4x4 Trucks for carrying bikes ?
Many times when attending to calls at our call center @Moto Aid Malaysia; we are often challenged with this question . Why not use a 4x4 truck to do a bike rescue ?
Extra large motorcycles like Victories, Indians , Harley-Davidsons , Honda Goldwings , BMW K16GTLs etc., are lovely machines to cruise around but unfortunately if ever a breakdown occurs or a when towing is needed... you're probably better off using an operator with the experience and proper equipment to get the task done well. Remember that these are very large , heavy and low machines.
Loading them unto 4x4 pickup trucks would be overwhelming. Firstly handling these machines and holding unto it when it reaches the highest point on a ramp would be mindbogglingly difficult. A slight change in angle, it would just tip over. Recovering your grip after it tips beyond the point of no return would not only destroy the bike but would get anyone within the radius of fall, seriously injured. Remember, some of these 2 wheelers cost as much as RM380,000. The value of a customer to us, is priceless.
Secondly, the angle of decent when using a 4x4 truck to carry a bike, may cause the belly of these giants to hit the tailgate section of the 4x4 causing it to halt, loose momentum , destroy the undercarriage section of the bike and yes, the bike falls to the ground or sometimes on the person next to it . Some bikes like the Honda Goldwing has its cooler container right underneath. The Ducati on the other hand has its oil filter at the bottom. At Moto Aid we know of these dangers and that is why we have created special reinforced ramps to be used in all our trailer units that are 7 feet or longer. The length decreases the chances of any part of the bike hitting the surface of the trailer deck hence no damages caused. Even that, our special ramp cannot be used to lift sports tourers like the Honda St13, Yamaha's Fjr13, Kawasaki's Gtr14 and the BMW RTs unto most 4x4 trucks ; not even if it is a lowered, standard 4x4 model.
Can you imagine trying to lift a cruiser ? We do not hire superheroes at Moto Aid unfortunately. Yes , the carriers are registered and insured but it would be a real fun time explaining its damages to any type of bike owner right ?
Malaysia’s current offerings of 4x4 twin cabin trucks are not built with decks that would fully fit the entire length of Supersports like the R6, Zx6 or Superbikes like the S1k, Panigale, RC8, Zx10, Rsv4 or the F4. Not even if you tried slanting these bikes, would the rear end fit in. The tailgates would never be able to be shut. The end section of the truck’s tailgate would have to be lowered down and even then, the rear Tyre sticks out a little. This method, we later found out, is illegal and not encouraged by our local authorities like JPJ and Traffic Police. If on some given day , while ferrying these bikes, a strap fails and the bike finds its way to the road; not only it may be damaged but may also endanger the lives of other road users.
We, at Moto Aid Malaysia have taken the stance to use only legally registered and insured vehicles pulling legally registered and insured specialized motorcycle trailers to do our bike deliveries. All our rescue units on the roads are Puspakom approved and yes even our trailers have Roadtax.
For some bikes like the BMW Gsa , SuperDukes , KTM SuperAdv , Moto Guzzi, Ducati MTS and such may all have side boxes. Regular 4x4 may fit them unfortunately, we do not want to leave such small buffers in between the body of the trucks and the bike, as the paint job , if scratched , may cost more than our monthly salary.
Acknowledging these issues, we at Moto Aid Malaysia prefer to use Specialized motorcycle trailers do get the job done properly. These are created specially to fill all makes of motorcycles excluding the can-am Spyder which have a span of 5 feet between the left and right wheels. For the Can-am, which we choose to use our flatbeded supercarriers . Even the Harley Trike , standard Yamaha Atv’s, can fit unto our trailers .
Thank you for reading and we at Moto Aid Malaysia will always strive to improve our services to serve all bikers , better.
#saferiding #worryfreebiking to all.
