Hi,
I'm planning to get a Van (Pegeout Expert 2019 Medium/Standard), I'll probably buy a Yamaha 250 4 strokes, the height is 129cm.
The Van has 122cm in the entrance, then 139cm, do you think I'm gonna be able to load a bike there?
The plan is to inclinate the bike when I load it in diagonal, then move forward but in reverse, it's not gonna be easy but I think it's doable, I think that I can do it only with a loading bar, the problem is that those are straight, if I put it in diagonal, it's gonna male my bile fall easily.
Unfortunately in UK there aren't many options, so I don't think I'll be able to find a better priced used Van that is tall enough.
For example, the only one I found so far is a Mercedes Vito (Long or Extra long), but first of all it's a very bad looking for a daily Van (that's gonna be my only vehicle), but it's also unnecessarily expensive, well at least not like the VW transporter :D
Similarly to the Pegeout, there is the Toyota Proace, Citroen Dispatcher and some other, but they all share the same exact components.
Ford Transit Custom, this one is a good one but not for UK, rust is a nightmare here and it doesn't seem great on Ford, or at lest the old ones (same as Vito), I don't know the new ones, in any case they are never cheaper than Pegeout and they don't seem to be extremely high quality either, so I think that the Pegeout works better for me, I'm just wondering about the cargo size...
Plus, it seems I found these Vans more prone to light usage compared to the others, or at least the one I want to buy doesn't come from an heavy duty job, it's a private owner and it's a bless for me.
Hi, I've had several VWs vans and I'm delighted with them.
I can't tell you about the Peugeot/Citroen, I don't know, but there are videos on YouTube of people who use them as motorcycle vans.
https://youtu.be/OlY42xy25bI?si=bIAIPrTuFV1J61zk
Cheers.
What about a Vivaro / Trafic/ primastar they’re cheap enough and decent to run. I’ve got one as my every day driver and can easily fit a bike in. They don’t rust either. Low roof lwb.
Thank you, this video made me think a lot, loading with the front should be fine as long as I turn a bit, or maybe I don't need to turn at all because the back is lowered at that point, I'm not sure if a ramp would help or not.
With that said, pulling it out from the back is relatively easy, because the back will go down first, maybe not using any ramp will make it even easier.
Plus, I can use the holeshot device, but I'm not sure how much it will lower the front.
The Vivaro is the same, or pretty close, unless they applied an exception and the frame is made by Vauxhall, or maybe they are all the same like the previous list I've made (the Traffic and Primastar look exactly the same), I didn't explore these big vans before but probably I need to look for them, the only thing is that the infosystem is very bad looking, I'm not sure I can accept it :D .
The Shop
I’d say Vivaro/ Trafic/ transit custom / t5 is the smallest you want to be looking at really. Yea you can technically fit a bike in a smaller van but they don’t leave any room for anything else you want to take with you. Even a swb “normal” van would be fine and still fit in car parking spaces no problem.
The current Vivaro shares a platform with Expert-Jumpy, the previous Vivaro shared a platform with Traffic-Primastar which are a little more "square".
I prefer LWB, the extra space for loading is appreciated, even if it complicates its "citizen" use,
As Teejay said, the Trafic/Primastar are a great option too.
Cheers.
I would go for the mercedes vito hands down, ive owned multiple vw transporters caddys and also a vivaro and the vito trumps them all hands down.
ive currently got the lwb dualiner, its also my daily driver. Bike fits in diagonally behind the 3 rear seats perfectly. If you need extra space you can just remove a rear seat.
the auto box drives like a dream and with a remap to 210 hp it flys along fully loaded and still gets 35-40mpg depending on how i drive it.
Gladly I don’t need to take much with me, not even many tools, I just ride on the day and if I have to, then I’ll sleep somewhere else, not in the Van.
Unfortunately, that setup would be prohibitively expensive in UK, it also pushes me to have 2 vehicles.
I think that anything above a small Van (like VW Caddy) is fine, but better a Renault Traffic kind of cargo size.
The long version already crosses every parking spot in UK, unless you’re on the edge of a large supermarket or similar, the extra large would touch pretty much everything behind, just looking at where I do usually park, can be a bush or something else.
Interestingly, those Crew Vans are really more expensive, and also higher 😅 to load any bike without issues, probably due to passengers regulations.
Not a lot of help, but I have seen bikes in the LWB, maybe high top Expert/Dispatch/Scudo vans.
It does look pretty tight, but you will get a bike in one.
Another vote for the Trafic/Vivaro/Primastar though.
Yeah they have their problems, but parts are plentiful and until the fancy new Transits (also have their share of lemons and shit heaps) these were the default choice for motocross or even track days in the UK.
The old 1.9 5-speed is the best, imo. I've been daily driving a 1.9 6-speed for a couple years, normal roof height SWB. Handles like a car and I can get two bikes in it super easy, would get 3 in it if I needed to.
Laguna, Megane, etc engines and gearboxes fit.
No experience with the Peugeot Expert but if the inside height fits, then it’s just a case of getting the bars past the threshold when loading. No doubt the bike will fit in diagonally.
I know folk with smaller vans use a hole shot device to compress the front end to make loading easier.
If it fits your pocket and life then a little bit of inconvenience loading doesn’t seem like a big deal.
I've owned pretty much every brand and every size of van available in the UK either personally or been given one at work. I never take the front wheel off because I can't be bothered with the hassle.
