The SuperDeck III flat on the ground and ready for a bike to be loaded. Heavy-duty cast iron wheels at the end of the deck allow it to easily roll across hard surfaces even when loaded to capacity.
The SuperDeck III flat on the ground and ready for a bike to be loaded. Heavy-duty cast ir
As motorcycle enthusiasts we try to put as many miles in the saddle of our bikes as possible. Sometimes however, while we might hate to admit it, it's necessary to load a bike onto a trailer or into the back of a truck. A couple of reasons might be if you find yourself stranded on the side of the road or you're making a long cross-country road trip and need to be at your destination in a hurry and fresh. Whatever the reason, there are many ways to transport a bike from one destination to another.
One of our local shops, Eightball Rods and Choppers (eightballrodsandchoppers.com) in Placentia, California, had a dilemma. It had recently built a raked and stretched chopper with a super-long girder frontend, so long (more than 9 feet), it wouldn't fit into the bed of the shop's Chevy dually truck when the guys needed to haul it to shows and events. Aside from the chopper, Eightball also serves as somewhat of a pit crew, towing legendary motorcycle land-speed guru Wink Eller's 14-foot-long, 180-mph-plus sidecar rig up and down the course at events like Bonneville and El Mirage. Eightball solved its problem by picking up a hydraulic loading system from AmeriDeck.
Once a bike is loaded and secured to the platform, a simple push of the button starts the loading process.
Once a bike is loaded and secured to the platform, a simple push of the button starts the
Made in the USA, AmeriDeck offers several different loading systems to meet various applications and needs, but when it comes to transporting motorcycles, the company's most popular system is the SuperDeck III (MSRP $4,384). The SuperDeck III is essentially a two-piece system that consists of the lift arm frame with a hydraulic system, and the deck. A two-button remote control operates the system moving the deck from the bed to the flat ground. You simply roll your bike onto the deck, tie it down via any of the eight tie-down points, push the load button, and the hydraulic system does all the work for you.
The loading process is a mix between the hydraulic lift arm raising the front of the deck upwards and the end of the deck rolling across the ground.
The loading process is a mix between the hydraulic lift arm raising the front of the deck
The lift arm assembly is secured in the truck bed with four mounting points, then the power/ground cables are run along the under side of the truck and connected to the battery and a secure grounding point. The deck is made from top-grade commercial steel and features a diamond-plate surface for added traction and is covered in black powdercoat for durability. The SuperDeck III is designed to fit inside full-size truck beds, measures 58 inches wide, and is offered in 6-1/2-foot or 8-foot lengths (both with a 5-inch-long upward folding beavertail). The deck sits just above the wheel wells providing about 10 inches of secure storage space between the bed and underside of the deck. However, most important of all, the system features a 2,500-pound loading/unloading capacity-way more than you would ever need with a completely loaded bagger or trike. Once the system has been installed, it's a pretty quick and easy process to remove it from the bed of your truck. The lift arm and deck can be separated from each other by lowering the deck onto the ground and then simply removing the two quick disconnect pins that secure the two together. You just need to remove the four mounting bolts, disconnect the power cables, and remove the lift arm from the bed.
Aside from the standard equipment that comes with the SuperDeck III, AmeriDeck also offers other attachments, such as a high bulkhead kit, a van body (a secure cargo box), a dump bed, and a 12-inch-long deck extension with a 6-1/2-inch beavertail. To accommodate the length of the chopper and Wink's land speed bike, Eightball picked up the extension.