A couple weeks ago I noted the somewhat flimsy tie downs in the bed of the Tundra. I liked the idea of having adjustable loops, but the way they flexed made me a little leery of securing anything important to them. When it came time to pick up a new motorcycle this weekend, however, I took the Tundra anyway.
I figured its longer bed would allow me to close the tailgate, so the loose tie downs probably would be an issue anyway...
When I used our Chevrolet Silverado to pick up last year’s bike, its shorter bed meant leaving the gate down. Not a huge deal, but this time I had to drive a few hundred miles, so it was peace of mind to know the gate would be up. Turns out my tie down straps were too long to make use of the adjustable loops anyway. Thankfully, Toyota was smart enough not to rely on the bed rail loops alone as the Tundra includes four standard loops affixed to the bed at each corner.
The Tundra was as comfortable as ever on the trip. A supportive seat, well tuned suspension and more passing power than you could ever need in a pickup make it an enjoyable road trip truck. It’s racked up over 14,000 miles now and there are no noticeable rattles or squeaks either.
Ed Hellwig, Senior Editor @ 14,480 miles
The Tundra was as comfortable as ever on the trip. A supportive seat, well tuned suspension and more passing power than you could ever need in a pickup make it an enjoyable road trip truck. It’s racked up over 14,000 miles now and there are no noticeable rattles or squeaks either.
Ed Hellwig, Senior Editor @ 14,480 miles
hoops26 says:
12:09 PM, 04/ 7/08
How is the tailgate holding up when loading a motorcycle? Search "Tundra tailgate" on google if you're unsure of what I mean.
Hopefully this comment doesn't stir things up too much. I don't mean for it to!
desmolicious says:
02:51 PM, 04/ 7/08
Ah the RC51. A bike that will reach collector status in about 10-15 years.
Very nice (coming from a Ducati owner!).
billt9 says:
09:18 PM, 04/ 7/08
Leave the bike on the tailgate overnight please.
Would make an interesting post irregardless whether the tailgate gives or not.
olerascal says:
06:58 AM, 04/ 8/08
The only thing wrong with those cargo management tie downs is someone did not tighted the track back up when installing the bed liner. They are not weak by design. Only by some installers mistake.
BTW, I loaded a ton+ of pavers on a pallet not long ago. The pallet had it's full weight rest on the tailgate while the fork truck readjusted the forks to load deeper. The tailgate is fine. No issues whatsoever.
tcolberg85 says:
12:54 PM, 04/ 8/08
So were you able to close the tailgate on the Tundra? The picture makes it look as if the tailgate would hit the rear tire on the bike before closing completely.
fst1 says:
05:55 PM, 04/ 8/08
@tcolberg86: I had to swing the tail over a little to close the gate.
@hoops26: Tailgate was fine, never saw any separation issues.
@desmolicious: Yes, it will be awhile before these are collectors items. For now, they're just very cool sounding Hondas. Next year, I'm thinking 749S.
Ed Hellwig, Senior Editor