Hauling VFRs In A Truck: Advice?

I bought a ramp, and would like to haul my VFR, and maybe even 2 bikes, in my Dodge Ram 1500 with short bed and factory bed liner. Bedliner is made of some kind of plastic or pvc, and has a corrogated bottom.
Should I put plywood down in the bed of the truck to distribute the weight better?
The tie down points for the Dodge are located on the side panels, up from the bottom about 5 inches.
Should I put tie downs in the bed floor instead of using the factors side tie downs?
If I decide to haul 2 motorcycles, should I put tie downs in the floor.
Also, plan to buy 2 wheel chocks in case I carry both bikes. If I carry only 1 bike then I may have to put the chock in the middle. However, that would be getting into lots of holes in the bed of the truck.
Any advice is appreciated.
sebring

 

It's tricky, but man I've never heard seen nor like plastic bed liners let alone then tie a bike down in one, to many slippery things going on there, but get your self some of those handle bar crabbers, I make mine, then also use the rear handle hang on bars to tie it off using, Doh, tie downs on all four corners, once you have that down you then can figure if another bike will fit, probably not, but that depends on how well you want to protect em bike.

 

measure the length of bed see how much room you really have ive put my old bike in my truck long bed s10 it fit tail g8 closed just like the dirt bikes if your back wheel is on the tail gate not a good idea get a little flex hitting bumps you know ,, your tie points are fine ..tie down around lower triple clamp or around your bars up to you really id do both 4 up front they make the loops extender not to scratch your fairings i used towels under the tiedowns then tie the loose part of tie down in knot to its self like a tie knot no loose tie down flapping then, run in back through wheel side to side. but if you have the money and its a one time hual rent a trailer if your riding around town showin off all your rides together carry a picture..

 

Actually he's right, even though were in a verbal war lately

I have a '07 crew cab Dodge 1500 & have had my Sprint ST, the VFR & the Hawk in it, but mostly I move my Sprint & RC51 down to LA & PHX to ride /race/Track day's.

I use the upper & lower mounts to a position that doesn't rub any part of the fairings.
I also use tie downs to the back of the bikes to the back of the bed anchor points on both sides of the bikes to prevent more moving around (as RVFR noted, & bar grabbers work awesome to stop fairing rubbing).

I also lift the tailgate after loaded & undue the tailgate cables to re route & use the tailgate lock points to raise it up a little.

p.s. those bed liners suck, there slippery & always moving in your bed rubbing off the paint.
I rather use the bare painted bed or a Rhino spray on liner than worry if the bike is going to move & fall over, because the plastics on the bike is a lot more expensive to replace then a scratch or small dent in the bed of the truck.

 

Sounds like maybe I should take the bed liner out if I am going to haul the bike or bikes.
What about installing 2 front wheel chocks, with bed liner out, and add a coupe of additional tie down points between the 2 bikes?
When not hauling the bikes (a VFR and a Blackbird), I could plug the holes and reinstall the liner.
Again, do I need to lay down some 3/4 plywood to disperse the weight?
thanks

 

taz likes your long ramp and definatley admires your admission to plug those holes but i think the message was sent he is just worried about your LOAD.............lmfao..

 

http://www.condor-lift.com/product.asp?ItemID=1001

Use this, it's the model designed to NOT be bolted down. It removes the need to worry about trying to keep the bike straight & level since it does it for you. If you want to put two bikes in a normal size truck bed, it's going to be a tight fit. I trailer my bikes twice a year & have never had an incident using the trailer only model. I put a strap on each passenger peg holder & that's all.

KC-10 FE out...
lane:

 

I knew it, your gay, but then again aren't all elfs :laugh:


Trailer when possible, & if you can install the wheel clamps with the liner go ahead, I just can't stand them (plastic bed liners) because of the damage to the beds paint they cause.
No need for the plywood (I didn't say wood elf, so don't get excited) as long as you don't use the kick stand.
If you use the kickstand, it will scratch & or put a pressure dent in the trucks bed :frown:
If your loading the bike yourself & have to put the kickstand down, have something that you can lay under the kickstand to spread out the weight like a pc of plywood or ?

 

Ditch the plastic liner if you can. Rhino line or nothing is better.

VFR and the blackbird will fit no prob, but definitely use two people to load. Having at least one bike with a front chalk is a must too. Use canyon dancers or some other type of handlebar strap on both bikes. Attaching toward the bed floor is actually better.

A center mount point up front is helpful, but you may be able to cross the inside ties through the other bike's tire and into the side mounts. My old truck I have some attachment points installed along the front of the bed.



Do it right, and the bikes should be nice and stable with the fronts alone. Use the back ties for more side-to-side stability then to wrench the bikes down.

 

Its tight, but 2 bikes will fit in a full-size P/U bed.

Most important thing is the chocks and adding tie-down points (esp. in the middle). The Condor chock does not have to be bolted down, but it can be. Or you could also choose to mount a strapless system in lieu of chocks/straps.