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Transport a Savage in a minivan? (Read 7 times)

Gilligan Ex Member	Transport a Savage in a minivan? 05/15/06 at 13:01:36 Anyone ever transport a Savage in a minivan? I'm looking to move an '04 Savage in a 2000 Plymouth Voyager. I think if I take off the windshield and pivot the mirrors it just might fit. Is it better to strap it straight up and balanced or over on it's stand?
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Max_Morley

Serious Thumper

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LT650 Luxury Touring
& sidecar rig

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Moses Lake. WA
Gender: male

Re: Transport a Savage in a minivan?
Reply #1 - 05/15/06 at 13:08:34

To get mine in an 88 astro I had to use the OE crate/skid and drop the front wheel, put the axle in the cradle on the skid, remove the shield and bars, then go in the side door backwards. Mine had to be extra secure as the loaded van was going in a container from Anchorage AK to Tacoma by ocean. I think bikes (for a short trip) travel best with the front fork tubes tied down using loops at the fender connect point and the same on the back. Let it move on the suspension as needed. I used to dog dirt bikes down tight, but learned this otherway when a shipped a bike and he showed me how they did it. Later my kid brother adopted the same way in his enclosed 2 bike trailer and the bikes shifted less enroute. Max

Max at Thumper Acres. '96 Savage bagger, '03 Savage w/Cozy sidecar for wifeni.

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steelwolf

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"I'm a cowboy,
on a steel horse I
ride."

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Trinity, NC
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Re: Transport a Savage in a minivan?
Reply #2 - 05/15/06 at 15:05:42

I picked up my Savage in Maine and brought it all the way to North Carolina in a 05 Grand Caravan. The windshield will have to come off but as far as the mirrors and bars just lay them down a bit. Strap the bike on the side stand in gear. Trust me, when the guy on the interstate decides to wait till the last minuet to decide to get off and he's in the hammer lane you'll be glad you did. If I'm not mistaken the rear on the van opening measured 48" and the bike measured 47" to the top of the risers. Really don't remember but you could always pull a tape on it to be sure. Be sure to strap it where the straps don't move but the bike will. By that I mean below the suspension (like Max was saying). But also be sure to keep the bars from moving side to side. Why a mini-van for a 900 mile trip you may ask? Half the price of shipping and that included the plane ticket to Boston, the van rental one-way, and the fuel and food on the way back. Call me cheap, call me frugal. Just don't call me crazy. I mean c'mon, it is a Savage!

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DianeS.

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Love my 2000 savage!

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Ontario, Canada.

Re: Transport a Savage in a minivan?
Reply #3 - 05/15/06 at 15:21:37

We almost had to transport my savage in our Honda Odyssey van, and the measurements indicated that it would just fit - with the windshield removed, and aire out of the tires to lower the bike about an inch or so.
(As a brand new rider I didn't have the guts to ride it all the way home - with 0 experience on a bike bigger than a 125cc. It was an over and hour and 1/2 drive)

Yet, I was able to transport the bike in my friend's trailer instead, which was much easier.

So, I would measure your van carefully, and figure out how to best secure the bike - if it fits. We had planned on emptying the gas tank a bit too.

Green 2000 Savage purchased in Nov. 2005. Memphis fat windshield, Willie and Max Saddlebags, jardine slash cut muffler, engine case guard, Metzler 880 ME tires, fork brace, and carb re-jetted.

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Salad_Shaker

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Re: Transport a Savage in a minivan?
Reply #4 - 05/16/06 at 01:40:39

I brought my Savage back from Málaga in the back of my VW Transporter - don't know if they're exported across the pond - and a couple of tips might help you.
First, once the bike is in there click it into gear as this limits the potential for rocking movement at the wheels.
Second, although you may think you've got it in there tight, the first bend will prove it as the weight of the bike obeys Newton's first law of motion and tries hard to throw itself in the former line of travel. So, two things: stop after a very short while to check and redouble your fixings, and second, take some old blankets or other cushioning so that if it shifts, as well it might, it does no harm to either itself or to the interior of the van.
Oh, and another thing, getting it in with two was a lot easier than getting it out on my own! And don't forget to take a long wide plank to serve as a ramp.

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