How To Unload A Motorcycle From A Truck Without A Ramp

Unloading a motorcycle without a ramp might seem like a viable idea, but if done wrong it can easily turn into an ER visit or a trending YouTube fail. Use caution, and be safe.

How To Unload A Motorcycle From A Truck Without A Ramp

To unload a motorcycle from a truck without a ramp, the motorcycle owner must find a substitute for a ramp. Loading docks or dirt mounds at the same height as the truck bed are possible alternatives. Unloading a motorcycle without any kind of ramp risks physical harm or expensive damage.

The internet and experienced motorcyclists agree that unloading without a ramp requires extra caution and safety. For more information on how to accomplish this, keep reading below!

How Do You Unload a Motorcycle Without a Ramp?

You cannot safely unload a motorcycle without something to carry part of the weight, but there are some alternatives to using ramps. 

Their availability depends on where you live and who you’ll have to help you.

Dirt Mounds and Ditches

Dirt mounds and ditches are a way to make a makeshift ramp when a real one isn’t available. If your truck can get into and out of ditches easily, you can back your tailgate up against one and drive your bike into the truck bed or out of the truck bed. 

If you have a decent dirt mound, you can back up against it and use it as a ramp.

Either way, you’ll want to be cautious of soft or loose dirt. Trusting the wrong dirt mound can end with you spraining an ankle, knocking your bike over, or having to dig the bike out of manure.

If this works well, it is a great solution that can be used again and again! If this isn’t something you’re sure you can handle, it would be best to keep looking around before risking anything.

Hills

This is the only option on the list that might be even better than using a ramp. If you get just the right angle and height of hill, you can back your truck up against it and use it as a kind of reverse-ramp to ease your motorcycle down.

Since it is much easier to wheel your motorcycle down than up, you’ll be more in control and less stressed than you would be pushing the bike up.

Be aware that the hill may have a strange angle, and when loading your bike, it can still get a little stuck before making it into the truck bed. 

Steer carefully, and be aware of how steep the hill is. You want to stay safe while loading your bike, even if the painless approach of a hill takes away some of the immediate risks to your back!

Loading Docks

Loading docks are what trucks use to get products into stores safely. If you have a closed or abandoned grocery store in your area, there’s a good chance they have a ramp you could use!

This is a great option because a loading dock is a solid, permanent ramp. 

You can be sure it won’t slide away or cause any problems while you’re loading or unloading your bike.

Using Lots of Friends is Not a Good Idea

Using manpower to unload a motorcycle from a truck is not a good plan, and it has been included in this list so you can see why. 

Your friends will not like this plan, your motorcycle will not like this plan, and it does not have a lot of potential positive outcomes.

You would need at least six strong friends just to manage the weight of a motorcycle, and even then it might be too heavy and awkward to hold by the handlebars.

Do you want to risk somebody throwing out their back, getting a hernia, or dropping your bike? Probably not.

It would be better to use that brain and muscle power to create a new solution, like digging a good dirt hill or borrowing somebody else’s ramp. If you’re lucky, one of your friends might even have a nice sloped driveway or hill you could use!

Do Not Ride It Out

Motorcyclists agree that riding your motorcycle out of the truck bed is a great way to end up on America’s Funniest Home Videos or Fail Blog. Please do not try to ride your motorcycle out of the back of your truck. 

Unless you are a stuntman with a full crew, this will not go well.

How Do You Unload a Motorcycle in a Truck by Yourself?

Unloading a motorcycle by yourself is not often advised, as it is always safer to have a second pair of hands when moving heavy machinery, but it is possible.

The most important thing when unloading a motorcycle by yourself is finding an option that allows you to roll the bike smoothly instead of lifting anything. 

You should not try to lift it by yourself.

You can use some of the tips offered above, like unloading on a loading dock or a good hill. Even better, you can get a solid ramp with a gentle slope that will allow you maximum confidence in unloading your motorcycle!

Remember to use extra caution, both because you value your bike and you value your own safety. Remember, you might not have a friend around to call 911 if you’re unloading alone.

How Do You Unload a Dirt Bike Without a Ramp?

A dirt bike is a little lighter than a motorcycle, which does make things easier, but that shouldn’t lead to a lapse in caution or safety. 

Use the same concepts as the motorcycle to unload the bike, or risk getting made fun of in dirtbike forums.

Some ways to safely load/unload a dirt bike without a ramp include:

• Rolling the bike down a hill into the truck bed
• Using a ditch as a ramp
• Using a dirt mound as a ramp
• Using a loading/unloading dock at a closed or empty store
• Using a steep driveway as a loading ramp

Do not try to ride the bike out the back of the truck! It is too risky for you and the bike, even if you’re adventurous or experienced. Get help to unload it or think of local solutions.

How Do I Get My Bike Off My Truck?

The easiest and safest way to get any kind of motorbike off a truck is with a ramp. They come in a wide range of prices, different sizes, and different angles, and many of your biking friends might already own one. 

They can show you how to install and use it safely.

In absence of a ramp for your truck, continue to be safe and smart. Your best options will be using a makeshift ramp on the property, usually in the form of a stable ditch or dirt mound.

You can back your truck up against the dirt so it makes a level surface for you to roll your bike across.