Transporting a bike yourself

[m1tch]

Hi all,

I am going to be doing my CBT in the new year in the spring and will be looking into getting a basic bike a bit beforehand so that I can check it over, do any work on it etc before the CBT.

I will be looking at getting a commuter style bike, looking at a CB/CG125 or non chinese equivalent (eg not a sports style or cruiser style bike).

I have the use of a people carrier (Xsara picasso) and removing all of the rear seats (they are easy to remove) the car turns into a small van with a large amount of space in the back.

I am just wondering if anyone has transported a bike inside a large car rather than getting a trailer or getting it transported. As I probably wouldn't have a CBT at that point I wouldn't be able to ride it back, neither would I have the confidence to ride a bike back from wherever I bought it from without giving it a good check over.

What does everyone think I should do?:

1. Transport the car inside the people carrier
2. Buy a bike trailer (I do have a small normal trailer)
3. Shell out and get someone else to transport it

Thanks in advance

[Uncle fester]

Why not use school bike for your CBT?
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Tomorrows another day .just as we'll at my age

[m1tch]

[Uncle fester]

Sorry I thought you wanted to use your own bike for the CBT.
If it fits in your car that's great but it will be bigger than you think, you can buy a front wheel support quite cheap then you could use your trailer with a few straps.
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Tomorrows another day .just as we'll at my age

[Uncle fester]

Sorry I thought you wanted to use your own bike for the CBT.
If it fits in your car that's great but it will be bigger than you think, you can buy a front wheel support quite cheap then you could use your trailer with a few straps.
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Tomorrows another day .just as we'll at my age

[m1tch]

[doggone]

Yes that makes a big difference to length and height and should only be a five minute job.

[Uncle fester]

Sorry I thought you wanted to use your own bike for the CBT.
If it fits in your car that's great but it will be bigger than you think, you can buy a front wheel support quite cheap then you could use your trailer with a few straps.
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Tomorrows another day .just as we'll at my age

[Bubblin77]

Sod all that hassle, just do the CBT, only takes a day then ride the bike home, no point transporting as you normally damage the bike, car, yourself or all 3, or it costs you in the pocket for the kudos of owning a bike a few weeks earlier than before.
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Kawasaki Z800 (SOLD)

[wr6133]

A CG can fit in my wife's old style Toyota Yaris with the back and front passenger seat down and the bike wheels and bars removed so you should have no problem with your people carrier thing. They weigh fuck all so you should have no problem lifting it in and out even with no wheels on.

[andym]

When I got my intruder 125 I transported it in the back of my Espace, I just removed the seats then put them at the sides of the bike and never had a problem.

[P.]

Managed to fit a moped into a Honda Accord, so something bigger whilst dropping the bigger parts of the front end off (wheel, handlebar and mirrors) should make it real easy.

[Taught2BCauti...]

If you are going to be buying your first bike, I would suggest taking someone with you that has a bit more experience than you, and knows what to look for so you don't buy a pup - ideally, someone with the correct licence to ride it legally.

If all is good, you could insure it in your name, and they could ride it back for you (subject to small-print, beer money, etc).

If you don't know anyone personally, try asking on here if someone near you (or the bike) would be willing to oblige. I would be happy to help you, if you are near B64.

If buying from a dealer, get free delivery thrown-in to clinch the deal.
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Honda Varadero XL125(V8)
www.TheFutureIsHere.eu

[N cee thirty]

https://i825.photobucket.com/albums/zz176/robyarr/10584005_10203383387638457_88292671_zps2dcec556.jpg

here's my cg in the back of my pickup, easily fits in with the wheel off and handlebars adjusted

had another in a month or 2 before that just needed the wheel off but never got any pics, bought a bike trailer now to avoid the hassle of lifting and needing a second person to help out
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'00 Aprilia RS50 > '92 Honda CG > '99 Yamaha Fazer > '91 Yamaha RXS > '79 Suzuki X5 > 01' Honda Cg > 07' Honda Cg > 82' Kawasaki Z200 > suzuki gsxr 400 gk73a > honda vfr 400 NC30 Mod 2 Passed 09/06/2011

Jewlio Iglesias wrote: I actually did vote BNP once

[MC]

I'll raise you, GSXR in a Clio: https://www.bikechatforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=199226
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Yamaha MT-03 '08 (crashed)
Honda XR-125L '04

[G]

[monkeybiker]

If you are buying private then ask the seller to ride it to your house. If buying from a shop they can normally deliver for not too much.

[1198]

Have you a chum who's got third party cover on other bikes on his bike policy?

[Beehive Bedlam]

Just ride it usually insurace companies give you a cover note whilst you send photocopies of all your shit I highly doubt you will get stopped if you're insured.

