Georgia. After all day of packing I finally got the bike in at the very end (as its the first thing coming out) I took all your advise to heart and I built a pallet for the bike with 3/4 inch plywood and a few 2x4's. Thank you all so much again for your advice, this forum rocks. I'll be up near Blue Ridge, Georgia if anyone needs a riding buddy. :thumbup:

 

[oogie]

I live in Dalton, about an hour from Blue Ridge. Let me know when you get settled in, the mountains are my fav riding area.

 

[chihuahuastud]

Welcome to the hood. You are going to love it up here, some of the best riding in the country!

 

[af_tourer]

yea, i can't wait to take the bike out. it was quite fun trying to navigate the mountains of north georgia in a 26 ft Penske Truck....scary. but hey we made it up OK (the bike and I that is). :thumbup: