Hauling 2 Sport bikes in a short bed?

Will I be able to squeeze in 2 sport bikes on my truck bed? I plan on traveling ~700 miles round trip and total weight of bikes will be a little over 800 lbs.

Suspension is completely stock. I plan on laying down sheet of wood to help with weight distribution and hopefully prevent the tailgate from buckling.

Thanks!

 

I would put on some helper bags on with that much but I've put two 450 bikes and fully loaded the bed for camping total weight around that of yours. And it rode horrable. Plus the stock springs are weak. Just my .02

 

So the bike wheels will be resting on the tailgate for 700 miles? That would make me a little nervous.

 

Even with a metal reinforcement, the tailgate is so weak. Be careful!

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...-mobtown-offroad.362796/page-17#post-15253662

 

I would be more worried about side to side room then length, worst case scenario put two sheets of plywood, you will be fine lengthwise even with weak tailgate, especially on the streets(not offroad)...

Side to side with the wheel wells will be tough to get two sportbikes in there without them bouncing off each other while driving.

Edit: oh and yeah your a$$ will be sagging like a mofo but I dont think it will hurt anything if your not hitting big potholes, if you plan on loading them like that often youll need an AAL or better yet aftermarket leafpack

 

And also hope you have one of those motorcycle tie down bars as when I bought my truck I was blown away with how little the factory options were for sturdy m/c tie down points.

 

Can you send me a link of these helper bags? I plan on adding leaf packs soon but I want to know what the other options are. Thanks!

I don't have it yet. I normally just tow 1 bike and the 2 mounts in the front is good enough for now.

 

Looks like there's enough width space. Truck in the pic is a long bed however...

 

OP, is trailering the bikes an option? I don't know your situation but that's what I would do even if I had to rent one...

 

I just order mine from summit racing

 

I hauled my 92 VMAX in mine and being at 631 wet it did make my rear sag but I also most likely had a broken leaf spring. its in for warranty now.

hauled my tractor in it too and with tiller on it, it was around 800lbs and sagged a lot and bottomed out a bit. Could have had broken leaf then too.

 

Appears to be two popular options, the Firestone airbags (which requires a lot of installation), and the simpler SumoSprings.

 

I run the sumo's and they work great when you need them but the problem is you can't just air it down so its always there and stiff. If I did it again I would go with real airbags. And I've put 500lb on the tail gate and never seen it bow or bend, maybe the 13' and up are different IDK.

 

Firestone bags with Daystar cradles for now. Add Dakar leaf pack when you're ready. That's my setup and I do dumb shit to my truck with no worries or problems.

You're going to need new shocks shortly after upgrading the rear.

 

Hmm, does look like he pulled it off, no harm in trying i guess.

 

It is an option but I'm curious if my taco is capable of hauling 2 bikes on the bed (to avoid the 55 mph tow limit lol). I towed 3 bikes before with the trailer and it was fine but the ride back was horrible... We were all tired at the end of the day and didn't put much effort into distributing the weight evenly.

Thank you for this! I appreciate it

 

Motorcycles are dangerous.

 

i would bypass all the nonsense of getting plywood...tie down bars..worrying about if it'll fit...worrying about the tail gate etc and just rent a trailer.
but to answer your question...yes they'll fit side by side and the plywood would definetly help with the tailgate concerns.

 

Wasn't there a warning about that combination?

Firestone Issues Warning on use of Daystar Air Bag Cradles with Ride-Rite Air Bag Kits

 

That's some serious wood lol. Stock suspension is a little stiff already for my taste so I'll be looking more into the Firestone airbags. I appreciate the input!