Taking my motorcycle for rides in my 57 pickup need advice!

I have a custom built bobber and I would like to put it in the back of my 57 chevy short bed narrow box. I don't want to damage the front of the box (steel or paint) and I also don't want to drill any holes in my wood floor for a wheel choke. I will also be hauling it tailgate down.... I figured I'd figure something out eventuality but I also thought throwing the idea up on here might give me some insight. And before anybody says anything, yes I do have a trailer I could use but it'd just look cooler in the back..... trailers are for boats and lawnmowers! Haha thanks, Brock

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I have just laid a wood 4x4 across the front of the bed thats the same width. That way the front tire doesn't touch the front bed panel or put any pressure against it. Wrap it with old carpet or something to protect the paint.

 

Be safe: secure it down with 4 ratchet straps. Replace 2 front and 2 rear bed wood carriage bolts with eye-bolts. Make sure they attach to the crossrails. Worked great for me.

 

Greetings! You are trying to do to opposite things: You obviously want to keep the bed of your truck pristine, yet you also want to haul something that is a bear to load, leaks fluids, and will find any way possible to fall over and beat the holy hell out of the back of your truck, if not fall out on the road and tumble end over end. Forget cool, just use the trailer.

 

Tractor Supply sells heavy rubber floor mats (about 3/4" thick) in large dimensions (like 6'x6'). You could cut it for the floor and the front and sides of the box.

Obviously you need some kind of lugs or cleats to tie your straps down and a ramp to get the thing up on.

An alternative is to get a trailer hitch motorcycle carrier. If you've never seen one, they sit crossways like a second rear bumper. They're usually seen on campers and motorhomes for light weight dirt bikes, but they come with a 750 lb rating.

 

If it we me I'd start with a sheet of 3/4 plywood cut to fit your bed and attach whatever blocking you need to keep the bike in place and attach tiedowns to the bike and stake pockets. Carpet or a rubber mat under the plywood should protect the bed. Bob

 

Just ride the bike and leave the truck at home.

I can't imagine hauling a bike without all the mounts in the bed to keep it from falling over. HRP

 

What he said

 

Does the bed still have the stake wood pockets?

You can put the wood in there, bolt/wing nuts with some kinda protective washer to protect the paint from the nuts/bolts and secure the wood.

On the top of the wood, have some kinda 'hold down/tie to' device.

-W

 

If the beds really that nice why not build a custom trailer,Something traditional. I just think putting stuff in and out of the bed eventually something is going to go bad.

 

Better to take your dog for a ride.

Ride the motorcycle, the only time it should be on the truck is when it's broken down.

There are guys who run around all over the place for weeks with the bike in the back just to show it off. Looks stupid.

 

I knew a chick that was a bobber and she was butt ugly, I always made her ride in the back of the truck.

So is your scoot broken? Why would you load it in a truck unless it was broken.

When my bike is broken and has to come home in the back of the truck I pull it up against a sack of tub sand.

 

another over thinking thread, just put it in the bed tie it down and run it. i don't think your tire will scratch the patch the paint.

 

ok ill ask, whats a bopper

 

There are plenty of perfectly good reasons to haul a bike. I do it all of the time. But the question posed isn't "SHOULD I". It's "HOW DO I"......sheesh!

 

I have a Condor front wheel chock for my bikes that, although does have a bracket to mount it in the bed, its actually very sturdy without being "fixed".
Roll the bike into it and it basically locks the bike in place and upright.
I have a thick rubber bed mat so nothing touches the floor. But my bed floor is aluminum diamond plate and im not worried about scratching the truck because i use it as a truck.
But the Condor unit prevents it hitting the front of the bed and tipping. Just tie it down and your done.
I use 2 straps to the front corners of the bed from the bars.

Tony

 

Bobber is new millenium for a chopper.

Or if you are my age a bobber is a chick that only gives head.

 

I don't know anything about boppers, wheel chokes or racket straps.

Ed Roth built a truck to haul his Triumph around in, so I suppose it's trad.
After more than one day of hauling it around, you become a poser. If it's broken or you're going to a show, I suppose it's cool, though most shows bite the large one.

I would build a center channel with two arms, one on each side, so it's shaped like a cross. Put eyes at the ends of the crosspiece. Pad the bottom with thick, rubber, matting. Lay it in the bed, roll the bike in and secure with racket straps to the eyes. You'll need a wheel choke at the front to keep it from rolling forward. Two more straps from the handlebars to the stake pockets will keep the whole shitaree from moving about. I wouldn't use the rear pockets, You'll tweek the bedsides

 

I thought that was a knobber! HRP

 

Tony Great looking truck!! from the chop (bop) top to the flames...Love it

 

Actually bobber predates chopper. The WWII guys got their hands on those military surplus hogs and "bobbed" off all the extra parts. Choppers came along later as the frames were chopped and welded back together with more rake.

As for the other, that's probably always been true...

 

I always run the front tire into the passenger front corner of the bed and leave the bike on the side stand, with piece of wood under it if need be. If you slide the rear tire to the driver's side you can close the tail gate if the bike isn't too long. No chock needed, no bending the front of the bed.

 

With four straps to hold the bike in place I don't think you'll have any issues with damaging the front of the bed. I've hauled bike plenty of times in my pickup with no issues.

 

Posing has its risks.....
Ride or drive one or the other.

 

Sort of.
The term "Bobber" is new. It's only been around for a short time.
The old timers did take old HDs and Indians and strip them down. This included bobbing the rear fender. On a HD, you just removed the hinge section and tossed it. The result was called a Bob Job.
Later on, as the look became more refined and skinny front rims, English rear fenders, short sissy bars, smaller tanks and seats were added to the mix, they were called Choppers. The long front ends and raked frames didn't become popular until the late 60s/early 70s. During the evolution of the chopper, the old Bob Jobs or Fat Bobs (until HD trademarked the name) were considered a poor boys ride or owned by someone that was building it a little bit at a time. Most of them were pretty ratty looking. The, so called, retro bobber, that you see all the time, detailed to the max, was hardly ever seen back in the 50s and 60s.

 

This. I would just shove the front tire into the driver's corner, drop the kickstand, and strap it down. If you are strong enough, I would even pick up and slide the rear end over the opposite side before strapping down but those leakers are kind of heavy.

 

what he said ^, front wheel in one corner, rear wheel in opposite corner, four ratchet straps yer done........

 

Yup,the modern bobber is all about styling,not necessarily a bad idea. In the 60's I rode British and we stripped down the bikes and tuned the engines for better performance.Going fast included cornering...Two wheel hot rods...
Bikes in trucks? Race bikes and broken bikes...

 

this works well.

 

I do it like this, but I am not really concerned with harm to the paint.