Tailgate extension for Motorcycle (Metric cruiser- '05 Victory Vegas) in the Bed!

[biplaneguy]

Looks like the carabineers aren't in line with the turnbuckles, which will tend to bend the biners. They may or may not not actually fail, but you might have trouble unscrewing the links.

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[2wheeldrive]

Biplane,
You just lift the tailgate release and they pop free! Never had a problem with my Frontier using them. And there only there as a secondary stress support (I don't trust the engineering reports that the OEM straps are rated at 500lbs each (as was the same for all my Frontiers). Never could tell if they were talking Static or Dynamic loads.

 

[2wheeldrive]

For those of you a bit timid about loading I had G/F take some pics of key points of the loading. As you can see your feet can be on the ramps all the time and you can "walk" your bike up. I just ride it up but I've been doing this a long time and with a dirtbike as well. Oh and the ramps are 8' long.

 

[Ogre_FL]

I mean the departure angle of the Gladiator
going from a steep driveway onto the street for example.

Yup, I was REALLY surprised when I grounded out my extra long hitch (for tailgate down towing) one time.
When I needed a bed extender for my Kayaks I went with a curved design so I would not ground it out so easily.

 

[Ogre_FL]

When riding backwards out of the bed
I had to use the rear brake to check the descent
or better yet keep both feet on the ramps
and have the engine running and use the clutch.
The front brake would merely lock the front wheel
and the bike would slip and slide.
The transition at the bottom
required momentum and a leap of faith
as my short legs no longer reached the ground
for a brief but terrifying moment.

FWIW you don't need to have the engine running, I actually think its better to not do it that way.
Backing down I use the clutch on a non-running engine in 1st gear to act like a "dead man" rear hand brake.
Should shit go sideways and you let go the lever, the bike is NOT rolling back/moving.

I also walk beside my bikes up/down the ramps vs ride up/down so there is no point(s) where you cant touch.
I am kind of heavy too so I also feel a bit better about splitting the load between 2 ramps.

 

[SamO.5]

I like this. Good ideas. ....I might even think of riding again...because my BMW would fit in my Gladdy like this. The long bike wont.

 

[Mad Mac]

You are correct that you only need to put it in gear
and then use the clutch. Absolutely.

However when riding down with the engine running
the rider can look cool with a turn out at the bottom.
Also if it is starting to roll off the ramps
the rider can power back up the ramps
correct and start over.

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