Transporting a bike via Trailer

[Devil]

Hi all,

I thought we could use this post as a chance to inform some of the newbies (like me :P) as to the best/safest practices when it comes to transporting a bike on a typical trailer. With the track day coming up, it'd be nice to know I'm not going to end up with a bike on its side in my trailer on the way to Taupo!
So all you experienced, bike carter-arounderers, can you give us an idea as to what to do? Where to tie? What to tie with?

Cheers.

[JKWNZ]

Had plenty of experience with tie downs up and over the bike seat and around the steering head on a standard trailer... works well... just remember to check that your bike hasn't moved forward before you take the tie downs off if its on a side stand :doh:

[Motu]

I've always used some sort of front wheel channel in my trailers,at the moment I have one of those self locking wheel chocks....just push the bike up and it holds the bike in place while I wander around untangling tie downs.

If it's a plain trailer,run the front wheel into the corner to lock it,otherwise it can turn on the front board....then use tie downs front and rear.Don't stuff around with rope and crap,tie downs are real cheap at the Warehouse and are a simple and secure method.

[Hoon]

Trailer: If you are hiring, get one with lots of tie down points. Some of them (like the yellow shell/BP ones) have bars going all the way around outside edge. You can get a caged trailer if you want to load it up with gear but I prefer a standard open trailer as having easy access from all sides outweighs the cage advantage for me.

Ramp: You'll need to make one up if you don't have one so have some nail/boards handy. Don't think you can just lay a fence plank on the trailer!! It needs to be strong, slip proof (rough wood is fine) and it also needs to fix to the trailer somehow so the ramp doesn't slide off when you are unloading the bike. Factor in another 30mins to get your ramp made and tested once you get the trailer home. Extra effort here can save tears and embarassment later on.

Tie Downs: Rope or bungies won't do it. You need 4 tie downs which you can buy from Repcos, Mitre10, SuperCheap for real cheap. You can get the clamp type tie downs or ratchet types. I myself prefer the ratchet types as they are convenient but more cumbersome however I would suggest the clamp types to newbies as they are cheaper and simpler to use.

[dveus]

Just following up on what Hoon said, make sure you buy decent quality tie downs that are rated for the weight you need. I had one break on the way back from the last KB track day at Taupo. Luckily I didn't even end up with a scratch on the bike, quite surprising as we were in the gorge and had to carry on for a fair few K's before we could stop and sort it out.

[Devil]

Blardy hell.
Thanks Hoon.

What about the position of the bike. Following on from what Motu mentioned about running it into the corner. I'll probably have a common garden trailer thats just rectangle shaped with a flat floor (as opposed to one of the corrugated types). So you mean have the bike on a diagonal...but you have the bike sitting upright, not on its sidestand, with the suspension compressed to take up any bouncing (but not so far as to bugger any fork seals)?

[Motu]

Pull the back wheel around to the centre of the trailer,so you have some angle on the steering.You need to tie the back down so it doesn't move,I pull a bike down pretty hard,never damaged seals yet - any movement of the bike will allow a tie down to slip,I'm often on gravel roads and farm tracks so my trailer and bike are really getting a hard time - I'd rather replace fork seals than repair damage from a bike bouncing off a trailer.

[gamgee]

[QUOTE=Hoon]
Ramp: You'll need to make one up if you don't have one so have some nail/boards handy. Don't think you can just lay a fence plank on the trailer!! It needs to be strong, slip proof (rough wood is fine) and it also needs to fix to the trailer somehow so the ramp doesn't slide off when you are unloading the bike. Factor in another 30mins to get your ramp made and tested once you get the trailer home. Extra effort here can save tears and embarassment later on.
[B]QUOTE]
haha first ramp i used was an old plank like the type they use on scaffholding, thought "this should be strong enough" :yes: bike nearly at the top of it, start hearing a creaking noise, think 'oh shit' then about 2 seconds later *SNAP* :slap: somehow the bike didn't tip and just gave the shocks a work out, then started thinking, that it probably wasn't a good thing that something someone could be standing on 30m off the ground snapped like that :wait:

[Devil]

Ahh shit. A ramp. I need to go hunting.

