Will A Dirt Bike Fit in A Short Bed Truck? What about 2 bikes?

When purchasing a dirt bike, your next thought right after safety gear should be transportation. How can I go play… Well, if you have a smaller truck then you may be wondering if it will even fit. But, if you have a short bed truck, you might be in luck. So, will a dirt bike fit in a short bed truck?

A dirt bike will only fit in a short bed truck if the tailgate is down or the bike is angled diagonally. This is because the average length of a bed on a short bed truck is 68”, whereas an average adult-size dirt bike is 85.7”.  

As you can see, a dirt bike is significantly longer than a bed on a short bed truck. Due to this, we have to improvise by either leaving the tailgate open or angling the bike diagonally. Nonetheless, it will fit in your short bed truck, you’ll just have to think outside of the box. And potentially use better equipment to secure the bike in place.

When transporting your pride and joy, you need to guarantee it’s safe and secure. To find more details about how to do this, I suggest you keep reading below: 

How do you secure a dirt bike in a short bed?

If you want to successfully transport your dirt bike to your favorite track, forest, or just to a friend’s house, then you need to secure it to your short bed truck. This isn’t just for the safety of your bike but also for your truck and other road users around you. 

Here at Risk Racing, we understand the importance of being confident when transporting your dirt bike, and that’s why we developed the innovative Lock-N-Load Pro strapless transport system. 

The Lock-N-Load Transport System is specially designed to secure your motocross bike to your truck bed or trailer. Using this type of system, you won’t have to use tie-down straps, wheel chocks, or any floor anchors. As we’re all aware, setting these up can be time-consuming and somewhat tricky, let alone hard on your front suspension.

Instead, the Lock-N-Load system secures the dirt bike with a completely adjustable and hook-like system. Whether you’re securing a junior or adult bike, this system has you covered. Once the mounting plate rails are installed within your bed, you’re able to adjust the width of the securing mechanism. Including the width, you can also adjust the height to accommodate your specific bike.

Here’s how you can use the Lock-N-Load Pro to secure your dirt bike to a short bed truck:

Securing a dirt bike to a short bed truck 

To install this extraordinarily versatile and innovative piece of equipment, you’ll just need a drill and metal drill bit. All the fixtures required to install this system onto your truck will be supplied with the goods. The instructions are straightforward, but you may need additional tips to secure this successfully on a short bed truck. Here’s what you need to know: 

• First, you’ll want to identify the appropriate positioning for the mounting plate. The Lock-N-Load arms that grab the bike’s footpegs slide onto this mounting plate, meaning it needs to be centralized. When you’ve located the perfect spot, ask yourself the following: 
• Is there adequate room for the space with or without the tailgate open? 
• Do you need to stand your bike diagonally to ensure it fits? 
• Once you’ve found the ideal location, ask someone to hold your bike into position while you mock the system into place. 
• You can now remove the systems arms, mark up the plate’s holes, and begin drilling into your bed. 
• Now with the supplied hardware, you can tighten the Lock-N-Load system and reapply the arms. 
• Lastly, you should test it out to ensure everything is secure and ready for transportation. 

As you can see, securing a dirt bike to a short bed truck with our Lock-N-Load system is much easier than traditional methods. If you’re worried about losing the usability of your bed, you shouldn’t be as you’re able to slide the arms off when the system isn’t in use.

Want to make your dirt bike transportation easier? Consider taking a look into our Lock-N-Load Pro dirt bike transportation system. 

How do I put two dirt bikes in a short bed truck?

Some people call a 6.5-foot truck bed a ‘short bed’ and this section is for those trucks. If you have a 5.5-foot truck bed skip ahead to the next section. 

If you own a 6.5-foot truck bed and want to transport two dirt bikes, it can seem near impossible, especially with the tailgate closed. However, in some cases, you may load both bikes onto the truck by implementing the correct methods. 

1. The most optimal way to position your bikes to create extra room is by standing them as close to the outside edges of the bed as possible and turning the front wheel into the center so that the front two tires of each bike are touching each other. 
2. After you should notice you have enough room to fit both bikes on the truck. However, remember that not all 6.5-foot trucks are made equal, and some may have slightly different dimensions to one another. 
3. If you’re strapping your bikes down, a standard “X” pattern between the bike’s handlebars and forks should be sufficient to secure them. 

NOTE –If you can fit a Lock-N-Load system here, we recommend doing so. However, because of the way the bikes are positioned in this pattern it positions them both right next to the wheel wells of your truck not leaving enough room for the mounting plate directly under each bike. In this scenario, you’ll have to use traditional strapping methods. 

Many people have said it isn’t possible to fit two dirt bikes in a short bed truck. However, it’s certainly possible if you’re somewhat lucky and use some creative imagination. But, will a dirt bike fit in a 5.5 ft bed?

Will a dirt bike fit in a 5.5 ft bed?

Above, we mentioned the average size of a bike, which is 85.7” or 7.1 feet. You’ll quickly determine that a full-size adult dirt bike will not fit on a 5.5ft bed from knowing this. However, if you position the bike wisely and leave the tailgate open, you may be in luck. 

Depending on the size of your bike, you may need to do one or both of the mentioned tips below:

• Positioning –To create a secure load and for ease of install and removal of your bike every time, pull the dirt bikes straight up into the truck bed. Ideally, keep the majority of the back tire weight directly over the tailgate so that when it’s fully secured it will hold the tailgate from bouncing.
• Tailgate accessories –If you need to put more gear and other track/camping-related items in the back of the truck and don’t want to worry about them falling out, you can purchase tailgate accessories like a metal or mesh net system to create a temporary wall behind the bikes.

By undergoing one of the above, your dirt bike should fit onto your 5.5ft bed truck. 

Conclusion 

After reading, you should have gained adequate knowledge of whether a dirt bike will fit a short bed truck. To your delight, you found out they can if you position it correctly.  

If you want to increase your dirt bikes’ secureness while traveling, be sure to check out our innovative Lock-N-Load system.