Smaller moto vans

bierbower105
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Uhrichsville, OH, USA
12/19/2018 11:39am
grunkster wrote:
I've had 2 bikes in my Nissan NV200...what's nice is it's tall enough bikes roll right in without needing to compress. Front wheel drive and 26mpg...
I've had 2 bikes in my Nissan NV200...what's nice is it's tall enough bikes roll right in without needing to compress. Front wheel drive and 26mpg. Chevrolet version is same thing but more $$.
Do you have any pictures of your van loaded down?
1
pancake
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11/6/2017
Location
Bailey, CO, USA
12/19/2018 12:08pm
grunkster wrote:
I've had 2 bikes in my Nissan NV200...what's nice is it's tall enough bikes roll right in without needing to compress. Front wheel drive and 26mpg...
I've had 2 bikes in my Nissan NV200...what's nice is it's tall enough bikes roll right in without needing to compress. Front wheel drive and 26mpg. Chevrolet version is same thing but more $$.
Do you have any pictures of your van loaded down?


I have the Chevy city express that I picked up as a leftover in March. I have no clue how you could fit two full size bikes in it, honestly. A bike will roll right into it if you put the ramp on the bumper and you aren't running any handguards. I typically load mine where the rear fender will go right up between the seats the the front tire touches the driver's side rear door which then leaves TONS of room for tools, ramp, fuel, gear, lunch, etc....

Downside to this van is the 185/60 r15 tires with the 92/94 load rating. There aren't a lot of options and they're both expensive and shitty. The conti vancofourseaon things it came with barely lasted 20k miles. I may end up swapping out for 17s to have more tire choices. You're basically stuck with china crap, Continentals, and Coopers as it is due to that load rating.

bierbower105
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Uhrichsville, OH, USA
12/19/2018 12:27pm
grunkster wrote:
I've had 2 bikes in my Nissan NV200...what's nice is it's tall enough bikes roll right in without needing to compress. Front wheel drive and 26mpg...
I've had 2 bikes in my Nissan NV200...what's nice is it's tall enough bikes roll right in without needing to compress. Front wheel drive and 26mpg. Chevrolet version is same thing but more $$.
Do you have any pictures of your van loaded down?
pancake wrote:
[img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2018/12/19/311411/s1200_IMG_1992_1.jpg[/img] I have the Chevy city express that I picked up as a leftover in March. I have no clue how you could fit two full...


I have the Chevy city express that I picked up as a leftover in March. I have no clue how you could fit two full size bikes in it, honestly. A bike will roll right into it if you put the ramp on the bumper and you aren't running any handguards. I typically load mine where the rear fender will go right up between the seats the the front tire touches the driver's side rear door which then leaves TONS of room for tools, ramp, fuel, gear, lunch, etc....

Downside to this van is the 185/60 r15 tires with the 92/94 load rating. There aren't a lot of options and they're both expensive and shitty. The conti vancofourseaon things it came with barely lasted 20k miles. I may end up swapping out for 17s to have more tire choices. You're basically stuck with china crap, Continentals, and Coopers as it is due to that load rating.

Right on. I only need one bike anyway. What year is your express? I read somewhere that the 2010-2013 nv200's bikes roll right in but after that you might be in trouble.

I'm thinking get one and throw a roof rack on it when I go on long trips. I like the mini moto van idea, and I only put at most 7k miles on a van per year.
pancake
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Bailey, CO, USA
12/19/2018 12:38pm
Right on. I only need one bike anyway. What year is your express? I read somewhere that the 2010-2013 nv200's bikes roll right in but after...
Right on. I only need one bike anyway. What year is your express? I read somewhere that the 2010-2013 nv200's bikes roll right in but after that you might be in trouble.

I'm thinking get one and throw a roof rack on it when I go on long trips. I like the mini moto van idea, and I only put at most 7k miles on a van per year.
My van is a '17. It was a leftover that the dealer discounted significantly.. I drive a lot for work and basically use it as a commuter/beater and love that I regularly get ~30mpg with it.

