The well-known formula for the perfect number of motorcycles to own, which is (number of bikes you currently own) + (one more), makes complete sense to me. However, if you have multiple bikes, you can face the logistical issue of storing them in limited space.
For the past few years, I've had two bikes. If one was at the dealer or disassembled in my garage, I always had another to ride. Yet, staying true to the motorcycle ownership formula mentioned earlier, I couldn't resist a great deal on a used bike. So, I bought it and towed it home.
The issues now are that I’ve lost space to tinker on one bike without another bike getting in the way and pulling one bike out is very difficult because of the clearance between bikes. So, I needed a solution.
I believed a motorcycle dolly would solve the problem, allowing me to pack the bikes closely when not in use and easily maneuver them, in any direction, due to the casters. My only requirement for the dolly was that it had to have a chock to hold the motorcycle upright for more space between bikes.
Harbor Freight with modifications - This meant purchasing the HF dolly and attaching a chock. This option was relatively inexpensive, but finding cheap chocks made the modification process seem not worth the effort.
Harbor Freight Dolly: https://www.harborfreight.com/low-profile-motorcycle-dolly-95896.html
See the modification here:
Condor - Condor makes quality products and this seemed like the one to buy. But it was uber expensive and it's longer than I need since all my bikes are sportbikes with shorter wheelbases.
Condor Motorcycle Dolly: https://www.condor-lift.com/product/motorcycle-garage-dolly-part-gd-3500/
A comparison between the Condor and Harbor Freight dollies can be found here:
Load-All - Another favorite. It's a foldable dolly and I can store it away easily if I didn’t want it on the floor for some reason. Also, I could use the two chocks I already own. However, it's also on the longer side.
Load All Motorcycle Dolly - https://loadall.com/products/loadall-garage-dolly
Kendon - The kendon is probably the newest product here. It’s also a foldable motorcycle dolly but it's also too long for my needs.
Kendon Motorcycle Dolly - https://www.kendonusa.com/products/kendon-folding-scorpion-motorcycle-dolly-with-adjustable-wheel-chock
ConStands - I expanded my search to products found outside of the U.S. and came across the ConStands Smart Mover. The ConStands dolly ended up being the winner. It was the right length, not too wide and less expensive than the others except the harbor freight even with the international shipping.
Constands Motorcycle Dolly - https://www.motea.com/en/motorbike-dolly-mover-with-wheel-chock-constands-smart-mover-max-450-kg-orange-289317-0
Video on the ConStands Smart Mover Dolly:
The ConStands dolly arrived in two boxes that were slightly damaged in transit. Fortunately, the contents were intact, and all parts were still in the box.
The ConStands dolly felt solid and not cheap. The paint finish was thick, and the castors rolled smoothly.
The ConStands dolly comes with 1 page of instructions. The assembly is straightforward and it was done in under an hour.
Tools Needed
Now, where you might have to remove the chock from the dolly a couple of times is trying to get the right fit for the front tire. The lower pivot cradle has eight adjustments for varying size tires and you will have to try a few of them to get the right fit. When I first assembled it and loaded a bike, the motorcycle was very unstable at the initial adjustment point. It took 3 removals of the chock to reposition the cradle to get it right. See the photos below:
The Constands motorcycle dolly will do the intended job. I can position my bikes in the garage in any way I want and every bike is easily accessed for riding. No more back-and-forth inching the tucked away bike out of the corner of the garage.
However, there are two things to consider:
The handle at the front is solely for moving the dolly when it's unloaded. It's not sturdy enough to manage a bike's weight.
The castors are good but not great. Moving a bike is a two handed operation. This is good and bad. If you forgot to lock the castors and you accidentally nudged a bike, it won’t move. But when attempting to intentionally move a bike an initial two handed push to get it rolling is necessary on an unfinished cement floor. Not a dealbreaker but I may upgrade the castors at some point.
All in all, I’m happy with the Constands Smart Mover Dolly and would buy another if another bike finds its way into my garage.
Thanks for reading!