This weekend I took a little of my Sunday to set up and install my sweet new ramp with help from Wolf. The SharkKage multi purpose motorcycle ramp is specifically designed to load and unload your motorcycles safely. It uses a bite plate they call the Shark Bite to attach semi-permanently to the tailgate of your truck so it can’t slip off when you’re loading a bike. It’s unique folding pattern and latches make it super multi purpose- a motorcycle ramp, cargo box, bed extender, cargo cover, work table, and with some extra attachments… a canopy/sun shade. It’s pretty simple to install and super sturdy. I opted for the $399 wider ‘Sport’ ramp (47″ wide) versus the smaller (24″ wide) $299 edition because my truck is lifted quite a bit so the extra walking space is really helpful.
We laid out the template on the truck bed, read the directions, and looked through the provided tools- they give you everything you need! Well, minus the drill. They do however even include the drill bits you need for install. After getting the gist of things, we removed my plastic bed cover from the tailgate and began plotting our lines.
In pretty much no time we had drilled the holes in both the bite plate and the sheet metal of my tailgate, installed the thread setters, screwed it in place, replaced the hinge bolts, and voila! SharkKage on my Toyota Tacoma. The only modification I had to do was replace shorter bolts with two of the ones they provided to make sure it wouldn’t get in the way of the gate latch mechanism. No big deal.
In order for the ramp to fold properly into the cargo box, you need to have a larger bed than my truck does. So, in my case, it can’t be stored on the hinges in the box function. But, it still stores great in bed extender or cargo cover mode. Plus, removing it just takes a pair of able hands, two wrenches, and maybe three minutes.
Well, it was time to bust out the Monster and try it out! A formidable approach for sure, my truck is pretty dang tall. This would be the first time I’ve had my Monster in the truck in probably a year, and definitely the first time I’ll have achieved the feat without finding a nice big hill to park at the bottom of.
The super wide ramp with close cross members makes it really easy to walk up with your bike as you load- rather than stepping awkwardly on some box at the halfway point.
Mission accomplished!
I’m excited to finally have a motorcycle ramp of my own- and I’m glad I held out for one that will do pretty much everything I want and more. Nothing sucks more than worrying about if your ramp is going to move or if you’re going to miss the middle step.
Check ’em out on the SharkKage website, and get 10% off using code SKMAR10!
Vasilisa Komarova took a dream motorcycle road trip. Camping in Bolivia she was attacked by three men with machetes, raped, and left for dead. “We have to stand up to the abuse and never lose hope.” Read the story and find out how to help.
Posted on April 6, 2015 in Blog, Gear & Gizmos by Alicia Mariah Elfving
very cool. perhaps some pis of it in the semi folded position for us to see how it is when stowed. just a thought.
Thank you so much for your review @TheMotoLady! That is awesome that it’s working out for you! Your pictures look great!