Advice: How to tie down your motorcycle

The ‘two wheels’ thing is the bit we love most about motorcycles, but it’s also the very reason they’re hard to stabilise if they’re not being ridden. And anyone who has had the displeasure of watching their bike fall over on solid ground will know effectively securing your pride and joy into a vehicle that will be moving is critical if you want to avoid damage. Here’s how.

The first thing you’ll need to work out is how you’ll transport your bike: ute or trailer. And just because you might know more people with a ute, and it might seem less effort than having to hitch up (and reverse!) a trailer, it doesn’t necessarily mean it will be more effective.

Compared to a trailer, ute trays are generally higher off the ground which is both more difficult and significantly more dangerous when trying to manhandle a motorcycle on or off it. Increased height means a steeper ramp angle and if it’s too steep the underside of the engine or fairing won’t clear the tray – so lower is always better.

For this reason, a trailer will generally be a better option and, if you have access to one, a specific motorcycle trailer is by far the most sensible way to go. Bike trailers have a few features which make the process infinitely easier; it will generally have wheel channels and a front-wheel chock, appropriately located tie-down points and, more often than not, a safe and effective ramp system which makes getting your bike into position loads easier.

The best ramp is a full-width drop-down affair found on some bike-specific trailers which allow you to walk alongside the bike all the way to where you’ll secure it. If you’re using a motorcycle ramp (far stronger and with more grip than a plank of wood), ensure the ramp has a solid footing and, where possible, secure it to the tray or trailer.

It’s a good idea to have a mate on the opposite side to you while you’re pushing it up to the top of the ramp. Don’t be tempted to put the bike in gear and have it drive up the ramp under its own power – unless you’re not extremely confident – because more often than not it will end in tears.

If the tray or trailer is too high for you to get up onto in a single step, grab a milk crate or something equally as sturdy to ensure getting from the ground and next to the motorcycle is a fast and smooth process. Engage neutral and once the front wheel of the bike is off the ramp and onto the flat surface, grab the front brake, and make sure your mate is steadying the machine while you step up alongside it.

Once on the same level, release the brake and manoeuvre the bike into position. If you’re using a specific bike trailer, ensure the bike is sitting in the centre of the channel and, if you’re using a regular trailer, try and get the bike as close to centre as possible. Once in position, lower the side stand – if it happens to topple over (towards the left), it’ll catch it.

Forget rope. Unless you’ve been tying down tarps over your semi-trailer for the last three decades, you’re not going to have the repertoire of knots needed to secure a motorcycle into a tray or trailer.

Invest in some good quality tie downs, either a ratchet or cam buckle-type, but make sure there are sturdy, plastic-covered hooks at either end. And it’s a good idea to have your tie-down straps laid out ready in position before you even begin loading. Don’t simply hook the end of the strap through the tie-down point – if the suspension compresses during transporting, it may detach altogether. Instead, thread the strap through the eyelet or tie-down point and return the strap back through the hook.

What happens at the business end of the straps will largely depend on the style of bike you’re transporting, but there’s a few rules that will generally mean you’ll get it to where it needs to be safely and damage free.

Using the same process as at the other end, thread the strap back on itself so that the soft webbing is wrapped around your bike and not the hard hooks which can rub. Up the front, the closer to the centre of the bike you can get purchase, the better, and go for the more sturdy items like triple clamps or fork legs.

Avoid the handlebars, as often the amount of force needed to secure a motorcycle is enough to bend them. To begin with, use just enough force on the first strap to hold the bike in position while you ready the other side. Tighten the straps to compress the suspension as best you can, but not to the point of blowing your fork seals, and always ensure you have equal pressure on both the left and right-hand side straps.

Once the front is done, it’s a good idea to secure the rear, too. It’s not essential to repeat the two-sided process at the back, but it is important to secure the rear end enough to ensure it won’t hop about over rough surfaces or hard braking.

And if you’re not removing the bike immediately once you’ve reached your destination, loosen the straps slightly to relieve the pressure on the fork seals until you’re ready to unload it.

This article was originally published on August 19, 2019.