Harb67

Since you need the tailgate extender I highly suggest getting the combo folding ramp that can be an extender as well.

I had no idea that type of thing existed, but it sounds magnificent. I'm learning more things from this thread than the class I was in when I posted it

what is your daily driver car right now?

A 21-speed and my sneakers. My girlfriend has an 07 G6 that I have access to, but I personally am vehicle-less.

The 10k figure is mostly due to my complete ignorance of car pricing. It's really a limit more than anything. Realistically I'd feel comfortable spending 3000-6000, but I wasn't sure if that would be limiting me to beaters and barely-alive work trucks.

agreed....dont get a big 4x4 truck to haul bikes lol...i dont even like loading my quad in my truck, let alone a street bike

best of both world - get a subaru impreza (wrx if thats your thing) or a legacy.... get one 6-8k, get a small motorcycle trailer to haul your bike ...all done under 10k and you will have awd for the winters, and a nice daily ride

I'll look into that as well. I'm not much of car person; I'm buying 4 wheels simply out of necessity and I figured that a pickup would be the most cost-effective solution. I don't know a thing about Subaru aside from that they are in fact not Australian. Are there any generations of Legacy/Impreza's I should look at in particular?

Thanks for the replies so far everyone. I hadn't really considered keeping the tailgate down a viable option [due to absent-mindedness], but I suppose it could be made to work. A tailgate extender would be mandatory though, as there would be a lot more than just the bike in the back if I was heading to a track day.

what is your version of cheap? A price range would significantly help

Sub-10,000$ would be nice, but I have no idea what is reasonable for a used truck. I need something that I can use as a daily driver so it can't be in terrible condition, but I have pretty low requirements past that. Working A/C and heat, as well as some sort of working sound system are about my only requirements. The less I spend on the truck, the sooner I can buy the bike.

Also, I should have probably emphasized that I'd also like about as physically small of a vehicle as possible, while still being able to haul a bike + track gear. Even though I'll be graduating in the spring, I'll still be living just off campus for the forseeable future, and parking around here is tight, especially in the garage where I'll likely be parking. This is the only reason I'm asking about Rangers and other smaller trucks.

Hey everyone, long time no see. It's been several months since I totaled my 650r, and I'm starting to get antsy to get back on two wheels again (despite the wishes of virtually everyone who knows me...but reason and a motorcyclist dont always go together). Unfortunately, I have to find some sort of enclosed 4-wheeled transportation before I can really consider getting another bike.

Can anyone recommended some cheap vehicles to consider that can also transport a bike? The obvious choice is a pickup, but I have no idea what to look for in one. I want to do this as cheaply as possible, so I don't need anything fancy. Would something like a Ranger have a long enough bed to stick a 600cc-1000cc sportbike in, or would I have to go with something bigger like an F-series?

A vehicle/trailer combo is also an option, but I don't have many options for trailer storage so it would have to be a SMALL (and cheap) trailer. I wouldn't mind an Escape or other small SUV if it could be made to suit my purposes.

I'm all ears for ideas. I can't wait to get back on a bike and do many more track days...hence the bike hauling need.

Thanks!

*edit* Holy crap, rep is back. I need to visit here more often...

I don't know if its cab drivers in general or just the ones around Columbus, but they are all terrible drivers. I can't count the number of times I've almost been taken out by one of those assholes doing stupid stuff like unsignaled u-turns in the middle of the road, blasting through a red light while turning right, and of course the classic blind left turn.

You think someone who makes their living would actually be good at driving -_-

Glad you're alright, and CONGRATS on the wedding!

Who is your insurance company?

*edit*

Nm, looks like I missed the party on this one

Hey everyone, I'm back home and more or less in one piece.

First, let me say sorry to RadioFlyer for almost kamikazeeing into him. From what I can remember, my train of thought went something like this: "Hm, this corner is a bit tighter than what I was expecting; no big deal. Oh shit, gravel, that's not good. Oh shit...what is that in the ditch? *BAM*". Between the corner, the gravel, and the unexpected bike and rider in the ditch I just had too much to process and target fixated. I don't know if I hit him or his bike, but I deeply apologize for any damage I may have caused, up to and including causing Ryan to crap his pants in fear.

At first I thought I may have just bruised my back or pulled a few muscles because nothing felt broken, but in the end it was a good thing that the squad came because it turns out I have minor compression fractures in my T8 and T9 vertebrae. Surprisingly enough I'm in very little pain, and I don't have to have any sort of surgery. I've just got a back brace to wear for a few weeks and then I'll be fine according to the doctor. I'm going to try to make it to all my classes tomorrow and then head to work afterwards; no sense in letting this slow me down if it doesn't absolutely have to.

