Anybody hauled a motorcycle in their tacoma?

I hauled my GSXR on a 10hr road trip in my 2010 tacoma a few years back. It worked just fine. Now I have a 2016 tacoma and my bike is a Harley sportster, a tad heavier. Anybody don't this or know if the tailgate will be able to handle the tire for a trip?

 

If you're in doubt about your tailgate supporting the weight buy/make a longer platform/rail the whole bike sits on so the tailgate is not bearing much weight.

 

I need to haul a 1975 R75/6 in my ACLB so anyone who has any tips I would appreciate them. I have a ramp but it is a heavy bike so I am mostly focused on how to secure it. Back in first or front? Straight in or diagonal?

 

I have a long bed and have hauled my GSXR and a Honda Shadow 750. No problem what so ever. I drive them straight in and centered. Then I use the four hard tie-downs in each corner to secure it. No wheel chock required.

 

You'll be fine. I had a Sportster in the back of my truck on Several occasions, among other bikes. And I've got a first gen 5 lug with the 2.4I. You'll be fine. Will have to turn the wheel sideways and ratchet strap it.

 

I remember someone on here was in a similar predicament a while ago. They ended up using a thick piece of wood that covered the whole bed and tailgate as one piece with some supports underneath. It worked great and took the weight off the tailgate. Let me see if I can dig it up

EDIT: I looked, but couldn't find it again. IIRC, all he did was cut a piece of wood that fit the whole bed/tailgate and had somee 2x4's underneath running width wise, to help distribute the weight.

 

The tailgate won't support the weight of a heavier bike long term (especially true with SB). With older vehicles, you could add a stiffener to help avoid damaging the gate-no idea about 3rd gen ones.

That /6 is probably nothing to worry about in the long bed. When you load the bike, just load it to the center of the bed. What ever you do, do not use the bed rails and plastic hooks to secure any motorcycle. @JLee used to make some corner brackets to help secure the load. Tie down at the front and back. Try and keep the rear wheel from bouncing too. You can go corner to opposite corner too but down the center makes it easier to see whether the bike is shifting around or not.

 

FWIW I have transported my sportster in the bed 5 times now across multiple states with no issues. I center it in the bed with the wheel straight and the rear tire sits about dead center on the tailgate on my short bed. It does sag some but has always sprung right back when the bike comes out. Two ratchet straps are all you really need to secure it to the tie downs at the front of the bed. Hook one end there, loop it around one side of the front fork and hook the other end on the same side. Repeat on the other side and crank those suckers down until your fork is compressed about half way so the straps don't come loose if you hit a big bump. In the past I have run a third strap thru the back of the frame forward of the rear tire just to be safe but it doesn't really do anything except make you feel better. I couldn't get it to budge at all shaking it, just rocked the whole truck.

 

I prefer using an open cargo trailer.It was well worth the price of it and easier for an old man!

 

Hauled a Yamaha Roadliner (see profile pic) in my 2007 and my 2015 (both access cab long beds). With fuel and my hard bags weighed around 780 pounds plus another 170 with me sitting on it when loading. There are several threads about the weak tailgates on the gen 2s bending, especially if you concentrate weight on the middle of the tailgate when loading it. I have a ramp that spreads the weight so I might have been able to get by BUT...not willing to risk it. So... for the 2007 I had cut a 3/4 inch 4x8 piece of plywood to fit the bed (including wheel well cutouts) and the ramp sat on the plywood over the tailgait. On the 2015 I got fancy and bought a steel tailgate cap from Voodoo Fabrications. My understanding is that the Gen 3s have better tailgaits but I still would want to reinforce them before putting my big bike on it unless shown evidence that it has the capacity.

 

Hey man!!! nice seeing you here.

The 3rd gen gate is a bit more robust than the 2nd gen. But still I added a tail gate reinforcement plate.

mobtown sells one. Works great!

 

I think the tailgate on the 3rd gen is pretty stout and you wouldn't have any problems. That said, if you want piece of mind then you could cut a piece of 3/4 plywood to fit between the wheel wells and long enough to extend out over the tailgate.

 

Thanks! And you as well.

The plywood idea would probably work too.

 

I'd like to resurrect this thread as motorcycle season is coming soon. Anyone had any issues? I have a short box and will have two 450 MX bikes on the tailgate. Wondering if I should reinforce either the cap or the tailgate or both.

 

No the motor will be in the bed. The tailgate won't have much weight on it

 

I've hauled two full size MX'ers in the bed from Denver to Vegas and back with no issues.

 

My concern is there's a bit of a difference between hwy miles and bouncing up and down a gravel road. Bikes are well balanced, so figure 130 lbs each rear tire on a point location is quite a bit of force.

 

Hauled a bike in my short bed for 5 hours, no issues. Angle it slightly so that the back tire is actually on a beam in the tailgate and not in the center, where there is no support underneath (you can feel where the supports are). I used the tiedowns in the front of the bed (the metal ones) and loaded the front suspension of the bike to take as much weight off the back wheel as possible.

 

Straight in,compress the forms while sitting on the bike and tie down the front down the front end to the d rings.Ive done this with my R80/7 with no problems.I don't even use ratchet tie downs,I use the cam buckle ones.

 

a time or two but its a second gen FTMFW