| Author | Message | ||
     Hangetsu |
Anyone out there ever haul your Uly (or any bike for that matter) in a U-Haul? I'l be moving soon and I'll be transporting my stuff, including the Uly in the box on the back of a U-Haul van. Any suggestions on how to keep it safe & stable? Any suggestions will be appreciated. Thanks. A- | ||
| Jetranger_2000 |
I just transported my new uly from Cleveland to Ontario on a open trailer. I used a condor front tire holder and a few straps and it went flawless. The condor was mounted on a board the length of the bike. Towed it thru a crazy blizzard and it didnt move. I know you can get inexpensive versions of the condor at harbour freight | ||
| Ratbuell |
I've had luck transporting bikes with nothing but two ratchet straps, and a block of wood. Or a brick. Roll the front wheel against the (block/brick/whatever). Park it in first gear. Ratchet the lower fork tree to the vehicle that's hauling it, compressing the forks and "trapping" the block under the leading edge of the front tire. Done. I have NEVER had the ass end of a motorcycle "walk" in transport except if I have a bike on a 4x8 utility trailer (bouncy-bouncy). If there's a forward wall in the cargo area, put the front tire against it. Same difference. Just make sure the truck has a loading ramp, and that it deploys like it should. DAMHIK. I remember something about loading a 96 FLHP Road King Police bike into a Ryder truck...on a 2x8. Took me about fifteen minutes - idling the bike about twenty feet from the board - to psyche myself up. Got halfway up the board and saaaaaaggggg...I coulda sworn it was gonna snap and let me drive right into the bumper of the truck. But, it worked. And I managed NOT to drive into the dashboard! But me, a brick, 2 straps, and the FLHP made it just fine from FL to MD  | ||
| Paralegalpete |
Another tip for supporting the front wheel without a chock is to lay down an old tire and sit the bikes front tire inside. Once its strapped it will be stable | ||
| Teeps |
I'll add to the above: a.) Do no utilize the side stand during transportation. Leave the side stand in the upright position. b.) With the bike perpendicular to the floor of the trailer. Adjust the tie traps so they are as close to 45 degs as possible. c.) Also chock the rear tire so it stays in line with the front. | ||
| Fltwistygirl |
Just hauled my XT from FL to MN on a modified open utility trailer. Practiced loading and unloading it myself three times in the driveway at home with hubby close at hand. The second time it went on the trailer, it must've been tired because it went over on its side and took a little nap. Not firmly in the tire chock, won't let that happen again. Yikes! No real issues on the ride up besides the rear tire hanging up on the "channel" when it shifted on the bumpy roads in KY and IL. Not a warm fuzzy feeling seeing that rubbing against new rubber. Gonna try splitting some fuel line and slipping it on the channel to make the edge less sharp. Not having a clear understanding of trailer/strapping dynamics, I'm not sure why it the rear tire kept shifting over to the left side of the channel. Straps too tight on left side maybe? | ||
| 7873jake |
Depending on the size (and age) of the U-haul, some had wood cargo decks in them (thick oak!) and I would screw chock boards to them when moving bikes around. A few scrap 2x4's, a cordless driver and some screws long enough to bite and hold. Remember that the deck height of the truck increases the pucker factor exponentially when unloading a bike backwards down the ramp if you are unloading the thing by yourself. IIRC, the uhauls have lower decks but some of the others rental trucks are still up there around the 4 foot mark. | ||
| Jomartijr |
I just picked up a bike using a UHaul 14 ft box and it worked fine (until unloading which is another story). We moved the bike to the r/h front corner, front wheel against the forward bulkhead, placed the moving pads between the bike and the box wall then strapped the bike upright against the side using the strap rails. Then chocked the rear wheel. Never moved during our relatively short haul of 60 miles. Be aware the aluminum ramp supplied with UHaul box trucks can allow the front tire to slide during unloading. | ||
| Slaughter |
Uhaul trailers - yes, Uhaul box van - no. No floor tie-downs (unless you drill through the metal floor) and their wall tie-downs won't hack it (and are too high to do any good - about even with the handlebars) Their motorcycle trailer rentals are so cheap, it's just worth it, they tow nicely and tie-downs are cake! Just tow behind the Uhaul van and you're good to go. (Message edited by slaughter on June 14, 2011) | ||
| Hangetsu |
It will likely be a 14' box as you used Jamartijr. I was actually thinking of riding the bike up and down the ramp for loading and unloading. The last time I used one of these the ramp width didn't seem dangerously narrow, nor the angle too steep to consider riding it in. It was the stability inside the box for the 1000+ mile haul that I was concerned about. | ||
| 7873jake |
Make sure you have multiple points of contact with the sides or floor or both. The sidewall rub rails aren't strong enough to support much weight (for 1000 miles) and, as Slaughter said, the floor points aren't that beefy either. You may need to do a little redundant strapping, creating a web of contact, that way if one gives up, you aren't picking the whole thing up off of the deck at the next gas stop. (Message edited by 7873jake on June 14, 2011) | ||
| Slaughter |
