Hauling your motorcycle

[springer]

 Yea, you should ride it ever where but eventually there will come a time when you cannot. Flat tire with no way to repair or the tire it self is not repairable, something else breaks on your bike, bad weather or time, everything mentioned, and a few other things can prevent you from riding your motorcycle.
So now you got to haul your bike somewhere. The best way to do this is with a full size cargo van. The floor of the van is usually as low as a trailer and much lower than a pickup truck. Plus your motorcycle is enclosed, out of the weather, and hidden from thieving eyes. Van are easier to back up than a trailer and tow vehicle too.
Next up is a trailer and a tow vehicle. If the trailer is enclosed you have most of the advantages of a van except the backing up part. The floor of a trailer is lower than the bed of a pickup making it easier to load.
Last is a pickup truck. Depending on how heavy the motorcycle is the tailgate might need to be removed. Just loading a heavy motorcycle onto a pickup could bend the tailgate.  Also just having the rear tire of a normal weight motorcycle sitting on the tailgate while riding down the road can result in a bent or busted tailgate. There is a good chance that if that happens you will also damage your motorcycle. 
With all the disadvantages listed above(and a few I am sure I have forgotten) hauling a motorcycle in the bed of a pickup is a common thing. If that is all you got, you have to go with it and make the best out of it.
One thing you have to do, no matter how you are transporting your motorcycle, is tie it down. Do it wrong you will damage the motorcycle and damage what ever you are using to haul the motorcycle.
Out of all the videos on the web that deal with hauling your bike, this video from RevZilla is one of the best. It shows how to load a motorcycle, both on a trailer and a pickup, plus it has a good how to on securing the motorcycle.

Enjoy;

[scrappyjon]

I hauled my bike for the first time ever a couple of weeks ago. I put it in the back of the ranger. The truck was struggling and I was a nervous wreck the whole time. Not something I'm looking forward to doing again. I think a creeper van would be awesome. Or an in closed trailer and a truck that has more horsepower than the bike.

I can see hauling a dirt bike or small dual sport in the back of the ranger but I think the dl1000 was a little much for it.

[Nice Goat]

Man, I really hate loading bikes into pickup trucks.  I've done it, but it scares the hell out of me every time.  It wasn't too bad when I had the 2WD Tacoma, but the 4WD Tundra felt like it was 10 feet tall.

For me, the only way I like to haul a bike (when I have to) is with a utility trailer.  Even then, I don't like to go over 65 mph.

[klaviator]

I hate towing trailers.  I much prefer hauling bikes in the back of my truck.  I have loaded and unloaded my bikes so many times that it's not that big of a deal for me.  I loaded my R1100GS into the back of a truck by myself many times.  That was pretty nerve racking.  I prefer not to load bikes over 400 pounds but I hauled my Versys to NM in June.  I did a trial load of my Majesty yesterday since i will be hauling it to OH and WV next week.  I bought a better ramp so it made it much easier.



Back in 2005 I hauled a KLR650 and DR650 out to Utah and then NM



.

[springer]

 A buddy of mine has a Kendal 3 bike trailer. Expensive, yes but you can not you are towing anything. No bouncing, pulling' or swaying, awesome it is.  Easy to load, takes up very little room when not in use.

Here is a 2 bike one;

[wavyspike]

I've only had to trailer my bike three times and each time is more scary than the last. The first was when I bought it; carried it home in the bed of an 87 Silverado without any trouble. The second was in the bed of a F150, which was ok. The last was in my dads utility trailer which was crazy because it was so bouncy. Here's a pic, maybe went a little overboard on the ropes.

[scrappyjon]

I've only had to trailer my bike three times and each time is more scary than the last. The first was when I bought it; carried it home in the bed of an 87 Silverado without any trouble. The second was in the bed of a F150, which was ok. The last was in my dads utility trailer which was crazy because it was so bouncy. Here's a pic, maybe went a little overboard on the ropes.

Haha! That bike isn't going anywhere.

My test was is if I shook the bike and the truck shook with it then it was good to go.

It didn't move an inch but it was still scary. Every time I hit a bump my bungholio would clinch.

[springer]

 No such thing as to many straps  :), but you can strap it down to tight. The forks and rear shock needs to have some up and down travel.

[KrisCook]

<<It didn't move an inch but it was still scary. Every time I hit a bump my bungholio would clinch. >>

I am going to get fired, I swear.  That was my coffee snort of the day.  Scrappy, you're nuts. 

And I was already laughing at all those tie straps. 

Great thread.

[2smoke]

Members of the 'over the hill gang' and/or vertically challenged may appreciate the low height of a trailer. Or so I am told.  ;)

Got the same harbor freight chock in the vid on a wire mesh trailer. The chock is too wide for dirt bike tires to hold the bike upright. Added pipe and elbows to assist while strapping down. The rear wheel strap keeps the rear tire from bouncing around.

[Chuck A.]

.........................And I was already laughing at all those tie straps.

Kris, coming on, anyone can see, that's what's holding the trailer side on. :o 8) ;D

[griff]

I've been working on a design for a motorcycle trailer that the loading area drops flat to the ground. I'm thinking about making them in my shop to sell as well. I mainly want one for myself as loading into the back of my F350 is a pain because of how tall it is. I have a decent 16 ft trailer but it's way overkill for hauling two or three dirt bikes.

[klaviator]

I've been working on a design for a motorcycle trailer that the loading area drops flat to the ground. I'm thinking about making them in my shop to sell as well. I mainly want one for myself as loading into the back of my F350 is a pain because of how tall it is. I have a decent 16 ft trailer but it's way overkill for hauling two or three dirt bikes.

I know a guy in Georgia that makes trailers that do that.  http://www.razortrailers.com/  The guy who makes these is a motorcycle rider.

[IceCold4x4]

I used one of the Sprinter vans to haul the zrx home easy peasy.

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[sctparker]

I've been working on a design for a motorcycle trailer that the loading area drops flat to the ground. I'm thinking about making them in my shop to sell as well. I mainly want one for myself as loading into the back of my F350 is a pain because of how tall it is. I have a decent 16 ft trailer but it's way overkill for hauling two or three dirt bikes.

When I use to have lifted trucks and dirt bikes  I had one of these http://www.baxleycompanies.com/Trailers.html   they do what you are talking about and it was really simple to use and pulled like it wasn't even there  and  in Texas I left the parking lot late one night after eating and got down the road I would guess 1/4 mile maybe and looked back to just check and it was gone and so were two cruisers that were on it seems when we loaded the trailer we failed to put the lock on it and Pablo or Juan  I don't remember his name just his ethnicity,  was picked up about a month later in Baytown,  pulling the trailer trying to steal someones bike with one on the trailer already that was stolen my trailer was impounded and held for evidence and mysteriously vanished  so now if I  don't ride and  I trailer it's  in an enclosed so its a little heavier to steal and nobody knows what's in it