Wethead on a Rampage

[narcosis]

Has anyone loaded their Wethead into a truck with a Rampage Motorcycle Lift?  If so, where did you attach to the bike for pulling it up into the front tire cradle?

[92Merc]

I haven't.  But in the manual, it shows where to mount the straps if you had it on a trailer.  I would think that would be also the best spot for a Rampage.  FYI, it's at the forks, lower clamp.

 

[narcosis]

Thanks 92Merc.  That was my first inclination but the Rampage manufacturer said I needed to run the straps up the middle and over the top of the handlebars as the Rampage will compress the shock and forks as it rotates the wheel up and into the cradle.  He sent me some pictures of an older RT being loaded so I wanted to ask the forum if there was any Wethead experience.  I just went out and looked again and I don't think the attach point recommended in the manual will work for the initial load phase.

[92Merc]

I'm sure Rampage is recommending a higher point up for leverage reasons.  My concern is always securely strapping it, but in a manner the straps won't rub the bike.  To me, the BMW way seems to be the best.  But I think until you actually try it, you won't really know.

I personally just wouldn't want the straps near the tank or other painted parts in case they start to rub the paint.

[lkraus]

The straps tighten as the cradle rotates forward, and conventional fork springs will compress, so the length is less critical than on a Telelever  bike, which would have no "give" with the straps on the lower bridge. I can easily imagine damage to the lift or bike if they are initially set too tight.  I'd probably make the first loading with the straps up over the bars as Rampage suggests. Once it's up in the truck, I'd move the straps to the BMW recommended location and use paint or marker on the straps so they could be preset to the correct length in the future. That would make loading easier than trying to thread the straps up under the fairing every time.

[narcosis]

Thanks Ikraus, I'm going to try exactly as you suggest.  Great idea on marking the straps.

[Bill_Walker]

Do note the need to use soft ties.  No hooks on your fork!  And watch out for the brake lines and ABS sensor wires.

 

I seem to recall reading that BMW's recommendation of using the fork bridge as the tie-down point on Telelever bikes (was the same for my '04 as for my '15) is that the cast aluminum handlebars might not be strong enough to take the tie-down loads.  I've no idea how the Rampage works, but as for trailering, I've hauled both my RTs using the recommended fork bridge tie-down points, and it has worked perfectly.  It does leave the bike's front suspension free to work, though, which means you may see some movement in your mirrors.

[Bill_Walker]

In this video, Dale Coyner, who says he has loaded many different bikes using the Rampage, ties off the bike he's loading to the lower triple tree.  I don't see any reason why the fork bridge wouldn't work just fine.
 

 

[Bill_Walker]

I loaded my R1150RT into the back of a pickup truck by myself using a three-ramp set and wheel chock.  I have to admit that riding it up the ramp was pretty scary, especially the part where the front wheel is on the ramp while the rear wheel is on the ground, and the middle of the bike is up high enough that there's no way you could catch it if anything went wrong.  But it was a one-off, and I've gotten a couple of uses of the ramps for other bikes since then.

 

Here's the loading view, minus the two narrower side ramps (places to put your feet) and the straps to secure the ramps to the truck.  Because the rear wheel of the bike would be on the tailgate, I felt the need to add a piece of 3/4" plywood cut to fit, so as to spread the load.  Probably overkill, but this haul was from San Diego to Durham, NC to deliver the truck.  The Rampage's rails obviously handle that for you.

 

Wheel in the chock, soft ties on the fork bridge, ratchet tie-downs attached to those: