I own a 2005 Chevy 2500HD crewcab with a 6' bed and I have hauled a bike in the bed with no problem before. If you get a crew cab truck with a 8' bed you will catch hell finding a place to park it. Mine when parked in a standard parking spot with a 6' bed still sticks out due to the total length of the truck. But the best advice I can give is like some of the others, a small 5'x10' utility trailer is the way to go. I bought one and plan on never having to put another bike in the bed of a truck. It is a lot more dangerous if you have to load one in a bed of a truck a lot easier on the trailer.

 

BDHFD, I've been hauling the bike for 12 yrsover some pretty rough roads, the tailgate has a depression about 3/4 to 1" at this point. Because the gate is not secured in the down position and myrear wheel sits directly in the middle they both bounce on a good size bump. It will not affect the closing or latching so I just live with it that way, aint gonna collapse or fall off. Its just the inner panel, the outer shows no sign of bending. My truck is a '89FLT that sees mostly farm duty now. The "dent" is really only cosmetic.

 

One thing to keep in mind is that the tailgate cables take a beating doin' this, so ah'd be inclined ta replace 'em as a PM every coupla years.

Now....fer you wimps cryin' 'bout 8' beds.....

Ah currently drive an '05 F250 Super Cab w/the 8' bed. Ah'm all over San Antonio, Dallas an' Houston with it, in parkin' garages an' all. While it kin be a challenge, ah usually find mahself parkin' it as easily as a sedan - likely 'cuz ah've only driven trucks or Suburbans since the 70's.[8D] Personally, ah prefer the longer bed because it takes some of the harshness outta the ride - but ta each their own. This truck currently has 76,000+ on it. Mah 2000 F150 S/C had 99,000+ on it when ah traded it in in '03 on a Silverado, whose auto tranny puked hard parts at 53,000 an' again at 65,000, at which point ah figgered it wuz time ta go back ta Ford.

 

Appreciate all the feedback, and especially the advice on trailer vs. truck bed. Probably will still get the pickup - looking at an '07 F250 - even though it's way more truck than I need, I can't beat the price - between incentives that Ford is giving for Labor day, the discounted price that my company (large bank) has prearranged with Ford for employees, my trade-ins that I owe nothing on and have gotten my $$ worth out of(FINALLY getting rid of that gawd-damn minivan), plus 0% financing, I'm looking at only taking $19k out of my pocket for a brand newF-250 Lariat. Besides the truck, I can use it to take leaves to the dump (can't burn 'em here and garbage guys won't take them in bulk), plus the wife is hinting at a camper, so this would be well-suited for that. Of course, if I get the camper I told her it had to be one of those "fun-movers"...

Heeding the advice of those more knoweldgable than me here (which is just about everyone it seems), I'll probably look for the 6.5ft bed and take the money i'm saving and get some type of small fold-up trailer like one of those Kendon's you see at most of the dealers. The parkway thing sucks though - I go from CT to Long Island alot and being able to take the Meritt Pkwy is a nice alternative to I-95 sometimes, especially on the weekends which is when I find myself going alot.

I'm going truck shopping this weekend, wish me luck...

Sean

 

Thanks DeJavu,

I'm about to borrow wifey's new truck and returning it with a bowed tailgate isn't going to help marital bliss. I have the bed-liner on the tailgate, I'm going to sit the rear tire near the edge of the tailgate which should help, and I'll have it sitting on 3/4 plywood. I plan to strap the rear of the bike down and hope this will stop the bouncing.

I was trying to avoid pulling a trailer as the speed limit is 10mph slower for vehicles with trailers in Washington and California. I hear the CHP is starting to enforce this. After my truck breaking down on the trip last year and wondering what I would do with a trailer if the truck had to go in for repair, I'm looking forward to having 2 less tires and 12 less feet of vehicle to worry about.

 

This might be a stupid question, but why don't you go buy a landscape garden trailor. I have one it works great.
I am getting old after racing dirt bikes, quads, snowmobiles, cars, boats, harleys, jeeps, you get the idea.
All I am saying a good utility trailor works great and any car suv or truck can pull it.
Not to mention you just ride or push it on the trailor, no lifting.

 

Just a thought. Why don't you attach a piece of diamond plate on top of the plywood. It might provide enough rigidity to not dent the OL tailgate. My brother-in-law has one of those foldable trailers. It called for 3/4" plywood. He opted for the diamond plate, and it is very strong, and looks a lot better, IMO.

 

hell, if you're going super duty, you might as well get the 8 foot bed, it really won't make that much difference, since you are already in a big truck. Texas Redneck, I don't know if you've been outside of Texas much, but trust me, they make parking spots in Texas for trucks. They don't in the Northeast. It was hell parking my F-150 single cab long bed in Maryland and Northern Virginia. And forget about Boston. The only good thing was, it was a beater truck so I didn't much car if people banged their doors into it. It probably did more damage to thier car than my truck.