Life is strange, but we deal with whatever is thrown at us, right? Okay, we were assigned a mission to road test two ramps from Biker’s Choice. The Bikernet team built ramps in the past, modified Easyriders ramps, had ramps stolen, and recently we had an arched aluminum ramp. One of the tailgate tangs snapped off and Dr. Feng welded it back into place with an added gusset.
We helped to sell the Frogman’s stretched FXR by a TV guy to Bob Bitchin of Biker Magazine and Sailing Magazine (now Cruising Outpost) fame. When Bob picked up the bike, he needed a ramp, so off went our repaired arched aluminum ramp forever.
Right now, we have a Kendall trailer, which has its own ramp. These trailers are the shit, but we sorta missed the arched ramp for pickup truck or Bikernet van loading, and we’ve thought about making them an accessory to our new Wheeler Work Stations, due out this year.
Aaron Whitney from Biker’s Choice offered a couple of options and we decided to test one against the other. We took delivery of two aluminum-arched ramps from QuadBoss.
We were immediately impressed with the welds, the new wider tangs and the hinges. For the price, we could tell a considerable level of workmanship and time went into each unit. I reached out to QuadBoss for some basic info. First, I went to their web site, but they didn’t list a single motorcycle ramp, no construction information, and just a list of ATV and UTV ramps, part numbers and prices.
I reached out to the company and this is the response I received:
We offer ATV and UTV ramps only, not single motorcycle ramps. Please take a look at our different selections in the link below.
Thank you,
Cynthia Pierce
QuadBoss Products
877-847-1558
As it turns out Kyle, the official Bikernet electrician needed a hand with his ATK. Seems the air was showing through his rear 15-inch tire and needed replacing. This was an opportunity to load the 250 ATK in the back of the Bikernet van twice using these lightweight, heavy-duty ramps.
I didn’t know exactly what to expect. I’ve been loading and unloading motorcycles for 40 years. I’ve seen and experienced the worst scenarios, from braking ramps, to rolling off ramps, to ramps departing in the middle of loading, to you name it.
“But can you ride a motorcycle up one of these ramps?” Richard Kranzler, the esteemed Bikernet Bagger editor inquired. Good question. I hadn’t considered this option.
First, we tried loading the 250 ATK with the single-rail curved ramp (Cynthia ultimately confessed, they do make motorcycle ramps). This is a major improvement over the traditional ramp. The new wide tangs or tongues worked perfectly to hold the ramp secure, but there was an issue with the ramp and van door latches.
We followed the recommendation and used the straps to hold the ramp in place. That was a major benefit and made the precarious process a helluva lot more secure. We didn’t need to consider the ramp shifting while we muscled the bike in the van while messing with the mirrors for clearance.
Worked like a champ, but with the bike in place, we were forced to check loading the ramp for the trip. It fit in the long 1500 Express Van, but it could have been a problem, although it would not be a problem in a pickup truck.
Then we backed out the little 250 ATK and tried again using the 33-inch wide folding unit called the Folding Wide-Boy, which is 88 inches long. We folded it out, and laid it over the opening lip of the van and it fit like a glove.
Again, we used the straps as requested, but immediately the loading process became easier. The ramp was far more stationary. Actually, anyone could ride a bike up one of these and into the back of the pickup. Kyle was able to walk up the ramp beside the bike and not hang off the side.
In addition, once the bike was loaded, loading the ramp became more convenient, because the 33 by 88 folding ramp folded into a 33 by 44 box and tucked in easily beside the bike. Pickup owners might avoid tearing up bed frames with ramps if they can fold their ramp and store it in the bed, and maybe even out of sight of thieves.
56-3858 $490.99 Wide Boy
56-0054 $129.99 Curve single rail ramp
So, did I forget anything? For the actual run to have Kyle’s rear tire replaced, we used the QuadBoss Wide Boy. Puppy worked like a champ.
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