Cb1100 in a minivan???

[AzBob_imp]

Loading the bike into the van will be very difficult. Loading a bike into a pickup bed is hard enough, not having to hunch over and worry about smashing your head into a roof.

Without a front wheel chock, securing it inside the van will also be difficult. Even strapped, without the chock, a good bump can cause it to knock over, and inside the van, probably break the side glass with the handlebar.

Unless you have ramps, getting the bike into the van will also be difficult. Just plain straight boards don't work so great because of the break over angle (you're likely to get stuck at the bumper on the catalytic converter).

My advice would be to ship it. If by any chance you already have a motorcycle wheel chock, ramps, and three pairs of straps, then my advice would be to rent a pickup truck, but watch a video tutorial or two on YouTube first (this one is very good: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wEPbSwQGqQ&t=201s).

 

[rboe]

Gotta bike you can practice with or test the van with? That would answer some questions and give you a dry run before you do the deal with the new bike.

 

[LongRanger_imp]

I had the mispleasure of loading my 390 lb. Ducati into the back of a U-Haul pickup this summer, using 10' lengths of 2x8" boards for ramps, and then rolling it back out when I reached my destination. Not to suggest you can't or shouldn't load a 540 lb. CB into a minivan, but I wouldn't want to repeat my experience, and that bike was 150 lbs. lighter. It was fine after it was strapped down, but the loading and unloading was tenuous.

 

[Elipten_imp]

Using wood planks is asking for trouble. I have seen many a bad event.

Best to go buy aluminum ramps


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[LongRanger_imp]

I'd agree. This was my first (and hopefully last) attempt at loading a bike into a pickup. Lots of lessons learned, including not using wood planks.

 

[bigsheep_imp]

I have a ctx and ramps, a dry run is a great idea. Group think!! I love it. I'm getting some shipping quotes and looking into uhaul. The truck rental with trailer is probably going to cost me $240 plus gas. Shipping also comes with brokerage considering I'm crossing the border. I can't wait til I'm posting pictures of me riding it!!!!!!!

 

[Blockhead_imp]

Do a search on YouTube 'motorcycle loading fails' and you will learn a lot about what NOT to do. Some of the videos are pretty funny and make you wonder what the heck people were thinking.

If you do load into any vehicle using a ramp always make sure you strap the ramp to the vehicle you're loading onto.

 

[CA200_imp]

Once when I picked up a new SV650 with our Co. van I loaded it in a hurry because I had get back to my store and
I only tied it down buy the handlebars so at the first stop sign it rolled forward and tipped and broke the shift lever!
!!!

 

[F800GT_imp]

You're taking a chance to ruin both your new CB and your van.
I wouldn't do it.

Please take a look on youtube where a few folks had tried to load their bikes on a truck with a ramp (not a minivan) in a DIY-manner, and then dropped the shiny bike, it would cost them more in repair, not counting all the frustrations.

Here's one such video:

 

[letsjet_imp]

Usually the dealer will have a huge ramp to load bikes into trucks, that's what they do. Unloading is easy IF you have the right sized hill to back up to, or can go to a freight loading ramp and drive it off. Without both of those available, it's a big bike to put in a pickup truck bed. Rent a uhaul bike or low trailer with a ramp and take it round trip, lots of rachet straps also. I had my new CB1100 delivered by the dealer.

Or this:

 

[bigsheep_imp]

I've decided to go with a trailer and truck from uhaul. Not because it won't fit in the van, or because I'm worried about weight, or not being able to strap it down properly, but because I'm only going to have my nephew with me and I think the van load would need three minimum, four for insurance.
$245 cad is not a bad price to pay for peace of mind. Thanks for all who contributed. I wish this forum had a like button for posts, I found many very helpful.

 

[LongRanger_imp]

I think it'll be money well spent. Please let us know how everything turns out!

 

[F800GT_imp]

I've decided to go with a trailer and truck from uhaul. Not because it won't fit in the van, or because I'm worried about weight, or not being able to strap it down properly, but because I'm only going to have my nephew with me and I think the van load would need three minimum, four for insurance.
$245 cad is not a bad price to pay for peace of mind. Thanks for all who contributed. I wish this forum had a like button for posts, I found many very helpful.

Wise decision :clap:
Let us know how things went once you get your CB home.

 

[ClassicVW_imp]

Heck, we want before during and after the trip photos!

 

[F800GT_imp]

Heck, we want before during and after the trip photos!

How could I NOT think like that ? :huh:

 

[Rocky_imp]

I agree with the others; sometimes it's better to bite the bullet and do it right than to have a mishap.
The CB is a heavy bike and can be a handful in an awkward situation. If it goes much beyond TDC you may have no hope of saving it from falling over.
It's a horrible, crushing feeling to drop a brand new bike so still be careful with the trailer.
And yes, before, during and after pictures would be great

 

[ClassicVW_imp]

Agree. Bite the bullet and do it right. Or, in my case, spend a little do-rei-mi and do it right......

I now own a Kendon trailer that securely locks the front wheel of any bike into a chock/cradle.

BUT for the previous 15 years I had used my homebuilt 4x8 ft flat trailer. Instead of spending the $$ and buying a metal chock, I had made my own U-shaped "chock" out of lengths of 6x6s. This served me well in transporting bikes long distance to and from New Jersey and Virginia, Indiana, Connecticut and New Hampshire, and many places in between.

One day I'm transporting a 350cc scooter home from about 150 miles away. I tie it down securely and I'm only about a mile and a half into my trip, I'm on a 4 lane, undivided 30 MPH county road within a town, a sleepy early Sunday morning, and no one else on the road. I'm in the left lane of my road because very soon I'm going to gently merge to my left onto another road, and no one's in my right lane, and all of a sudden, a sports car not only enters my road from the right, he cuts me off and brakes to make a left turn. I stand on my brakes to avoid rear ending him, and when I look in my rear view mirror, the scooter is pointing up, like it's doing a wheelie! It somehow had rolled right over my wood chock and was being held in that position by the tie downs.

So I pull into a parking lot and since it's still tightly tied, I can't roll it back because I can't roll it over the 6 inch high chock, and I am alone so I can't start to undo one tie down because it'll then fall over on it's bodywork which at this point, is completely undamaged. So I call roadside assistance. And wait. And wait. The tow truck arrives, and the driver tells me that by contract rules, he can't help me because I'm neither involved in a crash nor am I disabled! :huh: BUT, he turns out to be a rider and even a racer himself and says he has no intention of leaving me there in that predicament. I loosen the tie-downs, and he man handles the bike back into position and he even ties it down again for me. A $20 tip goes to him, and off I go the rest of the way without further problems.

 

[the Ferret]

George do you like the Kendon? Is it a single model? I have been eyeing them. My wife is retiring soon. She wants to do some traveling but can't ride the bike long distance anymore due to a replacement hip and 2 replacement knees. but she can still do short trips. Figured I'd tow close to some place we want to see, get a motel and unload the bike and go see the neat stuff by bike, but I need one easy for an old man to load/unload a big bike basically by himself.

 

[Rocky_imp]

Good story ClassicVW

 

[Blockhead_imp]

Good story ClassicVW

+1