Trying taking the bike on the Interislander for the first time.

[evilmatinator]

Okay so I've been riding for about 2 and a half years now, I started on a Suzuki GW250 which took me through my learners and restricted. I built up to my new bike the Suzuki GSX1250 April last year when I got my full license. I traveled all over the South Island on my little 250 but I never took it across to the North Island wanting to wait until I had a bike more suited to long rides. So I've booked my Interislander tickets and my accommodation and I've brought some tie downs for my bike that are meant to be perfect for a fully faired bike. I was just wondering if anyone could give me any tips for tieing down the bike on the ferry, like: main stand or side stand, do I tie the bike down over the seat or over the handle bars. I'm sure I'll be fine once I'm on board but I figured it can't help to ask.
Thanks :)

[Honest Andy]

There's about 387,000 different ways of tying a bike on to ferries, trailers etc.
BUT: here's the best way...
Bung your bike on side stand
Attach one strap to left handlebar and tie down to deck in line with the handlebar. Tie it securely but don't tension it.
Attach second strap to right handlebar and tension it down to the deck, compressing the front forks about half their travel. This pulls the bike upright and off the side stand. Adjust both sides as required to get bike straight upright but usually it works out about right.
When attaching to the handlebars try to keep the attachment points as close to the centre as possible, without touching the fairing, or sometimes you can attach to the lower fork yoke. If the straps look like they could slip off the handlebars then tie them together straight across the bars. "Oxford" can sell you a "Bar Strap" for this or you can just use any old hunk of bailing twine.
That's it.
Done.
If you want or if it's going to be a rough crossing then put a third strap around the back wheel and tie back somewhere to stop the arse bouncing around.
DONT use the centre stand.
Tying over the seat isn't recommended either because it relies too much on the strength if your side stand, seat subframe, suspension travel, etc. It can get pretty rough in the Cook Straight and you never know exactly how rough until it's too late.
Top Tip: make sure your bloody side stand is down before you release the tension on the righ hand strap!!! :angry: (or stradle the bike while you release it if possible :2thumbsup
Another top tip: try it before you get there.

And because you're heading north, get ready for rougher roads, more traffic, and less predictable weather...

[jellywrestler]

I've brought some tie downs for my bike

Wait a minute, you paid extra for a service such as this and then you went out and brought the shit that the extra service cost is for??????
what's up with that, that's like paying for a meal in a restaurant and bringing your own.

[jellywrestler]

There's about 387,000 different ways of tying a bike on to ferries, trailers etc.
BUT: here's the best way...
Bung your bike on side stand
Attach one strap to left handlebar and tie down to deck in line with the handlebar. Tie it securely but don't tension it.
Attach second strap to right handlebar and tension it down to the deck, compressing the front forks about half their travel. This pulls the bike upright and off the side stand. Adjust both sides as required to get bike straight upright but usually it works out about right.
When attaching to the handlebars try to keep the attachment points as close to the centre as possible, without touching the fairing, or sometimes you can attach to the lower fork yoke. If the straps look like they could slip off the handlebars then tie them together straight across the bars. "Oxford" can sell you a "Bar Strap" for this or you can just use any old hunk of bailing twine.
That's it.
Done.
If you want or if it's going to be a rough crossing then put a third strap around the back wheel and tie back somewhere to stop the arse bouncing around.
DONT use the centre stand.
Tying over the seat isn't recommended either because it relies too much on the strength if your side stand, seat subframe, suspension travel, etc. It can get pretty rough in the Cook Straight and you never know exactly how rough until it's too late.
Top Tip: make sure your bloody side stand is down before you release the tension on the righ hand strap!!! :angry: (or stradle the bike while you release it if possible :2thumbsup
Another top tip: try it before you get there.

And because you're heading north, get ready for rougher roads, more traffic, and less predictable weather...

method two, is to find a wall or an edge to abut your front wheel against, then pretty much what he said.

[swarfie]

Wait a minute, you paid extra for a service such as this and then you went out and brought the shit that the extra service cost is for??????
what's up with that, that's like paying for a meal in a restaurant and bringing your own.

Yeah but, yeah but...have you seen their tie-downs? Good call by the OP I reckon. I take my own and tie my bike down myself and never had an issue. Have seen one fall over that was tied down with their dodgy shit. Not sure if was tied down by the bike owner tho'. Admittedly their tie-downs have gotten better over the years. Still rather use my own.