[crashe]

Frosty had a big old metal one that he was giving away a while ago..

PM Frosty to see if he still has it... as it will fit on the back of the trailer.

[Motu]

And tie the ramp down....

[marty]

yup - tie your $10000 baby down with cheap as tie downs...

get some aerofast ones. about $15 each, but you won't be worrying about them slipping/breaking. i've got a box trailer that i can't see the bike in, so i need to know it hasn't fallen over.

[Drunken Monkey]

Trick for new players:
When QuasiEvil says "I tied that down tighter than a nun's shnan", question him as to the type of nun he is referring to - we had a bike tip over only 2 corners from his place - he must know some slutty nuns :)

[Devil]

yup - tie your $10000 baby down with cheap as tie downs...

get some aerofast ones. about $15 each, but you won't be worrying about them slipping/breaking. i've got a box trailer that i can't see the bike in, so i need to know it hasn't fallen over.
Yup, got me a pair of aerofast ones, another pair coming after payday in 2 days time.

So can people confirm that you tie the bike upright and not on the side stand?

[Firefight]

Ahh shit. A ramp. I need to go hunting.


since your a mate of Pac's, I'll lend ya a ramp, and extra tie downs if you want... pm me some time.


F/F

[Hoon]

Yes upright and not on the stand.

The 2 front tie-downs go around the triple clamps or handle bars somewhere. Make sure it is to a solid and bend-proof location. You may need rags/pads to keep them off the paintwork. The rear ones can come off the rear sub frame (no further back than the seat) or pillion peg mounts. You'll have to test and adjust depending on your bike model.
Ideally you want the tie downs to come away from the bike at a 45 degree downwards angle for maximum support from the 4 corners. Crank them down nice'n tight (i.e. about 3/4 of the suspension travel) and get someone to bounce on the bike to make it easier. The tiedowns should be tight enough to be able to twang like a bowstring.

When done properly the bike will still remain secure if any single tie-down fails. I also like to tie all my loose ends out of the way so I can tell at a glance in the rear view mirror that all 4 are still tight.

Strapping down a new bike takes ages the first time (even for pros) but is easier once you've sussed out good points and a routine so don't get disheartened if it drags on. Just give yourself plenty of time and don't rush it.

[FROSTY]

Devil--Mate Yoyu can borrow my wooden ramp if ya like.
Heres how I do it.
Bike is in the center of the trailer with the front wheel jammed onto the backboard.Sidestand is down
First tiedown runs from the right bottom tripple clamp forwards and rightds as far as possible. Crank a little bit of tension on the tiedown -enough so its starting to take the weight of the bike
Now do the same on the left.
Now crank the right hand tie down and kick the side stand up.
Crank the left hand tie down up -The Idea is to crank the front end down square but leave some suspension travel .
Given yours is a garden trailer Id actually nail or screw a couple of blocks of 4x2 to the trailer end either side of the front wheel -itll stop the wheel from turning whilst travelling.
Id now put a tiedown off of the right passenger handgrip-down and back and another one on the left.

I like the bike in the center so I cal look in my rear view mirror

[Devil]

Excellent advice. Feel a little more comfortable about it now. I've got tie points for the front of the bike sorted but I'm a little unsure about the back part. I'll have a look tonight for a suitable spot.

[FROSTY]

Im sure these things have a different name but they are a godsend for guys with a lot of plastics to get scratched by tiedown hooks and buckles.
What they are is a strap with two loops of very wide strapping passed over them. tey have loops each end to pass tie down hooks through.
You atttach the wide straps to your handlebars then hook ya tie downs into the loops at the end-
They cost about $40 but well worth the expense.
Ive tried the kind with the built in tie downs and carabinas on the end--to be honest I wasn't overly impressed but mostly because of the effort it took to haul em down to tension.