The floor to door latch height in the back is exactly 48 inches. I have no problems at all if I put the ramp on the bumper and roll my bike in.. if you put the ramp on the cargo floor, you do get to do a dip & dive to squeeze it in there.

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The Shop

grunkster
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Rochester, MN, USA
12/19/2018 12:55pm
on the nv's to fit 2 bikes you need to rig up some vertical corner pieces and turn the front end OUT into the corners. Then the rear wheels touch in the center. Then you pack around the bikes! I have no pics, and no longer have the NV....I now have a promaster city.
pancake
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Bailey, CO, USA
12/19/2018 1:09pm
grunkster wrote:
on the nv's to fit 2 bikes you need to rig up some vertical corner pieces and turn the front end OUT into the corners. Then...
on the nv's to fit 2 bikes you need to rig up some vertical corner pieces and turn the front end OUT into the corners. Then the rear wheels touch in the center. Then you pack around the bikes! I have no pics, and no longer have the NV....I now have a promaster city.
I guess I could see that. I don't have the need to carry two bikes in it so I'm not too worried about it.

The promaster is much nicer than the NV, that's for sure. Did you have any problems with the NV?
bierbower105
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Uhrichsville, OH, USA
12/19/2018 1:17pm
Yeah I'm kind of thinking whatever I find a better deal on at this point. Any problems with the NV or PMC?
pancake
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Bailey, CO, USA
12/19/2018 1:22pm
Yeah I'm kind of thinking whatever I find a better deal on at this point. Any problems with the NV or PMC?
I've got 20k on the city express without issue aside from the slight annoyance from the cost of tires. I've read some poor reviews from people who used them as tool vans or delivery vans where they ran around loaded at max capacity all the time and didn't fair too well with trans, brake, and front end issues.

The PMC is so much nicer but I couldn't justify the extra dough for it when I knew I was just going to beat the hell out of it.

Next time around, I keep thinking I'll look for a Mercedes Metris.
grunkster
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Rochester, MN, USA
12/21/2018 7:12am
I had no problems at all with either...(the NV had 38K when I sold as I was worried about that CVT tranny going out)...currently at 28K on the PMC
Wiznaz
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Coconut Creek, FL, USA
7/18/2020 6:15pm
I haven’t posted much the past few years but still rocking the Ram PMC. Awesome van still and no major repairs. A few of us have migrated over to the FB group “Tiny Motovans”
1
grunkster
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Rochester, MN, USA
7/21/2020 12:30pm
same here...nearly 40k miles and van has been perfect
Wiznaz
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Coconut Creek, FL, USA
7/21/2020 1:15pm Edited Date/Time 7/21/2020 1:16pm
grunkster wrote:
same here...nearly 40k miles and van has been perfect
I did have to replace the radiator cooling fan. Mine died but thankfully I was close to home so I shut the AC and avoided overheating. Installed the replacement $127 fan myself And a month later I get the Recall notice in the mail and they refunded me 100%.
Spooner
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Kansas City, MO, USA
7/21/2020 1:48pm
My transit connect has been bomb proof. I use it for work as a sales rep and have 245k miles on it and have only done oil changes and tires. I just with the bike would fit in the back but a hitch rack works great on it.
TeamGreen
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Thru-out, CA, USA
7/21/2020 4:28pm
This isn’t a “small van”...but, it ain’t huge. It can go thru most drive-thrus. It fits in a regular parking spot and I’ve even paid std parking fees at the airport (LAX/SFO/SNA) It is small compared to the HUGE Transit and Sprinters that most motopeeps use.

I’m averaging 17 mpg. I’m usually loaded up pretty good and I drive too fast. So, 17 is actually pretty good.

I haven’t finished it, yet; because, I need help from fellow forum member and fast-bad-ass “OB” to get it done. The seat in the pictures is -not- mounted. It’s merely strapped in where I want it & it’s getting transported to SoCal for OB to install. After that, it’s getting a sleeper over/behind the rear seat and a vapor wall separating the back from the front. There will be a flip-down wall in the sleeper to allow up to 4 paddle/surf-boards to load (some of our Sups are 11-12 feet long).

