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OK, you ingenious bikers - HELP, please

Posted: Sun Apr 27, 2008 11:22 am
by zhgma
:humm: We need to get our Voyager equipped Suzuki Blvd C50 into the bed of our F150. Problem is the low clearance (4”) of the belly section of the Voyager! One ramp website has a ramp calculator which says that we need a 14' ramp - no one has one that long! And, how would we fit it in the bed? Some have said, "Just find a ditch, back the truck into that & use a short ramp." (Not always a convenient ditch around when you need one!) Others have suggested a trailer - that's not an option, since we pull the truck behind our motorhome! There are several loaders/tilting ramps out there, but we hate to invest another $3,000-5,000 right now! Plus, we CAN’T be the only ones needing to put a rig like that in a truck – some other ingenious rider HAS to have come up with a way to solve the problem!
Have spent HOURS on the net (& forums) looking for a solution & still haven’t found one! We’re getting to the point where we HAVE to find a solution – we leave soon for my summer job in VA – hate to rent a U-Haul for the bike & drive both the truck & motorhome.
Thanks in advance for y’all’s help!

(Bikers have got to be the friendliest, most helpful people on earth – as newbies, we’ve spent untold hours in shops asking questions & had only 1 person act as if putting up with us was a pain!) :wink:

Oops - forgot to mention another problem!

Posted: Sun Apr 27, 2008 11:29 am
by zhgma
I forgot to mention that ANOTHER problem is width - the Voyager's wheels (outside to outside) measure 53”

Posted: Sun Apr 27, 2008 5:21 pm
by KingRobb
You dont need a ditch per se...any steep driveway will do....(or loading ramp if you are in a retail area) go with the shorter ramp. an 8 ft folder ramp will do ya.

Posted: Sun Apr 27, 2008 7:17 pm
by zhgma
Thx for the suggestion, King - but, what if there is no steep driveway or loading dock we can use?? Our drive isn't steep enough to get the bike up to start out! How would we get it onto a loading ramp? (Problem child, huh?)

Posted: Mon Apr 28, 2008 1:09 am
by big_ry_ry
what about a two part system? maybe a "deck" in the middle of two ramp systems..

Posted: Mon Apr 28, 2008 2:31 am
by oxbow1
Thats a real head scratcher....what if you back it up and when the rear tire hit's the bed of the truck, lift it by the front forks to get the clearance you need to get over the hump, although that could take 3 people to do.

Improvise Adapt Overcome

Posted: Mon Apr 28, 2008 2:44 am
by jonnythan
You don't need a ditch, steep driveway, or 14' ramps.

You need a curved ramp

Posted: Mon Apr 28, 2008 4:05 am
by zhgma
Thx for all of the suggestions - can't back it in - the Voyager wheels won't fit inside the wheelwells.

Have thought about 2 sets of ramps, but a little uncomfortable with that.

How long of a curved ramp would we need? There's got to be some formula for figuring that. (I e-mailed several ramp companies that carry curved ramps & never heard back from any of them! But then, I e-mailed several ramp companies asking about a fix for our problem & never heard back either! Gotta wonder what their customer service would be like if you bought something from them!)

:frusty:

Posted: Mon Apr 28, 2008 4:12 am
by jonnythan
zhgma wrote:Thx for all of the suggestions - can't back it in - the Voyager wheels won't fit inside the wheelwells.

Have thought about 2 sets of ramps, but a little uncomfortable with that.

How long of a curved ramp would we need? There's got to be some formula for figuring that. (I e-mailed several ramp companies that carry curved ramps & never heard back from any of them! But then, I e-mailed several ramp companies asking about a fix for our problem & never heard back either! Gotta wonder what their customer service would be like if you bought something from them!)

:frusty:
Just try the Sears ramp. It's $100, and if it doesn't work or you don't like it bring it back.

I am fairly confident it will work, though.

Posted: Mon Apr 28, 2008 4:24 am
by camthepyro
Build your own of course!

Some 2x4s and plywood should do that trick.