Ahhhhhh!!!! Sh****ttttt!!!!

[Scott]

I don't know how many times I've dropped my quad off the back of my truck (many times on purpose) and laughed about it. I'm pretty sure I'd cry if this happened to my FZ6.

 

[Hellgate]

Hey thanks everyone. I'm going to buy a wider ramp, of just buy a small MC trailer. With that 4X4 Sierra it is pretty tall. I only ended up with a scrapped ankle and knee after I got high sided! OUCH!

As the bike was hanging there, pretty much unhurt, it reminded me of the the woman who was pinned in the car accident, and once they move the car from her she dies. I had visions of having to drop the bike to get it off the truck > shattered fairing. I got lucky!

All I know is my back is SORE today. Thank goodness for Advil!

The dyno turning will take several days. I'll pick the bike up Friday afternoon. They are doing a base line run today, and will do several other runs through the tuning process. They also want to do at least two, overnight cold starts along with a test ride to make sure everything is perfect. Rideability is more important than pure power for me. It is being tuned for DB Killers out. Micah, the tuning dude was surprised at how resetricitve they are.

I'll post a the dyno sheets once I get them.

 

[tolgatt]

oh mann! when i read the first post,,,after you wrote "i fully warmed up the FZ" ,,i thought you have burned some part of you by trying to push the bike from the headers or the bike fell on to you and burn you...
hope its all worth it...

i have to ask you how much you will pay for the dyno tuning!
i just talked to the shop over here,,,they will fully dynotune my bike which will be custom mapped from idle to top end and the guy said it will take only one day,,,asking for 400 freaking dollars,,,its double what i paid for the pc3

unfortunately i dont have many options around,,its either this place which is only couple of blocks away from where i work or 3-4 hours of ride away somewhere which i dont know how much they will ask...

im having a knee surgery on thursday ,i wont be able to ride for at least 2 weeks,,as soon as i get better,im getting it done

 

[VEGASRIDER]

Sorry Pete, hate to hear something like that. You definately get my "Hall of Shame" vote from me. Oh by the way.....:needpics:

 

[lytehouse]

that stinks, and everytime you think about it you'll get this nauseating flutter in your stomach. Glad you didn't 'pull' anything lifting it up like that.

 

[AJ Babaganoosh]

Hey thanks everyone. I'm going to buy a wider ramp, of just buy a small MC trailer. With that 4X4 Sierra it is pretty tall. I only ended up with a scrapped ankle and knee after I got high sided! OUCH!.

I also have a 4x4 that is fairly tall and I have never found a way to load one in a truck that felt safe enough to me. Unloading was even worse. I started using a trailer and have never regretted it. It is so much easier, safer and quicker. I know some people don't have space to stow a trailer and various other reasons for not using one. All I'm saying is that (in my opinion) a small trailer is well worth the money if you don't have some other reason for not getting one.

 

[sportrider]

that sucks!!! I got roostery one time loading a dirtbike, I used to ride the bike up the ramp (improvised ramp, a 2x6 8ft long) into the bed. well that worked good until one day the "ramp" slid off just as my front tire was on the tailgate. with nothing below me there was no way to catch the bike. I fell backwards out of the truck and the bike fell with me. the bike didn't get hurt, luckily (for the bike) I broke it's fall. the worst part of this story is the neighbor across the street watched the whole thing happen.

I bought a real ramp the next day

 

[marke14]

It could always be worse ...

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UkQYYBOrRNk"]YouTube - How Not To Load A Motorcycle[/ame]

 

[tolgatt]

ouch!

wtf,how about this one....thats a freaking KLR650

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mnvm5HTprCg&feature=related"]YouTube - How I unload my klr 650 from a truck[/ame]

 

[maverick1970]

Dude that sucks about your accident and sorry to hear about that. Question I have will you try loading your FZ in your truck again or are you going to get a trailer? I've consider the Black Widow motorcycle ramps but don't know anyone who's got one to discuss the pros/cons.

 

[chuckfz6ryder]

Pete, that could have been much worse, glad it wasn't. I had trucks until about 5 years ago, now have an SUV and a utility trailer. It's much easier loading a trailer that's 15"-18" off the ground.

