HELP REQUEST: Cross country move-two bikes(Uhaul truck?)

[lapi]

I have to move a 2 bedroom home, van and 2 bikes (FJR and SuperT). Anybody have a suggestion or experience.
Looking at the following:

1. ABF(relocubes+storage)
2. Uhaul(i have to drive and pay for gas) load the house and bikes in the truck???? tow the minivan on a trailer?

I'm the only driver if I don't do ABF.

Any experience moving? Any suggestions?
Indiana to Louisiana

 

[Dirt_Dad]

Just "moved" two bikes in a Uhaul earlier this month. The only thing I can tell you is the driving experience is pretty unpleasant. It was a newer truck with low mileage and the suspension on the highway was very bad. We drove from Minnesota to the DC area and it seemed like a lot of that distance had us gritting out teeth as we drove over less than perfect pavement. Not sure if we would have noticed in a car, and would not have noticed on the bikes, but in that Uhaul it was rough.

 

[TheHelios]

Just "moved" two bikes in a Uhaul earlier this month. The only thing I can tell you is the driving experience is pretty unpleasant. It was a newer truck with low mileage and the suspension on the highway was very bad. We drove from Minnesota to the DC area and it seemed like a lot of that distance had us gritting out teeth as we drove over less than perfect pavement. Not sure if we would have noticed in a car, and would not have noticed on the bikes, but in that Uhaul it was rough.

I had the bike on the back of a trailer with 0 suspension. THAT had me gritting my teeth seeing as we were riding in the back country on bumpy/sandy roads. If you tie it down properly, then you should be fine. And I mean tie that crap down WELL.

 

[regulator]

Federal Motorcycle Transport might be an answer. Great service, door to door delivery, reasonable, and etc.

 

[motoguy]

http://www.harborfreight.com/1800-lb-capacity-motorcycle-standwheel-chock-61670.html
works great! Check your rider or cycle magazine for their ad, you can save about half of that.

 

[Checkswrecks]

Depends if work is paying, or if you are. If work is paying movers for the relocation, you can put the bikes on a trailer and tow it with your personal van, even if you have to buy a hitch & plug.


If it is somewhere you are going for temporary trips, then maybe you can ride a bike up so the job only has to fly you home till the next trip. This would save everybody time and expense.


If you are footing the bill, then you either pay big bucks to do like I wrote in the first line, or Haul and the pain of doing it yourself. If using a UHaul, the floors are slick and the bikes need to be tied both bottom and top, front and rear. Like Dirt_Dad, do not center-stand the bikes as they can pound themselves to death or rock off the center stand.

 

[AVGeek]

You always have more stuff than you think you do. I've done two out of state moves, one payed for by the company, and one where I had to do most of the work. Both times, I had my motorhome, wife's car, bike and quad, plus the first move included a truck I owned at the time. For the first move, I had a 2 bedroom house, and it used up most of a full 53' moving van. The second move was out of a 4 bedroom house, and we had used the motorhome to live in at the new location, and had moved the essentials with us in it, and it still took a 26' Uhaul with their 6x12 enclosed trailer, as well as a 17' box truck to make the move. Given your two options, I'd go for the ABF option, and use the van to pull a trailer with the bikes, along with stuffing the van full of the essentials you need for the first week or so in the new place.

 

[Don in Lodi]

Second the very well tied down scenario. A friend totaled a Venture in a U-Haul trailer. (hope he bought their insurance for the totaled trailer) He thought he had it well tied. Hit a huge pressure ridge on a major highway in Utah, trailer did what trailers do, it bounced, really high. With the whole zero gravity thing, the bike became a loose rock in a tin can, poked holes in the sides of the enclosed trailer, dented the floor, broke every piece of plastic on the bike. It was amazing. ???
If you can't screw a chock to the floor, go with a sheet of 3/4" sheeting to install a chock(s), or screw in a pair of 2x4s beside the tires. With some reinforcing you can install several eye bolts for tie down points as well. If the handle bars twist all bets are off. Your carefully tensioned tiedowns become so much spaghetti once things shift. As noted on the centerstand, don't leave the side stand down either. You want nothing but suspension holding the bike up. I've actually seen the hole left by a side stand. Unlike DD who seemed to get away with it. I've seen bikes tucked into the corners of a cargo area too, the forks don't twist, but I'm not sure the tie down points are the best that close to the bike. That HF chock has potential, fasten a couple of those with through bolts to the 3/4" sheeting, comes with a minimum of two tie downs, inexpensive, (not cheap O ) and can be re-used over and over.

I'd probably go with a combo, take what you can in a reasonable sized truck, have the rest go by Pod. Is the van rear wheel drive or front? You can probably save by using a dolly if it's front wheel drive.

 

[lapi]

Just "moved" two bikes in a Uhaul earlier this month. The only thing I can tell you is the driving experience is pretty unpleasant. It was a newer truck with low mileage and the suspension on the highway was very bad. We drove from Minnesota to the DC area and it seemed like a lot of that distance had us gritting out teeth as we drove over less than perfect pavement. Not sure if we would have noticed in a car, and would not have noticed on the bikes, but in that Uhaul it was rough.

Yeah guys, I'm paying the check on this one. Permanent move.
I can't do the loading/unloading - back issues.
With ABF-quote is $4000 to have loaders and unloaders but they may not deliver directly to my door-Dont have the exact address just yet!...storage options available
With UHaul-Tie down, hire loaders on both ends, comes out a few thousand les expensive.

I have never trailered or tied down the bikes.
Youtube has me real shy about riding the bikes up the ramp (although the common error seems to be trying to put feet down midway up).
Then there getting them off the truck. Not many vids on that.
Thinking I'll load the bikes myself, do what I can to turn them around facing the trucks rear so exiting is simpler.

 

[Dirt_Dad]

Youtube has me real shy about riding the bikes up the ramp (although the common error seems to be trying to put feet down midway up).

Loading would have been an issue if I had been alone, or just with my wife. Having already had an eventful morning there was no way I was going to be willing to ride the bike up the ramp. There were 4 guys in total that loaded bikes into the truck. The unloading of one happened at a dealership with their lift device. The unloading of the other happened with the truck pulled up to the hill in my back yard, and a second walking ramp placed next to the bike rolling ramp.

Personally I would not attempt it on my own. Consider going to a local dealer and offering them a few bucks to use their loading device. Much easier, far less risk.