[AZTaco]

I've been asked to drive into the mountains and help someone get their busted down motorcycle. If they can't fix it I'll have to haul it out.
My question is are the stock tiedown locations adequate using ratcheting straps to hold a few hundred pound bike while on a difficult trail? For those familiar with Tucson it's Charalou Gap.
I was thinking of adding some bed bolts which you can find in Performance Products. Like these:
http://www.performanceproducts.com/...ame=Bed+Bolts&productid=100918&producttype=10
Any and all comments welcome. Thanks.

P.S. I'm a stock vehicle, no lift. I've recently run The Gap so I'm pretty sure I can make it. Some lift would be nice but I don't see buying and installing happening by Sunday. If it matters, I'm looking @ www.xtremeoff-road.com Package C (SAWs, shackles and 5100's).

 

[tanKoma]

old friend of mine at school had his harley tied down it held fine, id imagine a dirt bike would be lighter

 

[miguelitro]

I wuold lay the bike down in the bed and rachet tiedown it to all four corners jus tot be sure. make sure oyu drain the gas and maybe the oil so it dont mess up your bed. other than that good luck

 

[Scooby do]

I had to drive 10 miles each way into some really bad old trails to get a buddies motorcycle out of the woods, I had my dirtbike and his tied down with two tie downs each front end and two to the rear of each and the stock hooks worked fine. Then again this was mostly swamp, streams and deep ruts, not rock crawling or anything. Could be fun though. I would recommend Ancra tie downs, available at most motorcycle shops.

 

[Steelerfan]

the ratchig straps wil l probably hold well enough. But I would check them at least a couple of differant times to make sure that they are't coming lose.

 

[adamusmcguy]

They will hold just fine. I haul a dirt bike around and dont drive any slower or more carefull when its back there. I just bought a BMW GS 1150 Adventure and that thing wieghs in at over 500lbs and the stock tie down loops held just fine. DONT WORRY.

 

[appa]

The scock tie down loops will hold up fine. I've hauled motorcycles in mine with out a problem. I normaly use one tiedown per corner utilizing all four tie down loops and crank the straps down to compress the suspension as much as possible to keep the bike from bouncing.

 

[Shibumi]

I had a Yamaha RD 400 in the back of my 02 for about 2 months before i got rid of it. Tie downs on the bars and the tail end worked great.
Just got my Yamaha WR450 dirt bike and I will be posting pics quickly. Your truck will definitely handle better with a litte weight in the back.
Dont worry, but make sure you load the front forks down, then pull the tie down straps. This will keep the front end deep and solid in the front of the bed.
I wouldnt worry about laying it down, unless you have no tie downs.
Check out my pics. Hope it helps. Equal tension, double check everything, watch your overhead for snags on the bars, smooth driving, and your buddy owes you big.

 

[KStacoma]

I haul 1 or 2 bikes probably 3-4 times a month to go ride in my truck using the stock loops on the bed and it does just fine. Even have taken the truck on trails w/the dirtbike in the bed, just use some ratchet straps, it wont budge.

 

[FlipSideUp]

I've hauled several different 500 poundish street bikes on the back of my truck with no problems using the stock tiedowns (Honda Nighthawk/Honda 919/BMW R 1150R). I also would recommend using a heavy duty strap like Ancra.
You may also want to fab up a wood wheel chock to hold the front wheel straight. You'll have to extend some 2x runners out to the sides to keep it from moving side to side, or you could just bolt it down to the bed. Just added assurance to keep the handlebars from turning.

The only problem I've had was with the Nighthawk. At one point, the rear straps got loose, and I couldn't figure out why, since I had the bike strapped down tight. I tightened again, and soon enough it got loose again. Well, I noticed the rear tire sat right on the edge of the bed, and figured out every time I hit a bump, the weight of the bike bent (creased) the bed sheetmetal, right by the tailgate! The bike's shocks were dead, though, so they had no damping, either.

 

[wrooster]

i have probably 10,000+ miles on my tacoma WITH A MOTORCYCLE in the back. get good tie downs (imho, ANCRA brand is the best) -- and if you are in rough terrain or going long distances then double them up. if a tie down breaks the energy from the bike's compressed suspension can hop the bike right out of the bed, where it will be dragged by the other tiedown. not pretty.

the stock bed sidewall loops work fine for attaching the tie downs. if the bike is short enough you can put it in on an angle and close the tailgate, at least on an normal or extra cab (longer bed). if you put the bike straight in, put a 4x4 across the bed in front of the tire to spread the load out. otherwise, when you cinch the tie downs tight, you can deform the bed and it can hit the cab when you are driving.

to get the bike into the truck you will need some type of a ramp, commercial or homemade.

put a stepstool or bike stand to one side of the ramp, then walk the bike up the ramp. there will be a moment of stress when you have to get your feet up on the stand, and it will be worse if your truck has been lifted. i'm just shy of 5'10" and i don't have a problem doing it with a 245LB enduro bike. with a heavier/bigger bike you may need a couple of people involved.

jim aka wrooster

 

[YoTRacer158]

i have to do some pretty nasty trails to get to some of my riding spots and i havent had a problem...put an extra tie down across the back tire of the bike to keep it from hoping around

 

[1noobie]

This is really simple. Dont even worry about the stock hooks not holding it first off, its a dirtbike and is light. Dont over rachet the shit out of it cause then you'll blow your buddies suspension and he will probably not like that very much. If you have a extra cab then roll it up on the drivers side and pull the front tire up right next to the wheel well, then rachet it down so it doesn't move with you pushing it side to side. Then swing the ass end over to the pasenger side so you can close the tailgate, put another tie down the rear of the bike as high and far back as you can get it, if you have to, go over the seat and connect it on the frame or the swingarm and attach the other end to the driver side rear hook and rachet that down. Now when you shake the bike the whole truck should shake with it

I have done this on several occasions and have gone 50mph + on dirt roads with bumps and turns and never had the bike budge.

