Loading Ramps

[GSJOE]

Sorry if this has been discussed many times, but I couldn't find anything with the search.  Looking for a loading ramp for my 2015 GSA.  Anyone have reviews, pros, cons or just what you use?

[John Ranalletta]

Are you loading on trailer, pickup, or.....?

[TEWKS]

You definitely want a full tailgate width ramp. I have a bifold which takes up more room storing in the bed of the truck. Next one will be a trifold. Something like This. And you probably already know, but strap it to the bumper before you attempt to load anything. Just YouTube it. 

[dirtrider]

9 hours ago, GSJOE said:

Sorry if this has been discussed many times, but I couldn't find anything with the search.  Looking for a loading ramp for my 2015 GSA.  Anyone have reviews, pros, cons or just what you use?

Morning GSJOE

 

We need more info, loading ramp requirement kind of depends on how high you need to load & how good of a rider you are. 

 

Some like two ramps or a wide ramp so they can put a foot (or feet) down riding up, or probably more importantly, backing it down once at new destination. 

 

Unloading a heavy motorcycle like a  BMW GS  down a single narrow loading ramp can be challenge if it is too high to stand beside it & keep it upright. 

 

Personally, I seldom trailer anything except my dirt bikes but I modified my trailer so I can ride (or push) a heavy bike onto the trailer, then drop the front rail upright to allow me to ride the heavy motorcycle off the front of the trailer using the same loading ramp I used to load it from the rear (but this does need the trailer disconnected from tow vehicle & trailer tongue on the ground).

 

This does make for an easy unload of a top heavy motorcycle for one person, or if the heavy motorcycle is dead I can load it directly onto my motorcycle lift right from the trailer.  

[Hosstage]

I would tend to go with something like this , longer with a smoother angle. The picture of the one Tewks posted gives me heart palpitations at the thought of trying to ride a 600+ pound bike up that sharp angle, fine for 4 wheel drive atv, but one wheel drive MC would be a struggle.

As I look at what's available, there is a wide price range. I would not buy based on price, but rather on quality.

[Rougarou]

I use something like this for the rare occasion that I have to load a bike in a truck.

 

 

Also, if the area supports it, I'll back the truck in a ditch to lessen the angle, if not, it's a careful bike in first walk and step up kinda thing,......it's really fun if you try it..........I'm not confident enough to straight up ride the bike up the ramp.

[TEWKS]

I don’t always load my bike in the back of a truck but when I do, sometimes ya just gotta show off!  

[Hosstage]

Impressive! Let's see that with the GS...

[GSJOE]

Thanks, looking to load it into a tall van (6'4") ceiling.  Ground to van height is 24".  Nervous about step up with narrow ramp, but might be the right solution.  Thoughts?

[TEWKS]

2 minutes ago, GSJOE said:

Nervous about step up with narrow ramp, but might be the right solution.  Thoughts?

Any step up sucks pushing a big bike up a single ramp. 24 inches makes it a little more doable but I’d still have a strong friend nearby. 

[dirtrider]

38 minutes ago, GSJOE said:

Thanks, looking to load it into a tall van (6'4") ceiling.  Ground to van height is 24".  Nervous about step up with narrow ramp, but might be the right solution.  Thoughts?

Afternoon GSJOE

 

Depends__

 

2 decent sized guys (or gals) plus a milk crate and it is a piece of cake. 

 

By yourself a narrow ramp is asking for trouble unless you ride it in (I usually ride up into pickup beds but years ago I caught my head riding a dirt bike  into a cargo van).

 

Getting it out by yourself with a narrow ramp is pretty darn iffy unless you are real tall & extremally strong. 

 

Years ago when I lived in a smaller house I would use a narrow short ramp to ride onto my front pouch, then use that same short ramp to ride into my pickup bed. Same way in reverse, out of the pickup onto the porch then I would use the ramp & ride it off of the porch forward. 

