Motorcycle Roof Rack

[3DP]

Has anyone noticed that all of these lashed up roof mounted designs are in the 3rd world on clapped out stters?

If I was in the 3rd world and had a stter, I'd be less worried about adapting my car to carry a motorcycle on the roof and would be devoting my time to fitting a Ma Deuce to the load bed of a 25 year old HiLux.

fk motorbikes - there's nothing cooler than having your very own mobile heavy machine gun platform. It's only a matter of time before a civil war/revolution/breakdown of government happens in these countries and it's not very often in life that you may have the opportunity to be referred to as a 'War Lord'.

[blugnu]

What could possibly go wrong?

http://fragg.me/video/dirt-bike-car-roof

[Deisel Weisel]

blugnu said:

What could possibly go wrong?

http://fragg.me/video/dirt-bike-car-roof

Error Loading Media. File Could Not Be Played.

[redtwin]

3DP said:

Has anyone noticed that all of these lashed up roof mounted designs are in the 3rd world on clapped out stters?

I know it has it's fair share of problems, but wouldn't go so far as to call US/California "3rd world".

As for clapped out stters, no shortage of those here, probably more so than in California as used car values tend to much lower in the UK.

[blugnu]

Deisel Weisel said:

blugnu said:

What could possibly go wrong?

http://fragg.me/video/dirt-bike-car-roof

Error Loading Media. File Could Not Be Played.

Works for me. Here is a direct link to the file though.

http://embed.fragg.me/00071/200711/moto-toit-voitu...

[redtwin]

blugnu said:

What could possibly go wrong?

http://fragg.me/video/dirt-bike-car-roof

What could go wrong?. Well you could wreck your trailer in addition to the bike.

[3DP]

redtwin said:

3DP said:

Has anyone noticed that all of these lashed up roof mounted designs are in the 3rd world on clapped out stters?

I know it has it's fair share of problems, but wouldn't go so far as to call US/California "3rd world".

As for clapped out stters, no shortage of those here, probably more so than in California as used car values tend to much lower in the UK.

Land of the free and also alas, the mildly retarded.

I have a 2008 Chevrolet Matiz as a tow car - it's about as st as st gets, but at no point have I ever thought that what I really need is a roof based motorcycle transport solution.

[srob]

Has the OP declared how he proposes to get the bike on/off this contraption?

Assuming the carrier is what; 1.5m off the groud and the ramp is (a very steep!) 2:1 you'd need a 3m long ramp. And you'd need it ~1200mm wide so you could make sure the bike doesn't topple over?

So that's a ramp that's 3x1.2m. You'd need a way to carry that. Maybe he could design something to carry that too. Perhaps something that - I dunno - is towed behind the car? Some kind of a trailer...

Actually, maybe he could modify a motrobike trailer to carry the ramp?

And another trailer to carry the hernia he'd pop out pushing the bike up there

[R1gtr]

Why don't you just attach a crane to the side of the car to lift the bike on and off? I mean why wouldn't that work?

[snowdude2910]

I don't think it's unachievable but the question is why? there are so many better ways to transport a bike.
The roof strength shouldn't be a problem I've turned cars on their roofs before and they don't even crush a little bit with 10x the weight of a bike supported on the roof.
Lifting a 120kg bike onto the roof with 2 people is doable but a pain in the arse.
Strapping it to the rack would be a bit dodgy or through the car even worse so not sure on that one maybe to solid points under the car?
2 straps through the frame to the front and rear tow eyes would stop the missile effect and massively reduce pressure on the roofrack mounts.
So all in all u bolt a piece of metal guttering to your roofrack and go for it be sure to post pics.

[Deisel Weisel]

blugnu said:

Deisel Weisel said:

blugnu said:

What could possibly go wrong?

http://fragg.me/video/dirt-bike-car-roof

Error Loading Media. File Could Not Be Played.

Works for me. Here is a direct link to the file though.

http://embed.fragg.me/00071/200711/moto-toit-voitu...

HOLY MOLY! Poor bike

[ram7577]

As a bit of an aside item - is there a motorbike trailor you can buy than can convert into a regular bogey for taking rubbish to skip etc?

[Mr Snap]

ram7577 said:

As a bit of an aside item - is there a motorbike trailor you can buy than can convert into a regular bogey for taking rubbish to skip etc?

Not as far as I know. But, obviously, the best way of carrying rubbish to the dump would be to put it on the roof. -

Trailers are so yesterday...

[srob]

snowdude2910 said:

I don't think it's unachievable but the question is why? there are so many better ways to transport a bike.
The roof strength shouldn't be a problem I've turned cars on their roofs before and they don't even crush a little bit with 10x the weight of a bike supported on the roof.
Lifting a 120kg bike onto the roof with 2 people is doable but a pain in the arse.
Strapping it to the rack would be a bit dodgy or through the car even worse so not sure on that one maybe to solid points under the car?
2 straps through the frame to the front and rear tow eyes would stop the missile effect and massively reduce pressure on the roofrack mounts.
So all in all u bolt a piece of metal guttering to your roofrack and go for it be sure to post pics.

You reckon you could lift a 120kg bike onto the roof of a car?!

[snowdude2910]

srob said:

You reckon you could lift a 120kg bike onto the roof of a car?!

Just the other day me and a mate lifted a 200kg srad onto the back of a flatbed with a full tank of fuel so I cant see a mx bike weighing nigh on half the weight being a problem

[underwhelmist]

I had a hankering for pre-GM Saab 900 recently, and while researching I read that the door handles on these were designed as structural features. Thus, the car could be pulled out of snowdrifts and ditches, etc. by its door handles.

These would obviously make ideal lashing points for tying a roof mounted bike down, and the shape of the old 3 door hatch means there's practically a built in ramp anyway.

Also my kids made me watch an episode of top gear where they dropped a Saab on its roof to demonstrate its strength. I think I've identified a suitable development mule.

[srob]

snowdude2910 said:

Just the other day me and a mate lifted a 200kg srad onto the back of a flatbed with a full tank of fuel so I cant see a mx bike weighing nigh on half the weight being a problem

Yeah, I've lifted bikes onto trailers and into vans and stuff but I've never had to walk up the back of a car with one!

Or, do you mean lifting it on from the side? The handlebars would be far above head height so how are you going to stop it toppling? A flatbed's chest height at most, not head height!

And generally I haven't minded if the van/trailer gets scuffed en route to getting the bike on when we lift them. Would the average punter be happy with a big scrape out of their car?

Nope.

[Fleegle]

underwhelmist said:

I had a hankering for pre-GM Saab 900 recently, and while researching I read that the door handles on these were designed as structural features. Thus, the car could be pulled out of snowdrifts and ditches, etc. by its door handles.

These would obviously make ideal lashing points for tying a roof mounted bike down, and the shape of the old 3 door hatch means there's practically a built in ramp anyway.

Also my kids made me watch an episode of top gear where they dropped a Saab on its roof to demonstrate its strength. I think I've identified a suitable development mule.

How do you get in the car once you have strapped the bike down?

[LoonR1]

Fleegle said:

How do you get in the car once you have strapped the bike down?

From underneath. You'll need to make some sort of trapdoor device and spend a few quid rerouting the mechanical stuff under the car, but so what.

I'm starting to think this idea has legs. Instead of spending a couple of hundred quid on a trailer you could spend tens of thousands on modifying a car to make this roof rack system work.

[RizzoTheRat]

Fleegle said:

How do you get in the car once you have strapped the bike down?

Have you never watched The Dukes of Hazzard? I can't believe the defeatest attitude some of you lot have.