Review / Load It ALL Up: Leitner Racks Were Designed To Solve A Big Moto Problem

When I bought my pickup truck years ago, my only real make-or-break prerequisite was that it have the longest bed possible so I could load up a bike or three and close the damn tailgate. Maybe I have an irrational fear of my two-wheeled pride and joy somehow sliding out of the bed and tumbling down the road while it disintegrates – who doesn’t have that nightmare? Basically, I just like to have stuff buttoned up after loading, but that’s what I wanted: bike and stuff secured, tailgate closed.

I’ll let a psychologist suss all that out some day, but I ultimately ended up with a used turbodiesel crew cab long bed Chevy Silverado that ticked all my truck boxes and barely fits in my short driveway. It’s long, powerful, roomy, and the tailgate closes with a satisfying BANG when I have my DR650, four bicycles, two inflatable kayaks, some tents, coolers and 73 other small items tucked into that sprawling 96-inch long bed, all tightly spider-netted down for the trip and my comfy (and old – er, vintage) camp trailer hitched up and ready to roll. Items lost in transit so far? Zero. And I’d like to keep it that way.

Locked and loaded, and ready to travel with the tailgate CLOSED for low-stress driving. Photo: William Roberson

But lately I’ve also been feeling a pang of jealousy when I see trucks all decked out with those fancy racks that have locking compartments, water storage and a roomy rooftop tent up top – an enviable overlanding and trailer-less solution. I, too, like being as self-contained as possible, but with my DR and all else back there, that rack thing just didn’t seem like it was going to happen. Or so I thought.

I recently made contact with Bernhard Leitner, creator of the popular Leitner line of gear-festooned racks I often see on trucks parked out in the boonies, and discovered he designed his initial rack system to accommodate his passion for motorcycles, not for trucks specifically or overlanding, for which they have become very popular. That’s right: Leitner racks were designed from the beginning to carry all your gear plus a motorcycle (or two). And it works brilliantly.

I worked with Leitner to kit out my faithful 2005 Silverado with a sturdy rack that would also accommodate Big Zookie as I have several trips coming up that are better served by driving with the bike in back rather than overloading the DR to dangerous levels. Trust me.

Big locking watertight compartments make gear organization a snap. Photo: William Roberson

With a friend’s help, we got the rack installed in about four hours, which included lunch from a Mexican food cart ( a good bet in Portland) and a fair amount of BSing about, so it can probably be set up in less time (or not, if you’re into BSing about). More than just the rack, Leitner also included numerous locking compartments, a 5-gallon pressurized water module with shower/spray hose accessory, and numerous soft quick-pack cases (similar to saddlebag liners) for quick packing/unpacking of the storage compartments, which are waterproof and lockable. With all the compartments included, that meant a lot of keys – each one different than the other – so Leitner also included a clutch of aircraft-style key tags for keeping them all straight.

But the real test came after the rack was completely set up. Would Big Zookie fit? It looked like tight quarters. But that’s where Leitner’s original inspiration comes into play. The rear cross bar of the rack can be removed or just slid forward out of the way when loading or unloading the bike. Support bars on the rear portion of the rack provide additional stability when the crossbar is removed or moved forward.

Overhead view plenty of room to add more gear after the bike is loaded. Photo: William Roberson

To my surprise, there was still plenty of room for other gear – including two bicycles – with the DR in the truck and tied down. Adding more bikes to the load – or full-length kayaks, canoes, SUPs or other long items – is a snap because, hey, it’s a rack and you can get stays and brackets for just about anything you want to add. Plus, the storage compartments resulted in a lot less of a jumbled campsite experience since I knew where most everything was packed away – and it was all locked up to boot. Besides the integrated locks in the rotating latches, there are also spots to add padlocks for more security.

Five-gallon water tank can be pressurized with a top-mounted hand pump. Photo: William Roberson

The 5-gallon water tank that can also be pressurized with a handy built-in pump and the sprayer/cleaner can also work as a shower, drinking fountain or turbo squirt gun (it’s essentially a garden-type sprayer with a rotating head like your mom uses). The unusually shaped tubular tank is black like the rest of the rack, so in hot climates with a lot of sun, the water can get warm – and stays warm into the evening, making that post-ride shower a bit more blissful instead of cold water therapy (unless, of course, it’s really cold wherever you are). Leitner says he tried to make the water tank look like the rest of the cargo boxes but after numerous prototypes, he just let the natural shape of the tank – essentially a C-shaped tube – stand on it’s own. It’s become somewhat of an unmistakeable shape ever since.

Soft liner bags mean small parts aren’t rattling around in the cargo bays. Photo: William Roberson

With the bike OUT of the truck bed, most of the regular utility is retained, and I made several dump runs and helped a friend move their furniture to a new place pretty much as normal, but with some Tetrising of the bigger items. Obviously, the rack and storage boxes will hinder really large loads, but once assembled, it’s easy to see how removing the (many) mounting bolts would allow the rack to be removed as a whole rather than having to be completely disassembled. It’s not exactly quick-release, but it won’t be hours of work either. Power tools will speed things along, clearly.

Overall, the Leitner Classic Rack system on my Silverado is a huge boost in capability, carrying capacity, organization and functionality. The fact I can pop my bike in plus a literal ton of other gear without removing it just adds to its appeal. Anything I would change? I can’t really think of anything. This is a fully mature and versatile piece of moto kit in the broadest sense, in that it allows riders to expand their adventures from a central base camp, and with the edition of a rooftop tent like a Roofnest Condor, it can also condense down the gear and lodging basics to a single vehicle. Not having to tow a trailer means I can get my truck – and bike – more places, more easily and with less expense. It’s a hefty initial investment, but one that pays for itself over time in terms of convenience, simplicity and utility. Months after I got it set up, I’m not sure how I lived without it before now. Highly recommended.