Buying a loading ramp?

[Logansrun]

Hi guys,
Has anyone bought or used a loading ramp to load their C14 (or C10) into a pickup truck? I have a full size pickup truck and a travel trailer, and I plan to do some travel later this year and I want to bring my C14 along. The ramp below looks pretty decent, and I'd prefer the shorter (cheaper) ramp but I'm not sure what the ground clearance on a C14 is when loading it via a ramp.

Anyone been through this?

http://www.discountramps.com/black-widow-motorcycle-ramp.htm

[crashdb]

I had that ramp and it's well worth the money.  I bought it after I nearly lost a bike off the side of a single rail ramp.  I actually ended up selling it for what I paid for it minus shipping.  I also liked the fact that it could be broken down into three sections.  But that can also be a problem because the top and bottom sections move independently.  I had a friend weld it all together so there weren't any "oh sh**" moments.

The thing is somewhat heavy so keep that in mind.  Also keep in mind that bed storage might be a problem because of the size.  What I did was press it against the closed tailgate and use tie-downs to keep it there, but I also had a long bed so I could close the tailgate.

Discountramps.com is a good place. They shipped quickly, and they had left out a few bolts and they sent those 2-day to me. 

[WillyP]

Nice looking ramp... if you got a spare 350 bucks. I bought some steel ramp ends like these:

And I had some birch 2x8's. For the bike I used a couple of cleats underneath to attach the two ramps together. The ends came with pins so I drilled a couple of holes in my truck floor and the pins go through holes in the ramp ends to make sure they don't slip off the end of the truck.

[tonedeaf]

This is what I use. I think it workds better than any ramps I have tried. Relatively light, very strong, good traction.

I generally try to get the rear wheels of the truck into a dip in the road (like a gutter) and it puts my truck just about perfect. The half-round ends on the plank fit nicely in many tailgates and I add a tie-down from the plank to the bumper for good measure.

http://www.scaffoldmart.com/all-aluminum-board-7ft.html

Also, I cannot recommend highly enough this product. Until you have tried one, you cannot imagine how much easier and more secure it makes your tie-down job (which is a difficult job on a C14 to avoid doing some damage).

http://www.baxleycompanies.com/LAChock.html

Note: I have no association with either of these companies other than using their products.

[Logansrun]

Here's a link to Tractor Supply. http://www.tractorsupply.com/vehicle-ramps/reese-reg-ramp-top-2-in-x-12-in-plank-4419112

I think I might try building my own ramp first using the above.

[WillyP]

Get rough lumber for better traction.

[blade]

I picked this one up at Harbor freight 5 years ago and have had no issues with it at all.

http://www.harborfreight.com/super-wide-tri-fold-loading-ramp-90018.html

I did have a single width ramp to start with but ended up with the bike dropping off one side while I was loading alone.  This ramp is wide enough to ride up with your feet out for balance if you get hesitant on the way up.

It has worked fine for the C10, Bandit, GS500 and a GL500I, not to mention the garden tractor, lawn roller, snow blower, well you get the picture

[wildwilly]

Loading a 700lb bike aint like zipping up a 2X6" home made ramp on your 125cc dirtbike.  Having a ramp wide enough to be able to put your feet down is a great idea.

The shorter ramps are OK.  You can back up to a curb and put your ramp down accross the sidewalk.  The 4" height difference really does the trick.

http://youtu.be/UsaVTsSl2Wo

[just gone]

"Ramp top capacity 700 lb."
---------------------------
1500 lb. load capacity (750 lbs. per ramp)
The instructions for this one clearly imply it was designed for an ATV, with most of your weight and the bikes weight on the center ramp it doesn't look good to me.
-------------------------------

These two look very iffy because of the weight restrictions, assuming that you are riding the bike up under power and that you weight at least 150lbs. then you need about 820lb capacity minimum to be right at it's limits. Personally I think you need a little cushion like 1500lb capacity for long term usage.  However, I have absolutely no experience other than pushing dirt bikes up a 2X6 plank like was mentioned earlier.
 I can't believe that YouTube Guy was doing that in sandals.