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Fitting a Motorcycle in the back!


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measurements for the cargo van are similar to Don's wagon ones

the roof height to floor is about 48" - no insulation and a 1/2" plywood sitting on the cargo mat.

the opening at the rear barn doors is smaller - it's 44.25" on the sides and 45" more towards the center.

with barn doors there is a block hanging from the roof in the center for the door latch mechanism that reduces the height to 43.75".

not sure how that compares to having a liftgate but could be an obstacle in loading something tall.

good luck!

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The door opening may be the killer for me. My bike is right at 50" to the top of the hand guards. I could easily remove those before loading and unloading but if the opening is only 44-45" I don't know if I could compress the forks enough to clear that. I could use a holeshot device on the forks which hold them compressed for race starts but I'm not sure how much it lowers them.

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@spooner - the biggest complainers about the lower roof height of the Gen 2 TC vs the Gen 1 are motor bike users. it's understandable.

The Gen 1 was the perfect height for that. Gen2, much more limited. I had a requirement to be able to park my van in the garage and the Gen 1 was too tall, so my preference was for a lower roof. it's ideal for my use.

If you used the van for an occasional carry for motor bikes, I can see going through gyrations to get it squeezed in but if you did it on a more regular basis I'm not sure it's a good solution unless you had other requirements like garaging the van. A full size Transit with the lowest roof line would seem more ideal. It would give you more ground clearance too if you needed to drive to off road starting points. not sure if you're doing road or dirt bikes.

is trailering the bike a viable option?

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Yeah I wouldn't use it a ton as I usually ride with friends but I would like to be able to put it in the van. I don't really want to do a trailer just because I don't want to store one. Plus part of the niceness of putting it in the van is keeping it out of prying eyes and out of the weather.

The full size transit is nice but mine will be used as family and work hauler 90% of the time so I'd rather have the smaller size and better mpg of the connect.

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Yeah I wouldn't use it a ton as I usually ride with friends but I would like to be able to put it in the van. I don't really want to do a trailer just because I don't want to store one. Plus part of the niceness of putting it in the van is keeping it out of prying eyes and out of the weather.

The full size transit is nice but mine will be used as family and work hauler 90% of the time so I'd rather have the smaller size and better mpg of the connect.

all good points.

sounds like you'd be leaning towards a wagon model for extra seating.

maybe someone with a liftgate on a wagon can measure the clearance at the rear door opening, but with Don's wagon measurements of 45" in the cargo area, it probably will be same at the opening area as the cargo van without the middle block, so about 45" all around. the cargo van picks up a few inches inside without the headliner. I hope you can get into a TC. It's been good to me so far, almost a year now. good luck!

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I might have time to head out tomorrow armed with my measuring tape and see what I come up with. I did drive one a couple weeks ago but I was short on time so I didn't take measurements. I also need to see how I would chock the wheel-I'm thinking I will make one that bolts where the third row seat bolts to so I don't have to modify the interior. I really want to make it work as it would be perfect for my job and growing family.

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.......maybe someone with a liftgate on a wagon can measure the clearance at the rear door opening, but with Don's wagon measurements of 45" ......

My 2015 Wagon has the liftgate and the measurement was done at the rear door opening, measured floor to headliner since that was the lowest. There's an extra 1/2" or so measured to the rubber weather stripping of the opening itself. There's also extra 2-1/2" height in the headliner areas between the roof ribs, but that would only be usable if you got the handlebars into the recessed area before you had the tire all the way in and if it didn't hit the next rib as you pushed it all the way in.

Edited by DonShockley
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.......maybe someone with a liftgate on a wagon can measure the clearance at the rear door opening, but with Don's wagon measurements of 45" ......

Not sure how, but this was a double post. Moderators please feel free to delete it.

Edited by DonShockley
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  • 1 year later...

TCroof.jpgFollowing this thread, as I'm interested in putting either a Suzuki DR650 or Yamaha WR250R inside. My concern is how hard to duck down and maintain control of bike as I load it thru the door. I weigh 150 lbs and 50+ so not as strong as I used to be. 

