loading stella into tacoma... alone!

[pesce]

I've seen plenty of YouTube videos of people loading dirt bikes into trucks alone... but I'm afraid to do it with my Stella.

I visited harbor freight and saw this: HERE I am afraid of the reviews on the bearings. I also spied their folding trailer, but the reviews scare me as well.

I usually use a 18" wide ramp and my girlfriend. This method has caused plenty of arguments, and once it even caused the front end to roll off the ramp and damage the front fender! haha lol This method also draws attention, a couple of hotel workers wanted to help once, I declined but they insisted (seeing how frustrated my girlfriend was!). I told them, I'll push from the back, you just make sure it stays balanced and on the ramp... BTW don't twist the left grip, as it will put it in gear. Of course, half way up the ramp, they put it into gear, causing us 3 to simply lift the scoot into the truck bed.

My truck doesn't have a trailer hitch or receiver, so... in order to get one of those fancy receiver motorcycle mounts will cost about $400 ($200 for trailer and $200 for receiver). Same price as a harbor freight trailer + receiver.

I've also seen those wide motorcycle ramps: HERE... which allows you to ride up the ramp, but those start at $300!

I guess I could make a ramp out of a 3/4" sheet of plywood supported somehow in the middle... Cost about $50, but wont be able to store it in the bed with the scoot, making unloading impossible.

I could also locate a sufficiently high cliff with a sharp drop off, and then drive the scoot directly onto the truck! but once again there is the unloading problem.

I've also thought of mounting a winch to the bed of my truck and using it to pull the stella on board. All I would have to do is keep it balanced. That's a ton of work though! lol

I could also make a ramp with sufficiently high enough sides, to allow the stella to stand on its own, and use a hand winch.

All this is an issue created by about 3' of vertical space (between the ground and my truck bed!) WTH!

Anyway, straight to the point: Does anyone have any suggestions? Has anyone loaded a stella or any scooter onto a truck alone? How do you transport your scooter?

I guess the obvious response is, "why don't you just ride it to wherever you are going?" Well, I live in Folsom, CA. Everything is spread out, separated by 55mph speed limit roads (Which means everyone drives 65). Sometimes, I like to go to the coast, sometimes I like to go to the mountains. Once I get to those places, the speed limit drops to a manageable level. I need a way to get the stella there!

[pesce]

Sorry for spelling and grammar errors. Typed it on my phone... Damn auto correct

[jamisfoes]

Back your truck to a curb and roll the Stella from the curb into the bed. I get my 250lb dirt bike onto my F150 this way without any assistance.

[larrylarry75]

Sounds to me like you either need to have your girlfriend or a buddy along on all your trips or bite the bullet and spend some cash. Installing a trailer hitch opens up several options which you've already explored; hitch-mount racks, small utility trailers, maybe even a single-bike trailer. Bottom line is there's not much available in the way of a free lunch. The thing is if you drop your bike one time the cost of repairs to it and possibly to you will make any of these options look like a bargain.

My meager 2cts...

LL75

[bbg.will]

I have a 4x4 Tacoma, so my bed is a little on the tall side, and I load all of my motorcycles/scooters into the back using two ramps.

Use one for the scoot, and one to walk up. I stand on the left side of the bike, start it up, give and hold the gas, and then feather the clutch and walk it up. Easy-peasy... going back down is the same, two ramps, left side, but use the brake instead...

If you don't have a need for a trailer, don't bother, its not worth it... Instead of buying all that junk, use a fraction of the money and get a bed-buddy or removable chock and some quality tie down straps.

[JohnKiniston]

When I had a truck it was a 90's F-150

I take the tailgate off, Turn it length wise and use it as a ramp, Push the bike up into the truck, and lean it against the side of the bed.

Climb in after the bike, Pick it up and bring it to the front middle of the truck where I have a big wheel chock. Tie the bike down with straps I keep attached to the front of the bed using a canyon dancer.

Pretty easy.

[vantage]

Perhaps you could make one from wood and make it from two boxes of 2x4 covered with 3/4 plywood with cross braces as needed. Then use a heavyduty hinge or some pegs to connect. You can use a slide bolt on each side or something like that to keep it from folding while in use.

I think I would go the trailer reciever and tilt hitch if I was going to travel with the bike. It is less risky than pulling a trailer in terms of flats and bad bearings.

[ericalm]

A trailer is going to be easier to load into than a truck. I can easily load into a trailer by myself. A truck takes some practice. And a stool!