 

[Nelly]

Okay, so I get back from playing Army for two weeks and go to load the bike into the truck so I can take it to the dyno tuning place. I've never loaded the FZ into a truck, and I've never loaded any bike into my Sierra. I put the Baxley chock in the bed, park the truck on a slight down hill slope, put ramp on flat solid ground, fully warm the FZ up. :cheer:

Because the tailgate to too tall to step up on to, I place a large tool box as a step, its solid, no rock to it. I ease the bike up the ramp, front wheel is in the bed. Yeah! All I need to do it get the rest of the bike up and over and I'm in the stand, no worries. Well....

I give the bike a bit of gas, we are moving foreward, and zipppp! out goes the rear tire from the ramp! WTF?!?! Picture in your mind....front wheel center of mass in the bed, yours truely standing to the left on a 18" tall toolbox, hands on the handlebars, working the controls. Now picture a slow, graceful controlled crash to the right, pulling me over the bike and ramp! CRAP! :wtf:

The result is the FZ HANGING with the front wheel from the tailgate, my Ti can on the right side supporting the back half of the biek. AHHHH!!!! SHHH****TTTT!!!! Okay, now what do I do??? I dust myself off, sit on the curb and ponder my limited options. 1) place matress between FZ and street - plop bike on to matress 2) Lift bike up right with front wheel remaining on tailgate. - ugh, its 100 degrees out. :banghead:

So I go inside the house, "Oh Honey, Sweetie??? Baby, uhhh, could you help me???" Sure what's wrong? "Oh I just need a bit of help please." Peter what did you do??? (When the family uses my full name I know I'm in trouble) "Oh nothing we can fix..." :innocent:

We walk outside...."What did you DO???"...as the FZ is pathetically hanging from the the tailgate. :disapprove:

So I stand the to the right side of the bike and heave-hoo it upright. Front wheel still on tailgate. Chin fairing is carrying the load now, so I remove it with no cracks. Now I have the bike up right, but still stuck. We decide that yours truley will pick the back half of the bike up and place the rear wheel on the tool box. Okay this amounts to about an 18" dead lift of, oh, 350 lbs. I weight a whopping 175. So I position the tool box, HEAVE!!!!! It makes it. Okay now what? I've got an FZ with resting on the front half of the header on the edge of the tail gate and the rear tire on the tool box. :surrender:

Phase III....lift bike again, slide on the the folded up centerstand, the tail gate has a nice plastic lip so no worries. Okay dead lift number three...HEAVE!!! up and slide into place. The bike is now mostly in the truck, from the centerstand forward. :shakehead:

So as I am contemplating deadlift number four, and kind soul stops and says, "Hey man, do you need some help?" You bet. The guy helps my wife and I get the FZ all why in, I strap it down and off we go to the tuning shop. :cheer:

The toll: scratch in right passanger grab rail, one dented Akarpovic can, scratch on rear part of the front fender, tailgate gouged from the right front brake caliper bolt, one very sore back.

Ended up there WAS a safety warning sticker on the ramp. Once the tire hit it under power, the tire lost traction, spun and that bike slipped off the ramp. Safety kills...

I am glad your ok Pete,
forgive me but that would have made one good comedy sketch. Any pictures?
I particularly like the thought of the FZ having a little lie down on the mattress after a stressful day.
Better lick getting it off mate.

Nelly

 

[xj750_Pete]

I just read the initial post, and man, i cannot imagine how it must have felt to see the FZ6 just hanging on like that. When I dropped my FZ6 in the parking lot, I was depressed as hell the entire day. Good to hear you did not get hurt too bad, and that was really cool of your wife to come out and help you. Hope your dyno tune brings out excellent results.

 

[Hellgate]

So I've been plotting my unloading proceedure for this Saturday when I pick the bike up.

1) Skateboard grip tape has been added to the surface of the ramp. All safety stickers removed.

2) A neighbor has a slopping driveway so I can back the truck up and have the ramp pretty much level.

Too bad I didn't think of these before....

 

[Hellgate]

I am glad your ok Pete,
forgive me but that would have made one good comedy sketch. Any pictures?
I particularly like the thought of the FZ having a little lie down on the mattress after a stressful day.
Better lick getting it off mate.

Nelly

No, no photos. I wish I would have taken them now. The FZ really looked sad hanging there...

