We recently had the opportunity to help with a project to provide a bespoke pallet enabling the safe shipment and delivery of motorbikes taking part in the Dakar Rally. The rally has been running since 1979. Motorbikes compete in their own dedicated category running alongside cars on the same overall routes and face the same harsh desert conditions. The Dakar is the world’s most demanding off-road endurance rally-race. Competitors compete over roughly 7,000 – 9,000 kilometres over two weeks through the most extreme terrain such as sand dunes, rocky desserts and dry riverbeds. The event allows motorbikes with 450cc four-stroke engines, typically weighing up to 152kg wet (including oil and fuel) with speeds limited to 115mph.
This project immediately raised the interest of our MD, Paul Phillips, who is a keen motorbike enthusiast and no before you ask he has no intention of entering the rally, but there again, never say never!
The motorbikes need to be shipped to the initial start point and then moved and stored ready for each of the 12 stages throughout the two week event. The next rally takes place in January 2027 starting in Loule-Faro Portugal and ending up in Marrakech Morocco.
Our brief was simple: supply pallets that each hold two motorbikes, keeping the construction light enough for transport, yet strong enough to withstand the rigours of ‘life on the road’, incorporate a fold down collapsible sides design and ensure that the bikes can easily be mounted on/off the pallet and be restrained in an upright position during transit and storage. This involved a large element of prototyping and testing along the way and after initial drawings were submitted we then ‘tweaked’ the design to suit the client’s requirements several times.
Pallet with sides open
Fully folded and collapsed
The pallet is 2300mm long x 1870mm wide x 1415mm high when fully opened and can collapse down to a height of 500mm when folded. When they are not in use they can be stacked up to 3 pallets high. Our customer chose a bright blue epoxy powder coated finish. Identity serial numbers plus customer logos were later added to complete the project.
This was a really interesting bespoke made fabrication for us and we are naturally awaiting the outcome of the use of the pallet at the forthcoming rally.