 

At times I would even load the bike backwards from the porch into the truck bed  (very little height difference) then just ride it out down a narrow ramp or out over the tail gate if backed into a ditch. 

 

At destination I would just back into a deep ditch so the tail gate was on, or almost on, the ground (easy in & out).  

[John Ranalletta]

1 hour ago, GSJOE said:

Thanks, looking to load it into a tall van (6'4") ceiling.  Ground to van height is 24".  Nervous about step up with narrow ramp, but might be the right solution.  Thoughts?

 

How wide is the door opening?  Consider a folding ramp that just fits the door.  Use a ratchet strap to bind the ramp to the van via hitch receiver if you have one.  You should be able to ride in and have both feet on the ramp.  If interior van space is short, buy and modify a hitch basket to hold the ramp en route.

 

[lkraus]

I have these: Reese Explore 1,500 lb. Capacity Arched Aluminum Center-Fold Loading Ramps, 12 in. x 90 in.

(stock photo)

 

I had been looking for a while, wanting something for occasional,  multi-purpose use with my HF trailer (deck ~20" high),  strong enough to support the RT on a single ramp, not too hard to store, not too expensive since I did not anticipate frequent use.

 

Found these on sale in 2019 for ~$100, so now I'm glad I bought them when I did.

 

I've only (cautiously) loaded the RT once, to test them out.  It rolled up easily under power while walking along side on the second ramp. My weight+RT weight is on the wrong side of the limit, I cannot ride up.  The 2.5" gaps between treads were not the problem I thought they might be for walking. The arch probably increases the strength a bit and reduces the breakover angle. The ramps have also worked well to load a smaller bike, an ATV, and a lawn tractor.

[Stir]

This is what I use to get a KTM 1290 SA into the back of an F350 Dually.

https://www.blackwidowpro.com/motorcycle/ramps/full-width/p/mf-12038/

 

[Hosstage]

1 hour ago, Stir said:

This is what I use to get a KTM 1290 SA into the back of an F350 Dually.

https://www.blackwidowpro.com/motorcycle/ramps/full-width/p/mf-12038/

 

Those are the ones I posted earlier, they look like the ticket.

[Randyjaco]

They do look like the best ramp, but where do you put that big ass folded ramp, when the bike is loaded? It takes up almost as much space as the bike.

[MikeB60]

Not too bad...

 

[Rougarou]

9 hours ago, Hosstage said:

Impressive! Let's see that with the GS...

 

here, hold my root beer

[Rougarou]

7 hours ago, GSJOE said:

Thanks, looking to load it into a tall van (6'4") ceiling.  Ground to van height is 24".  Nervous about step up with narrow ramp, but might be the right solution.  Thoughts?

 

Oh, man, that's a piece of cake.  I load mine into the bed of a regular pickup and I'm a vertically challenged skumbum (5'7"/8" if I'm lucky).  I've not loaded the GS, but have the HP4 and RT.

[Stir]

On 7/13/2022 at 2:54 PM, Randyjaco said:

They do look like the best ramp, but where do you put that big ass folded ramp, when the bike is loaded? It takes up almost as much space as the bike.

I have an 8 foot bed.  But I put them on their side alongside the bike.  I ratchet strap them down so they don't get away.

[GSJOE]

OK, here’s what I did boys.  Thank you all for your advice and words of encouragement.

 

I bought a black widow three ramp 7’ system.  Cost me almost 500 bucks.  Middle ramp is rated at 1200 pounds and seems accurate because I rode the bike straight into the van with little or no deflection.   I placed my feet on the two side ramps which are rated at 600 pounds each.  I would compare the skill level similar to jumping a street curb … not hard.

 

Only WARNING I would offer is make sure you have these ramps secured tightly to whatever you’re loading into as they wanna move off when you apply throttle.  Mine jiggled a little bit but I had them very tightly secured.  In the attached photos You can see the ramps stacked just to the right of my bike in the van.