Harley shipping pallet:  You might be able to build something like:  You can build up some sort of pallet that you can trust to stay put on the floor. I still think you'd be better to just rent a Uhaul moto-trailer and tow it behind the box van. | ||
| Nipsey |
I have numerous times like this: Put the bike in gear 4 straps - back right to forward low left point Back left to forward low right point Opposite from handle bars Creates a big "X" usually not with the wheel against anything, always with kickstand up. Never have had any problems, just requires for ratchets straps and a trailer | ||
| Motorbike |
Just hire someone to drive the U-Haul and you can ride the Uly behind!  | ||
| Jomartijr |
-------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ "It will likely be a 14' box as you used Jamartijr. I was actually thinking of riding the bike up and down the ramp for loading and unloading. The last time I used one of these the ramp width didn't seem dangerously narrow, nor the angle too steep to consider riding it in. It was the stability inside the box for the 1000+ mile haul that I was concerned about." We ( I should say the previous owner) loaded the Guzzi beautifully by cranking the engine and walking with the bike up the ramp under its own power, he alongside on the ground and stepping up into the van and done. Had we had room to turn the bike around inside the van ( we tried)it would have been easy to ride down but no such luck. The ramp is wide enough one can straddle the bike and use feet as outriggers to back the machine down the ramp. BUT, and it was a big one, easing the bike backwards down the ramp, checking with the front brake, all was well until the front tire, almost flat, began to slide which skewed the front of the bike to the left leaving no room to foot dab and with the rear tire almost but not quite on the ground off the ramp we went. Bear in mind my bike loading/unloading skills are minimal and I was doing the unloading alone, not advised. Also the bike ( a Guzzi Jackal) was heavier than my Buell and longer as well. As I said previously the stabilizing inside the van using purchased U-Haul straps and positioning at front r/h corner of the box worked nicely for our trip though it was a short 60 miler. | ||
| Etennuly |
I do this kind of thing hundreds of times in a normal business year. We work on these type of trucks in my shop. I frequently retrieve and return the trucks, up to a hundred miles or so with the Uly in tow inside the box. This type of retainment of the bike will under normal circumstances keep the bike safely in place, in the event of an accident they probably will not hold up. The crate system mentioned above is about the only thing that would. I get the truck on straight near level ground, if there is a slope, the nose of the truck needs to be down hill. I pull the ramp out and make sure it is locked into its holes for tabs. I get back far enough that I can ride the bike up the ramp with the clutch all the way out in first gear. At that idle speed of about 11 mph you are just into moving steady when straight. I focus on the floor of the truck's bed as I ride up the ramp I pull the clutch in as the front wheel goes onto the bed floor, then brake as the rear tire clears the ramp. For goodness sakes, make sure the door is securely all of the way up and duck if you need to!  Skipping ahead, to get the bike back out, I NEVER back down the ramp. Always turn the bike around and ride it down. This is one of the main reasons I originally bought a Buell, it was light enough and short enough to do this job.(aside from looking so cool)  To tie the bike in, I center the tires about six inches to the right of the center of the truck. I put the front tire squarely at 90 degrees to the front wall and tightly against it where I leave the bike in first gear. For speed of my work I only use two ratchet straps, but for longer distances I will use four. I hook the left strap first with the bike on the side stand. The ratchet end hooks into the little triangle shaped hole at the foot peg, the strap goes forward about a foot or so to the first level or lower intersection of a slat board and "Z" post on the trucks left side, that strap continues up to the most forward slatboard "Z"post intersection just below the handle bar height, then the rubber coated hook goes on the base of the mirror stem. I pull the strap tight by hand then crank it about four notches. Then I hook the right side ratchet in the same right side lower triangle hole, running the strap the same way on the right side, first through a lower slat board then to the most forward position at near bar height to the right mirror stem base at the master cylinder. I then pull this strap tight and ratchet it until the forks squat about an inch. What I end up with is four hooks at the bike passing through four separate attaching points on two separate slat boards that pull down and forward against the front wall. I stop to recheck this arrangement if going over 100 miles, or if the truck has done a major twisting motion coming off a drive way entry or such. I drive like there is a carton of eggs setting on the seat beside me that I cannot reach, and do not want to break. If you plan to haul ass, I would double up on the straps, but you must spread out the load on the slat boards and or E track, their strength is not in being pulled towards the center of the truck. The straps must encompass as many of the screws or rivets holding the boards on as possible.  | ||
| Hangetsu |
Thanks for all the feedback. Some of the ideas here are a bit overkill for a single haul, but I should be able to piece together a solution using fragments from several of your suggestions |
