Quick question regarding the use of ramps…
I’m most likely going to be buying a bike tonight after a fairly long search and my idea all along has been to also buy a ramp from ebay and use this to get the bike into my back garden, up probably 4 steps totalling probably about 3.5 foot with a ramp of 2.1 meters long, but with the day of trying this getting pretty close I thought I’d ask to tap into your collectively vast knowledge!
A few questions, does anyone currently do this?
How difficult is it going to be?
Should I be looking at a longer ramp or will the gradient be ok?
What is the best method? i.e. walking at the side of it (not really an option for me as the steps aren’t wide enough) or riding it up with something to rest your feet on should you need to stop / touch down.
Do you think it will be possible to do on my own?
I was thinking about putting something into the ground at the base of the ramp for it to rest against so it doesn’t slip when I ride up it, do you think I need anything more than that?
And finally (!) will two planks be enough to put down at the sides (one each side) of the ramp for feet to be put on if I need to pause / take it slow while going up the ramp? Or should I be looking at something sturdier?
Thanks in advance,
philshaq
Ah, that could be a problem. If you've got very little space I would have said walking up alongside it would be best but you have said you don't have the width which is a bit of a problem. Even that isn't without difficulties as a motorcycle without a rider tends to have a habit of spinning the wheel if you aren't careful due to the lack of weight to keep the rear wheel gripping. So if your ramp is wet, or even remotely slippery, you could end up with the bike slipping sideways and ending up on top of you. Sides to the ramp can help if you choose this way of doing it, at least it stays on the ramp then. Having loaded some very heavy motorcycles onto trailers in the past, I know this from experience and the best way is to take a long run up, get the bike straight and ride up the ramp. Even with a 2.1m ramp you are still looking at a fairly steep slope, longer would be better.
Remember, if you are riding at low speed with your feet down, the bike is at it's most unstable as your weight is on the seat so the centre of gravity is higher. Standing on the pegs lowers the centre of gravity, that's why motorcross and trials riders stand up over the slippery bits.
I know, takes a bit of getting your head around that by making yourself higher you are lowering the centre of gravity. Think about it, if you are sitting on the seat, a large weight is placed at the highest point of the bike so the CoG is higher. Standing up, that same weight is placed at a much lower point on the bike, the pegs, so the CoG is lowered. Think of it the same as loading a car with a roof-rack. You could put all the heavy stuff on the roof-rack and the lightweight stuff in the car. The car rolls like hell on corners because the CoG is higher. Swap things around so the heavy stuff is in the car and the lightweight stuff on the roof and it's much more stable. It's the same height and weight but you've lowered the CoG.
(01-08-12, 01:22 PM)rustyrider link Wrote: I know, takes a bit of getting your head around that by making yourself higher you are lowering the centre of gravity.
You're right of course, I was confusing it with the centre of mass, er.. I think.
"The centre of gravity is defined as the average position of weight distribution, and mass and weight are technically different properties. However, because weight and mass are proportional, the center of gravity and center of mass refer to the same point of an object for almost all objects on and near Earth's surface."
The car roof rack example is not really valid as you talk about moving the mass and not the point where it attaches to the car. You've lowered the CoG by lowering the mass. If you leave the load on the roof but change the point where it attaches would the car handling change (assuming it is a rigid body)?
If you stand on the pegs the centre of mass will be higher (but you will have more control by moving your body from left to right). I'm with Phil .... or have I missed something here?
To bring it back to the purpose of the thread... this picture is what I have to get it up, it's about 4 foot wide but the use of any speed is really restricted so it's going to have to be slowly slowly bike in garden.
The plus point being no-one will try to thieve it once it's there.on a ground anchor!
cant you completely slope the width of the steps - or are you partial to the steps themselves?
"Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways - Chardonnay in one hand - strawberries in the other - body thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and screaming - WOO HOO! What a Ride!"
Plus I'm not sure the underside of the bike would clear the top step with the front wheel on the flat but the back still coming up the ramp. Would need to be more gradual mi thinks, although not sure.
Looks easy! Backing it down will be a tad more difficult but slowly with plenty of front brake will do the trick and fold the wing mirrors in. I had the same problem with my ZX6 when I lived in Stratford and parking on the street was not an option. The ZX made the clearance ok with the full fairing, the Fazer should piss it.
Just start slowly at the foot of the steps and the suspension does the rest.
I just calculated the angles with the help of pythagarus (?!) and the angle of a ramp 2meters long when resting against the top step is 21 degrees. Steep granted, but not un-scalable.
I'll have a bash next week and let you know how I get on!
Looks Like an accident waiting to happen, Like Lazarus says, could you mix up some concrete to ramp out the steps, right down to the gate, you could also angle grind off the top step even further to cut down the steep angle - if you can make sense of that you're a better man than I am..
use scaffolding planks screwed together to cover almost the entire width of the gap. length should be from the actual road to the top of the step. or better still would be to use a spacer underneath the top end so the wood is level with the upper surface. you will also need to pack out the space underneath to stop springiness. just build up using timber to the corresponding step. finally, use a rope to tie the ramp to that handrail. it will be heavy but ok. sit on the bike, slow speed, feet down.
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...Oh Yeah!