[duhawkz]

[Nash GT]

Rent a van for the day, don't wreck the car inside !
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Suzuki GSF600N

[Beehive Bedlam]

[-]

I carry a TZR250 race bike in the back of a LWB Mitsubish Shogun with the rear 5 seats removed. I put a small wooden platform in the rear footwell to level it up and shove the front seat forwards a little bit.
The only thing I have to do is to tip it to one side as the top fairing brackets pass underneath the top of the back door opening.
You'll need to think about strapping the bike down too.
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TZR250 2MA road, TZR250 1KT road, TZR250 2MA race, TDR250, YZF-750R Boost colours.
Jaguar S Type 3.0 V6 Sport R, VW Transporter T5 GP LWB Shuttle 140ps DSG.

[Teflon-Mike]

Do you REALLY want to buy a bike before you have your CBT?

Remember the new SORN / Continuous Insurance rules; if you are the a vehicle's registered keeper you have to ensure, its insured & taxed, or declared 'off-road' or be asked to make a large donation to the 'Get the Gov't out the Shit' fund.

Until you have a CBT cert 'validating'' your provisional entitlement on your licence, you don't actually have licence entitlement to ride; you can take an insurance policy out on the bike; BUT, annoyingly AFTER you have paid your money, they they'll start hassling you for stuff; of which copy of your driving licence and DL196 (CBT Cert) will be amongst them; and even more annoyingly, AFTER you have sent them what you got; and probably sent e-mails or spoke to a (sub) human, start threatening to 'cancel' your policy for NOT sending them 'something' they have asked for.. of which DL196 is likely... worse ACTUALLY cancelling it.

Waiting util you have done your CBT can then 'save' some potential grief and hassle;especially if you think, there's no guarantee, you turn up on the day to do it, you'll go home with the DL196, that day; and may have to 'return' to complete on another day.

Next; you have bike before you have licence, and are 'just' dong a bit of work on it, like, I don't know, servicing the brakes.... are you REALLY going to resist the temptation to 'just' potter round the block to make sure they work after? More opportunity for error and hassle; on the 'Law of Sod' principle...

You're not doing CBT until 'spring', what February, March, time? Obviously you're not a hurry, so why buy problems for yourself?

Only reason I would buy a bike THAT far ahead of time, would be if it were such a one-time 'deal' I couldn't walk away from it; but even then; I would probably try and jiggle it all a bit; do the 'deal' but not take possession (or at least accept keeper-ship) of the bike straight away; and go try get a CBT done in a bit of a hurry.

As for transport? Yeah. People mover with the seats down. Sounds positively spacious compared to some of the ways I've shifted bikes in the past! I used to take y comp-trials bike to events in the boot of a Citreon LNA.. sort of like a small car.. with the back lopped off! Front & Back wheels dropped off and stacked on one back seat, the handle-bar clamps loosed off and swung round so I could drop the bars off the yoke, to 'hang' on the control cables along side the petrol tank; the 'bike' heaved over the tail-gate into the suit-case sized boot, sitting 'upright' so the oil don't leak out. Flexible plastic mudguards though did mean the ends sort of squashed a bit, though.. Laying my AR125 on it's side in the back of mi-mum's Renault Savannah estate car, was in comparison a 'breeze'... I would expect, you could probably lift a CG125 into the back of a Zifara, with the seats flat, without eve taking the wheels off, or laying it down, just folding the handle-bars down!

Old cushions, duvets, and strap-downs are your friend, BUT, foot-pegs, handle-bar and lever ends DO like making holes in soft headlining and trim, and leaking oil or petrol will ALWAYS find its way through whatever cardboard & polythene you put down to save the carpet!

But back to top; if you have done your CBT ahead of getting the thing, to ease the bureaucracy; get some-one else to give you a lift to fetch it in the Kiddie-Karrier; ride the thing home behind them; call it a 'test ride'.

Alternatively, if you have a tow bar, you can probably hire a single-bike trailer for about £30 a day; if not, what's van hire these days? £70 for a transit? Either way, if the Kiddie-Karrier is valuable enough to be worried about trade-in values; either is probably 'cheaper' than a valet to get rid of skuffs, scratches ad petrol smell!
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My Webby'Tef's-tQ, loads of stuff about my bikes, my Land-Rovers, and the stuff I do with them!
Current Bikes:'Honda VF1000F' ;'CB750F2N' ;'CB125TD ( 6 3 of em!)'; 'Montesa Cota 248'. Learner FAQ's:= 'U want to Ride a Motorbike! Where Do U start?'

[Tamsin]

It cost me £25 to hire a bike trailer for 24 hours when I went to London to get my CG...

Although driving round central with a trailer was a bit of a pig it was a veryh worthwhile investment.... Now I have an LEZ compliant van, with a Dave Cooper rack on the back so will never have problems again...