[awayatc]

Yeah but, yeah but...have you seen their tie-downs? Good call by the OP I reckon. I take my own and tie my bike down myself and never had an issue. Have seen one fall over that was tied down with their dodgy shit. Not sure if was tied down by the bike owner tho'. Admittedly their tie-downs have gotten better over the years. Still rather use my own.


Tie downs get flogged by thieving cunts. ...

They get replaced quite often, but not daily...

So never wrong to have your own....

Or learn to tie knots.

[EJK]

Some people recommend putting your bike in gear, just in case.

[jellywrestler]

Yeah but, yeah but...have you seen their tie-downs? Good call by the OP I reckon. I take my own and tie my bike down myself and never had an issue. Have seen one fall over that was tied down with their dodgy shit. Not sure if was tied down by the bike owner tho'. Admittedly their tie-downs have gotten better over the years. Still rather use my own.

i spent a year working with interislander re thjis as while i can take my own , the person next doesn't risking my bike, had the interisland operations manager on board when i booked my bike on, imagine his look on the face when it was the henderson and sidecar that time.
anyway, it all resulted in proper aero fast units, custom made with their logo on them (i arranged that) and all was well. that was a few years ago and it's gone down hill since
point is, you pay for the service why do that and take you own, say something and it does work.
i did try again a year or so back but didn't hear back from the guy and due to being busy i hadn't followed it up as i rarely use the ferry these days.

[jellywrestler]

Some people recommend putting your bike in gear, just in case.

lots of broken gearbox jobs in picton and blenheim due to automatic car drivers putting their wagons in park but not the handbrake on, rough sailings means the car rocks on the locking pin and can damage things....

[HenryDorsetCase]

lots of broken gearbox jobs in picton and blenheim due to automatic car drivers putting their wagons in park but not the handbrake on, rough sailings means the car rocks on the locking pin and can damage things....

Good tip thanks. I am very lazy with my automatic car.

[Moi]

lots of broken gearbox jobs in picton and blenheim due to automatic car drivers putting their wagons in park but not the handbrake on, rough sailings means the car rocks on the locking pin and can damage things....

The nice people on the Hokianga ferry have a wee reminder... the red sign on the upright above the cars.

[russd7]

i have always taken my own tie downs and always tied my own bikes down, even back in the day when they didn't like you doing it yourself, i also wait to make sure who ever is parked either side of me is tied down properly. I don't travel on ferries often these days but i used to regularly back in the 80s and early 90s.
also don't travel Inter islander any more, always travel blue bridge when i do these days,

[mossy1200]

This is my go 2 photo for Ferry tie down posts. I use it a lot.

Maybe we need a sticky post.

[Coldrider]

Maybe we need a sticky post.
There is a cook strait megathread Sticky in 'Touring & the bikes you use'

[evilmatinator]

I just feel safer using my own tie downs and I figured this way I'll always have them if there needed for any situations. I brought the Oxford Supa-Wonderbar straps, they have padding for the bikes fairing and holder bits for the bikes handlebars, so hopefully there good. Avon City Motorcycles in Christchurch suggested them. I also have some basic tie downs which as suggested I could use on the rear wheel if it looks like it's going to be a rough crossing.

[kiwi-on-wheels]

Done the trip 3 times since buying new bike in November. STRONGLY recommend acquiring your own set of tiedowns, theirs are dodgy as hell.

As mentioned 2nd comment in, thats how I did it. 3Rd strop over the back wheel, just in case. Take your time, practice it a few times if you've never done it / helped do it before. Take the time on the ferry to catch a snooze and some food.

[jellywrestler]

Done the trip 3 times since buying new bike in November. STRONGLY recommend acquiring your own set of tiedowns, theirs are dodgy as hell.



so why note fill out a form on the boat and tell them so, you pay 1.3 x per square foot more than a car does, for what, fucking tiedowns that they don't have, let them know.

[evilmatinator]

I'm happy with using my own tie downs as I brought them about a week after buying the new bike last April for this purpose and just haven't had the chance to use them yet. I'm just happy to finally be taking my bike across to Wellington, if I didn't have my own tie downs I would of course hope that they had adequate tie downs for this purpose. I'm heading across on the 29th and will have a look at their tie downs at the time as I will be curious as to the state of them.

[Shadowjack]

Why take your own tiedowns?
Because the other 20 bikes on the crossing may have used up the available resource. As happened on my last crossing south at the end of February.

[Jeff Sichoe]

bring your own tiedowns because generally the ones on the ferry have been sitting in that oily water and are gross as fuck

unless it's super super rough, just chuck it on the sidestand, in first, and strop the front down, she'll be right