I got the Black Widow Ramp this week. I tried it out for the first time today.
All in all I think it was worth the money. Because my other option was buying a trailer to haul my Max and use it as a camper. But I decided to go the more thrifty route and buy a Tent that goes in the back of my truck, a 10x10 canopy for shading the Max, and the Black Widow Ramp for transporting my Max in the Pick-Up Truck.
Over the past couple of months I've been slowly gathering all the gear that I need to be able to throw everything in the back of my truck and head off to where ever and comfortably go camping at Bike Events.
The Black Widow Ramp allows me to ride the VMAX into the back as well.
I had no problems loading her right up in. Backing out the first time though was a bit nervy though. If you get moving too fast and use the front brake to much the front tire slides on the bed of the pickup. So caution is the key. And the second time I did it, I left the bike in gear and used the clutch as well.
If you are looking for a cheaper alternative to spending a few grand on a trailer. I recommend the Black Widow.
The only negatives I could come up with are...
The bolts are not recessed on the sides so the ramps don't sit tight to one another. But it does not cause any problems with loading or unloading. The safety straps are not the best quality. But they do perform their jobs sufficiently. I'll probably end up using my better quality straps.
And finally it has nothing to do with the Black Widow Ramp. But one draw back that should be addressed if you use this product is your tailgate support cables. I made a set of safety chains to use on the tailgate making sure all the components were rated at 800 lbs or more. See the pictures.
Some of you may be aware that GM recalled a bunch of their cables because they were breaking to easy due to corrosion getting in the cable and crimp.
Newer trucks have those crimped cables to support the tailgate in the down position. Well being the cautious person I am. I did some research on the weight rating on the cables. And none of the manufacturers list a weight rating. It's a liability issue for them. If they list a rating on them and someone is hurt or property is damaged, they are liable if there is a failure with weight put on the tailgate that is within that weight rating. So the manufacturers just plain out refuse to rate the cables capacity. And they never recommend putting any weight on the tailgate itself. They simply view the tailgate as an entryway into the bed, and that is all it is designed for.
All in all I'm happy with it and look forward to using just my truck as a mobile staging unit for future endeavors.
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