Fairings and ferries

[Dino]

Only ever used the Interislander before, they have always been good about leaving me to tie down my own bike.

I am using Bluebridge for the first time on Thursday so I hope no one else touches my bike then. I Have my own tie downs with me which I know work so hopefully no reason for anyone else to touch it.
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[chanceyy]

I highly recomend investing in the oxford handlebar bra .. keeps the straps off the fairings

I have travelled on the bluebridge .. granted they assisted me with the tie down on the way over & on the way home I called dogsnbikes from the kitchen as I could not anchor betsy down enough & he also threw a chock under her front wheel

but the bra is a damn great investment in keeping the straps well off the fairings (they are approx $60)

[Forest]

If you're going to cross the strait, it is definitely worth investing in a good set of straps.

[sunhuntin]

ive only been on interislander... one had bikes at the back, the other had bikes at the front.

homer... definately get your own straps. the ones they supply are fairly dodgy and can be filthy and wet. i use two of my own on the front, pulling down alternate sides till i cant go any furthur. i then use two of theirs on the back, and same again. a wheel chock under the front isnt a bad idea either. its also a good idea to get there early so you have pick of parking... id hate to tie a bike down while surrounded by bikes... prefer to do it with room to move. also, ive found sometimes "your" deck anchors can be taken by the guy next door.
i use a side stand too... no center stand option, lol. dont be in a rush to get it tied down so you can go upstairs... take your time till you are satisfied. bikes generally get first on option, so you have the entire loading time to get things to your standards.

[thehollowmen]

Except when it isn't.
I borrowed two good ones off my little brother, and the interislander staff thought I was nicking theirs.

If you're going to cross the strait, it is definitely worth investing in a good set of straps.

[crazybigal]

Those tie down bra's are great on a full faired bike.
i use it on the blackbird, i tie the bike upright, bra on and tie down the bike from all 4 corners then wedge the chock under the front wheel for good measure
the bras are like $30 bucks not $60
make sure you use closed type hooks on your tiedowns for the deck not the open hooks, if it gets any slack they will let go.
Depending on the ferry some have a cross type groove in the deck for the hooks and some have actual steel d type shackles mounted to the deck.
Dont use the tiedowns they have onboard, they are shite!.

I highly recomend investing in the oxford handlebar bra .. keeps the straps off the fairings

I have travelled on the bluebridge .. granted they assisted me with the tie down on the way over & on the way home I called dogsnbikes from the kitchen as I could not anchor betsy down enough & he also threw a chock under her front wheel

but the bra is a damn great investment in keeping the straps well off the fairings (they are approx $60)

[HenryDorsetCase]

where can I get one online? bit reluctant to go looking for a bra at work (again)....

[Forest]

Many years ago when I was still a student, I took my GSX1100EZ across the strait on one of the Inter-islanders. I didn't have any straps so the ferry staff lent me some tie-downs.

Tie-downs is really a bit of an exaggeration. More truthfully they were old skanky bits of rope that had been marinating in a mix of oil and sea-water.

Fortunately I got the bike across in one piece. But it really taught me that I needed to be more self-reliant when it came to securing my bike.

[Mikkel]

on a ute, i use a tie down bra, it pulls down on the grips and goes over fairings. maybe its what you need, oxford has them i think.

I highly recomend investing in the oxford handlebar bra .. keeps the straps off the fairings

I have travelled on the bluebridge .. granted they assisted me with the tie down on the way over & on the way home I called dogsnbikes from the kitchen as I could not anchor betsy down enough & he also threw a chock under her front wheel

but the bra is a damn great investment in keeping the straps well off the fairings (they are approx $60)

Oxford does a couple of different models - their "Supreme" version with clip on carabiners, nice padding and hefty straps is $85 and it works very well indeed.

Your own tiedowns are a must.After that it's in the hands of the gods.Seagods that is.
I've crossed heaps of times and the only time I suffered any vehicle damage was when my bike was in the back of a furniture removal truck.

I disagree, the tiedowns and ropes provided on the Interislander are quite capable of doing the job. If you're travelling light the added weight of carrying tiedowns would be an annoyance.

Many years ago when I was still a student, I took my GSX1100EZ across the strait on one of the Inter-islanders. I didn't have any straps so the ferry staff lent me some tie-downs.

Tie-downs is really a bit of an exaggeration. More truthfully they were old skanky bits of rope that had been marinating in a mix of oil and sea-water.

Fortunately I got the bike across in one piece. But it really taught me that I needed to be more self-reliant when it came to securing my bike.

Yes, they still have the old ropes - but they serve a different purpose.

Having made 4 crossings inside the last 6 weeks this is my advice for tying your bike down:

1. Put the bike on the sidestand.
2. Take one of the ropes with a hook that is on the ferry, make a loop around your rear tyre and hook/tie it down to fasteners behind your bike. Make a good solid knot - getting the rope tight is not important.
3. Roll your bike slightly forward so the rope holding the rear tyre in place becomes taught.
4. Take a tiedown and attache it to the sidestand side of the headstock assembly (or forkleg/tripleclamp). On a faired bike take the tiedown from the attachment point and put a couple of windings around the handlebar - as far out as possible. Adjust the tiedown so that it is taught - but does not compress the suspension.
5. Do the same on the other side. When both tiedowns are in place you tighten the right hand (unless your sidestand is on the right side of your bike...) tiedown as much as you can, hereby compressing the fork - compressing it just about halfway should be adequate.
6. Grab your stuff and go have a peaceful nap

Hope this helps...

[crazybigal]

try motomail, its an oxford product so do a google on it.

where can I get one online? bit reluctant to go looking for a bra at work (again)....

[Mikkel]

where can I get one online? bit reluctant to go looking for a bra at work (again)....

Many of the dealers in Chch stock them as well. I got mine of Don at Pitlane.

[sunhuntin]

tiedowns dont weigh that much... but they do take up space that could be used for something else. my leather saddle bags, i can fit tie downs [tightly rolled and bagged] and a pair of sneakers, and thats one side completely full to bulging. [literally!]

if there is a better way of carrying them on the bike where they wont take up space, im keen to hear it. like, my bungy cords are kept on the grabrail 24/7. if i could put tiedowns on the same spot, itd be great.

the interislander ones arent too bad, but i prefer to use my own cos i know they are in good condition and clean. as said, i use my two, plus two of theirs.

[crazybigal]

http://www.thunderbike.co.nz/shopn:s...:pv=TBIKE,tb=6

these are the rolls royce of bras.
i got a copy of the oxford basic one from TSS in lower hutt for about $30.

[Mikkel]

tiedowns dont weigh that much... but they do take up space that could be used for something else. my leather saddle bags, i can fit tie downs [tightly rolled and bagged] and a pair of sneakers, and thats one side completely full to bulging. [literally!]

if there is a better way of carrying them on the bike where they wont take up space, im keen to hear it. like, my bungy cords are kept on the grabrail 24/7. if i could put tiedowns on the same spot, itd be great.

the interislander ones arent too bad, but i prefer to use my own cos i know they are in good condition and clean. as said, i use my two, plus two of theirs.

Of course if you have plenty of bag space no worries. My last trip I had a smallish tank bag and a 40 l backpack. Although I tried to keep the backpack as light as possible my shoulders are still quite sore now from ~1500 kms of riding with that on.

[sunhuntin]

bugger that... thats the exact reason i have a top box... carry crap in that, and backpack gets bungied onto the pillion seat, tied to the box brackets. ive also invested in a tank bag and will eventually get a pair of oxford saddlebags.

maybe look and see if theres a way of securing your bag to the pillion seat? save your back on long trips.