A dead bike, a Wallapop find in Sant Cugat, or a scooter still sitting in a garage somewhere. Whatever the reason, you need a van you can load a motorbike into — without paying a tow truck.
You’ve found the bike you wanted on Wallapop in Sant Cugat. Or your motorbike won’t start and the workshop in Poblenou can’t collect it. Or you’re moving to Barcelona and the bike is still sitting in a garage somewhere. In all three cases you need the same thing: a van you can load a motorbike into, for a few hours or a day, without paying a tow truck. Here’s how to do it with a BaoVans cargo van.
Almost any cargo van will take a scooter. The question is whether you can load it easily and strap it down properly. Our advice by bike type:
The small cargo van is enough. With the rear doors open you can push the scooter up a ramp and still close the doors with room to spare. Cheaper to rent and easy to park in the Eixample.
Go for the medium cargo van. There is room to work around the bike while you tie it down, and the extra length lets you park the bike at a slight angle if the handlebars are wide. The rear opening is high enough that you won’t scrape the mirrors on the way in.
The large cargo van, up to 12.5 m³ and the biggest in our fleet, takes two motorbikes side by side, or one bike plus boxes, tools and a full set of riding kit. Handy if you’re clearing out a garage or bringing a bike back from a track day in Castellolí.
Bring or ask us about a folding aluminium loading ramp (about 2 m long, rated for 300 kg or more) and four ratchet straps. The loading itself takes ten minutes if you do it in this order:
Our vans have tie-down rings in the floor as standard. Ask for protective blankets when you book so the tank and fairings don’t rub against the walls.
A tow service inside Barcelona usually costs between 60 and 120 euros for a single short trip, and considerably more outside the city. With a van you pay for the vehicle, not the distance, so a morning that includes collecting the bike, taking it to the workshop and bringing back a couple of boxes from IKEA on the way costs about the same — and you choose when you go, instead of waiting for a slot.
All our vans have the environmental badge, so you can drive into the Low Emission Zone (ZBE) without paperwork. If you’re loading in a narrow street in Gràcia or the Gothic Quarter, the small van is the easy option; the medium one still fits in a standard parking bay in the Eixample. Loading zones (marked in yellow) can be used for the time it takes to load, and the fine print on the panel tells you the hours.
Pick the van size, choose your date and collect it in Barcelona. Not sure whether your bike fits the small van or needs the medium one? Tell us the model.
No. All our cargo vans, including the large one, are under 3,500 kg and can be driven on a standard car licence (B).
The van is insured; the bike is your cargo and you are responsible for securing it. Strap it at four points and drive smoothly and you won’t have a problem.
Our minimum is a day rental, but a day gives you plenty of margin for a collection, a workshop drop-off and the return, with no rush.
Ask when you book and we’ll tell you what’s available for your dates. Otherwise, folding motorbike ramps are inexpensive to buy or borrow, and they fold flat in the van.
See also: choosing a van size for bikes, boards and weekend kit · affordable van hire across Barcelona · check dates and book your vehicle online
