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Transporting K1600 GTL in a Penske Truck

6K views 56 replies 26 participants last post by  CanyonCarver 
#1 ·
Hi everyone,

With the following setup, I'm transporting my K1600 GTL about 650 Miles in a Penske truck. I'm just trying to get a bit of a sanity check and maybe learn something from your experience.

Setup:
K1600 GTL almost empty tank
Trackside roll-on wheel chock bolted to a one-inch thick piece of plywood for extra stability
Four Trackside loop tie-downs
Two of the Trackside tie-downs will go from the front to the wheel chock
The other two will go to the railings of the truck

To get it in and out of the truck, I'm using the ramp, but just in case, I reinforced it with a 2x4 pedestal that I managed to tie-down with underneath for extra support.

The ramp is wide enough for the bike but a bit uncomfortable to keep my feet down, especially on the way down. The solution I bought was two Home Depot 6x10 by 10" long posts that I tied down to the bed of the truck. That will allow me to keep my feet down and supported. Equally, I added a 2x4 support for extra stability and reinforcement.

Why not ship it, you might ask? Well, you deserve full transparency.
  1. The cost of shipping and the above right is a wash
  2. I'm moving, so I need to put other minor things in the truck
  3. All shipping companies I called would give me a window that would leave me without my bike for almost a month
  4. I'm moving near the Blue Ridge mountains, and I can't live without my bike for that long
Thanks for the sanity check and any suggestions.
 
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Discussion starter · #21 ·
There are instructions in the owners manual as to how to tie down and secure the K. I would never use the handle bars, even if someone else had successfully done so. I would recommend against it even if it had been done previously without damage.

If I had to use a truck like described, a rental, and therefore could not attach the chock to the bed, I might try a sheet of 3/4” plywood cut in half and doubled up in two 4x4 layers, screwed together with some 1.25” wood or sheetrock screws. I would slide this to the front of the box so it would not slide forward. I would attach the chick to this. I would fasten some through-bolt eyelets so I could fasten the front suspension as directed in the owner’s manual. As also shown in the manual, IIRC, straps from the passenger peg mounts to the panel via wall rails, when directed slightly forward, would keep the bike and chock from sliding rearward. If you wanted to fasten a couple 2X4s from the plywood to each side panel to keep the chock from shifting left to right that would be a good idea as well. I would go to all this bit of trouble to keep from fastening straps to the handlebars.

When the front wheel is on the ramp and the rear wheel is on the ground your feet will not be able to touch. It is during this transitional moment that you do not want to stop momentum forward or back.

Beat wishes for a successful transport.
Thanks James, very helpful tips.

Indeed, I'm bolting the chock to the plywood and using the manual as reference for tie-downs.
 
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