Hi All!
In Septemeber, I am relocating from the frigid Pacific Northwest to Tennessee. I have my belongings, one car, and my Goldwing. I plan on getting a rental truck (Penske) for my belongings and a tow dolly for the car. That just leaves the Wing. It is against the policies of rental truck companies to transport a motorcycle in the back of their truck. Normally that wouldn't bother me really, but in case of an accident, I don't think insurance would cover so that's out.I think my only option is to ship it somehow. Uship perhaps? Does anyone have any ideas or experience on the most economical way to have a motorcycle transported? Ideas would be most welcome.
I know someone will suggest riding it back, but that isn't practical
Motorcycle: previously owned 83 GL1100A aspencade traded for a motorhome, 1981 honda GL500i silverwing interstate, 1974 yamaha xs400, 1974 Honda cb450 twin cam, 1983 honda vt30, 1982 honda 700 shadow, 1972 cb750four, and my first bike, a brand new 1982 honda CM400e. now own-1986 GL1200 aspencade SEi
last time i rode my 83 1100 down to florida, i had a friend ask me to drive a rental truck loaded with 6 rooms of furniture from north lauderdale florida up to pickens south carolina. out of all the rental trucks we looked at, the easiest and best truck to do it with was a U haul due to their low deck height and the slide out ramp. the penske truck is very high off the ground and some of them don't have a loading ramp. if you DO use a rental truck, make sure you strap the bike down VERY securely to avoid it from moving around while the truck is in motion. i was able to get the bike onto the truck via a storage rental company that had moveable lowering plates on their loading/unloading docks. the hardest part was getting the bike OFF the truck because i had to back it down the ramp. once you get the bike inside the truck, theres not enough room to turn the bike around so the front of the bike faces out. it took me sitting on the bike and 2 guys, one on each side to balance the bike so i wouldn't fall off the bike or the ramp while i was backing it down off the truck. was kinda scary.
whichever way you decide to do it, have a safe trip.
Sounds like you are one pair of hands short. Do you have a friend that might like a free trip? Or hire someone to drive the truck while you ride the bike. Send the friend or employee back on a plane. This is the easiest way to get through this. The other would be to ride the bike out, fly back and then move. Or you could fly a friend out from Tennessee, to be the extra hands on the trip.
If none of that works for you, you can ship motorcycles, but unless you crate it, it is no safer than it would be if you stuck it in the moving truck. Shipping it usually requires to draining of oil and gas, but sometimes not. Google "ship my motorcycle" or related phrases to see if you can find a shipper in your area. I still like my previous suggestions better tho, LMAO, as they involve riding.
It ain't about the destination - it's all about the journey
People put bikes in rental trucks all the time. Your bike insurance should cover an accident if you have comprehensive coverage.
Just be sure the truck has good strapping points. Use of a good wheel chock is very good investment to put in a rental truck, I have a Condor chock. They have a stabilizing bar.
Motorcycle: previously owned 83 GL1100A aspencade traded for a motorhome, 1981 honda GL500i silverwing interstate, 1974 yamaha xs400, 1974 Honda cb450 twin cam, 1983 honda vt30, 1982 honda 700 shadow, 1972 cb750four, and my first bike, a brand new 1982 honda CM400e. now own-1986 GL1200 aspencade SEi
U Haul's have good strapping point AND most of them have "D" rings too. the bike chock is a good add-on also. their deck height is less than 3 feet off the ground, and the larger trucks have slide out ramps, however a ramp is not available with a 10 foot truck. just thought you might wanna know.
Just because a rental company's liability lawyers say you can't do something, doesn't mean you can't actually do it. Most of the time it's YOUR insurance that is covering you, not the rental company's.
Ford supplied Firestone tires as OEM on their Explorers for many years, and clueless owners towed U-Haul trailers with underinflated tires, causing blowouts. Of course in today's society where nothing is ever anybody's fault, these clueless drivers then sued U-Haul, and won.
The end result is that U-Haul banned (and still bans) Explorers from towing their trailers - simply because their lawyers say so. You cannot rent their trailers if you have an Explorer, regardless of the tires you have on it - and even though the actual problem was many years ago.
Of course, if you don't TELL them that you're using an Explorer to tow their trailer, they are happy to rent one to you. Which is what I had to do, in order to rent a U-Haul trailer to tow with my Explorer.
I've had uship pick up bikes that I've sold. I wasn't impressed. One guy came with a pickup that had a toolbox in it. He loaded the bike with the front tire on top of the toolbox and strapped it down by the handlebars despite my objections. The uship drivers are independent contractors like Uber. If you decide to have it shipped, choose a shipper wisely.
