Safest Way for One Person to Load A Dirt Bike

By Mark “Obie” Olberding | Submitted On March 5, 2018

Loading your dirt bike safely is one of the key element to assuring no additional wear and tear or even damage may be discovered the next time you take your dirt bike out on the trails for a ride.

Typically and most often, we see people hauling their dirt bikes in a lifted truck. Remember, the higher the truck bed is, the more strength it takes to load your dirt bike on the truck bed. Therefore, if you are going to haul your dirt bike on pick-up truck bed, this author suggests using a truck with a lower truck bed or better, using a trailer to make loading as easy and safe as possible.

If you have a regular or short bed truck and can’t shut the tailgate door due to the size of your dirt bike, try to shut the tail gate half way, if possible, and tie down tight. Just make sure you have two tie downs tight on the handlebars. Always best to add two additional tie downs to play it safe to the frame, rear wheel or even the pegs of the bike.

Loading a dirt bike especially when you are riding solo can sometimes be a challenge.

The best way to begin to load your dirt bike when not using a trailer is to purchase dirt bike ramps and place these ramps on the tailgate of your pick-up truck. To reduce any damage to your dirt bike and to your back, push the dirt bike within the handlebars with a running start up the ramp and push it up. With enough momentum, this method of loading your dirt bike safely especially when you are alone is easier than you may think.

There is another way to load your dirt bike with less strength needed when loading the bike solo. I typically use my bike stand to stand on, which gives me more stability when loading the dirt bike. This author suggests you practice this method safely before finding yourself alone on the bike trails. You can try to startup your dirt bike and place it in first gear. Yes, you still need some strength and momentum however, if you perform this load method correctly, the dirt bike should be doing most of the work for you. Just remember to slip the clutch ad give it some gas to get up the bike ramp.