A heavy-duty bike dolly

[trikebldr]

After reading about the Park-n-Move dolly here I bought a used one. Looks brand new. I tried it on my Voyager 1300, but had some trouble getting the center stand to even set in the first stage. I even aired the rear suspension to the max on the guage. Still, not easy to get it on the stand on the dolly. Even worse getting it off! I also did not like the amount of flex in the base of the dolly with the bike loaded on it. My carport surface is not as smooth as most garage floors, so the flexing made it drag bottom at a couple of places. I read where some guys add washers between the casters and the dolly frame to lift it slightly. Well, that solves the clearance problem, but makes it that much harder to get the bike on it's stand on the dolly! This dolly will now be used for my 650 Suzuki! Works GREAT for that "small" bike!

I'm the kind who likes to fabricate my own stuff whenever I can, and this dolly is just another example of this. I also like to over-build things to be sure they don't flex or break, EVER! I am building my own version of the Park-n-Move dolly. It will fit the 1300 specifically (I'm 95% sure the Voyager XII, too!) and will be a tad on the heavy side (about 35lbs), but who cares? It can stay on the ground. It will have six 3-1/2", 250lb-rated casters with ball bearings in the swivels and the wheels. Harbor Freight items, #41524, $6.29/each. Using 1/2" X 3" bar stock and 1/4" plate, it should have no flex. It will have 1/4" ground clearance.

As for the ease of getting the bike on it's stand in the dolly, I bought a used center stand assembly on eBay and will modify it by shortening it's legs by the amount of ground clearance plus the plate thickness (about 1/2", total). This should still make the stand functional without the dolly, because of how much the stand lifts the rear wheel normally. We shall see!

I will take lots of pics to share if anybody else is interested in such a modification.

[Bob in Tucson]

35# doesn't seem very heavy. I'll be interested in seeing the pics.

[Lucasind]

....If you go on-line, and research the manufacturer , they might post recomended weight limits for the used one you got. go from there ! and like you said ,you now have the basis for doing your own "beefing up" so beef away ....and yes, post pictures, we like pictures .....tony

[trikebldr]

My used one works fine for my little 650 Suzuki. They say that they are rated for 1100+lbs. That might be true if your floor is very smooth, but the clearance is just too close and the amount of flex is just too much to work well with any irregularities. Just plain didn't work well with my 1300 Voyager.
The main design flaw I see in their's is that there is absolutely no right-angle stiffness. Basically it is all one plate of steel stamped and bent. Sure simplifies manufacturing, but limits load capacity. It needs a couple of small, 1/4" X 1" plates added at a right angle to the caster "wings" and the platform. When I get mine all cut out and tacked you will see what I mean.
I didn't buy the used one to have to ruin it's powdercoat and spend time and a little money modifying it. So, it's a good thing I can use it for my 650.

[trikebldr]

Just picked up all of my steel stock for this dolly today. Will be cutting and tacking it tomorrow. Will post pics.

In the mean time, here is a vid of something like what I was talking about. It makes great use of right angles in angle iron for more strength with much less material. it may not look quite as cool as the Park-n-Move, but this one could be made for less than $50, plus welding/paint! I actually wish I had seen this vid before I did my sketches for mine! Simple and strong!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNtDCg7NNyg

[trikebldr]

Cut all of my materials for the dolly today (first pic). Will weld it up tomorrow. BTW, Bob, all of the materials weigh in at 46lbs! I did increase the widths of some of the materials since the early stages of thought.
The second pic is of the stock center stand assembly I got today off of eBay. The third pic is of the first modification needed to shorten the legs of the stand. My dolly will cause the center stand to be 3/4" off the ground, so that will make it even harder to get the bike lifted. The solution is to shorten the legs of the stand by 3/4". Normally the rear tire sits about 2+" off the ground when on the center stand, so by shortening the legs of the stand the tire should be about 1" off the ground without the dolly. It will also make it easier to get it on the stand without the dolly. WITH the dolly, it should be just like a stock center stand as far as how hard it is to get on the stand. We will see, and this is why I bought a used assembly rather than just yank the original one off the bike and start whittling on it. All it cost was $28 (free shipping!).
After shortening the legs 3/4" the two levers would hit the ground too early when not using the dolly, so both levers will have to be shifted slightly. That third pic shows how to rotate the first-stage lever just enough to clear the ground. But, it will then interfere with the larger second-stage lever, so the fourth pic shows where I need to cut, bend and reweld that lever to move it for clearance from the smaller lever.

The fifth pic shows the basic cut lines for removal of the stock "feet", and where it will be cut to shorten the stand. 1/4" X 1" bar stock will be used to make up new feet, with small gussets added.

Hopefully, by the end of the weekend I will have pics of the whole works assembled and sitting on the ground, first, then on the dolly. Maybe even a video. I am also working on a small lever to bring the bike down off the stand without all the usual rocking back and forth until it finally breaks over the top. If it works out right, it will also make it very easy to get the bike up on the stand, too! In the 22 years since I had my first Voyager 1300, I have lost a lot of my strength, so these little "helps" are not luxuries! Can't wait until I can afford a sidecar for this one, too!

[trikebldr]

OK, I didn't get the welding done over the weekend, but here it is. It still needs to be cleaned up of all the Mig spatter, some beads ground smooth for appearance, sandblasted and painted. Final weight ended up at 44lbs, but feels more like 144lbs. Overall dimensions, not counting how far the wheels extend outside, is 18" X 24". Final cost, not including paint, was $92. Ground clearance is 3/8".

[cushman eagle]

That is a good looking dolly

[Lucasind]

Lookin Good ! thanks for sharig those pics