The dyno shop called and things are going well. They are pretty much 80% of the way through the map and the tuning dude is impressed! I'm so stoked! :Flash:

 

[PhillyMatt]

1) Skateboard grip tape has been added to the surface of the ramp. All safety stickers removed.

2) A neighbor has a slopping driveway so I can back the truck up and have the ramp pretty much level.

Too bad I didn't think of these before....

Sorry to hear about it, but experience is the best teacher i know.

I have gotten into a few situations taking my FZ6 in and out of my Tacoma. I haven’t dropped it taking it up, but I though I was going to a few times. I always wear full gear putting it up, I usually ride it up unless I have two people to help me then I will push it.

Grip tape works really well, I have it on my ramp. Also my ramp came with tie downs to connect to the bed of the truck so the ramp wouldn't move away from the tailgate. I didn’t use them once when I was walking up my ramp and the ramp moved and I fell. My ramp is one of the Tri fold ATV ramps, it is much easier being able to have a two people helping it down the ramp on each side of the bike.

Also as a side note and somewhat obvious, also how I got into trouble the most, the front brake doesn't respond well when the front tire doesn't have much grip or when most of the weight is on the back tire, as in going up the ramp.
If someone is doing it for the first time I would recommend getting help from someone that has done it before. I went to my dealer the first time I put my bike up, they stressed taking it down with other people. Dropping the bike from a tailgate would be bad, having it land on you would be worse. It is an easy thing to do, but I would play on the cautious side.

 

[Hellgate]

Sorry to hear about it, but experience is the best teacher i know.

I have gotten into a few situations taking my FZ6 in and out of my Tacoma. I haven’t dropped it taking it up, but I though I was going to a few times. I always wear full gear putting it up, I usually ride it up unless I have two people to help me then I will push it.

Grip tape works really well, I have it on my ramp. Also my ramp came with tie downs to connect to the bed of the truck so the ramp wouldn't move away from the tailgate. I didn’t use them once when I was walking up my ramp and the ramp moved and I fell. My ramp is one of the Tri fold ATV ramps, it is much easier being able to have a two people helping it down the ramp on each side of the bike.

Also as a side note and somewhat obvious, also how I got into trouble the most, the front brake doesn't respond well when the front tire doesn't have much grip or when most of the weight is on the back tire, as in going up the ramp.
If someone is doing it for the first time I would recommend getting help from someone that has done it before. I went to my dealer the first time I put my bike up, they stressed taking it down with other people. Dropping the bike from a tailgate would be bad, having it land on you would be worse. It is an easy thing to do, but I would play on the cautious side.

Great idea on the tie downs for the ramp! I could tie them off to the rear axle I suppose. Thanks! :thumbup:

 

[Se7enLC]

No, no photos. I wish I would have taken them now. The FZ really looked sad hanging there...

Nah, it's good that you didn't. If there was a photo in this thread, I was going to paste the word FAIL on it in huge letters and post it to failblog, hehe you could be the image macro that people paste in threads to promote proper bike loading!

I have an 8 foot long 2x10 with this kind of $20 kit on the end that my former roommate left behind. Came in handy on more than one occasion. Works great, but I would never try to load a bike using it without somebody else to give me a hand balancing. And I really don't like the idea of trying to "ride up" a ramp unless it's at least a couple feet wide.

 

[PhillyMatt]

Intended to post this a while ago, but forgot.

Got a picture of my ramp. My tie downs got to the bed, i have two tie down loops near the end of the bed, on to the tailgate would probably work too, it doesn't hold much weight just enough to keep the top of the ramp on the tailgate. The tie downs are on the outside parts of the ramp and the grip tape is just up the center. And the ramp is as wide as my tailgate. I can reach the cross pieces if i am on the bike but as Se7enLC put it,

but I would never try to load a bike using it without somebody else to give me a hand balancing. And I really don't like the idea of trying to "ride up" a ramp unless it's at least a couple feet wide.

I had a thin ramp for a while and i wouldn't recommend them, even walking them up thin ramps is very hard compared to a wide ramp.

Riding it up is somewhat stupid but if i do have help I don't ride it up. And i never ride down, i wait for help to get it down.

View attachment 5409

 

[MarinaFazer]

hectic man, at least it didn't do more damage!