Because of several things, (a) it's only me, so riding it in is not possible, (b) the wheelbase for either bike is just over 5 feet, so the tailgate has to be ridden over, I'd doubt the tailgate is rated for the bike and rider at 1,000 pounds, (c) even with a few people, manhandling 800 pounds 3 feet off the ground assuming you're on a hill and can roll it in level is still quite dicey.
Hopefully they aren't building a truck with a 1400 pound payload with a tailgate that can't support the load being loaded across the tailgate. The entire 1000 pounds is never going to be concentrated just on the tailgate. It will be split between the ground and the tailgate and once the front wheel touches the bed then it will be split between the ground, the bed and the tailgate and finally once the rear tire is on the tailgate it will be split between the bed and the tailgate. I've seen plenty of big bikes loaded into pick-ups with the back tire sitting on the tailgate.
Me too, but how did the bike get loaded in the bed? I've never had a tailgate collapse loading a pickup, but with Slate, I'm not yet sure how it is constructed. As far as the weight. the ramp has to sit on the gate, so the motorcycle weight would be the sine of the ramp angle, so a bit less than 800 pounds. Also, the breakover angle of the ramp to the tailgate is a factor loading a street bike.
One end of the ramp is supported by the ground so the weight of the bike and rider is split between the tailgate and ground.
Main thing I was addressing was equipment you rent somewhere like Home Depot, nearly everything is over 1k lbs, but also that rental trailers that don't leave much capacity for load, like those Uhaul trailers starting at 850 empty. You can buy your own lightweight trailer or equipment that fits the capacity better.
So back in the day, I use to winter store my Valkyrie interstate at my house in Maryland (not where I live now). I built a 8 x 8 shed in the back yard that was on piers and the deck height of the shed was around 24 to 30 inches (knee high). I built a ramp from 2x6 and some scrap bead board. The ramp was 18" wide and about 8 feet long. In the fall, I'd ride the big Valk up the ramp and into the shed; my head just cleared the top of the door header. I had electric in the shed for the battery maintainer. But that was back in my Evel Knievel days - lol.
I would be concerned about using a Slate for boat towing as it is RWD-only. Are you going to launch your boat at boat ramps? Usually that means your rear tires will be submerged underwater on a slimy surface. I guess with such a small boat that might not be a concern for you, but it still depends on the condition of your boat ramp.
One small benefit the Slate will have is the weight distribution will be a bit better than a typical pickup. With the motor/axle in the rear and the battery under the floor it should offer a bit more grip. I've seen plenty of people launch boats with RWD sedans and pickups before, so I'm sure they have it figured out.
When i rode dirtbikes I always had two ramps, one for the bike and one for me. Made loading really easy. I could probably do the same with a sport bike, but I wouldnt want to do it with a cruiser.
I understand that. I said I'd be comfortable loading a dirt bike or sport bike using ramps. I also said I wouldnt want to load a cruiser like that. I might be missing something, but I'm pretty sure we are in agreement here.Dirt bikes are meant to fall over, expensive big street bikes... not so much.
Just sayin'
I have a beach-cat sailboat. I pull up to the shore, and then pull the boat off of the trailer and onto a dolly by hand and rig it on the beach, then push it out. Neither the truck nor the trailer ever touch the water.
