Transporting a motorcycle as a task appears before the pilot in the following cases:
- Buying/selling a motorcycle
- Motorcycle breakdowns
- Inability to travel on public roads on official grounds
- For long journeys, when a motorcycle is not the main transport
Let's look at ways to transport a motorcycle on your own and a few important little things that may come in handy.
How are motorcycles transported?
- Motorcycle tow truck/tow truck
- Inside vehicles
- From the outside on the platform
- Partial loading method
- Transportation in a trailer
- Transporting on the side of a motorcycle trailer
- Sending by transport company
Motorcycle tow truck/tow truck
In our world, almost all problems can be solved with money. If you get stuck along the way due to a breakdown or need to transport a bike but don’t have a workhorse, a motorcycle tow truck is always happy to see you. They can have any kind of transport, from a regular tow truck to an adapted van.
There’s nothing stopping you from calling even a regular tow truck. Not in every area you can find a free motorcycle tow truck, then why not turn to a simple one, the main thing is to warn that you want to transport a motorcycle. It will occupy a modest place on the tow truck and will need to be securely secured in a special way so that it does not tip over. In exceptional cases, it is possible to place the bike immediately behind the driver’s cabin and attach it in the wind.
Motorcycle tow truck in Moscow around the clock
Owners of two-wheeled vehicles periodically face the need to transport motor vehicles over long distances. An inexperienced car enthusiast may say that delivering a lighter and more compact bike is much easier than transporting a car. This opinion is fundamentally wrong. Hundreds of cases of motorcycle towing in Moscow, successfully completed by the company’s specialists, prove the fallacy of this opinion. Two-wheeled models are unstable; special stops and reliable fastenings are used to transport them.
An unprofessional approach to preparing delivery can lead to disastrous consequences. The right motorcycle tow truck is the price of safe transportation over any distance. We guarantee that neither the plastic parts nor the muffler will receive the slightest damage when fulfilling your request. Of course, precautions are taken to protect the mirrors and the power unit. A specialized motorcycle tow truck in Moscow and beyond will deliver transport in complete safety
Inside vehicles
This is where the scope for imagination lies! They carry motorcycles on everything. It's easy to talk about transportation when you have a pickup truck or a gazelle, from which you throw out the seats for a motorcycle. But we must admit, not every motorcycle fits in a pickup truck. There is one subtlety here: the ratio of the dimensions of the car’s cabin to the dimensions of the body. A pickup truck is not always as roomy as a wardrobe from Narnia. But drivers fell in love with minibuses and vans. The motorcycle is safe, it won’t go further than the van and you don’t have to worry about it falling out or getting lost along the way. In addition, the motorcycle is not affected by weather conditions inside the van.
When transporting motorcycles inside a vehicle, it would be good to have a wheel mount (trap); they are mounted to the floor and prevent the front wheel from dangling. Additional fixation with straps is also necessary. But we’ll talk about belts and traps a little later, since the issue is relevant for all types of transportation.
Transportation of motorcycles is available even if you have a passenger car, unless you are trying to pack a Honda GL1800 into a Kia Picanto, of course. It is possible to fit a modest motorcycle in reasonable proportions if you prepare the car and remove all unnecessary things and remove the seat. Sometimes it is necessary to partially disassemble a motorcycle if transportation inside a passenger car is limited by the working space. But all these are special cases and are considered separately.
How do transport companies transport motorcycles?
The service is a solution to an issue without the need to organize a complex process. The logistician independently analyzes:
- Transport - car, railway transportation of a motorcycle. Distance, cost, and technical condition are taken into account.
- Reliable fixation system - special retaining traps, platforms, and belts are often combined.
- The choice of route is safe and short.
- Loading, unloading.
- Property insurance - the customer does not risk incurring losses, they will be compensated.
Bonus - the transport company immediately offers several profitable options; you can track the cargo en route.
Transport from outside on platform
A good way to transport equipment without taking up space in the cabin. Why not? At the same time, the choice of platforms is quite large; some of them are also called towbar racks. Platforms can have different designs and mounting methods. At the same time, sometimes several motorcycles fit on such a platform!
Initially you mount the largest and heaviest motorcycle, and after that the lighter one. This way you distribute the weight. The closer the motorcycle is to the car body, the less load on the platform fastening, because if you place a light weight closer to the body, and only then attach a heavy weight to the edge, then during movement vibrations can unnecessarily rock the entire structure.
Some installations require reinforcement of the frame, since the standard body structure may not be enough. Fastenings allow you to distribute the weight evenly so as not to overload individual parts of the car.
If they have a welder, a pipe bender and shoulder straps, many people are smart and cook the platforms themselves. Why pay more if you have extra pipes lying around the garage?
By the way, who said that the mount can only be in the rear of the car? With the help of the platform, motorcycles are also placed in front, but these are rare individuals. By the way, there are persistent legends that cars can more easily tolerate the installation of a platform with a motorcycle on the drive side of the car: on a rear-wheel drive, installation from the rear is preferable, and on a front-wheel drive, the rear installation is more difficult for the car to perceive.
When installing a platform under a motorcycle, you have to monitor the visibility of license plates and the condition of the lighting devices.
There is a form of attaching a motorcycle to the engine. The platform provides for mounting without a wheel stand. The motorcycle is supported on a frame under the engine. It’s very difficult to transport heavy motorcycles like this, but with cross-country equipment, eduro and pit bikes, everything is simple!
Securing the motorcycle during transport
If you decide to refuse the services of a logistician, you have a difficult task ahead - to create a fixation system that will ensure the bike does not move:
- Wheel trap - installed in the back of a pickup truck, van, minibus, trailer. The structure is screwed to the floor, a wheel is placed inside and fixed. You can purchase different modifications of traps. The simplest is a curved pipe that follows the shape of the wheel; there is a risk of bending the brake discs.
