Next my son and I drove the 100 miles to the lake cabin. We backed the truck up to the garage, stopping about 15 feet from the garage, where the bumper of the truck came closest to the blacktop driveway. We undid the straps, and planned our 'descent'.
The process was complicated by the realization that the front brake lever was inoperative. I had intended to inch the bike down the ramp using that brake, so our first change of plan lead to me teaching my son to operate the rear brake! I stood on the left side of the bike, he put his right foot on the brake pedal, and hopped on his left foot as we backed the rear wheel onto the ramp. We backed up slowly, he jumped off the tailgate while keeping his right foot on the brake pedal, and we continued on down the ramp. He hit the brake hard and I stepped off the tailgate. Then we backed the front tire onto the ramp, and quick-stepped our way on down the ramp. Within a few seconds we had accomplished the task. I put the sidestand down and we congratulated each other on our success!
I was definitely relieved - after having read(on rec.motorcycles) of some mishaps, I was apprehensive, but optimistic that we were up to the task!
We pushed the bike on into the garage, put the bike on the side stand, and then put it up on the centerstand. Unfortunately that was all time allowed, we loaded the ramp into the truck and headed back home.
On the ride back we discussed our plans for the next step. We'll probably ride the v65 down next saturday. I'd say first on our agenda is to remove the fuel tank and assess the state of the carbs.