{"id":20069,"date":"2014-05-03T06:00:41","date_gmt":"2014-05-03T13:00:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/movinginsider.com\/?p=20069"},"modified":"2019-07-24T12:29:41","modified_gmt":"2019-07-24T19:29:41","slug":"how-to-tie-down-a-motorcycle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uhaul.com\/blog\/2014\/05\/03\/how-to-tie-down-a-motorcycle\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Tie Down a Motorcycle"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: center\"><a href=\"https:\/\/movinginsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/motorcycle-header2.jpg\"><br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-20168\" src=\"https:\/\/movinginsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/motorcycle-header2-1024x347.jpg\" alt=\"haul a motorcycle \" width=\"717\" height=\"243\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.uhaul.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/motorcycle-header2-1024x347.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.uhaul.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/motorcycle-header2-300x102.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 717px) 100vw, 717px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The motorcycle.\u00a0The word and machine that\u00a0conjure ideas of freedom,\u00a0 the wind in your face, perhaps the clich\u00e9d fantasies of the open road, and\u00a0ultimately &#8211;\u00a0independence. For those that own and ride these machines, the irony is not lost\u00a0on just how often you find yourself needing to transport them\u00a0by truck or trailer. Whether it&#8217;s\u00a0that new project you&#8217;re picking-up across town, a buddy that&#8217;s\u00a0broken down on the side of the road, or even if you&#8217;re moving to a new place,\u00a0hauling a bike simply\u00a0becomes a part of the experience.<\/p>\n<p>What often varies is <em>how<\/em> people go about securing their bike once loaded. Kickstand up or down? Straps pulling forward or some forward and some back?\u00a0What&#8217;s the right\u00a0way? Well,\u00a0let&#8217;s\u00a0dispel some myths and provide you with solid advice on how to best go about it. Here&#8217;s how to tie down a motorcycle:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"line-height: 1.5em\">Use\u00a0<\/span><a style=\"line-height: 1.5em\" title=\"Ratchet Straps, Two-Pack, w\/ sewn-in loops\" href=\"https:\/\/www.uhaul.com\/MovingSupplies\/Rope-tie-downs\/PRO-GRIP-Ratchet-Tie-Down-Two-Pack?id=363&amp;utm_campaign=uhaulsm&amp;utm_source=blog&amp;utm_medium=movingsupplies&amp;utm_content=20140503-howtotiedown\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">ratchet straps<\/a><span style=\"line-height: 1.5em\">\u00a0(versus cam-type retainers)\u00a0to ensure proper tension, and those with sewn-in loops to secure\u00a0the hooks\u00a0help\u00a0avoid damage to\u00a0painted,\u00a0polished, or plated components. Further protection may be\u00a0found in <\/span><a style=\"line-height: 1.5em\" title=\"Soft strap-extenders\" href=\"https:\/\/www.uhaul.com\/MovingSupplies\/Rope-tie-downs\/Motorcycle-Soft-Tie-Tiedown-Strap-Extender?id=11474&amp;utm_campaign=uhaulsm&amp;utm_source=blog&amp;utm_medium=movingsupplies&amp;utm_content=20140503-howtotiedown\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">soft strap-extenders <\/a><span style=\"line-height: 1.5em\">&#8211; essentially\u00a0short lengths of\u00a0covered strap material that won&#8217;t harm your fine finish.<\/span>Four straps, two at the\u00a0front pulling forward and two at the\u00a0rear pulling back, will ensure that your bike\u00a0does\u00a0not shift while in transport <em>(pictured below right)<\/em>. \u00a0(<strong><em>Note:<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0Proper strap placement secures the motorcycle against movement in any direction by pulling down and away at every corner.)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/movinginsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/strap.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-20172\" src=\"https:\/\/movinginsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/strap-1024x311.jpg\" alt=\"tie down motorcycle\" width=\"819\" height=\"249\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.uhaul.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/strap-1024x311.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.uhaul.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/strap-300x91.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 819px) 100vw, 819px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Before loading the bike, lay out the straps with one end secured to the truck or trailer <em>(pictured above left)<\/em>. This minimizes the stepping-and-fetching dance that can lead to dumping the bike.<\/li>\n<li>Two people make\u00a0the loading and securing process safe and efficient. It allows one person to steady the bike and one person to tie it down.<\/li>\n<li>If you don&#8217;t have assistance, put the kickstand down and alternate sides to secure the front of the bike first until it is upright and steady.\u00a0Once stabilized,\u00a0put the kickstand\u00a0back up to avoid damage during transport.<\/li>\n<li>Secure the front of the bike first, attaching or looping the straps around the lower\u00a0triple trees (the components that\u00a0join the front forks to each other and\u00a0the frame\/neck.) \u00a0Ratchet straps secure the front of the bike by the lower triple-trees and draw the front wheel securely against the front panel, which features a built-in wheel chock in this particular trailer.