- Cables are a reliable fixation, without which it is difficult to ensure immobility.
- The straps are stretched so as to prevent the equipment from falling on its side.
- Side stands - the wheel rests against a corner of the body and is pulled to the stand by straps, preventing it from rolling away.
The fixation will be more reliable if you use different devices at the same time. For example, a trap and rope, a stand and straps. After a few kilometers of travel it is worth stopping to check the position of the equipment. If it moves, falls on its side, or rolls away, increase the tension of the belts.
Partial loading method
The name speaks for itself. You attach the front wheel, securely fixing it, you can even remove the wheel itself, or even disassemble the fork. The motorcycle follows the car, leaning on its rear wheel. There are ways to attach it to the rear wheel. Then it is necessary to additionally fix the steering, but this method is rather strange. You shouldn't do that.
During partial loading, the motorcycle is tilted (which makes it difficult to transport long wheelbase motorcycles, as well as other types of heavy motorcycles). All technical fluids flow accordingly and the motorcycle is not always happy about this at the end of the journey.
An additional disadvantage is the danger of such transportation, because if road unevenness is passed between the wheels of a car, then the probability of a motorcycle wheel landing in a hole is 50/50. So-so jackpot.
Before buying a motorcycle, I tried to find instructions on how a newly purchased motorcycle can be transported to your home on a cargo vehicle and what is needed for this? I couldn’t find an answer to the BP, so after a year of regular transportation I decided to write here myself. Please look under the cut for a detailed description, photos, videos, as well as various features of loading an enduro motorcycle into a cargo van. So, after researching the Internet, it turned out that there are two available ways to transport a motorcycle - on a trailer equipped (or not equipped) for transporting a motorcycle, and on a cargo van (Gazelle) or cargo van. I no longer have a cargo trailer, so I will describe the method of transportation on a closed cargo van, which is exactly what my family has. PREAMBLE. What do you need before going for a motorcycle? Everything is simple - of course, a bead or Gazelle, a board along the length of the cargo compartment (2.0 - 2.3 m), 2 cargo tie-down ties (bought at Auchan for $5 per pair), a wheel shoe (aka a piece of wooden block , boards, channels, etc.), plastic clamp (screed). You need to make sure that the bead has loops in the floor for securing weights. If it is a Gazelle, then it is quite possible to attach it with hooks to the sides of the body. It would also be a good idea to use a tape measure to measure the height of the minivan’s cargo compartment and the height of the motorcycle using the mirrors. AMBULA. Loading occurs in the following stages: 1. Installation of the board. The main thing here is that it does not jump off the minibus. If there is such a possibility, then it is better to attach it with wire or tie it together. Also, consider that the board can support the weight of the motorcycle - in my case it is 132 kg. I think any 40 board should withstand it. 2. The actual pushing of the motorcycle. IMPORTANT: put the motorcycle in first gear, because if this is not done, then at the very top of the board the front wheel will not cope and will slide, and the rear wheel will be useless if it is not in gear. Use your left hand to depress the clutch, and use your right hand to control the brake lever to simultaneously lock 2 wheels if necessary. If the bike is heavy, then a second person can help by pushing the bike from behind, while you hold the handlebars and control the brake/clutch levers. Regarding the mirrors - if the height of the bus is greater than the height of the motorcycle, then the mirrors will either rest against or even break off during loading. Therefore, either lower them lower (fold) or remove them altogether. I had them point-blank to the ceiling of the bead.
3. Installation inside. When the motorcycle is pulled into the bus, you need to put it on the stand, turn the steering wheel to the side, rest the front against a wall or other obstacle, leave the motorcycle in gear (locking the rear wheel), clamp the brake lever with a clamp (secure the front wheel) and place a shoe under the rear wheel, the role of which can be played by any square object that counteracts the rolling of the wheel.
4. Fastening with cargo ties. In front, I lay a tie near the steering column behind the frame, which will make it possible to slightly load the bike, fold the suspension and eliminate swaying during transportation. IMPORTANT: long-term storage of the bike with compressed suspension can cause damage to your suspension, so for long-term storage (overnight) it is better to loosen the cargo tie. I also attach the rear wheel through the frame of the bike and attach the ties to the loops in the minivan with hooks. All that remains is to tighten the ties to the state of the string.
5. Load the loading board into the bus , don’t forget to put your gear in the bus (it’s especially easy to forget a helmet :)), as well as documents for the motorcycle.
The entire process of loading and unloading (without the fastening itself inside) in the video looks like this:
TOTAL: Loading takes a maximum of 7 minutes + 1 manpower. The reliability of the fastening is beyond doubt, since I transported my motorcycle many times over 2 seasons. When filming a video, I calmly completed 2 loading and unloading cycles in 20 minutes (though without full fastening). I assume that loading a road motorcycle or sport may be associated with the problem of the motorcycle’s low ground clearance and the possible “belly” of the motorcycle touching the top of the board. Then you need to take a board as long as possible. The only disadvantage I can notice of such transportation is that it will not be possible to load 2 motorcycles into 1 bus. I hope the information will be useful to someone.
Transportation in a trailer
A banal, simple method of transportation. Suitable for bulky motorcycles or transporting several bikes. For a small and light motorcycle, it is more logical to install a platform. The trailer has the same number of supporters and opponents; everyone simply chooses what is more convenient for him personally. Some even haul a trailer on a motorcycle.
Transporting on the side of a motorcycle trailer
Motorcycles with sidecars definitely have their advantages. With a bit of perversion, the side trailer is replaced with a platform on which the motorcycle is actually placed for transportation. But you need to remember about weight distribution. This trick works with light models and scooters; if the motorcycle you are transporting turns out to be heavier, then problems on the road are inevitable.
