Ducati Monster Forum

Hey, if all goes well I'll be picking up a monster from Portland in a few weeks  [moto].  Does anyone that lives near Sammamish have a moto ramp that I'll be able to borrow ???? Do you also have 4 tiedowns that I can borrow too ????  It isn't final yet, but I want to make sure I have everything set up in case it will be final....thanks! ;D

You should buy the tie-downs yourself, they come in handy. You can also load a monster w/out a ramp, pick the bike up and put it in the truck bed with a friend (one end at a time). Sorry, I think that came across as rude, but that is what I do all the time.

The Doc

I agree Doc.... I use my tie downs often and the bike isn't that heavy. Plus... I have seen more wrecks from guys trying to ride a bike up a ramp than from picking it up and loading it.   [thumbsup]

And you see/load a lot of wrecked bikes.

Unfortunately, it is a product of the job, eh? Those 160's we just pick up and throw it up there on the truck.

It's not difficult to get creative. I normally find a crevasse of some kind that I can back the ass end of my pickup into to get the bed almost level with the ground. Done it in drainage ditches, steep driveways, or anywhere that you can gain a height advantage on a lower grade. Maybe a nearby industrial area would have a loading dock or ramp, or terraced landscape with a retaining wall that could act like a loading dock. If you pick it up by hand, watch the exhaust header on the bottom side. There's no safe point to set it down for a 'Hang on!' or 'Lemme get a better grip'. Alternatively, there are motorcycle trailers or rental trucks with liftgates, but I generally don't have trouble figuring it out with my 40" bed height, so it shouldn't require anything extreme. Buy a set of ratchet straps, they're only like 15 bucks for four at Wally World. Load straight in and tie down at all four corners with the straps pulling away from eachother in all four directions, leave the sidestand up and allow the straps to suspend the bike upright. Compress the forks maybe 2/3rds of the way with the straps tightened. If you can avoid placing the hooks in direct contact with the bike, do so, as they'll cause marks even if they're rubber coated. If you can't, take some rags to place under the hooks. Or avoid that situation altogether with some motorcycle hauling tiedowns available at most bike shops. Check and double check them, they won't need to be ridiculously tight. Check them shortly after being underway and routinely if it's a longish trip. Use a pickup with an empty longbed, it makes life easier.