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NC700 into a Chrysler / Dodge mini van

steve59

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Hi guys……thinking of buying a NC700 but, the bike is located 400 miles from home!
Would ride bike home but getting to the seller is the problem!
Rental vans for a day plus mileage adds up in cost
Car has no hitch to rent trailer
Does anybody happen to know if the front wheel was removed, could the bike fit into a rented Chrysler / Dodge mini van
…….any other ideas to pick up the bike by myself……thanks Steve
 
There are companies that transport motorcycles, so that's an idea. Also, car rental companies rent pickups and full size vans, and don't usually charge mileage. A couple years ago I rented a F-150 from Enterprise with unlimited mileage.
 
ditto on pickup rental. I have a small hitch for a little car i own(bug). I bought one of those harbor freight cycle wheel chalks, (the kind that flips up and holds the front wheel). I then welded/bolted it to a receiver so i can use it anytime i need to haul or rescue a bike. I travelled 4 hours over into Oregon once to pick up a custom bobber that i had bought. I was cool to pull up to the guys place in a bug and see his reaction! I pulled the hitch out of the back of the bug and pinned the receiver to the hitch, he helped me wheel the bike up onto the hitch and strap the front wheel and bike down to the hitch/bug. I pulled the master link and remove dteh chain for the 4 hour drive home and drove off! It amazed me to see the amount of people that passed me on the interstate that all slowed down to see it and take pictures! haha.

I still have it and can dig it out and take a couple of pictures of it if you'd like to see the set up... :{)
 
If you unbolted the handlebars I think you could stuff it in the back of the minivan. It would not be vertical though. Bring boxes or cushions for support to lean it over. I think renting a pickup truck would be easier.

If you have the van and want to save some money, then I might try it. Lay down some cardboard to catch any leaks and also protect the plastic interior on the sides of the van.

JT
 
I put a DR200 in the back of a Town and County on several occasions. You wont be able to load it through the rear hatch. The opening is much smaller than it looks. You'll have to enter and exit through the sliding door. Even with the DR, I had to loosen the handle bar and tilt the bars down. I kept the front wheel on though.

Those vans are amazingly versatile, but I doubt it can handle this application.
 
If you remove the front wheel, how would you lift 400+lbs into the minivan?....you can rent an open trailer and if your minivan has a real rear bumper, they have adapters with a hitch which hook onto the bumper so you can pull the open trailer.
 
A pick-up, ramp, and straps would definitely be the easiest option, it seems. I wouldn't want to risk getting there with an enclosed van and it not working out.
 
Last time I bought a bike that far from home I rented the pick-up and open bike trailer from U-haul with unlimited mileage - got there and back in the same day. Cost was very reasonable for the one day rental. Worth it when you factor it in on the price of the bike..
 
I can put a Ruckus scooter in a Dodge minivan straight up. I can put a Kawasaki KLX140L in if I lean in over to get it through the rear opening, which as was mentioned before, the opening is much smaller than it looks. Those machines were small, and weighed 170 and 210 pounds, respectively. There is no way I would try to load the almost 500 pound NC. Whether the NC will fit through the opening without the handle bars, I don’t know, but that would probably be the least of your problems.

The van handling the weight is no problem. I’ve put 1500 pounds of concrete blocks or bagged concrete mix in one before. The problem is the size of the hatch.
 
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Thanks for the replies guys……I know that the idea may seem silly but I had to ask…..
My thoughts on the pickup, was having to unload the bike, and that the van’s floor would be much lower……I agree that the rear opening is much
smaller than it looks!
I will look into renting the pickup and bike trailer / adapters with a hitch as mentioned!

Would also like to mention that this being my first post, you guys giving good advice and views and not flaming me shows this is the right forum to be on.....Thanks Steve
 
Welcome to the Ride Steve, we have a "Be Nice" policy here and for the most part it is self regulated..

Anyway, a hearty welcome from north IDAHO!!! :{)

and just for kicks i'll dig that "hitch hauler(as i call it)" out tomorrow, grab a couple of pictures of it and post them for everyone to see. At least ya'll will get a good laugh, but hey, it has worked several times without failure and for several hundred miles round-trip once! :{P
 
So here is my home made "Hitch Hauler"... no laughing, i simply threw it together and hit the road to grab a custom Bobber that i had bought and had to go and retrieve it by my onesie!! IMHO, it turned out out pretty stout and has worked like a charm for several recoveries i and others have had to make. Although it is not necessary, i always pop the master link and drop the chain for longer distance hauls. :{)

A list of materials if memory serves:

Motorcycle Wheel Chock
one 1.25" receiver hitch, "J" shape(had on hand). You can use a 2" receiver hitch f that is what your tow vehicle requires.
one Angle bar= 3'L x 1.5"(bolted to chock).
two Eye Bolts= 1" x 3/8" with washers(at ends of angle to hold straps).
two bolts(grade 5)= 1" x 3/8" with washers(used to hold angle to wheel chock).
one bolts(grade 8, had on hand)= 3/4" x 3" with washers(bolted chock to hitch).
one 1/4" x 1" bar, cut to length, bolted on one end and welded on the other.

Receiver hitch motorcycle carrier.jpg


Receiver hitch motorcycle carrier2.jpg


Receiver hitch motorcycle carrier3.jpg


Receiver hitch motorcycle carrier4.jpg

When i measured the wheel chock for placement onto the receiver hitch, i simply installed the 1.25" hitch into my Beetle's(yes i own a 00' TDI beetle) 1.25" receiver, then placed the wheel chock on top of the hitch and moved it around until i found a location that was as close to the vehicle as i could safely get it without it or the motorcycle wheels touching the car. I then marked that spot and drilled out the 3/4" hole for the single large attaching bolt.

Once it was bolted in place onto the hitch, i slid it back into the receiver on the car and marker a location for the 3' angle bar. Removed it and bolted it into place, added the two eye bolts as well and then reinstalled it on the car checking clearances. With everything in place, i noticed that there would be a tremendous amount of pressure on the rear of the chock while loading/unloading the bikes so that's when i noticed the need for more strengthening in that area and added the 1/4" x 1" strap.

The completed unit has served me and several others that i have loaned it to. If you decide to make one for your self... ENJOY!! :{)
 
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