Europe already has a newer model, with a Custom option that adds a high roof option - this is exactly what I want!
http://www.ford.co.uk/CommercialVehicles/TransitCustom

 

Edited by Zeon
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I was hoping the Gen 2 was the one for me, but after comparing the numbers, it seems Gen 1 is still the better choice.
On the web, I've seen guys make a floor kit with a tire chock that makes a bike fit between the seats of the Gen 1. 
 

Transit gen 2 measurements 

Rear door opening width at floor: 49.3 

Rear door opening height: 44 

Load floor height at curb weight: 23.4 

Cargo length at floor: 71.5 

Cargo width between wheelhouse: 48.3 

Cargo length at belt: 61.3 

Cargo height maximum: 49.7 

 

Transit gen 1 measurements 

Rear door opening width at floor: 50.2 

Rear door opening height: 52.1 

Load floor height at curb weight: 23.1 

Cargo length at floor: 81 (at floor, seat back to rear door)  

Cargo width between wheelhouse: 48.1 

Cargo length at belt: ? 

Cargo width at belt:  

Cargo height maximum: 53.7

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I've got one of these bolted to a piece of plywood, in the back of my truck.  Hasn't failed yet.  One of the better finds with a Harbor Freight coupon.

 

 

 

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It's all about how you will use your vehicle . . . . 90 or 95% of the time.  Not everyone seems to agree with me . . . . I see crew cab pick-ups driving around all the time with a just a single person and most of those trucks  haven't hauled or towed anything in many thousands of miles.  They evidently don't mind 10 to 12 mpg in their 'daily driver' which maybe 5 or 10% of the time needs to haul or tow something

If you need a family hauler which you would like to tote a motorcycle in 5% of the time, buy the family hauler (it's the correct vehicle for you 95% of the time, right?) and borrow, rent or buy a trailer for the bikes  -  I'm a 'bikes guy' too, but if I drive my TC 75,000 miles in the next 6 years, maybe 2,500 of those would be hauling a bike . . . . if it would fit in there, which it won't.  You guessed it . . . . I use a bike trailer

No single vehicle is perfect for everything you'd like to be able to do, but if you can find one that's excellent for what you do 90 or 95% of the time, that's the 'right' vehicle and you just gotta do something else to cover the other 5 or 10%

We bought the 2014 SWB model partly because it doesn't have the taller roof . . . . I wouldn't need THAT 95% of the time and it just hurts mileage (plus it just looks dorky) but the main reason was for the newer drivetrain.  The 6 speed select shift automatic which gets me 28 to 30 mpg on the freeway was more important 95% of the time.  I didn't need the 3rd row seating, so we got the SWB which makes it easier to maneuver and park

So, what am I missing 5% of the time now with the TC you might ask?  Our little Mazda Protégé 5 wagon that the TC replaced had a roof rack and I could haul 16 foot 2 by 6's home strapped to the rack.  Can't do that in the TC as it has no rack.  Oh, I know it could have a rack, but I would only use it maybe 5% of the time and it would just be up there empty, whistling in the wind and killing my mileage the other 95% of the time, so I've just gotta make other arrangements for the 2 by 6's.  Luckily, I sold the Mazda to the lady across the street and she will lend it to me if I need it . . . . and I'll lend her the TC if she needs it

Unfortunately, nothing's perfect for every use . . . . and many times if you try really hard to find something that is  -  You wind up with something that's not practical most of the time

Don

Edited by Beta Don
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Most American trucks are bought for showing off over here. It's especially nice to see someone hauling a dino lift or a flatbed trailer with bricks around.

I was once sent to pick up a dino lift with my old TC. I specifically asked if it's small enough. "Oh yes, it can be towed with a sedan".

I arrived at the rental place and just hooked it up to prove a point before calling in a full size van.

construction-equipment-articulated-boom-

Edited by mrtn
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5 hours ago, mrtn said:

Most American trucks are bought for showing off over here.

 

A lot of American trucks sold in America as well.  Nobody is doing "work" with a Harley, Roush, Shelby......et cetera.  

Just imagine trying to work in a "show truck".