Thanks to everyone for helping me out. Thanks to the folks who were there right when it happened, and thanks to Todd for going way out of his way to drive all the way back to get our bikes back to Columbus. Thanks to everyone who called my family to check on me, and thanks to everyone else who has wished me well. All in all this situation has gone about as well as it could have for me; I'm just happy it didn't turn out as bad as it could have.

Now; about that bike... Totaled, you say Todd? Aw shucks, I guess I'll have to call the insurance company and get a big fat check to put towards something more sensible. Like a Daytona 675....

Hey all, this is Harb67's girlfriend. Harb fell while riding today (I'm not really clear on the details of how he fell or where exactly he fell). He was sent to Mariatta Memorial Hospital and was admitted around 1:30pm. The doc took a look at him and have found that he's broken two vertebrae in his back but he has nothing else wrong with him. He's going to have to wear a back brace for a while and he had to stay the night. He asked me to post for him and say that he's ok. Supposedly someone took his bike home for him... does anyone know how it is/ where it is?

He'll be on tomorrow from the hospital and hopefully he'll be released tomorrow and won't have to stay another night.

me tooooo, except that i walked to the gym, then "ran" (on the elliptical thingy) so the wind didn't bother me.

Hope the weezer show on campus tonight doesn't suck because of the weather!

It'll suck, but not because of the wind

I live off of King. We could meet up by that ghetto Kroger by King Ave, then head up to 71 and jump on 70.

Ah Kroghetto; brings back memories of south campus living. Sounds good, 8:20 you say? See ya there. Look for the beat to shit blue 650r

Me and a friend of mine will be leaving from campus. We can meet up in the A.M. around 8:20 and head out if you want. I'm going to fully gas up closer to the meet spot.

Where will you be leaving from?

I just moved to campus but have no garage! You're lucky. My bike gets to sit away from me all the time so I can feel safe about it.

I did 3 years with this thing parked outside on or just off campus, and I can't be happier that it's indoors. One case of vandalism and one attempted theft have left their mark on the poor thing I plan taking the couches and coffee table out of my living room this winter and taking the whole thing apart and washing each piece in my bathtub and giving it a full overhaul if money permits

I'll be there Havn't done a CSBA ride in a while; always seem to be out of town for them

If this is half the fun as last years long ride it'll be a blast

Yeah, that kind of thing exactly. I'm hoping to find a nice heavy, authentic one as opposed to a thin knock-off, mostly because half of this things purpose will be to protect my wall from stuff like the mirror rubbing against it and my boot dragging along it when getting off the bike.

Thanks for the help everyone, I think I'm on the right track now. Hopefully I'll have one up within a week or so

Wow, I guess there really isn't anything you can't find on Amazon these days Didn't even think of looking there; figured it was a bit too specialized of an item.

Thanks for the link; I'm going to shoot the seller an email and get some details on it.

I moved in to a new place and it came with the best garage that a college kid could want:

My living room!

However, that wall is already getting pretty dirty and I've only been here for a week or so. Plus, it's pretty barren. I'd like to get one of those large garage banners that you see at dealerships and stuff, perhaps a Kawasaki one or something else. Anyone know where these types of things can be bought?

The shit, er, shovelhead is winning again. What method is best for repeated voting? This assclown is clearly cheating, so I don't see why we shouldn't combine the OR army with some of his own medicine

That's terrible I remember watching a video made sometime after he had broken an arm or leg or something and thinking "damn, I'll be seeing him on the MotoGP grid before long". That kid knew more about riding at age 13 than I'll probably ever learn in a lifetime; it sucks to see that sort of future taken from someone.

I've spent the last week in San Diego, and I have to say that it's a beautiful thing seeing every single rider on the road with a helmet on their head.

I've got a hard copy of this book and it has a decent amount of good info in it. I read this back when I only had one or two seasons under my belt and wanted to improve past the basics and it served me pretty well.

Buy my 650r; problem solved

Freaking awesome. I saw a very similar video of a guy on a ZX-14 doing the same thing but even more 'extreme'. Anyone have that link?

Most likely in.

I really need to read these forums more actively...I was sitting around all day today doing nothing. I wish I had known, I woulda been out there for sure! Glad to see you're back on the road man. Shoot me a text if you ever want to go riding; doesn't really matter where.