You guys that ride dirt bikes, how do you load your Ram? How do yall tie them down? Do you use a trailer instead?

I'm concerned mainly about the height of the bed, getting in and out. I use to load the riding mower by backing the truck into the ditch for a perfect ride up. But that isn't possible at our house now. I haven't ever carried a bike before, only a 4wheeler.

Suggestions?

 

Don't know what size you have but I haul my boy's bikes...Yamaha TTR 90 and Honda CFR 100. I load the Honda first and tie it with the front hooks. Then I put the Yamaha in backwards with the front tire against the tailgate and use the back hooks. But to tell you the truth, its easier to use a trailer.

 

Ooops the bikes. It'll be a TTR125 size (maybe a 230L) and a 4stroke 250 at most. We're just getting starting in dirt bikes (we ride street). The process is going to be brand new for both of us...including going shopping

I was leaning towards a trailer myself, in case I wanted to take off or get things loaded up ahead of time without my husband. But he did ask if we'd use the truck to haul them - I said we could. I'm sure he was thinking of how much he didn't want to spend buying a trailer

 

Loading/unloading with a trailer is nice, but I hate pulling one if I can fit my load in the bed.

Checkout the Universal Samson bed rack. It's a tiny bit pricey for what it is (and there are other makers of the same idea out there - or you might be able to make your own), but it makes securing them a BREEZE!

I normally leave the tailgate down, but the handful of times I've had to hook onto a trailer and close the tailgate, it shuts fine with a WR450 on one side and a TTR125 on the other. Just gotta swing the back end of the 450 almost all the way over.

G'luck with whatever route you go!

 

I always just put a ramp to the tailgate and ride my bike up and in, but thats not for everyone. It helps to have 2 ramps, one for the bike to go up, and one to walk on to push the bike. I Almost always have 2 bikes in at once side by side, both 250s. My trucks a long bed but same idea you just might have to leave the gate down, idk the length of the bikes in question.


them TTR125s are good little bikes, i got one them to

 

Gadget, thanks for the heads up on the bed rack. I was thinking some kind of wheel chock would be a great help to getting the bikes set.

12v, you're a brave man! lol Yeah, like you said, not for everyone but it is definitely easy (when the ramp stays and the wheel don't spin off)



I got the short bed but no box or anything so I can use all the space in there. I don't want to drill anything in since I'll eventually be putting in a box. What about something like this if I go to the truck bed route? http://www.usrack.com/grip_motorcycle_carrier.php


I'm going to take a look at trailers too just to get both sides of the argument (in case his bike is a hint too long too). We don't have much room to keep a trailer except in the side yard behind the fence. I'd have to cut down a shrub and install a gate. But that's not out of the question.

 

Shorts,

I've never seen that rack. Appears well made, but I've never been a fan of securing a motorcycle by the front wheel only. Don't have any proof and haven't seen or heard of failures, but it seems to me that the rack you linked to (or similar wheel chocks that some guys will run on their trailers) would place undue stress on the front wheel bearings. But that's not really based on science, just my personal feelings.

The same feelings determine why I don't ride the bike up the ramp. Seems that to avoid gassing it too much (and risking pulling the ramp out from under yourself) that you have to carry some momentum and by doing so you end up slamming upwards of 400 lbs. (250 for a wet full size bike and 150+ for an adult rider) on the edge of the tailgate. I'd be pretty upset (and embarrassed) if my support cables or the pins broke.

With that said, I pulled a little 5x10 trailer for a year or two until I got my megacab. You're going to have a lot of gear, tools, gas, cooler, ramp(s), bike stand(s), air tank/compressor, etc... That and a couple bodies (maybe a dog?)... you might begin to feel like the Clampetts.

 

Just looked at the rack again before I closed it and guess I missed the tie-down loops the first go around. Kinda makes the wheel clamp seem extraneous... but nothing wrong with redundancy.

 

Here is how I have done it, 5 tie downs, using the mounts in the bed. Also for a third bike just back it in between the two bikes.

 

lol gadget. yup, you guessed it, the Clampetts. We have a dog and more than likely will end up dragging a bunch of gear too. We're hoping to do some weekend camps too at parks that allow that.


That bike rack does have the tie downs. I definitely use redundancy when I tie stuff. I've lost stuff out the back before and well, you only make that mistake a couple of times before learning


sdntive, did you have a pic going along with the post? I need to learn the proper tie points to the bikes. I don't want to screw anything up but I'd doubley hate to have a bike hop out the side.

 

Shorts,
I just used the mounts in the lower bed and anywhere on the handle bars the hooks will grab, compress the forks as mush as you can, bikes dont move, 2 tie downs per bike, the inboard tie downs cross over the front tire of the other bike. In the picture, orange is a 525 and the white is a 300. Only thing, from experience, dont go through a rhythm section at speed without securing the swing arms, the bikes will flip up and out of the tie downs.

 

Described it perfectly, I have it pictured in my head - thanks!

 

I guess I didnt attach the picture right but it is in my album.

 

http://kendonusa.com/dual_trailer.htm

 

I've done the "Bike in the bed" thing too.
I have an Oxlite tri fold (width-wise) ramp that I can stop in the middle of the ramp and put my feet down on a Harley dresser.



This is my prefered method.