Bought it at the start of the Zombie Apocalypse: I bought it “new” on Friday the 13th! (3/13/20).
$32.5K plus taxes & fees
2019 T150 w/trailer pkg, cargo floor, cruise/audio & a few other options.
Long Wheelbase/Mid Roof
3.7 V6 gas
I’m stoked on this rig.




7
Spooner
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Kansas City, MO, USA
7/21/2020 5:16pm
This is really what I want next but the passenger version as I have two little dudes. Same size though. I need to see if it will fit in the garage..
Wiznaz
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Coconut Creek, FL, USA
7/21/2020 5:20pm
That’s not even close to being small lol
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TeamGreen
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7/21/2020 5:25pm
Spooner wrote:
This is really what I want next but the passenger version as I have two little dudes. Same size though. I need to see if it...
This is really what I want next but the passenger version as I have two little dudes. Same size though. I need to see if it will fit in the garage..
The std roof will fit in a typcal garage. This van is around 7' 10" tall. It's called a Mid-Roof.

Spooner
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Kansas City, MO, USA
7/21/2020 5:48pm
TeamGreen wrote:
The std roof will fit in a typcal garage. This van is around 7' 10" tall. It's called a Mid-Roof.

Doh! I was just looking at the interior pics and didn't notice it was the mid roof. By my measurements I'm about 2" short (aren't we all) from it fitting but that's just going off the specs on their site.
brocster
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Aliso Viejo, CA, USA
7/21/2020 6:54pm
TeamGreen wrote:
The std roof will fit in a typcal garage. This van is around 7' 10" tall. It's called a Mid-Roof.

Spooner wrote:
Doh! I was just looking at the interior pics and didn't notice it was the mid roof. By my measurements I'm about 2" short (aren't we...
Doh! I was just looking at the interior pics and didn't notice it was the mid roof. By my measurements I'm about 2" short (aren't we all) from it fitting but that's just going off the specs on their site.
I have an older e150 with non heavy duty springs and I can get it in the garage with 1” to spare. Pretty sure everything else full size you are SOL with a std garage door. My Savana would not fit in a regular height garage door either.
Wiznaz
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Coconut Creek, FL, USA
7/22/2020 1:24am
TeamGreen wrote:
The std roof will fit in a typcal garage. This van is around 7' 10" tall. It's called a Mid-Roof.

Spooner wrote:
Doh! I was just looking at the interior pics and didn't notice it was the mid roof. By my measurements I'm about 2" short (aren't we...
Doh! I was just looking at the interior pics and didn't notice it was the mid roof. By my measurements I'm about 2" short (aren't we all) from it fitting but that's just going off the specs on their site.
Let the air out of the tires and it’ll fit. Haha
XLJeh
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27
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12/4/2019
Location
CA
10/27/2020 8:53am
I bought a 2015 nv200 just before Covid hit and other than maybe getting a bit of a lemon on the CVT i love it. Im a weekend warrior but i don't really like riding anywhere but a track. The mileage is great and comfort level is pretty good, i know you can just get other tire sizes or go up to 16"s pretty easily just gotta look into it a bit online.

Common issues are the blower sucks for heat or a/c - they decided that you don't need to run cabin air filter but that's because the moisture for the A/c turns it to mush and it clogs up your air cooler which is the first thing in front of the blower fan. Ive been able to get it better by getting a wire brush through the filter access and blowing it out with air.

The CVT transmission is great overall even though.. mine will shutter under certain load and rpms which is something i am currently looking into, i did a drain and fill which just changed where in the rpms the shutter happened but it also looked like original fluid at 200000km. I read you want to get 2014-15 or newer with getting a CVT a lot if not most of the kinks were worked out by then. i could go on with what i learned on the cvt if you would like to know more just dm me.

