[mattsz]

I'm posting here, since I know some of you guys already!  If it's not the right place, sorry... 

I'm picking up my new B5 next week, using a small trailer.  Can someone advise me about precisely how to strap the bike down?  I've never done this before.

Wheel chock(s)?

Ropes, or ratchet straps?

How many, and where exactly to attach them to the bike, and the trailer, for proper holding power but also to avoid scratching anything?

I assume that pulling the front shocks down is important - I have a buddy who delivered my other bike to me in a pickup... I never saw the arrangement, but I do know he made a 2x4 grid-like chock, tied two straps to the handlebar, one each side at the top bracket, and pulled down tightly to compress the front shocks and attached the straps at the truck bed corners.  Then he just tied the rear end down to keep it from bouncing around, and called it good...

Thanks in advance for any ideas...

[Ragmas]

in my Chevy s-10 6 foot bed pick up I do the following.

get bike straight down the middle of bed of truck.
stand bike up on side stand.
put little sling around handle bar just inside from the switch gear without wrapping around any wires or hoses. left side of bike.
attach ratchet strap to front right hand corner tie down point and sling attached to handle bar. DO NOT TIGHTEN ALL THE WAY DOWN.  take up same slack, you want to leave enough slack so that when the bike is standing straight up and down the strap tightens.
move to other side of vehicle. repeat handle bar sling process and ratchet strap.  this time you are going to tighten the ratchet strap until bike stands up and forks compress slightly.  You do not want to bottom out your forks, you could collapse the springs.

At this point you are playing the tighten loosen game between the left and right handle bars to get the bike vertical and pulled into the front rail or chock of you have one. The whole time you should leave the side stand down and if you are going to release any strap it should be the right side first so that the bike settles back on to the side stand. Once this is achieved you move to the rear of the bike.

I do not know about the B5 but the G5 has tabs that the passenger pegs are attached to.  Attach your slings to these if you have them.
A note about rear tie downs,  it has been suggested that rear tie down are just for stabilization, meaning that you do not crank down on the  with the strength of Zeus.  I have found that just snug is enough.

Once you have your slings in place you the ratchet strap to the nearest corner on both sides. 

Now take the vehicle for a quick spin and then check all you tie downs. 

You now have a motorcycle that is tied down in four directions, which is exerts force in four obvious directions plus the added bonus of downwards as well.

Like I said, I do this in a six foot bedded pickup and haul my bike three and a half hours when ever I do it.  Oh and the tail gate stays down the whole time, it hasn't fallen out yet.

Samgar

PS  I am not responsible for any damage to your vehicle, this is just a suggestion on how to do this. 

PPS I am a rigger in theater so picking things up, tying knots and lashing this down is what I do.

Enjoy.

[The Garbone]

I put mine on the side stand at an angle in the bed and use 2 ratchet straps to tie it down and compress the forks down.   Never had a problem. 

When releasing the straps let the left hand one go first because If you let the right side off first the left will pull the bike over on its side. Not fun lifting it back up in the confined space. 

[rav]

Here is how i did for a 4 hr drive:

[GlennF]

Generally if you compress the forks with two tie-downs (one going each side) and then tie the front wheel to the front of the trailer so the wheel cannot turn you do not even need to strap the rear down for short trips.

[Bulletman]

I picked up my Bike about 45 days ago Using my GMC Sierra, All i did was use Tiedowns a total of 4 of them and ratcheted them down good and drove back home from the dealership about 75 miles, doing approx 70 Miles an Hour, it was a breeze.
The bike was a C5, these bikes tend to behave a lot better than the other RE Bikes, Just Saying
Cheers.

[shamelin]

All great suggestions.  Allow me to add my experience.

I trailered my B5 about 200 miles from the dealer last Oct.  I lashed the ratchet straps to the handlebars, as many of the previous posters had recommended, and tightened the ratchet until I had fork compression.  Then I made sure both wheels were secured and proceeded on.

The problem was that the dealer didn't do such a good job of tightening the handlebars to the nacelle.  After about 100 miles the handlebars were rotated downward, exerting excessive stretch on the clutch and brake cables.  This probably did some minor stripping of the handlebars, but more importantly it left the ties loose, allowing the B5 to bounce along for who knows how many miles.  Thankfully my paranoia coaxed me into stopping "just to make sure" everything was alright.  The visions of my brand new bike, in pieces all over I-10, almost came true.

I now secure my B5 by the frame.  There are two bars that run parallel to the seat, one on each side.  I'll take the straps, run them under the seat to the opposite side, and the lash them around that bar.  This cross-ties the B5 and, with the wheels secured to the trailer, prevents any motion at all.  You could lash them over the seat, but this puts pressure on the cushion and the leather, which is no bueno.

Experience is always the best teacher.  That's why this forum is so great- we learn from each others mista.. er, wisdom.

[mattsz]

Thanks all!

Ragmas:  Little sling?  What does this mean?  It appears that you are suggesting crossing the ratchet straps holding the front end - left handlebar to right tie down point.  What keeps the "little sling" from sliding towards the center of the handlebar?  How do you keep the straps from rubbing against the paint?

I don't have a chock - do I need one?  I could screw some lumber directly to the wooden bed of the trailer to fabricate a chock of sorts - the trailer does have a forward "sidewall", but it's removable, and I'm not sure how tight/stable it is.

