Hauling a motorcycle in a short bed

Saturday I picked up a dual cab, short bed. I had gone to the dealer to order an access cab but they gave me what I considered a good price on the short bed.

I had ridden up on an 06 Ducati Monster and we pulled the bike up by the truck and I determined that it would fit but that the rear wheel would be on the tailgate.

Long story short, I have multiple bikes, most with longer wheel bases than the Monster. Did some measuring and all will fit but on some the rear axel will be past the point where the cable hooks onto the tailgate.

I was wondering what other people with DC short beds did when hauling motorcycles?

I thought about putting the front wheel into a front corner of the bed and tie the bike down in that diagonal position in the bed. Only problem I saw there was it may be difficult to get the bike out of the bed...Easier in than out I'm thinkin'.

I probably only move a bike 2 to 4 times per year so the extra passenger space is more practical than the bike moving capabilities but I'd still like to know what others do.

Any FHE appreciated.

 

beef up that tailgate it may bend on you. Try this http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/2nd-gen-tacomas/4838-cheap-free-mods-2.html#post45520 or even better this http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/2nd-gen-tacomas/29117-weak-tailgate-reinforcement-solution.html

 

I haul a couple of dirt bikes and one with the rear on the tailgate. However the entire bike only weighs ~240 pounds so not too much force on the tailgate. You can go diagnal in the bed but it can be a real pain to get in and out depending on the weight of the bike. I would look at beefing up the tailgate if I were you. Good luck

 

Diagonal FTW!!!!!!! Its not hard to slide the rear of the bike in our beds.

 

^^ nice, what size is that?

 

I 4'X8' trailer is money well spent. Trips to the dump, hauling stuff for friends (yea right), getting the bike where you need it, etc....

 

Nice SV650 up there.. I have an SV1000S.. question for ya.. when you load that sucker, do you ride it up into the bed? or you and a friend push it up? What year is your Taco? I assume that is a short bed? I have a long bed so I think it will actually fit in the bed...

 

Thanx for the links and pix.

I should have used the search...thanx for not blasting me for not doing so.

Ghost, yeah, I know of the slickness of the bed from some posts I read but since I just picked my truck up on Saturday...I haven't really experienced it myself.

I think I'll go with the aluminum checker plate on the inside of the tailgate...not the bent one , just the sheet. And the first time I load a bike on, I'll try the diagonal method and see how easy it is to slide the bike.

Thanx All.

 

I've got a friend with a motorcycle trailer that he stores at my place and I can use it when I want but I would rather put the bike in the bed than haul a trailer.

But, whatever works for ya.

 

It is a Suzuki SV650

I used to have it made loading the bike! At the hospital I work at I was able to back the truck up to the loading dock and just drive right on. Now I have to use ramps (the tri-fold wide kind) and it kinda sucks cause I'm afraid of falling over. I had a single ramp, one that would hinge in the middle to fold, drove up it one time like I was loading my old dirtbikes and the exhaust caught the hinge point, stalled the bike and it fell over on me. Good thing I was there to break the bikes fall. Now I ride it up the tri-fold ramp with no issues.

 

no problemo...ride it up or push it up...just be careful.

 

A friend of mine taught me this trick.

If you have a ditch by the edge of a road, (one right in front of my house) you back up perpendicular to the road with your rear tires in the ditch.

Depending on the size of your tires and the depth of the ditch the bed of your truck will be closer to parallel with the ground.

With my old 03 Tacoma, once the rear tires were in the ditch, the bed was close to a 10 degree slope. I could walk the bike into the bed w/o a ramp, just using the tailgate as a ramp...very easy and takes the stress out of loading a bike on the truck.

I haven't tried this yet with the 09.

 

That ditch trick is amazing, my mom owns a f350 and getting anything in it without the back tires in a ditch is a bitch

 

I use two ramps and walk the bike up the ramps letting the bike do all the work. Very easy to do and you don't have to ride it up. Much better control and no fear of falling over.

A mounted bike chock is the way to go. Very secure. For that short bed, I'd put it in diagonal to keep it off the tailgate. No harm there at all.

 

quick question, is there a way to mount it without drilling any holes in the bed, either mounting it to a steel plate or bars that extend to the sides, etc?

thanks

 

The biggest concern without mounting it is that it can slide. Try removing the bike from a chock (Baxtley excluded) without it being secured. Not an easy task on a slick bed floor. I bolted mine in just so it would not move around.

I can't really picture what you are thinking about doing... I guess you could mount it to a 5/8" sheet of plywood and slide the whole thing in the bed...that would also cover the tailgate and help support it as well.

I'll get a picture of mine tonight when I load up. I'm heading up to AR tomorrow morning for a few days.

 

I uploaded pics into my gallery showing how my bike is loaded up/tied down with the bike chock installed in the bed. Not a shortbed, but you can get the idea. Only difference would be how far the rear tire sat on the tailgate. It falls perfectly on the seam of the gate/bed.

I used four tie-downs up front to distribute the weight load to different points rather than stress 2 points. The rear straps just keep things from bouncing around.

 

Nice....

 

I Have no suggestion about how to haul it but check with your insurance company. Here when we haul a 4wheeler or bike the insurance will only cover it if you use 4 straps. Just a heads up.

 

I use 6. Better safe than sorry.