 

 

5 hours ago, mrtn said:

 

Related imageImage result for construction site pickup truckImage result for farm work pickup truckImage result for farm work pickup truckRelated imageImage result for farm work pickup truckImage result for farm work pickup truckImage result for construction site pickup truckImage result for construction site pickup truckRelated image

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Thanks for all the pretty pictures!

Pick-ups are a uniquely American thing  -  You rarely see them in Europe (not that many in Canada either) and certainly never as a daily driver.  When you're paying 6 or 8 bucks a gallon for gas, most people look for something more practical.  Unless they had a daily need for hauling or towing, very few would even think of owning one  -  You do see all sorts of cars with trailer hitches there though.  Small cars towing all sorts of trailers is very common and to be honest, for most of us who seldom need to haul things that won't fit in the car, a trailer is a solution which makes lots more sense.  When we lived in Germany, I got a kick out of seeing a BMW pulling a trailer full of buckets of paint, ladders and painting supplies!  Few families back then had two vehicles and he evidently didn't want to drive a truck for his everyday needs

For the record, trailers are much MUCH more regulated there than here.  Even a small trailer is required to have operational brakes (and I believe those brakes are required to be self actuating and not controlled by the tow vehicle) whereas here it's not at all uncommon to see a boat and trailer which weigh in excess of a ton and the trailer didn't even come with brakes . . . . not to mention that many trailers which do have brakes have never had them hooked up.  You wouldn't get away with that for 10 miles over there

But over here where we're blessed with $2 gas, what we drive evidently doesn't need to make much sense, hence the prevalence of trucks doing nothing more than taking one or two persons to work, school, shopping, church and back.  To most of the rest of the world, driving a truck when you have so little need for it makes absolutely no sense

Of course, there are all sorts of trucks which truly earn a living every day, but here in the USA that amounts to a very small percentage of the pick-ups on the road.  It's not at all unusual here to find a 5 or 6 year old truck on a used lot and the bed of the truck looks brand new  -  It's hardly ever been used to tote things too big of too heavy to carry in a car and it doesn't even have a trailer hitch!!  Anyone who has driven anywhere here in the USA would have to admit that the vast majority of pick-ups are being driven around empty with only 1 or 2 passengers  -  Something you can easily do in a car that costs half as much and gets twice (or 3X) the fuel economy

To each his own as to what to buy.  For more than 30 years, my #1 criteria when car shopping has always been to look at vehicles which will give me at least 30 miles to a gallon of gas  -  Oh, I can put up with 20 when it's towing a 1500 pound trailer, but that's 5 or 10% of the time  -  As opposed to getting 12 or 15 mpg all the time when I only need the capability of the truck 5 to 10% of the time

Yes, I think for a $25 fee, Lowes will deliver most anything I buy to my house, but for three or 4 boards that essentially doubles the price of my lumber.  No matter what I've bought, the $25 fee just seems excessive because Lowes is less than 4 miles from my house, so if I go pick things up myself, I can stop on the way home and get a free $25 tank of gas instead of paying for a delivery

We're still getting used to our TC  -  It's by far the largest vehicle we've ever owned, but it's also the most luxurious.  It's turning out to be a great vehicle for long distance travel, *and* it hauls both of our Segway I2's when we go.  Around town, we have a pair of Mitsubishi all electric EV's that we use.  We never have to buy any gas unless we're headed out of town on a trip

Happy New Year to all you TC owners out there!!

Don

Edited by Beta Don
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1 hour ago, Beta Don said:

Europe also has a model without the side doors

 

Ford_Transit_Connect_1.6_TDCi_(II)_–_Frontansicht,_3._April_2015,_Düsseldorf.jpg

I have seen a few without side doors but mostly these plain panel units are just cargo variants with a single side door on the curb side.

1 hour ago, Beta Don said:

For the record, trailers are much MUCH more regulated there than here.  Even a small trailer is required to have operational brakes (and I believe those brakes are required to be self actuating and not controlled by the tow vehicle) whereas here it's not at all uncommon to see a boat and trailer which weigh in excess of a ton and the trailer didn't even come with brakes . . . . not to mention that many trailers which do have brakes have never had them hooked up.  You wouldn't get away with that for 10 miles over there

No brakes needed up to 750 kg (1650 lbs) gross weight trailers.

Happy to you too.

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