Garbone - we use that method to tie bikes down to the deck of the ferry (my day job), but I don't know if I want to drag the bike 200 miles on an open trailer that way…

Rav - that is more what I had pictured, except that my straps will have to anchor on the trailer bed rather than the sides.  It doesn't look like you have much in the way of downward force, but it also sounds like you didn't need any.

Glenn - +1, but I'm taking a longer trip, so I'll probably strap the rear down somehow.

Shamelin - glad to hear that you caught the loose handlebars… imagine if you rode that 200 miles with the loose handlebars!

It sounds like strapping (nothing specific was suggested, but I can probably come up with something) of some sort for the handlebars is the way to secure the front end.  I'll probably screw down some lumber to chock the front wheel just for my own peace of mind, and tie down the rear as well.

[Ducati Scotty]

http://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/canyon-dancer-bar-harness-ii?utm_source=product&kwd=&adtype=pla&kw={keyword}&gclid=CK_l6Kjl-bECFYNM4AodxCYAvA

Super easy, secure, and inexpensive way to strap down the front end.

Scott

[Ragmas]

Thanks all!

Ragmas:  Little sling?  What does this mean?  It appears that you are suggesting crossing the ratchet straps holding the front end - left handlebar to right tie down point.  What keeps the "little sling" from sliding towards the center of the handlebar?  How do you keep the straps from rubbing against the paint?

I don't have a chock - do I need one?  I could screw some lumber directly to the wooden bed of the trailer to fabricate a chock of sorts - the trailer does have a forward "sidewall", but it's removable, and I'm not sure how tight/stable it is.

The slings I have are endless loops 3/8" diameter material about 6" diameter.  Think "O" ring made out of a strong rope. I made my own out of some cord I have.  What I do is "choke" them around the handle bar just in from the first bend if you start at the end of the bar.  By choke I mean that I take the sling and put it around the bar and pass one end of the sling through the other.  This, in conjunction with the placement of just past the first bend, creates a nice stable locked position.

here is what I found after a quick internet search for something commercially available.  http://www.amazon.com/Soft-Loop-Tie-Down-Straps/dp/B002MYLB1Y    these are stitched down in the middle but would work in the same manner.

Samgar

[mattsz]

Ragmas-

Gotcha.  In my world (boats and sailing) I know that as a cow hitch.

Wikipedia image:


Still not clear - do you cross the straps?  Left handlebar to right side of vehicle, right handlebar to left side of vehicle?

[Ragmas]

no strap crossing.

That is the hitch.  choke, cow hitch, larks head.  a million names, one hitch.  To go off on a tangent, you asked in the first post, ratchet straps or rope.  You could use rope if you could tie a trucker's hitch, or as it was formerly known a teamster's hitch. same effect as a ratchet strap.
Samgar

[mattsz]

As you say, million names, same hitch.  Trucker's hitch would work a treat.

*But*, I happen to have all the ratchet straps I need, so... 

[GA-DK]

I have a light 5' X 8' trailer with expanded metal floor.  Because I have a sidecar mounted, the foot peg strikes the side rail.  To get the needed width, the end of the peg must be raised an inch to clear the top of the rail.  I bolted a pressure treated 2 x 10 to the floor.  I then ripped a 2 x 4 at an angle and glued and screwed the strips to the 2 x 10 to form a channel.  the center space if 4" wide at the bottom and 5' wide at the top.  The wood is trimmed a bit at the back end to form a bit of flair to start the wheel if I am a poor shot.  I put the front wheel against the front rail of the trailer and tie it.  I use ratchet straps to tie the bike frame and sidecar frame to the edge of the floor, not to the side rail which can flex. I usually put two straps from the handlebar to the front of the floor edge to slightly compress forks, although these are probably not needed for short runs.  I over tie the rig because I am going into the Atlanta area and I have to expect crazy drivers who seem to be oblivious with respect to traffic rules.  One added point:  the bolts holding the wood to the trailer are 3/8" carriage bolts with fender washers.  The nuts I brazed over a hold drilled in the end of a 1 x 4" strip of 1/8" steel with a very small hole in the other end.  Holding the nut in a vise, the strap was bent slightly so that it works almost like a large wing nut, just one wing.  No wrench needed.  A short piece of stainless lock wire in the small hole is hooked to the expanded steel floor as a safety.  If for any reason I want to remove the wood, it is a quick job with no tools needed.  If the floor is respayed, same color, on each side of the wood, there is enough of a mark that the position of the wood is obvious if it need to be removed and then replaced for other uses of the trailer.  GA-DK

[Ragmas]

sounds like a neat trailer for a rig.  How about a photo?  I would like to see the work.

Samgar

[TWinOKC]

What capacity straps are needed?  Some I have looked at have a strap/break strength of 1200 lbs, working load up to 400 lbs?  Is that adequate?  Are ratchets on the straps needed or is this something not really necessary?

The straps I have are old and not in the best shape, thinking of replacing them before something bad happens.  Prices are all over the place.   

[Ragmas]

that is more that adequate. imho

[barenekd]

The stuff they sell at motorcycle shops will be adequate. Wally World stuff is a bit more questionable, although should be OK. You don't really need a ratchet.
Put a tiedown on one side with the bike leaning into it, than attach the other side so as you straighten the bike up, keep pulling the tiedown on that side tighter. If you had the first side tight enough you should have it pulled all the way down when the bike is vertical. If not tight, enough just work from side to side pulling it down tighter.
Bare