Good evening, this is my 1st post. I have been lurking for some time and finally registered. My life is going to change and my excuse to get a bike is to be able to take my truck to the shop some 30 miles and ride the bike home. Most carriers I see have about a 600 lb limit and my truck can handle that on it's hitch. I am thinking of getting a 1200 but have any of you tried to carry one on the back of your truck. I could get a smaller bike but at my age this will be my 1st in a long time and my last so why not go with something I can enjoy.
Any and all input is appreciated.

 

Motorcycle carrier will not work with a Sportster, at most even with a 3/4 ton truck with heavy duty suspension a 400 lb motorcycle is the max. Oh and as this is your first post welcome to the forum, read the rules and hopefully you are not trolling. Best Regards.

 

With a carried you will need a hitch extension. Once you put an extension on your load must be reduces by 50% of what it was rated at. There are power ramps than can get one in and out of the bed alone but they are not cheap. Small trailer may fit you needs better and be budget friendly.
Welcome and good luck.

 

This doesn't particularly make much sense to me.

If the shop is 30 miles away and you want to get there to ride your bike home why not get a lift there some how?

 

30 miles? Who's gonna believe that excuse? Your wife? She'll tell you to call Uber or Lyft and save your money.

John

 

Thanks for the replies. I did not explain myself very well. I am fortunate to live in the mountains away from many people and without neighbors. The 'excuse' to get a bike is that when one of the trucks needs to have work done that I can not do, it has to go to a shop and they are all some distance away. I thought I could put a carrier on the back of the truck. put the bike on it, ride the bike home and use it to go back when the truck is ready.
My farm has access to the Blue Ridge Parkway which is a wonderful place to ride so that adds weight to getting something larger than a small metric bike.
I see on 'discountramps.com' motorcycle carriers that should hold up to 600# so I thought I could put a real motorcycle on the ramp and use it to get back and forth. It is also a good excuse to get back into riding.
My hope is the more experienced riders here may have practical knowledge on the feasibility of carrying a medium size bike on a carrier.

 

Sportster is not a medium size bike with regard to weight.

That said, I have these that I use with my Ford F250 truck and they work well. You do need to tie the motorcycle down correctly and with a Sportster you will not be able to close the tailgate. https://www.discountramps.com/black-...p/p/BW-40-AMR/


I have practical knowledge with a hitch mounted carrier and a Sportster will not work on it. I have used a hitch mounted carrier with a 300# bike, but with more than that you will have loading issues with your suspension. The carrier may hold 600# but you need to look at your hitch weight restrictions and consider the weight is not over where the hitch ball is normally. You will get a lever action as stated above because the weight is extended rearward about 3 feet.

Good luck.

 

Sounds like a dual sport Suzuki or Honda would be best for what you say you need. Look at a DRZ400 or XR400. Light enough to put on a carrier, and plenty of power for highway riding. Plus, you live in the hills? Forest Service roads? Farm roads? Perfect for a dual sport bike.

Of course, I'm just a novice rider with only 46 years of motorcycle ownership, so don't consider my advice.

John

 

If you must get a Sporty, and why wouldn't you, they have single motorcycle trailers if that appeals to you. Or you could buy a suitable trailer to also haul your Deere around too. USA Trailer makes a single bike trailer like

 

I don't see why one of these wouldn't work, IF your trucks hitch is rated for it.

A Class III 2" receiver hitch should be rated at 6,000 lb trailer with a 600 lb tongue weight. A fully fueled Sportster should be about 580 lbs. That carrier with the ramp is 100 lbs which means you would be over the rating of a Class III Hitch with a Sportster on that carrier.

Although most trucks these days have a Class IV hitch rated for 10,000 lbs and 1,000 lbs tongue weight.

Although it you have pickup trucks it would be cheaper to get a set of ramps and put the sportster in the bed of the truck. My son has a Dodge 1500 and a 1200 Sportster, uses a $89 set of ramps from Harbor Freight and brings his bike when he comes to visit. It is very easy to load a sportster in the bed of the truck, especially if he backs up to a curb.

https://www.discountramps.com/hd-mot.../p/VH-SPORTMC/