How to Tie Down a Motorcycle for Transport
Often times it is necessary to transport your motorcycle via the bed of your truck or trailer. This may be due to damage of the bike or perhaps the distance to travel is too great to be driven on a motorcycle alone. Whatever the case may be, it is important to safely and properly secure your motorcycle during transport. A bike that is not secure can have severe ramifications in the event it comes loose during transport.
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Instructions
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1
Wrap a soft loop around the left side handle bar of the motorcycle. The soft loop is optional, but highly recommended, since it keeps the metal pieces of the ratchet away from the bike to avoid scratches during the trip.
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2
Secure the hook end of the ratchet strap through the soft loop and the other end to a secure spot in your truck or trailer. Choose a ratchet strap that has a strong metal with a tooth-style gripping plate for added security.
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3
Repeat steps 1 and 2 with the right handle bar.
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4
Tighten each strap snuggly so that the bike sits securely in the upright position on its own. Be careful not to compress the front forks to avoid damaging the suspension of the bike. See your owner's manual for details.
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5
Choose a stable part of the back left side of the bike and wrap a soft loop around it. Secure the straps similarly to how you did in the front and proceed to do the same with the right side.
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6
Re-check the tightness of the straps before and during the trip to ensure the bikes stability and safety.
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References
- Photo Credit motorcycle image by Goran Bogicevic from Fotolia.com
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Comments
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Rick Buchaniec
Jan 14, 2011
In the real world, the front suspension of the motorcycle NEEDS to be compressed, because if you hit a bump and the suspension is not compressed, the cycle will want to pogo, causing slack to form in the tie down strap, and one of the hooks may disengage.
