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[05Train]

A buddy of mine who lives on Long Island picked up one of these things about a year ago.  His reasoning was that on any road trip anywhere, the first 3 hours and the last 3 hours were flat-out awful (which is the truth, I've ridden up there and it sucks).  So I've watched him load and unload his bike a bunch of times, and I get to see him more often too, as it allows him to bring a bike down no matter what the weather or traffic brings.

So I found one on Craigslist for about half the new price and figured I'd give it a shot.  It bolts into the bed of any pickup using Plus Nuts (basically a blind captured nut) and four Grade 8 bolts.  There's a winch which is wired to the truck's battery, and a chock on a sled to lift the bike up.

Once you figure out how you're going to strap it, one person can load and unload a bike by themselves in no time at all (30 minutes on, 5 minutes off).

Did my first non-test trip with the lift in the truck today, and I'm impressed.  Driving into the PA mountains on rough roads, the bike never budged.  Unloaded by myself in a motel parking lot in a 30mph wind, and had no issues.  And the best part is that on the way back, after riding 880 miles across two time zones, I'll be able to pop the bike back into the truck and drive the rest of the way home, rather than fighting holiday traffic on the bike.

Thumbs up!









Sent from my iPad, probably while I'm pooping.

[Para Bellum]

Score!  Nice find on CL.

[OBB]

I've seen Ed's in person twice now. I wonder if the bed of an Avalanche is long enough for one of those. The bed is only 63.3" long. Looks like your Silvy has a short bed on it.

[dicko]

I've had a Rampage lift in my short bed Ram 1500 for a year and love it.  We tow the truck (and the bike) behind our RV and it has been up and down the west coast and across the country to Key West.  It sure beats riding that far.
We take the lift out of the truck when we're not traveling and I am able to remove it and/or re-install it in about 20 minutes with no help.
It takes just a few minutes to load the bike into the truck and then about ten minutes to strap it down.  It comes out in about five minutes, start to finish, and always draws a crowd.
I bought a very tight-fitting, lined travel cover from SKNZ ( http://www.skn-it.com/ ) that protects the bike from the elements while we travel and does not beat up the paint.
All-in-all we are very happy and can't say enough nice things about Rampage or SKNZ.
     -Dick-

[OBB]

Found one on CL I'm going to go check out on Sunday.

[backroad Mike]

One caution for those with CVO Street glides, lowered bikes or extended rear fenders..

The angle of the bike as it starts up the lift places the lowered rear fender at or on the ground as the bike climbs up the ramp before the rear hits the ramp.  To solve this, place a 2x6 or 2x8 approximately 1.5 feet long in front of the rear wheel before it hits the ramp.  This will allow the rear of the bike to lift up the thickness of the 2x6 or 2x8 and allow the bottom of the fender to not drag on the ground.  If you have a lowered bike, a stacked 2x6 or 2x8 on the bottom one may be necessary.  Cost of a piece of scrap 2x6 or 2x8 is much cheaper than a new or repainted rear fender. 

[OBB]

One caution for those with CVO Street glides, lowered bikes or extended rear fenders..

The angle of the bike as it starts up the lift places the lowered rear fender at or on the ground as the bike climbs up the ramp before the rear hits the ramp.  To solve this, place a 2x6 or 2x8 approximately 1.5 feet long in front of the rear wheel before it hits the ramp.  This will allow the rear of the bike to lift up the thickness of the 2x6 or 2x8 and allow the bottom of the fender to not drag on the ground.  If you have a lowered bike, a stacked 2x6 or 2x8 on the bottom one may be necessary.  Cost of a piece of scrap 2x6 or 2x8 is much cheaper than a new or repainted rear fender. 

good info to keep in mind.

Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using Tapatalk

[EdKSr.]

The bed height of my F350 Crew Cab 8" bed is 37 1/4" high.  At Ribfest I drove over the curd and up the grass to decrease the angle, so the pipes would not hit.  When loading I still needed the 2 x 4's under the ramp rollers and one for the tire to ride up on.  I have a marine 1000 amp hour battery on the bed, I could not figure out how to hook up to the aux switches in the cab.  My tail gate has to remain off loading and unloading.  I can put it back on but it is too much of a pain in the ..., so it stays off and I use a cargo net.  Ed

[OBB]

The bed height of my F350 Crew Cab 8" bed is 37 1/4" high.  At Ribfest I drove over the curd and up the grass to decrease the angle, so the pipes would not hit.  When loading I still needed the 2 x 4's under the ramp rollers and one for the tire to ride up on.  I have a marine 1000 amp hour battery on the bed, I could not figure out how to hook up to the aux switches in the cab.  My tail gate has to remain off loading and unloading.  I can put it back on but it is too much of a pain in the ..., so it stays off and I use a cargo net.  Ed

I think when I measure mine yesterday it was close to the same height but the truck wasn't level. I go pick mine up on Thurs and from the specs on the Rampage site, it'll be a close fit into the bed of my truck.

[2k]

I think when I measure mine yesterday it was close to the same height but the truck wasn't level. I go pick mine up on Thurs and from the specs on the Rampage site, it'll be a close fit into the bed of my truck.

So you went and looked and liked the deal??

[OBB]

So you went and looked and liked the deal??

Yup, Story behind it is the guys used it maybe 4 or 5 times. Had it leaning against the wall of his garage. Layed it out flat and no bends chips or anything in it. Looks like it came out of the box. Has a bunch of extras including wiring to get to the battery and everything along with tie down straps. Rode to his home yesterday to look at it and he's in a gated community that you must report to the office before they let you in. He retired a few years ago and can just ride to wherever he wants to now. He ships his bike to Hawaii and spends a few months out there every year. From the looks of his place and vehicles, it has been well taken care of.

[05Train]

Yeah, I use an 8" piece of 2x4 for the rear wheel to keep the pipes from scraping.

I met my buddy 100 miles from my house for our ride this weekend.  Did 2000+ riding to and from Minnesota, and loaded the truck for the last 100 miles home.  With holiday traffic, it took almost 3 hours.  Did it with air conditioning and in comfort.  I've got the unloading down to 5 minutes, the loading down to about 20.


Freaking love this lift.