\u00a0 Keep in mind, while you want some compression,\u00a0DO NOT bottom the suspension out, as this will damage hydraulic forks! (<em><strong>Note:<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0Strapping to the handlebars is not\u00a0recommended due to the relatively weak\u00a0or flexible connections, as well as the potential to damage controls, cables, mirrors, etc.)<a href=\"https:\/\/movinginsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/motorcycle-red.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-20171\" src=\"https:\/\/movinginsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/motorcycle-red-1024x416.jpg\" alt=\"tie down motorcycle\" width=\"717\" height=\"291\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.uhaul.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/motorcycle-red-1024x416.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.uhaul.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/motorcycle-red-300x122.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 717px) 100vw, 717px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>You may wish to further secure the front wheel by using a <a title=\"Motorcycle Wheel Chock - adjustable, light-weight\" href=\"https:\/\/www.uhaul.com\/MovingSupplies\/Motorcycle-towing\/Motorcycle-Towing-Kit?id=6223&amp;utm_campaign=uhaulsm&amp;utm_source=blog&amp;utm_medium=movingsupplies&amp;utm_content=20140503-howtotiedown\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">motorcycle wheel\u00a0chock<\/a>,\u00a0as most trailers and trucks do not have a built-in one like the specialty trailer pictured above. It will also aid in loading by holding the bike upright for you while you are free to apply the straps.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><a href=\"https:\/\/movinginsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/motorcycle-closeup.jpg\"><br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-20167\" src=\"https:\/\/movinginsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/motorcycle-closeup-1024x420.jpg\" alt=\"tie down motorcycle \" width=\"717\" height=\"294\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.uhaul.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/motorcycle-closeup-1024x420.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.uhaul.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/motorcycle-closeup-300x123.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 717px) 100vw, 717px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Secure the rear of the bike by the swingarm or a suitable position on the frame\u00a0with\u00a0the\u00a0ratchet strap <em>(pictured above right)<\/em>. Be careful to\u00a0avoid contact with brake lines, wiring,\u00a0or\u00a0other\u00a0delicate components.<\/li>\n<li>If the swingarm or frame aren&#8217;t suitable, an alternate method is to loop the straps through and around the rear wheel and tire <em>(pictured above left)<\/em>. Looping is the\u00a0key here, as\u00a0simply threading one strap through one side and out the other\u00a0will still allow the bike to\u00a0&#8220;walk&#8221; left and right.<\/li>\n<li>Once the rear of the bike is secured, take a moment to go over all the\u00a0tie-downs,\u00a0checking for even\u00a0tension, fully closing the ratchet mechanisms, and tying off any excess lengths of strap.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>That&#8217;s all there is to safely and securely hauling a motorcycle!<\/p>\n<p><em><strong> If you have any questions or comments or any great bike hauling stories of your\u00a0own,\u00a0post in the comment section below!<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The motorcycle.\u00a0The word and machine that\u00a0conjure ideas of freedom,\u00a0 the wind in your face, perhaps the clich\u00e9d fantasies of the open road, and\u00a0ultimately &#8211;\u00a0independence. For those that own and ride these machines, the irony is not lost\u00a0on just how often you find yourself needing to transport them\u00a0by truck or trailer. Whether it&#8217;s\u00a0that new project you&#8217;re [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":198,"featured_media":20070,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[548,7,999,195],"tags":[995,175,178],"class_list":["post-20069","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-safe-trailering","category-tips-tricks","category-towing-trailers","category-trailers","tag-motorcycle","tag-towing","tag-trailer"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uhaul.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20069","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uhaul.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uhaul.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uhaul.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/198"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uhaul.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20069"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.uhaul.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20069\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":51085,"href":"https:\/\/www.uhaul.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20069\/revisions\/51085"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uhaul.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20070"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uhaul.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20069"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uhaul.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20069"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uhaul.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20069"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}