The 6.5-foot bed of a standard pickup truck isn't quite big enough to close the tailgate when you have two dirt bikes in the bed, but here is my method for securing the tailgate in the upright position using a single tie-down. Also find out what you NEED TO DO BEFORE USING THIS METHOD - and that is to secure the hinge point of the tailgate with a standard HOSE CLAMP! I cannot stress this enough, as I actually know multiple people who have had their tailgates come dislodged completely while driving down a bumpy road. For real.

I also answer more questions about this strategy, including why it's on the passenger side, why it's important to put the cleat of the tie-down toward the front and not the back, and why it's a good idea to have your tailgate propped up at all, instead of leaving it down.

First, start with the bikes loaded straight in. Some people will tell you that you can cramp the front wheels either together toward the center, or into the corners of the bed, but I really hate doing this. I can't tell you how many times I've seen bikes come loose in these positions, or require extra tie-downs to secure. It's a real pain to have to pull off the road and hop in the bed to re-spin your web of tie-downs. In my experience, the bikes are most secure when they are straight in, parallel to the vehicle.

Then you manually close the tailgate latch by pressing down the little hook. Then loop the tie-down hook inside. With the other end of the tie-down (ratcheting side!) hooked on the foot peg of the dirt bike, you can then snug the tailgate down and secure it against the rear tires of the bikes. The spring in the footpeg of the dirt bike will help tension the tie-down and help keep it secure.

The best part is when you're ready to unload. No need to remove the tie-down; simply pop the tailgate using the handle and it will fling itself off! Impress your friends with this slick move. (Hopefully your friends are as easily impressed as mine...)

It's always better to have your tailgate up, even if it's not in the fully latched position. This can prevent items from sliding out of the back, and will prevent the tailgate from slamming up and down while you're driving. It can also prevent rocks and debris from getting kicked up from underneath and damaging your tailgate, or worse yet, your backup camera. Using this method of securing the tailgate, you can actually still USE your backup camera, which is a big plus. (And it also doesn't scream at you when you put the truck in reverse, the way it does when the tailgate is down.)

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