tsquared

Hi all,


I'm new to this forum and wonder if any of you have experience mounting a motorcycle carrier to a 1994 5spd. manual pickup. We are moving cross-country, from California to Massachusetts, and would like to find an affordable way to get the motorcycle across with us. The motorcycle is an '83 Yamaha Seca 650, it's weight is 503 lbs.

I've looked at the motorcycle carriers that mount across the rear and carry the bike. They have a 600lb. capacity with a class III receiver (model SMC-600R). We're worried the truck will be doing a wheelie with this configuration. Can our old pickup handle this safely for 3500 miles?

I've also seen mounts that tow the bike without a trailer - the front wheel is cradled and the rear wheel runs on the road.

Any thoughts, recommendations or actual experience with these set ups on a little Toyota truck? The other option is to strap the motorcycle in the bed of the pickup, which will mean we have to lose the camper shell (not so desirable for a cross country camping trip).

Looking forward to hearing what you all have to say. The forums I've found only refer to towing and I get the impression this is a different beast than a trailer because of the weight distribution. Thanks!

EFI85

Personally I dont trust those motorcycle carriers . Maybe with a light dirtbike but not over 500 lbs plus the bed fully loaded and a shell. I think you would be better off pulling a small trailer . I bet you could find a used one cheap enough just make sure it has good tires and a spare tire and service the bearings .The other cool thing is you could probably stuff more of your belongings around the bike on the trailer . You gotta figure with a fully loaded toyota your not going to be speeding much anyway so it shouldnt slow you down too much pulling a small trailer . You always have the option of selling the trailer once you get to your new digs . Or you could maybe even look into shipping it via truck freight. just my ramblings i hope i gave you something to think about . have a safe trip

thedrewski86

This is my favorite way for hauling bikes:



Trailers work too but this is a lot more maneuverable for road trippin'. It certainly worked for hauling my buddies first bike over for him!

justin_4runner

i agree with EFI85... i would get a trailer and tow it, those bike carriers are not the best things and i wouldnt trust it too. u can get a harbor freight trailer for about 300. and it will carry the bike just fine...

Holywhitebread

I recently picked up my first bike. I was debating about putting it in the back of my 94 as well. but after thinking about how hard its gonna be to put it up in the truck. The trucks got a mild lift with 32's nothing crazy but the bike wasnt light 550lbs. I checked uhaul and to rent there motorcycle trailer was only 15$ for the day. There was plenty of room left as well. Here is a picture of my dads bronco pulling it on the way home. It was just easier all the way around. Just another 2cents. I will tell you thou, that hauling my quad (raptor 660) in the back of my truck really doenst effect the highway speed as well. The truck is always slow.

Dirt Driver

I agree a small trailer is probably going to be the best compromise for a hefty bike. They just suck when the speed limit is above 55. I like the idea of a bike "dolly" better, but I'm not sure that would be an option with a shaft-drive bike like the Seca. I don't know if the trans would have adequate lubrication with the driveline spinning while the engine is not. Chain-drives are easy; just remove the chain.

94toy22re

http://www.harborfreight.com/automot...els-90154.html

http://www.harborfreight.com/motorcy...ock-97841.html

And then add some type flooring to the trailer and a few straps and your set, i just throw my bikes in the bed personally. but trailer would make things a lot easier. Those uhaul trailers suck behind a 22re and you wont be enjoying the drive, their heavy and the surge breaks on my trailer didn't start working until i was back in town after my 400 mile trip. That hf trailer will be under 1000lbs with the bike so you wont even notice its back their.

tsquared

Hey everybody, thanks for all your suggestions! We are thinking that we'll lose the camper shell and put the bike in the bed (shell leaks and has crappy hydraulics anyway). It's just going to be me driving across quick so keeping things compact is best. We will ship most of our stuff then both of us drive our other car across on a more leisurely camping trip. Any tips on tie downs? Thinking of getting one of those nets for across the tailgate. Will post pictures when we get it rigged up. Thanks again!

JoeT

Yep, I've hauled my bike cross country in the back of a truck several times. Definitely the easiest for driving/maneuvering. A little bit of a pain to get a heavy bike up there--just invest in a decent ramp that securely attached to the tailgate with straps or something prior to running the bike up there. I usually stand beside the ramp with the bike running and in first gear and get it up so that the front wheel is in the bed and the rear wheel is still on the ramp, then while holding brake I climb in bed and then let out the clutch to keep the bike moving on in. I'm tall, so I can reach pretty easily... I've seen some daredevils just line it up and ride it in, but I'm not that gutsy. You could also just find a ditch to back down into so that your tailgate is almost on the ground and just ride it in (done that too). For tiedowns, your best bet is those ratcheting tie down straps with a nice rubber coated hook at each end. It's also really nice to have 2 "figure 8 loop straps" to wrap around the triple clamp and then run the hook through instead of having to grab onto the bike directly with the hooks... Okay, I'll stop rambling now. Good luck.
p.s. Oh, keep the bike tank full of gas because it's also a really nice feeling when you're driving through BFE west texas (or wherever) to know you've got fully redundant transportation with you in case of mechanical problems with truck