Three Ways To Transport A Motorcycle Other Than Riding It
Need to haul a vintage motorcycle, or planning to take it with you on a trip along with family members or friends? You cannot simply ride on your motorcycle with too much equipment and other passengers that need transportation as well, but here are 3 ways to bring your motorcycle with you where ever you may go.
On the bed of a pickup truck This is the most hassle free method. As it will not take a lot of effort to pick your motorcycle up and simply place it on a bed, but it still will require a lot of care and attention to detail to ensure your motorcycle is safe and stable. There are motorcycle ramps available to make it easier to guide it into the bed of your pickup truck. Have another person help you push it into the bed to avoid injury. Putting the motorcycle in neutral will be very helpful as you carry it into the ramp. With the motorcycle standing up with its kickstand, you can fasten it to the bed with tight bungee cords so that it won’t fall over or out of the bed of your pickup truck.
Inside a truck, van, or trailer It is much easier said than done to put your motorcycle inside of a truck and let it be that, but trucks do not provide a motorcycle with a sense of stability, due to their spacious holding areas. Ratchet straps and two wheel chocks are required to transport a motorcycle in a wide-open area.
Like a pickup truck, guide the motorcycle into the truck with the help from a ramp and another person.
If you own a cargo van or box van trailer, it should be an easier vehicle to put the motorcycle inside of, among other equipment or luggage that can be ideal for a motorcycle trip.
With the kickstand of the motorcycle out, place one wheel chock in front of the front tire, and the other behind the rear tire. These wheel chocks keep the motorcycle from moving around in addition to relieving pressure from being strapped into the truck. Before you gather the straps, put the kickstand back in.
Next, tie the handle bars to the sides of the trailer, truck, or van with the ratchet straps. All straps should be tightened to minimize movement and prevent the motorcycle from falling over. Put the kickstand back out so that the motorcycle is standing comfortably.
If you don’t have any other vehicle available to you, a friend, or a colleague, then your last resort is to have a company ship it to your location, which probably is not the best option if you are travelling very far for a motorcycle trip.
Ask multiple companies in your area for estimates on how much you should pay them upfront. The price of a haul will be affected by the size of the motorcycle, how long and far the motorcycle will travel, and how much time it would take to haul it.
These companies should have open and closed transportation available to you. Open transportation is similar to carrying it on a bed of a pickup truck. Closed transportation is similar to carrying it inside a truck, and should be pricier for the protection that it would get, compared to open transportation.
And of course, ask these companies about insurance policies, like what happens if the motorcycle is damaged during the trip. If the company does not have insurance, then that should raise a red flag for you; do not do business with a company without proper insurance.