Dirt Bikes and Short Bed Taco's

I usually ride up.

 

Nothing different except the rear tire sits on the bed vs the tailgate. Easy in both.

 

[QUOTE
It's funny, I never see anyone with a bike in a short bed and the tailgate up. I like the look of the short bed better but there's no room especially when going riding & camping.[/QUOTE]
I too have a short bed Tacoma, and ride a Honda CRF450X dirt bike, i don't see how i could load my bike as diagonally as possible yet be able to close the tail gate either..
Not sure how others do that.??

 

The guy saying he loads his CR250 diagonal and closes the gate is full of it. You can only do that with a long bed.

 

I hang mine out back.

 

You in Boerne?

 

I’m in Austin but this pic was taken at a riding buddy’s house in Fulshear.

 

Do you guys ever fear rock chips flying up from the rear wheels and chipping the rear gate while transporting with it down? I want to do a few longer trips (2 hours drives) with my bike in the back (MT09) but I'd need to rear gate down for this. Roads are kinda shit here with gravel for the winter

 

I knew it could be done. I remember running across a thread when I was doing research about which bed length I should buy.



https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/how-to-fit-a-dirt-bike-in-a-5-3rd-gen-with-tailgate-up.462132/

 

I recall this too. Front tire needs to be on the hump. Haven't tried it myself, but am planning a 2200 mile round trip from CO to CA and back next weekend. Might have to give it a try.

No. I've made several long (1000+ mile) multi-state trips on and off pavement with the gate down and never had an issue with rock chips. Oh the other hand, backing into a power pole loaded up with bikes and the gate down is something I did have trouble with one time, but I can chalk that up to my own idiocy.

 

Ultimately this is what lead me to really wanting the long bed. I tow an offroad tear drop sometimes and have my KTM in the bed, so tailgate needs to be up. Interestingly enough, this time last year I did the opposite trip you are planning. Sacramento to Colorado Springs to visit a friend and buy the offroad tear drop.

 

No I've made many multi-state trips with my tailgate down and never had an issue. Back in the day, it used to be super common that guys would drive long distances with tailgates down thinking it would get them better fuel milage (maybe it's true, maybe it's not) and I've never heard of anyone getting chips from having their tailgates down. I'm sure it's happened, but it's not common.

 

OK...I knew KTM guys were obsessive with their bikes, but I didn't know y'all prayed to the bikes before a ride...

 

Well here's my new-to-me 2015 KX450F...it's very rocky where I live so I need to replace some plastic to make her look like new, but I'm stoked to get riding!
And I use a 4-wheeler ramp to load mine. It's fairly light and I can walk beside the bike up or down if needed. It's almost as wide as the tailgate unfolded.

 

Ha! That guy is 60 years old. Pretty sure he just broke a hip and is trying to figure out how to get his old ass up off the ground.

 

Yea i'm an idiot too, backed into a tree once while the bike was loaded with the tailgate down. Big dent now on the top of the gate.

 

I have seen that and I wouldn't recommend anyone loading a bike like that. The front wheel is sitting on the wheel well. Just leave the gate down and make sure your bike doesn't fall out of your truck.

 

Buy one of those tailgate pads for bicycles. They will shield your tailgate.

 

My CRF230L fit in my Gen1 no problem, but that bike has a pretty short wheelbase. No chance with my XR. That's why I went with a long bed when I bought the Gen3. More room for bikes and gear on road trips and I can fit both XR and 230L with the tailgate up.

 

Nice bike!!!