Motorcycle in Penske truck

[trogdor]

I'm sure someone on here has tackled this before, so does anyone have any advice wrt DITY-ing a motorcycle in the back of a penske truck?

Its pretty large (26') and I don't have all that much other stuff to put in there so space shouldn't be a problem. My initial thoughts are to center the bike towards the front of the truck and use 4 tow straps to secure it to the rails on the inside, then filling the area around the bike with furniture and other crap. Not sure, however, where to hook the tow straps to the bike; handlebars up front are pretty obvious but not so sure for the rear.

Any help/advice on this one is greatly appreciated.

And oh, its a 2004 Fatboy.

 

[MasterBates]

Use nylon straps on your handlebars. Most bike dealers will have them, vice the rubber coated tiedown hooks.

As for the back, the upper shock mount (normal suspension) apex of the A-Frame (softail) or a studrdy backrest/grab bar should suffice.

Again, use the nylon straps. They are basically nylon loops that you feed thru themselves. And then attach the tie down to them.

Straps should PULL DOWN in some manner. I normally rig it so that the front wheel is pulled into the forward bulkhead. Tension on the straps should pull it forward. Rear straps should have a bit of aft-pulling tension.

DO NOT put the kickstand down.. My dad broke his that way. If it bounces into the kickstand, you can break something on the mount. I could point to what breaks but can't describe it well.

Don't put too much crap near it. Straps will loosen as you ride, and I recommend checking them every gas stop. Ditto for any trailer hitches for car dolly/trailer.

 

[WheelsUpHeelsUp]

I used to take my Norton on C118's when doing cargo runs. Oversized pallet, pallet to deck, bike to pallet, no problem.

 

[Tuckster]

I had a rear swing arm stand and positioned it at the front of the truck w/ straps securing the handle bars and rear wheel to the wooden anchor bars on the side of the truck. Then put a couch and bags of clothes in between it to cushion. Made it from Norfolk to Pensacola just fine. The only Pain the the arse was getting it up/down that ramp on the truck!

 

[Scoob]

Take it for what its worth. These are lessons I learned trailering my race bike a couple times a month to and from the track for a couple years.

Crank the unsprung portions (front wheel, rear wheel/swingarm) down as tight as you can get it. Then strap high and wide to keep it stable, but leave it "loose" enough to let the suspension still do its job. And by "loose" I mean tight, but not as tight as you can possibly get it. Stay away from the grips, so you don't risk bending the bars (especially risky with the wide beach bars on the Fatboy) - in towards the triples or to the triples themselves works better.

Don't let the straps run across any painted or chromed surfaces without a towel in between. Anything you put near it better be soft, or strapped firmly to the walls of the van.

Looking at a picture of a 2004 Fatboy, what I would do:
- put the front wheel against the front wall of the van.
- a pair of tiedowns at the hubs of the front wheel cranked down pulling forward.
- a pair "loose" on the triples set out wide and slightly forward or back.
- a pair attached to the frame right at the swingarm pivot pulling back, spaced as wide as you can get 'em while keeping them off the pipes.

 

[Schnugg]

Never leave truck unattended. Lock bike within the truck and/or to truck.

Disable truck's engine if you must leave it unattended.

 

[trogdor]

Thanks for all the help, this all sounds like great info

 

[Uncle Fester]

I moved my Street Glide and Mrs Fester's bike from Norfolk to P'cola this way. Figuring out a way to strap down two bikes was a pain in the arse, to say the least. Best bet is if you can find a truck with padeyes on the deck, as opposed to the side rails. I got the siderails to work, but they're not really designed to hold weight, and it made me nervous as hell every time I hit a bump.

 

[Banjo33]

The UHaul I rented to haul my gear and ZX-9 didn't have hooks for tie down straps. Instead, I packed a bunch of my stuff in, leaving a gap between my bed mattresses. I then threw a comforter over my bike and rolled it into the wedge between the mattresses and put it in gear so it couldn't roll. Then finished packing around it. I had to make sure nothing could fall on it, but otherwise it worked perfect.

 

[Single Seat]

Strap it down. Go to wal mart and spring 20 bucks for some ratcheting nylon straps. Then pack around the bike. It's what I did with mine. Put a sheet over it, folded in the mirrors, and then packed everything soft around it I had. Mattress, couch cushions, pillows, etc. Everything all the way forward. Then work from there.