On Friday, June 29, 2018 at 11:12:19 PM UTC-4, Doug Miller wrote:
On Fri, 29 Jun 2018 17:00:27 -0400, Meanie wrote:

On 6/29/2018 9:17 AM, Spalted Walt wrote:
Ron wrote:

I'm thinking of making a motorcycle ramp 8 ft long & 3 ft wide with
3/4 inch plywood to load a 600 lb bike on a car hauler trailer. Will
the 3/4 " plywood hold the weight?

i'll just leave this here . . .

https://www.youtube.com/embed/XRvuuCzckJU?
autoplay=1&iv_load_policy=3&rel=0

https://www.youtube.com/embed/GPVCY59F1KE?
autoplay=1&iv_load_policy=3&rel=0


I'm amazed (not really) at the lack of thinking from many of the loaders
in the videos.

There seems to be a common thread in these episodes: a failure to
understand that maintaining balance on any two-wheeled conveyance
requires significant forward speed.

I think they *understand* the need for speed (after all, they ride, don't
they?) I think those they fall simply fail to plan ahead and *remember* that
they will have to slow down once they reach the top of the ramp. You covered
those that do remember in your second paragraph ;-)

You can also toss in the use of a narrow ramp, leaving them no place to put a
foot down to hold the bike up once they slow down. Again, failure to plan
for the unexpected.


In some cases, this is replaced by the failure to recognize that the
speed sufficient to get up the ramp while maintaining balance simply
*cannot* be shed in just a couple of feet.

Of course, the folks who had the good sense to walk their bikes up the
ramps didn't have the sort of outcome that would have resulted in being
included in these vids...

Or...

When someone is about to ride a bike up a ramp, it's either going to
turn out pretty cool or pretty bad. There *will* excitement not matter
what the result. That's worth pulling out the recording device for.

However, if a guy is going to walk a bike up a ramp, that's just not worth
recording. I'm sure there are lots of dropped bikes during roll-on attempts
(e.g. operator realizing that they are too short or too weak, failure to
maintain speed, slipping/tipping ramps, etc.) That practice is just not as
widely recorded, other than instructional videos which always tend to turn
out well.