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Motorcycle Ramp for the Ridgeline

24K views 25 replies 20 participants last post by  EA6BMECH 
#1 ·
I bought my Ridgeline with the idea of carrying a motorcycle in the back. After some careful measuring I verified that the bed was long enough with the tailgate down. I then researched the available ramps and chose the Black Widow three-piece folding aluminum ramp. You can get the details on this ramp at:

http://www.motorcycleramps.com/black_widow.htm

I've included a few pictures of the ramp and my BMW R90S loaded on the Ridgeline. This three-piece ramp folds to about 48.5 inches so it will fit in the back seat area with the seats up. I choose to strap it down in the truck bed when the bike is not loaded. The ramp has a capacity of 1500 pounds so it is more than adequate for the job. The two smaller side ramps provide room to walk alongside the bike on either side when loading/unloading.

The first picture is of the ramp with the bike loaded.

The second picture shows the details of the ramp attachment to the tailgate.

The third picture shows me attaching the tie down from the ramps to the the hitch attachment points. Anchoring the ramp to the truck is very important so the ramp doesn't slip out of place during loading (don't ask how I know...)

Hope this post is useful for those of you considering use of the Ridgeline to carry your motorcycle. I have the Honda front wheel brace installed but it will only work for dirtbike and vintage bike wheel sizes. I have a sport bike and the front wheel/tire is too big for the Honda brace.
 

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#4 ·
Thank you for the information on this wonderful ramp. While I would love to own the Black Widow, I opted for a single galvanized ramp for the time being until I can scrape some funds together for a better one.

One word of safety though, please people, if you do decide to carry your ramps in the back with the seats folded up, please strap the ramp down for safety reasons. If you're not too concerned, just imagine where that ramp will end up in a collision or roll-over.

The best part is, there seems to be three strapping points under the seats to attach your ramp to, one on each side and one in the middle. I just take a tiedown and strap her in with the hooks passing through the ramp and connecting to the end hooks. Be sure to take this advice as it could save your life one day.

Cheers,
 
#6 ·
BillB:

I've stood on the ramp while my bike was loaded - so my weight (200#) and around half the weight of the bike (~225#) exceeds the 300# limit for the tailgate - Good news is that I didn't have anything break and the tailgate held up very well. Honda probably designed it with a very large margin. How much does your quad weigh? My R90S weighs about 450#s.
 
#7 ·
Great ramp choice. I have the same Black Widow ramp. I just can't trust the thin rails most people use. The *only* reason I bought my Ridgeline was to haul my bikes. I generally do not drive the Ridgeline unless I am hauling bikes to the track or to have my bikes serviced, so having a great functional ramp is a must.

So far, I've had two 600 CBRs, a BMW R1100S, and two Aprilia RSV Factories up on the bed.

I don't use the wheel guide, and I have not had any problems. I prefer just having one bike up there, but having two up there is no problem either.




 
#8 ·
beemr said:
BillB:
I've stood on the ramp while my bike was loaded - so my weight (200#) and around half the weight of the bike (~225#) exceeds the 300# limit for the tailgate - Good news is that I didn't have anything break and the tailgate held up very well. Honda probably designed it with a very large margin. How much does your quad weigh? My R90S weighs about 450#s.
Note that the 300 pound limit is a dynamic limit. That means weight it'll support while the trunk is being driven. Stationary limits will naturally be higher.
 
#9 ·
This board is freeeekin' fantastic! You guys asnwered every question w/o me making a post. I wanted to find out if I could ride my Buell Ulysses into the bed, & it certainly appears to be yes. (Wheelbase 55", wet wt 475 lbs...)

I can't believe I didn't find out how awesome the RL is till 2 days ago! The driving experience was very pleasant. Great handling, tons of rooms, comfortable ride, quiet...what's not to like?

The problem was that I need a lot of leg room & must be able to almost straighten my left leg to keep the kinks out of it. I sat in the RL a long time ago & dismissed it because of the little left leg "dead pedal", which is right where I wanted to put my left foot. Then 2 days ago someone showed me pics from the Honda parts fiche, which appear to show that the pedal can be completely removed, & the only necessary mod may be cutting one female threaded fastener that secures the mounting screw. Another thing is I didn't like the original grill, but the '07 RTX grill looks super.

Hurray for me! Anyone want an '04 Tahoe?
Jimbo

PS Beemr your R90S is extremely sweet!
 
#10 ·
It looks nice but holy crud is it expensive! I think I'm going to get a pair of ramps from www.rampkit.com. They're the cheapest I've found and they seem to be well made ramps. They won't allow for the ride-on ease that this Black Widow does, but that's a nicety that you certainly have to pay for!
 
#12 ·
Re: ATV/Motorcycle Ramp for the Ridgeline

Anyone haul an ATV in the back of their Ridge other than the Honda model. We have a Bombardier two seater which looks like it will fit, but the question appers to be one of weight on the tailgate.....
 
#14 ·
Cord said:
Take a look at www.ReadyRamp.com. The Compact unit fits on the Ridgeline as a bed extender, and then opens to be a ramp with a 600lb or 1000lb load rating. As big bikes won't fit in the Ridgeline, the 600lb unit ($249.95) is perfect. :)

Thanks, Cord, for pointing out the Ready Ramp. I've been looking at several types/brands and just haven't been able to really settle on one for sure. ...but I think you may have just sold me on the idea of this one especially since it doubles as a bed extender as well! I'll have to take a good, hard look at. The 600 lbs. rated one would be just perfect for my XR650R.
 
#15 ·
Re: ATV/Motorcycle Ramp for the Ridgeline

jwizard said:
Anyone haul an ATV in the back of their Ridge other than the Honda model. We have a Bombardier two seater which looks like it will fit, but the question appers to be one of weight on the tailgate.....
Yeah; we've hauled our Suzuki KingQuad 700s (one at a time) without any problems.
 
#20 ·
I just bought a lawn trailer for my KZ550. Can't imagine physically pushing my ride up that ramp unassisted. Glad it works for you!
 
#25 ·
Lowes has ramps.
I paid $140 for two 8' folding ramps.
They fit nicely in the back with the seats folded, to 4'. Protect against sharp edges both inside the truck and when loading. I would suggest a towel to protect the plastic when loading.

The ramps are a bit flimsy. But they held me, 190#s on one ramp and the bikes 325#s on the other.
 
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