Loading FZ6 on the small pickup truck ?

[BusyWeb]

Hello, experienced riders.

I want to know some best way to load FZ6 on the small pickup truck..
Main reason >> too tired to ride under the bad weather conditions for long ride... I need some cure for it.

Any advices welcome, including pikcup truck choice, ramp, or trailer.. any kind of words would be helpful for me.

I looked some size-matters, FZ6 length is 8.2 feets??
And most small truck bed size is less than 8 feets (mostly 7 to 6 feets).

Open truck tailgate with extender?
Or, just use small trailer? (saw small sedan cage with bike trailer photos??)

Some months ago, I met a small pickup truck loaded with FZ6 at the highway 99, and we shaked hand each other.
He might know well how to do it.... ha ha ha if he is the member of forum??

Thanks in advance.

 

[BH322893]

Hello, experienced riders.

I want to know some best way to load FZ6 on the small pickup truck..
Main reason >> too tired to ride under the bad weather conditions for long ride... I need some cure for it.

Any advices welcome, including pikcup truck choice, ramp, or trailer.. any kind of words would be helpful for me.

I looked some size-matters, FZ6 length is 8.2 feets??
And most small truck bed size is less than 8 feets (mostly 7 to 6 feets).

Open truck tailgate with extender?
Or, just use small trailer? (saw small sedan cage with bike trailer photos??)

Some months ago, I met a small pickup truck loaded with FZ6 at the highway 99, and we shaked hand each other.
He might know well how to do it.... ha ha ha if he is the member of forum??

Thanks in advance.

I loaded mine into my 07 tacoma with a basic metal ramp, I have a 6ft bed with trackracks up front and just left the tailgate down. (trackracks did leave a small scuff on windscreen however, should've put something between them)

If that doesn't help there are more suggestion maybe here,
http://www.600riders.com/forum/fz6-general-discussion/2445-loading-bike-into-tuck-trailer.html

 

[reiobard]

I have no pictures, but i put mine in the back of my 96 GMC Sonoma which is a 6ft bed. When i put it in i aim the front tire towards a corner, then after the rear is in i drag the back tire towards the other corner and shut the bed and it fits.

Then i tie it down nice and tight off each handle bar and then across the rear grab handles and it does not move.



good luck, but the bottom line is that with some ingenuity, you can do it is just about any truck.

 

[BH322893]

I have no pictures, but i put mine in the back of my 96 GMC Sonoma which is a 6ft bed. When i put it in i aim the front tire towards a corner, then after the rear is in i drag the back tire towards the other corner and shut the bed and it fits.

Then i tie it down nice and tight off each handle bar and then across the rear grab handles and it does not move.



good luck, but the bottom line is that with some ingenuity, you can do it is just about any truck.

It's funny because the only reason I have this pic is that I was so excited that night after I bought it, coming out of the Laconia NH gas station and saw it sparkling under the lights and had to snap this with my phone and txt it to everyone in my phone book. It's true love <3 <3

 

[dean2287]

No problem, been done many times. Brought mine home 200 miles in the back of a Nissan Titan.

 

[reiobard]

???

???


could be a solution?

 

[zigzagg321]

I loaded mine in a 1996 Tacoma 4wd regular cab, regular bed, and had to have the tailgate down, but both wheels were solidly on the bed and tailgate. I used Canyon Dancers to hold down the front end, and that was it. I used a basic aluminum ramp and a hill to walk the bike into the bed. I backed up the truck straight to the hill and used the ramp as a stable "road" to go into the bed of the truck. Honestly, I didnt even need the ramp, the hill nearby was perfect for the job.

I drew a bad picture illustrating what I mean... I forgot to make the truck high up like my 4wd was...the hill was taller than in the diagram.

 

[Kilbane83]

I can load mine in the back of my '04 Ford Ranger np. Kind of like Zigzagg illistrated, I find a small , preferably grassy hill area, back up to it, take the tailgate off and viola instant ramp. I know it sounds ghetto, but it really works great actually, tailgate doesn't even have a scratch on it. Usually it's pretty hard to find a hill high enough to line up with the tailgate, this solves that issue. Once the bike is secured tailgate goes back on and I'm on my way.

There are several tri-fold ramp options out there, ranging from ~$100 to $400 if you do some searching. Something like: Tri-Fold Ramp

 

[fzme]

Sorry, no pics, but I have loaded and unloaded my bike probably 10 times by myself as a temp. travel RT. Most of the time, I just found a small hill or even a small set of stairs that I could back the truck up to. I've unloaded, loaded in parking lots, roadsides, my hilly yard, loading docs at hospitals....anywhere you can get the bike up on and back a truck up to. One time, I backed the truck up to a small wall in front of a dentist office (on a Sunday) and drove the bike down the walkway and through the plantar to get it into the truck.

The key in doing it by yourself is to push slow and use your front brake. If you are trying to lunge the bike up a hill or up into the bed, you can do this and save your progress by working the front brake. It may take you a little while, but it works. If you can avoid it, don't "ride" it into the bed, push it.

Once you're in, put the front tire in the front left corner, then pick up the back tire and wedge it as far as you can against the right wheel well or bed.

Tie it down til it's relatively solid, and don't forget to put your bike in Neutral.
You don't want the inertia of the bike pushing back and forth on your transmission when you speed up and slow down in your truck. Good luck, man.:thumbup:

 

[Botch]

???

Heh, that reminds me of hauling eight railroad ties in my '86 Saab 900 Turbo! The back seat folded perfectly flat, the liftgate went all the way down to the floor; but I had to haul them four at a time, six or more made my suspension bottom out, standing still! :BLAA:

 

[Zack]

If I could do it (several times now) loading it into the mini van using a ramp purchased for 90 bucks in Home Depot, you must be able to do it much easier with pickup.
See pictures: just before loading in Toronto, just about to unload in Florida

 

[dean2287]

???

???


could be a solution?

LMAO....

I thought it was an accident photo at first! Nice custom bike mover.

 

[jrevans]

Big ramp

I borrowed a friend's narrow ramp once and I have no idea why you guys buy those things. Quite dicey getting up and down on those things If you have to load by yourself like I do, you need a wide ramp. I have a tri-fold aluminium ramp with plywood covering the outer two rungs, and grip tape on the center rungs. If you ever have to load in the rain, you'll be glad you have it.

The FZ6 just fits in my extended cab, short-bed Silverado with the tailgate up. Like another poster said, you can always aim the front of the bike to the corner and slide the back to the other corner to get some extra length.

Anyways, my Silverado 4x4 is a bit high, making it a pain to load/unload unless I can find a hill to back up to. If no suitable hill is around, I drive my front wheels up on a set of ramps in order to lower the tailgate approach angle. It helps some, but it's still not easy like a trailer. It's still a bit of a butt-pucker when riding the bike in and out of the truck. :rockon:

Attached is a picture from 2004 when I had my FZ6 at a trackday (Pocono Raceway).