Guzzi V7 in a pickup

[jackthebiker]

I'd say the OP got enough advice, good and bad, to make an educated decision about buying a chock.

His decision.

I am looking for a used enclosed trailer. Or build a 8 foot long ramp in two 2 foot sections to clamp together.
Thanks everybody for the advice. I will get a wheel chock.

[pyoungbl]

With the suspension of the truck any shock or energy is going to be slower than for instance if you hit a pothole or climb a curb on your bike.
The fork seals are under no more stress at full compression than they are at rest. All they do is seal dust out and oil in.  They don't seal any pressure. 

Not being an expert on suspension, just someone who has had to fine tune a few front ends:
I'm pretty sure the seals are actually sealing in pressure too.  When the forks compress, at least with a metering rod design, the air gap gets compressed.  This air compression gives variable resistance....more resistance as the gas is compressed more.  Without the air gap the forks would reach full compression in a much more violent manner and run the risk of damage.  Your diagram does not show the top of the fork tube but I bet it is capped off with an air tight seal.  I know mine are.

[Tom]

IIRC  If the fork tubes of the bike you're transporting has conventional legs then compression is a factor.  If you're transporting a damper cartridge Guzzi then not so much a problem.  However cinching down a front end of a bike is necessary but to totally collapse the front end isn't.

[atavar]

Not being an expert on suspension, just someone who has had to fine tune a few front ends:
I'm pretty sure the seals are actually sealing in pressure too.  When the forks compress, at least with a metering rod design, the air gap gets compressed.  This air compression gives variable resistance....more resistance as the gas is compressed more.  Without the air gap the forks would reach full compression in a much more violent manner and run the risk of damage.  Your diagram does not show the top of the fork tube but I bet it is capped off with an air tight seal.  I know mine are.

If you look at the diagram the volume of the pieces inside has not changed, they just changed position.  The shock works by compressing a spring and sliding the damper valve through a viscous liquid.
I know in the 70's it was popular to try to improve pre-load by jerry-rigging air shocks by drilling and tapping a Schrader valve in to the tube plug at the top.  The results were less than stellar. 

[Tom]

 :1:  The fork seals would blow since the system wasn't designed to be air forks.  Even the ones that were designed were marginal at best.

[Scud]

Enclosed Trailer - I have a toy-hauler, also use a wheel-chock in it. One chock - with carabiners and turnbuckles - and multiple uses. I do not compress the front-end when I use the chock.

Fork seals- I think there's a reason to be concerned about fork seals if you compress the front end for the ride. I don't use the chock for my dirt bike - just strap down the handle-bars. I (and others I ride with) found that seals tend to go out prematurely with that practice. Therefore, I bought a special block (with a Husky "H" on it) to put between front tire and lower triple clamp. A lot of people use these blocks when hauling dirt bikes, some even call them seal savers.

Bottom line - it's a good idea to haul your bike if circumstances make riding it impossible or inconvenient. Take a bike with you whenever you can. It makes every trip more fun.