VW caddy, remove the bulk and put the front wheel between the seats, only bloody just fits. A slightly longer chain and you might not get in.
Berlingo, not happening. Super reliable I did 110000 miles on only services on my work van, and I beat that thing but would have to take of the wheel.
Transit connect LWB, diagonally fits but very very tight. Very reliable 150000 miles only servicing, clutch was hanging by a thread though.
Peugeot expert/Citroen dispatch mine were 200-2006 models, SWB low roof version. Fits two bikes no problem. Mine were super reliable, had two for £1k each and literally never serviced them in 30000+ miles and neither missed a beat. Cracking vans but I sleep in my vans too and it was just to cramped next to the bed. Also did 800 miles to a tank of fuel. I'd buy another in a heartbeat, plus you can park in multistorey car parks which is nice.
Transit SWB, no problem getting 3 bikes in, did hurt my back a little crouching down. It's a transit, they're pretty reliable and every mechanic and scrapyard has parts for them
Renault master SWB, much bigger than the transit. Mine had 90k on it and I had to replace the turbo, head gasket and water pump within 2000 miles. Then something else blew up spectacularly in a massive cloud of smoke. Didn't diagnose that scrapped the piece of shite, you're unlikely to see me in one of them again.
Sprinter MWB high top, lovely size inside but a bit of a pig to drive plus guzzled fuel like crazy and kept breaking down. Unlikely to own one again.
Transit LWB high top, I currently live in it so it's good. Good size, nice and reliable, average on fuel and easy to park
I wouldn't worry about parking them, I've only daily driven vans not owned a car for 7 years and unless I'm in a tight city centre you can drop a LWB transit/MWB Peugeot or sprinter (same size ford LWB is the same as MWB of others) anywhere you like really. I did like that the expert, transit custom/SWB low roof and trafic will fit in most multistorey car parks though.
When you say Transit, you always refer to the Transit Custom, right? (Apart when you mentioned the Connect)
The Renault Traffic is good, but the long/standard version is more than 5M, it’s like 513cm or so (just concerned about insurance and parking fines), most car parks are not, but I can certainly try to find a parking spot somewhere else, maybe less secure but the insurance will cover 😁.
The short version is very rare in UK.
Megane was the best reliable car in UK, more or less with Mazda, I believe 2013-2019 model, usually seen with a 1.5 engine, I don’t know about the others but it’s a good indicator.
The Traffic seems to be 132cm at the door, 3-5cm more than a motorbike, that’s a direct way in for sure, then it becomes 139cm.
The crew version isnt any taller than the normal version which i had previously.
its actually slightly lower in height than a vwtransporter. You can wheel a bike straight in with no issues.
i can get in and around most multistory carparks in it and have no issues fitting in spaces.
Ive got a 2018 citroen Jumpy L2 (same as expert, vivaro) that i use daily. Fits two Bikes no problem, the rear opening is close but a normal Bike has about 5cm (2in) clearance above the handlebars.
Mine is the 150hp version which is more than enough and i get around 35mpg.
Pit Row
When in doubt, just take the front wheel off 😜
Thank you, I wonder what bike did you try.
I’ve had a 450 and a 110 in the back at the same time and I’d imagine you could fit two full sized bikes but you wouldn’t have much room for anything else. Originally used it for pitbikes but couldn’t afford two vehicles anymore. Ran a bike hauler for awhile but it made me nervous how low it was to the ground and would sometimes scrape when I went over bumps. A buddy of mine would just compress his front suspension to get it in the back of his dodge caravan. This worked but you had to be super careful getting it inside. I tried loading it in reverse one day and realized the front wheel kinda floats there and was like “why don’t I just take the front wheel off from this position?” Way easier to maneuver once the wheel is off. I’m tempted to make a custom fork mount like they have for mountain bikes (see image below) but really don’t want to damage anything inside as I’d like to resell at some point. First time I ever saw a dirtbike in a minivan was Phil Nicoletti using his family’s minivan to get his bike to the track 😂
I owned the pre custom versions. Its the same general sizing just a different generation, I had a Mk7 the custom is a MK8+
24 250 & 450 KTM, 22 250 Honda etc.
I may have read your post wrong, but the majority of Trafic/Vivaro/Primastars in the UK are the standard length, I see wayyy more of them than LWB 👍
Funny, mine's just started smoking a little more than I'd like after I replied to this the other day, still drives fine, but it's all downhill from here... 😂
Will fix it, I like them better than the alternatives (and I was die hard VW guy, I've had 20 Mk2 Golfs, literally, let alone other models). The Mrs has a T4 and it feels a little agricultural and the T5's are good but not good enough to be worth the premium.
Had a few Peugeots and Renaults and had nothing but bad experiences. Piles of French shit.
We run a Mercedes sprinter and VW T6 now, great vans but they do cost a lot. My T6 drives like a car, can park anywhere a normal car can and easily fits a bike and all the gear in it.
Sun4589
I have the answer you're looking for!
We have a 2021 Vauxhall vivaro which is identical to the 2019 expert you're referring to, I beleive the toyota proace is also the same, there are a few brands which share this van but rebadged.
I can get my 350 in the back no problem, I could get 2 bikes in there. Would struggle with 3 with gearbags stands, fuelcan etc.
You should have no problem fitting 2 full size bikes with all the bits you need for a days riding for the 2 of you.
The bars are close to the opening but as long as yuo are in a staight line until past the opening you don't need to compress the forks or anything,
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