UHaul has some cheap motorcycle and utility trailers you can get. I don't think you need a ramp for them. If you're not trailering often, this is a good deal.

[bbg.will]

1. You have to have a place to store a trailer.
2. A trailer, receiver, ball and ball mount, and vehicle wiring is a lot more expensive than 2 ramps and some tie down straps. Cycle gear has a very stout aluminum folding ramp for like 70 bucks right now and its a foot wide, which is huge for a ramp.
3. A trailer requires some sort of registration not a lot of $$$, but still
4. A trailer requires maintenance... Not a lot, but still needs it...
5. A lot more can go wrong when towing the trailer versus loading into the bed.
6. Some states have separate speed limits for trailers... In cali it is 55, but if its loaded in the bed, its like any other car that can legally go 70.
7. I can load my 540 lb tall, pig of a motorcycle and tie it down by myself... a 200 lb scooter is nothing...

Heck, if he gets the ramps and straps, he can leave them in the truck and help out stranded scooterists on the side of the road and be a hero instead of the chump driving by wishing he could help...

If you have a pickup truck, use it... Its not a difficult endeavor to load into the bed... If he had anything else, like a car or SUV, I would say get the trailer, but he has a Tacoma... Stop trying to convince this poor guy to go out and buy a trailer when he doesn't need it...

[pesce]

I ended up buying a tri fold aluminum 42" wide ramp from pep boys. The design is similar to a ladder. The gaps between the cross supports are pretty far apart, so i cover it with some 1/4 inch plywood.

Thank you everyone!

[pesce]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_K2k9Va ... ata_player

This poor guy!

Needless to say, I won't be riding my stella up the ramp!

[bbg.will]

I ended up buying a tri fold aluminum 42" wide ramp from pep boys. The design is similar to a ladder. The gaps between the cross supports are pretty far apart, so i cover it with some 1/4 inch plywood.

Thank you everyone!

Personally, I would probably take the plywood off as you will have less traction for your tires and your feet, unless the bars are really far apart and it makes it difficult for your scooter tires to roll reasonably smooth.. If that is the case, throw some self adhesive grip-tape on the plywood.

[pesce]

Excellent tip!

[thatvwbusguy]

For people who have to load their scoot into the back of a truck alone on a regular basis, a step up ramp makes things much safer and less nerve wracking. They are not exactly cheap, but probably less expensive than replacing smashed parts after dropping your scooter off the side of a regular loading ramp.

http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/2/ ... -Ramp.aspx

[bbg.will]

For people who have to load their scoot into the back of a truck alone on a regular basis, a step up ramp makes things much safer and less nerve wracking. They are not exactly cheap, but probably less expensive than replacing smashed parts after dropping your scooter off the side of a regular loading ramp.

http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/2/ ... -Ramp.aspx

That ramp is not really made for scooters with little wheels, it was made for motorcross bikes. Even with that in mind, you won't hardly ever see anyone ever really see anyone using it because they just are not that popular probably because it is unnecessary and awkward feature. You'd be better off sticking with 2 ramps at the same cost. Or one ramp, and a 2x6 or 2x8 with some grip tape to save money. The big trifolds, like the one PESCE bought, are nice but you have a tendency to lose length, which will increases the angle of the ramp when using it and increase the chance of high-centering at the top of the ramp, but maybe a stella makes it just fine, I don't know personally...Plus its it big and takes up a lot of bed space when you are loaded up.

[larrylarry75]

I have a really great hitch rack that I'm not going to use any more. It's super easy to load and unload the Stella without help. My reason for selling it is a new one is on it's way that will enable me to load/unload my bigger Vespa 250ie single-handed.

If anyone's interested let me know, we'll figure out a fair price.

LL75

[PressureDrop]

I started out without a truck and we used a 4x8 trailer behind many different vehicles (and with many different scooters on it!)




later I switched to truck (sometimes with a trailer and/or Versahaul too)



I always used a 10' long 2"x10" for a ramp (you can get a bolt on end plate at various places), and I would simply walk along side (pushing) the scooter up the ramp. Once the bike was up on the truck I would step up in the truck too and continue to the front of the bed against whatever chock I was using. I know it sounds simple, and maybe I used magic or mind powers, but it was never an issue for me and I always *always* did it alone (other people tended to scratch my stuff - bikes, trucks, etc). I am not a very large person either!