Tips On Choosing The Right Loading Ramp For Your Bike

Find out how to choose the right loading ramp for your motorcycle or dirtbike and protect your investment.

To safely transport your dirt bike or motorcycle to the track or trail, or to a bike show, you need the right loading ramp. To protect the investment you’ve made in your bike, getting a top quality loading ramp will be money well spent.  

Using the right kind of ramp is important. For example, you need to consider the height from the ground to the bed of the truck, as well as the size and the weight of your bike. The heavier the bike, the more challenging it will be to load and unload it. But you can minimize any risk of damage just by using the right ramp.

Motorcycle loading ramps are made out of metal, quite often aluminum. To get better traction, the ramp may come with a textured surface. Other ramps may have holes drilled out at equal intervals for the same purpose.

Safety straps and rubber padding are other features. You can read more about them in the article "Features of Motorcycle Loading Ramps".

There are two main types of motorcycle loading ramps; non-folding and folding.

With a non folding ramp, you'll find a long straight span. It is often manufactured out of aluminum which is favored in ramp production. The reason is that aluminum is light in weight which makes it easy to handle when you're loading by yourself. 

Generally, an aluminum loading ramp can handle loads of 500 pounds or more. Spans are often perforated for better traction when loading a bike.

The other type of ramp is the folding ramp. Folding ramps can usually be folded into two or even three sections. This makes the ramp easy to set-up or stow away. A folding motorcycle loading ramp will often have a higher weight capacity than a non folding ramp. Because of that, they are ideal to use with larger heavier bikes or even ATVs, especially where extra width may be important.

For these ramps,aluminum is also the preferred material because it is lighter than other metals and because it resists rusting.

Another useful option is a ramp extender. Ramp extenders have two different parts; an inclined ramp along with a bed extender. This really comes in handy when your motorcycle extends beyond the truck bed. Using a ramp extender makes transporting your motorcycle safer too.

Motorcycle loading ramps come in many styles and designs. Choose the right loading ramp by taking a look at available features which can make loading or unloading your motorcycle easier and safer.