this is how we load a scooter in a truck........

[naptime]

so, i know some people were asking how to load a scooter on a trailer or on a truck....

please note, i am NOT claiming that this is the ONLY way or the BEST way ... its simply the way i am doing it, that has been recommended to me by other scooterists, motorcyclists, and scooter shop owners alike.

with that said....... here is what my daughter and i did this evening


first, lets pull the scooter up to the back of the truck and determine how much higher the deck is, than the tire.. this will help us determine how long our ramp needs to be...






hmmmmmm

looks to be about 18 or so inches... thats quite high.... we'll need a pretty lengthy ramp if we want to have an easy climb up the ramp with having it too steep......

that'll never do.....


i know.. lets hit the switches and lower the truck !!!!






ahhhhh now that's much better

[MikieTaps]

Nice!

[naptime]

my dropping the rear to the ground AND lifting the front of the truck to above stock height, i was able to get a pretty good incline on the truck...

and with the bumper so close to the ground, i could use virtually anything laying in the garage as a ramp... tonight i happend to grab one of our cornhole boards .... perfect length...

[naptime]

wit hte bike running at idle.. and using my hands on both brakes, i was able to use very little throttle to just walk the bike right up the ramp and into the truck.

















now that wasnt so hard was it

[naptime]

i had asia stand in the bed and hold the bike up while i got the tie straps ready...








fool had the nerve to ask if she looked good in the "drivers seat"

yeah.. maybe in 2 years !! (she'll be 13 in november)

[naptime]

so, here is where some people will not agree with my method.

i really think a canyon dancer is a great idea and invention.. however, i do not yet have one... so i have to improvise for now.


i used my rathcet straps, connected to the side of the rear rack, and brought them forward to my front tie downs on the truck walls.

this pulled the bike forward into the front wall of the bed and down slightly..

then i ratched those and that held the bike pretty stable. (one on ach side of course)

i took the excess strap on each side, and pulled it up and wrapped it several times around the handlebar (sort of creating a canyon dancer type of strap) then back down to tie around the lower portion of the strap.






then i used a larger sized ratchet strap across the rear of the bike, between the back of the seat and the rear rack, and connected that to my two rear tie downs. this pulled the bike down to prevent it from bouncing up and down.

there is "just enough" give so that both the front and rear suspension has enough travel that it can absorb bumps, but not enough that it can bounce around.





then i tied off all the excess strapping with zip ties, so they arent flailing in the wind which would give them too many opportunites to somehow come unratcheted.

[naptime]

and there we go.. all packed up and ready to ride over to pride of cleveland..






oh wait... forgot to lift... dont want to drag frame the whole way there ..... or do i.......

[tunseeker1]

LOL Looking good. Thanks for the pictures!

[Twentyfourskys]

Thanks for the sweet pictures!

Now if I can turn my Honda Accord into the Batmobile in Batman Dark Knight and have my scooter pop out the side when it breaks down and I ride off all bad ass like. Ill let you guys know how that goes.

[Jrman]

Very nicely done!

[Ray Knobs]

you kind of skipped the step where you had to get the front 1/2 of the scoot over the big hole you cut in the bed

[pocphil]

Now we just have to "drop" my Tundra!

Nicely done!

[BeetleGoose]

Thanks for the sweet pictures!

Now if I can turn my Honda Accord into the Batmobile in Batman Dark Knight and have my scooter pop out the side when it breaks down and I ride off all bad ass like. Ill let you guys know how that goes.

And don't forget the pictures!

[BeetleGoose]

so, i know some people were asking how to load a scooter on a trailer or on a truck....

please note, i am NOT claiming that this is the ONLY way or the BEST way ... its simply the way i am doing it, that has been recommended to me by other scooterists, motorcyclists, and scooter shop owners alike.

You obviously have an advantage of dropping the end and that's sweet. My dad has a Honda Ridgeline and the bed on that has to be around 3 feet high. That would require a very long (or steep) ramp. So now I'm curious, has anyone here on MB ever tried to just lift and load the scooter? I wonder how hard of a task this would be while trying to not damage the bike.

[spencerpeterson85]

Me and my friend have lifted my Buddy 125 into and out of the back of his Dodge pickup (3 feet high) numerous times to use the Buddy as a shuttle while kayaking. Haven't scratched it yet. At least not doing that...

Two average guys can accomplish the task quite easily.

[Eazy]

Nice truck.

How was it getting the front tire over the cut out?

[naptime]

there actually isnt a giant hole there...

well.... there IS a hole.. but there is a bridge that goes left to right.

the front tire just rides right over the bridgework and to the front of the truck. its actually a 4" bump it has to go over. and the battery box under the bike has about 1" clearance from the bridge.


better look of the bed this picture is old and from before i cut out the stock fenders, but you can see what i mean about the bridge.




i started building the truck last november.. still have a LOT to go before i will consider it even remotely close to being "done"

but so far i have:

removed all traces of the stock rear suspension, and replaced with a wishbone 3 link., raised the gas tank above the frame rails, removed the rear fenders and replaced with 32" round tubs, 8" bags in the rear over axle, with 2 five gallon air tanks, and two compressors on 8 valves (2 for each corner)

the front got alot more surgery though....

removed the abs unit, windshield washer tank, radiator overflow tank, battery, inner fenders, tubbed the firewall for clearance on the tires. replaced upper and lower control arms, 7" bags in the front, replaced the hood with a sonoma hood, replaced the 94 front end with a chrome 98 front end, replaced the stock tires with 18" black n chrome rims, relocated the battery to the the rear under the bed. radiator overflow has been replaced with a 1 gallon lemon lime gatorade bottle.

and it does drag frame..... oh... and its got suicide doors


the truck is my pride.. simply because my daughter and i have done everything on it (with help from friends at times) but it hasnt been to a shop, we've done it all in the garage..

and most of the things we have done to it...... i have had no clue how to do..... i found a great s10 forum (every bit as usefull for me, as modernbuddy has been in regards to the scooter) and i would read , sometimes for days, about whatever my next three or four steps would be... before actually doing it.

and yes... that would include a crash course in learning how to weld too

i bought the welder when it was time to start ... my prior experience with a welder was maybe an hour or two of trigger time with mike over in cleveland showing me the basics two years prior..


by biggest regret...... GETTING THE BUDDY ......

only because after all the work i put into the truck... i hardly even drive it now cuz i drive the buddy EVERYWHERE

a few of my favorite pics.. for anyone interested..











thanks for the comments....


and phill....we're coming for that tundra