Trust me, this is the way to do it

Oh and if you have a double cab or a short bed then your SOL

 

[1noobie]

i have probably 10,000+ miles on my tacoma WITH A MOTORCYCLE in the back. get good tie downs (imho, ANCRA brand is the best) -- and if you are in rough terrain or going long distances then double them up. if a tie down breaks the energy from the bike's compressed suspension can hop the bike right out of the bed, where it will be dragged by the other tiedown. not pretty.

the stock bed sidewall loops work fine for attaching the tie downs. if the bike is short enough you can put it in on an angle and close the tailgate, at least on an normal or extra cab (longer bed). if you put the bike straight in, put a 4x4 across the bed in front of the tire to spread the load out. otherwise, when you cinch the tie downs tight, you can deform the bed and it can hit the cab when you are driving.

put a stepstool or bike stand to one side of the ramp, then walk the bike up the ramp. there will be a moment of stress when you have to get your feet up on the stand, and it will be worse if your truck has been lifted. i'm just shy of 5'10" and i don't have a problem doing it with a 245LB enduro bike. with a heavier/bigger bike you may need a couple of people involved.

jim aka wrooster

yeah this guy knows his shit Allways a good idea to use a bike stand to step on, on your way up.

 

[1noobie]

I wuold lay the bike down in the bed and rachet tiedown it to all four corners jus tot be sure. make sure oyu drain the gas and maybe the oil so it dont mess up your bed. other than that good luck

Mike what the hell are you talking about?

That thing would slide around like a mo-fo!

 

[drinkintedbr]

If you have to tie it down, make sure that you tie it around the handlebars to where the front forks are completely compressed. Then tie the back over the seat or something

 

[wrooster]

If you have to tie it down, make sure that you tie it around the handlebars to where the front forks are completely compressed. Then tie the back over the seat or something

it is not necessary, and in my opinion *more* dangerous, to try to compress the suspension to any large degree. first off, on an MX or enduro bike, the front fork spring rate will require the application of several hundred pounds of pressure to get it to where the "front forks are completely compressed". this will greatly stress the tie downs and the tie down points. in fact, i really doubt you could even pull the tie down tightening straps hard enough to bottom the suspension. the more you compress the suspension, the more potential energy you are storing up -- and if a tie down breaks the bike WILL jump out of the bed and be dragged alongside the opposite side of the truck by the other still-attached tie down.

you just need to get the tie downs snug, not crazy tight. snug enough that the weight of the bike, when you hit a big bump, will not result in the tie down becoming momentarily untensioned. that's bad for several reasons, foremost because it will "jolt" the tie down back into tension and that can cause failure. so just get the tie downs snug, pull hard and compress the front forks about 3"-4" or so. you won't be able to compress them any further anyway.

the tie downs should be attached to the handlebars right where they meet with the top triple clamp. if you use the "angle method", the right side tie down goes to the front passenger side loop, and the left side tie down goes to the rear driver's side loop. good motorcycle tie downs will come with either large rubber coated hooks to prevent marring the handlebars, or with "soft straps" which is a loop of fabric you use for same.

i'll repeat what i wrote above: for another $20 you can get another complete set of tie downs. just double them up for insurance, that way if one of the buckles fails you aren't totally fsck'd.

ps
also, it's a myth that you can "blow the suspension" by improperly tying it down. nothing you do to your bike's suspension in the process of rigging it into your truck in any way compares to casing a double (MX) or hitting a 4' deep G-out at 35mph (enduro). it is all but impossible to screw up your forks when the bike is stationary. it's even very difficult to do when it's moving. if you screw up your forks, you probably have major medical bills as well to worry about.

jim aka wrooster

 

[wrooster]

more pics to show the setup...

my wife and my tacoma, taking my bike on the ferry to Drummond Island, Michigan in 2003. drummond is the only island in the continental USA that you can ride off-road motorcyles on.

here's what the drummond ferry looks like with a lot of the riders on it... VERY COOL!

jim aka wrooster

 

[mikerox]

like everyone says. the tie down points will hold. however. you will not blow the suspension on the bike. anyone who rides hard fully compresses suspenion every time they take a big jump or climb cliffs. if you do not compress the suspension the bike could jerk all over especialy if the truck takes sise to side rolls. this would breake the straps. i broke a strap once going slow. just took a hard bump and pitcher hard to onse side. it was funny to watch the bike buck side to side. just take it slow and carry spare tie downs.

 

[AZTaco]

My question is are the stock tiedown locations adequate using ratcheting straps to hold a few hundred pound bike while on a difficult trail? For those familiar with Tucson it's Charalou Gap.

I figured the hooks were adequate. My issue was more the rocking back and forth, etc. on the trail. Here's some pics of my recent trip. I don't think the pics really tell how difficult the trail was, especially stock.