How to Load and Tie Down a Motorcycle in a Truck or a Trailer

Over the years, we've seen people tie down their motorcycles in the craziest ways imaginable using tie-down straps that looked like relics from Great Depression. We decided to take some time and dedicate it to the proper way to tie-down and load a motorcycle into a truck or a trailer including the importance of using the correct tie-down strap.

Category:

Autos & Vehicles

Tags:

• motorcycle
• load
• tie
• down
• strap
• travel
• bike
• cruiser
• sport
• naked
• standard
• ratchet
• cam
• lock

[pinkfloydoors]

Those straps that you used, my step-dad insisted on using those on his bike and eventually he wisend up and used real-ratcheting tie-straps. I realize you guys used them in a different maner on this video but i still cannot see those types of straps being secure, or getting the bike anywhere near tight enough as a ratcheting tie down ever could. I mean, you tighten them by hand and I could never get enough force to feel secure in those straps

[canyonchaser]

@pinkfloydoors How tight are you wanting to tie down your bike? Do you expect it to stay put in case you end up inverted? The biggest mistake most people make is tying down their bike far too tightly. This causes blown fork-seals, damaged springs, bent handlebars and can actually make the bike more prone to falling over. If you follow the instructions laid out in this video, then you'll have plenty of tension on the straps for the bike to be stable.

[delbobo76]

I noticed he only tied down the front, should I imply he tied down the back also or isn't it neccessary?

[canyonchaser]

@delbobo76 It kinda depends. For really heavy bikes its not a bad idea. It's important to use rear straps to compress the rear suspension - not pull the motorcycle backwards. Usually lighter bikes, like sport-bikes and dirt-bikes don't really need rear straps unless you are traveling a long way or over really rough terrain.

We virtually never use rear straps.

[jrod0550]

Where did you get a trailer like that?

[canyonchaser]

@jrod0550 It's just your average, every-day 3-rail trailer. Ours came from Royal Trailer.

[delbobo76]

Thanks, I'm thinking about purchasing a 1996 Honda Nighthawk 750 and need to trailer it from Bakersfield,CA to Las Vegas, NV a little over 200 miles. This info has been very helpful to me ,thanks Canyonchaser!

[dp2WF]

@jhawley I hate ratchet straps. I had one pop free and dump my bike all the way off the top of the trailer. Never using those again.

[dp2WF]

@NORTY50 If you tie down a bike so tightly that it bends the heli-bars, you are probably making your straps too tight.

[NORTY50]

Nice video. Here's a coupla things I'd mention:

1. If you have "Heli-bars" you may want to not use Canyon Dancer equipment as it'll cause add'l stress on the bars.

2. Leaning the bike side to side to cinch the tiedows, you must check for clearance with your rotors and the sides of the rails.

3. When loading the bike up the ramp, you must check for clearance with "lowers" and the sides of the rail. For this reason, it's better to push (with help from a friend) rather than use the engine.