I haven't tried 2 full sized bikes but i don't know if you could do it with out putting your passenger seat up to the dash. Another small bike would easily fit though.


9/11/2022 11:35am
pigpen203 wrote:
[img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2016/06/01/137465/s1200_Snapchat_994911791223479990.jpg[/img] I can easily fit 2 bikes and all my track stuff in my nv200

I can easily fit 2 bikes and all my track stuff in my nv200
Hi i just bought a Nissan nv200 cargo and just wondering how you loaded your bikes? Do you have any pics with 2 bikes in it? Full size. I now have my Husqvarna fc450 and my sons kx85 big wheels and are loading it on the diagonal. Just wonderdering if 2 fullsize bikes will work and how? Did you have the wall between the cargo and drivingroom or dismounted it? Sorry for many questions and for my bad english 😂////Daniel from Sweden
9/11/2022 11:45am
pigpen203 wrote:
[img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2016/06/01/137465/s1200_Snapchat_994911791223479990.jpg[/img] I can easily fit 2 bikes and all my track stuff in my nv200

I can easily fit 2 bikes and all my track stuff in my nv200
flipdamix wrote:
Hi i just bought a Nissan nv200 cargo and just wondering how you loaded your bikes? Do you have any pics with 2 bikes in it...
Hi i just bought a Nissan nv200 cargo and just wondering how you loaded your bikes? Do you have any pics with 2 bikes in it? Full size. I now have my Husqvarna fc450 and my sons kx85 big wheels and are loading it on the diagonal. Just wonderdering if 2 fullsize bikes will work and how? Did you have the wall between the cargo and drivingroom or dismounted it? Sorry for many questions and for my bad english 😂////Daniel from Sweden
I have a nv200. When you have the wall it's not possible to load the bike straight.
9/11/2022 1:28pm
pigpen203 wrote:
[img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2016/06/01/137465/s1200_Snapchat_994911791223479990.jpg[/img] I can easily fit 2 bikes and all my track stuff in my nv200

I can easily fit 2 bikes and all my track stuff in my nv200
flipdamix wrote:
Hi i just bought a Nissan nv200 cargo and just wondering how you loaded your bikes? Do you have any pics with 2 bikes in it...
Hi i just bought a Nissan nv200 cargo and just wondering how you loaded your bikes? Do you have any pics with 2 bikes in it? Full size. I now have my Husqvarna fc450 and my sons kx85 big wheels and are loading it on the diagonal. Just wonderdering if 2 fullsize bikes will work and how? Did you have the wall between the cargo and drivingroom or dismounted it? Sorry for many questions and for my bad english 😂////Daniel from Sweden
I have a nv200. When you have the wall it's not possible to load the bike straight.
Does it fit straight in without the wall? Do i need to compress the forks? And if i should load 2 fullsize bikes, how is the easiest way? I realy like the Nissan nv200 cause its low fuel consumption, especially here in Sweden where 1litre costs 25-26 swedish crowns.
endurox
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2097
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3/22/2014
Location
Garden City, ID, USA
9/11/2022 2:53pm
Have had several vans in the last 32 years. Astro work but had to compress down the front end a lot. Then went to a e-150. Handlebar height was tight, got the knuckles a few times. On to a few Transits and now a Metris LWB (vito in the rest of the world). The Metris with Bilsteins drive more like a euro touring sedan. 9 speed with paddle shifters, 27 mpg and plenty of zip with the 2.0 turbo engine. Too bad these vans are getting discontinued next Summer.
1
mvmx
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535
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Location
Dirty Jrezz Shore, NJ, USA
9/11/2022 3:59pm






like endurox says - this rips n handles like a hot hatch - take off wheels n tires from my e63 n a ecu tune... total stealth mode for secret spots...
1
4/21/2024 4:43am
Kanista wrote:
Heres a pic of my set up. [img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2015/08/23/102533/s1200_IMG_1064.jpg[/img]
Heres a pic of my set up.



Is this short wheel base? 

1

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