Ok so if riding the bike is out, then how about driving the car and trailering the bike. U-haul has a motorcycle specific trailer with a trailer wide ramp and a built in wheel chock and plenty of tie down points front and rear... I used one when I picked up my wing from a dealer 250 miles away.
Yes they work well for a wing.
This is the 99 Aspencade I restored and sold being taken by it's new owners to Arizona from San Diego a couple years ago.
I recommended he didn't strap over the seat as he did but it was his decision.
coolrogue1 wrote:Ok so if riding the bike is out, then how about driving the car and trailering the bike. U-haul has a motorcycle specific trailer with a trailer wide ramp and a built in wheel chock and plenty of tie down points front and rear... I used one when I picked up my wing from a dealer 250 miles away.
newday777 wrote:Yes they work well for a wing.
This is the 99 Aspencade I restored and sold being taken by it's new owners to Arizona from San Diego a couple years ago.
I recommended he didn't strap over the seat as he did but it was his decision.
I also wouldn't strap to the passenger handles. Pull the side covers off and strap directly to the frame. It's the strongest part of the bike.
WingAdmin wrote:
I also wouldn't strap to the passenger handles. Pull the side covers off and strap directly to the frame. It's the strongest part of the bike.
I agree and thought I had posted that earlier but must have been to a question on fb.
This is when I bought the 99 Aspencade to restore.
I forgot about this thread! I ended up building my own crate for the bike. I built a platform with four tie down eyelets and a wheel chock in front. I put the platform in the truck and loaded the bike into the truck and built the crate around it. Worked great. I left a small slot/opening so I could check the straps on the road. It was a bit of an undertaking but I'm happy with the outcome. Anyone want to buy a 10x5x5 crate?
Motorcycle: previously owned 83 GL1100A aspencade traded for a motorhome, 1981 honda GL500i silverwing interstate, 1974 yamaha xs400, 1974 Honda cb450 twin cam, 1983 honda vt30, 1982 honda 700 shadow, 1972 cb750four, and my first bike, a brand new 1982 honda CM400e. now own-1986 GL1200 aspencade SEi
Next month i plan on moving from Tennessee to AZ. im putting my 86 wing in the back of my p/u truck's 8' bed and strapping it down securely with 2" wide ratchet straps and towing a 6' Chevy p/u truck bed turned into a utility trailer with my "stuff" in it and my cat inside my truck. Should be a interesting 1800 mile drive.
Next month i plan on moving from Tennessee to AZ. im putting my 86 wing in the back of my p/u truck's 8' bed and strapping it down securely with 2" wide ratchet straps and towing a 6' Chevy p/u truck bed turned into a utility trailer with my "stuff" in it and my cat inside my truck. Should be a interesting 1800 mile drive.
Stuart.
South Georgia would be a lot closer than Arizona....
i used to live there, and it is damn hot in the summer months.
but, i guess the trade off is the lack of humidity.... 5% is really high for most of Arizona.
Motorcycle: previously owned 83 GL1100A aspencade traded for a motorhome, 1981 honda GL500i silverwing interstate, 1974 yamaha xs400, 1974 Honda cb450 twin cam, 1983 honda vt30, 1982 honda 700 shadow, 1972 cb750four, and my first bike, a brand new 1982 honda CM400e. now own-1986 GL1200 aspencade SEi
Hey Az, after living down in the Florida keys for 8 years, im kinda used to the hot weather. i love it. Love riding my bike without a helmet and shirt on so i can get a nice tan lol.
I know that AZ gets hot, but not with all the humidity that Florida has. I'll be moving to Tuscon, so there is a chance that we might pass eachother out on the highways
I know that AZ gets hot, but not with all the humidity that Florida has. I'll be moving to Tuscon, so there is a chance that we might pass each other out on the highways
Stuart.
Tucson is a great place, a little cooler than up here in the Phoenix area, and even gets some snow in the winter. Lots of great places to ride too, you may have to park the bike for a little while in the summer, but being able to ride all winter makes up for that. One great ride is up mount Lemmon you start in the desert and end up over 8000' elevation, and your barely out of the city limits.
Motorcycle: previously owned 83 GL1100A aspencade traded for a motorhome, 1981 honda GL500i silverwing interstate, 1974 yamaha xs400, 1974 Honda cb450 twin cam, 1983 honda vt30, 1982 honda 700 shadow, 1972 cb750four, and my first bike, a brand new 1982 honda CM400e. now own-1986 GL1200 aspencade SEi
sorry that i haven't gotten back to you sooner, been busy packing up stuff here. that mount Lemmon sounds like fun. I'll have to try it once i get settled in.
