How Do You Load 3 Dirt Bikes In A Truck?

For most motocross riders, transporting the bike to and from the track can become somewhat of a challenge, and taking two or three bikes really starts to pose some logistical challenges. Trailers are an option, but they can be quite expensive, so is there any way that you can just use the truck you have to get three dirt bikes to the track?

The best way to load and secure 3 dirt bikes in a truck is to use 3 Lock N Load Pro MX transport systems. The ability to load 3 bikes in a truck will still depend on the size of your truck, the size of the bikes, and the equipment you have to secure the bikes in place. The old-school method is to use multiple tie-down straps which put unnecessary pressure on the fork seals.

When you ask this question, most people will say that it depends on how small your bikes are and how big your truck is. While this does have some truth to it, there is nothing like a little ingenuity to make a plan and get the job done. We have put together some ways that you can get 3 dirt bikes to the track with nothing but your truck and a few pieces of innovative gear!

So, Can You Load 3 Dirt Bikes In A Truck?

Most people who are involved in motocross will drive a truck for the sole purpose of it being the most convenient form of transporting themselves and their bikes to the track. While most of these trucks can easily fit one and maybe two dirt bikes on the load bed, is it possible to fit 3 bikes on the back and do it safely? 

There are methods that you can use to jam the bikes on the back, but most of these rough and ready methods will damage your bikes, or your truck, or both and would not be safe for other road users and may result in you being pulled over by the local highway patrol.

The Size Of Your Truck

The first place you need to start when you consider the 3-bike load is the size of your truck. If you drive a small utility truck, the dimensions of the load bed may make it physically impossible to fit 3 dirt bikes in the space.

This is nothing more than straight physics, and the most you could probably fit on this size truck is 2 dirt bikes. On these smaller to mid-size trucks, the bikes will often need to be loaded with the front wheel in either corner at the front of the cab. This orientation of the two bikes will leave little or no room to load a third bike.

If you want to fit 3 dirt bikes on your truck, you need to have at least a full-sized truck to start with that has the right physical dimensions. On a full-size pickup and using the right securing gear, you can fit 3 dirt bikes in your truck and head off to the track!

The Size Of Your Bikes

The size of your dirt bikes will certainly play a role in how easily they fit on the back of your truck. Obviously, if all three bikes you are loading are 500cc machines, it is going to be a bit of a tight squeeze compared to three little 50cc machines.

Your Dirt Bike Securing Method

Other than the size of your truck, the main limiting factor for the number of dirt bikes that you can transport in your truck will be the method that you use to secure the bikes. Some methods of securing the bikes will make more efficient use of the space in the back of your truck than others.

The Tie-Down Method

If you are using the tie-down method, it is generally easy to get the two bikes on the outside secured, but it is more of a challenge to get the middle bike secured in the same way.

Most trucks have securing points on the sides of the truck, and very few come standard with securing points in the middle against the cab of the vehicle or floor anchor points.

Of course, it is always an option to have securing points fitted to your truck if you are going to regularly transport 3 dirt bikes to and from the track. This solution requires an additional expense to your truck, and if you ever sell your truck, the fittings go with it.

While the tie-down method can work and is a feasible option, it is often difficult to climb around on the back of the truck and over the bikes to secure the tie-downs. This method adds extra time to the loading and offloading of the bikes. 

Often, the method of using tie-downs is to strap them tight enough to putdownward pressure on the front shocks to secure the bike in place. This may be undesirable since it could put unnecessary wear and pressure on these components and result in compromising the seals on rough roads. 

The Bike Stand Tie Down Combination 

Some bike stand tie down combinations can take up a large amount of room in a hauling vehicle and tend to look more like a bicycle rack you would see in front of a library (not the kind of stand the bike sits on). This system might get the bikes there safely, but now your trailer or truck bed has a semi-permanent rack fixture taking up all of the utility space. I say semi-permanent because who really wants to dismantle one of those every time?

Lock-N-Load PRO

Because we at Risk Racing have motocross in our blood, we know the pain that motocross riders go through to get their bikes to and from the track.

We decided that this particular moto transport problem needed an innovative moto transport system as a solution. We put our heads together to make a better solution and developed our Lock-N-Load PRO moto transport system, which will provide motocross riders with the quickest, safest, and most secure transport system for bikes on the back of a truck.

This solution is easy to use and makes loading the bikes quick and simple, and because of the adjustability of the system, it takes up very little room on the truck.

Of all the systems mentioned, as long as your truck has the space, this will be the best transport system to secure 3 bikes in the truck bed.

Our Lock-N-Load PRO system is fully adjustable to cater to the width and height of your bike. The base plates are secured to the bottom of the truck bed to provide a stable platform to which the two removable vertical struts are secured. This means that when you are not transporting bikes, you can easily slide the vertical struts out, and the only part left is the low-profile baseplate.

The vertical securing struts can be adjusted on the slots of the base plate to cater to the width of the bike. Adjustable height hooks clip over the footpegs of the bike and are clamped down with a single lever.

This mechanism does not put pressure on the forks or fork seals and leaves the maximum space available to be able to fit in the third bike. Our innovative system completely eliminates the need for tie-down straps, floor anchors, and wheel chocks. 

Conclusion

While loading the bikes on and off the truck is a necessary part of the chores required to enjoy what we enjoy doing, we figured there had to be a better way to keep them secure.

While traditional methods work and there is still a place for them, our mission with providing the Lock-N-Load method is to take the “chore” factor out of getting your motocross bikes to and from the track.

Now you can transport your bikes with less fuss, better protection for your bikes and your truck, and even fit 3 bikes in the back of your truck much more easily.