Loading Motorbikes into Vans

In some instances it is easier or more convenient to transport your motorbike somewhere rather than ride it a particular example is to a track day - since you will be able to get home afterwards if you allow your pride and joy to slide along the tarmac.

If you are lucky enough to own your own van it is crucial that you are insured for items within it since the majority of insurers will not cover the contents of a van if they are stolen - however the good thing is, your motorbike insurance would normally cover this. Van insurance is as simple to get as car insurance and pretty cheap too - below are a couple of the better van insurance companies. Direct Line are very reputable and eVan have full online servicing of policies.

 

If you do not own a van of your own then you can hire them pretty easily and often quite cheaply - if you are not used to driving a van I'd suggest a practice drive on some wide, clear roads before attempting in town driving or negotiating width barriers as they are not as refined as cars.

Once you have mastered driving one, and it doesn't take long, the tricky part is loading and unloading your bike from the van - if, like me, you are not someone used to pushing motorbikes around much (and don't visit the gym) this is a pretty daunting task so don't do it on you own!

A couple of things NOT to do when loading a bike into the back of a van:

1. Do not use an old plank of wood as a ramp as they will bend or snap
2. Do not try to lift your motorbike into the van on your own (unless you happen to be a contender in the worlds strongest man)
3. Do not ride your motorbike up the ramp - your legs won't touch the ground as you go up the ramp and you will lose balance and tip over and you are likely to plough your bike into the inside of the Van since
4. Do not use a ramp laid too far into the van (or not far enough in) as when you go into the van it ramp will tip up with the weight of the bike on the end

Tips to help with loading a motorbike:

1. A motorbike ramp should have an arch in it to aide clearance
2. A motorbike ramp should have raised edges to prevent the bike rolling off
3. You should always load a motorbike with at least two people

Examples of good ramps:

Rampmate 004 Aluminium Ramp -£48.93
The ramp people - ramps starting at £88.13

Once into the van it is essential that the motorbike is strapped down securely - this may sound obvious but it is true.

Firstly you need to put the motorbike onto its stand, if it has a centre stand it should be put on this then strap it down. A van should have many tie down points on the inside, if it doesn't you need to improvise using the hinges or the panel joins - if you do this you must make sure that these are secure and they are not ideal.

All motorbikes have secure areas on them that can be used for tying them down with such as the rear foot pegs, yolk, axles, over the seat and the rear swing arm. Do not use brake levers, fairings, spokes, brake cables or rear view mirrors.

Ideally you should use rachet straps as they can be tensioned exactly and will lock to prevent the strap coming loose during the drive.

A selection of rachet straps can be found here - starting at under £4

 

 

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