[RockyTFS]

No, it's not what you think...

I'm wondering what might be the problems created by putting the T-dub on it's side in the back of the truck for a couple of days travel, other than the obivious ones of having to drain the tank down to a low level and the creative strapping/padding details? Will the oil go somewhere it's not supposed to? Battery is an AGM, so no problems there. My truck has a cap, so even with the front tire removed it will not fit upright. Once inside, it can be raised back up to maybe 30 degrees from horizontal with pads.

 

[operose]

Not sure to be honest, but how about a hitch carrier?

 

[SCARE!]

ive always been told its not a good idea.. oil does get somewhere it shouldn't, i think.. anyone?

 

[Hoogie514]

If you can put it back up to a 25 deg angle you will be ok, the oil will not leak into the combustion chamber or anything like that, the entire base of these motors is "wet". Just don't lay it flat or with the head downward. Drain your carb after you shut off your fuel.

 

[ezman671]

I did it for a short 100 mile trip. No problems. I just removed the gas tank and battery (No AGM at the time). Laid it onto some old cushions and and old soft golf bag.



Consider removing the gas tank. Very easy to do.

 

[ellwoodjake]

I did this one time myself, under a camper cover. I removed the battery, but since I was only going a short distance; I opted to duct-tape over the cap vent. If I was taking the bike cross-country, I would drain the oil as well. I didn't bother with that either, but when I uprighted-it, I let the crankcase settle for a bit and then removed the sparkplug and kicked it over, just to be safe.

 

[RockyTFS]

I did it for a short 100 mile trip. No problems. I just removed the gas tank and battery (No AGM at the time). Laid it onto some old cushions and and old soft golf bag.



Consider removing the gas tank. Very easy to do.

Yeah, you're right, it's probably easier to remove the tank than to drain it! Thanks

 

[RockyTFS]

If you can put it back up to a 25 deg angle you will be ok, the oil will not leak into the combustion chamber or anything like that, the entire base of these motors is "wet". Just don't lay it flat or with the head downward. Drain your carb after you shut off your fuel.

I was sort of hoping that 25-30 degrees was the magic number between oil in the chamber and no oil in the chamber. I have a hitch carrier that I use all the time, but on a trip in the winter the idea of protecting the bike from salt spray, sand and what not on a 1500 mile drive to and from Arizona has it's attractions. The other problem is how to lift the bike up into the bed with a cap on.

Thanks

 

[Hoogie514]

The only way that laying your bike down will cause problems as far as oil movement is concerned is if it is able to leak through your valve seals or by your piston rings and accumulate in your combustion chamber. The danger here is that if you have a high level of oil in your combustion chamber you could damage your bike on startup because the oil will not compress like air will and can cause rod/crank or valve problems during a compression stroke. I have not had this problem with my TW but I had a carb leak on another bike and it filled the cylinder with gas overnight, I went to start it and bent the crank, all from a sticking needle valve in the carb.

 

[qwerty]

Turn the gas off and run the carb dry. Draining the carb is messy. Remove the seat and tank. Drain the oil. Loosen the handlebars and fold them backwards so they are lower. Load the bike and roll. When you arrive, reassemble, add oil, and go. Prepping the bike for the road will only take 5 minutes.

 

[RockyTFS]

Turn the gas off and run the carb dry. Draining the carb is messy. Remove the seat and tank. Drain the oil. Loosen the handlebars and fold them backwards so they are lower. Load the bike and roll. When you arrive, reassemble, add oil, and go. Prepping the bike for the road will only take 5 minutes.

Thanks Querty,



I hoped you'd chime in. Draining most of the oil really isn't that hard, but I hadn't thought of merely loosening the bars, I'd figured on taking them all the way off. Siphoning most of the gas then running the carb bowl dry would be the cleanest way for sure. I'm still not sure I'm going to go this way, but it might be that I could then get the bike upright under the cap with the front wheel off and the bars rotated. Then all I would need to do is fabricate a front fork holder. Lots more room in the bed that way, too. (Ah, I forgot the Jimbo shield! Better get that off too)



The only way to really figure this out is by trial and error....I just finished making a roller shelf for the Tundra because I was getting fed up with having to crawl up into the bed for stuff that had been shoved all the way forward, and I'm too cheap to spend $800 or more on a commercial roller bed. I cut a 76X48 piece of 3/4 CDX, put eight rigid 2" casters in a double X pattern and some 1" aluminum angle on it and a few ring bolts, and voila! I have a roller bed.

The big difference is you better not let it get too far out of the bed!!!!!

I added some rope ties so that it can't get more than 1/2 way out of the bed and is still supported by the second center roller and the two rear ones. Total cost about $90.



Now let's see, I pull it all the way out except the last two rollers, put the end on the ground, attach a pulley hoist to the bike and a joist in the barn, haul it part way up the shelf, raise the shelf to horizontal, and start ooching it back into the truck while loosening the hoist until it's not going to fall back out....maybe I'll just stick with the trailer

Oh, did I mention that I have to be able to do this all solo? No help at either end of the trip.

 

[n2o2diver]

Wouldn't it just be easier to remove the cap than go through all that?

 

[longroof]

Removed the forks, front wheel (wheel still attached to the forks), fuel tank, saddle bags, and battery and loaded it in the back of a 1988 Chevy Celebrity station wagon, Hauled it to Texas from Tennessee. Re-assembled it in an hour at Lubbock and rode it down to Houston; over to Natchez Mississippi; up the Natchez Trace to Nashville, Tennessee and on to Crossville. No problem. Wasn't laying flat but nearly so.

 

[sandsquirt]

Not trying to hi-jack, but I want to see this homemade bed roller.

 

[PalmStateCrawler]

Wouldn't it just be easier to remove the cap than go through all that?

+1

 

[qwerty]

The purpose of loading the bike under the cap is to protect it and other cargo from road salt/dirt. Most people attach caps with nuts and bolts so r&R is a bit of a pain. Dealing with weatherstripping is also a pain.

 

[RockyTFS]

The purpose of loading the bike under the cap is to protect it and other cargo from road salt/dirt. Most people attach caps with nuts and bolts so r&R is a bit of a pain. Dealing with weatherstripping is also a pain.

That's the crux of the problem!!!