Trailers

[CrazyKell]

Ooh my father has one of those right now inside his Ride Inn so we could just put it in the trailer.

[VatorMan]

I have a Condor that I use in the garage and in the bed of my truck. I still have to strap down.This is where most of the worry comes from. If I can by a solid one piece tie down that I am confident in-then that's a plus.

I say look at the cost of your bike and the cost of a good tie down. What would it cost if a strap lets loose and your bike is flopping around in the trailer for a hundred miles? Cheap piece of mind if you ask me.

[tommymac]

Originally Posted by VatorMan

I have a Condor that I use in the garage and in the bed of my truck. I still have to strap down.This is where most of the worry comes from. If I can by a solid one piece tie down that I am confident in-then that's a plus.

I say look at the cost of your bike and the cost of a good tie down. What would it cost if a strap lets loose and your bike is flopping around in the trailer for a hundred miles? Cheap piece of mind if you ask me.

Condor says you dont need front straps, I dont want to test that theory and tie down the front anyway.

[Amber Lamps]

Originally Posted by tommymac

Condor says you dont need front straps, I dont want to test that theory and tie down the front anyway.

Me too! I do think that if I rig up something similar to the PB system and use my "Condor-like" HF front chock, I should be quite safe. I'll probably still use straps anyway... The good thing about the HF units is that they have tie down points built in...heavy duty ones at that.

[azoomm]

Originally Posted by tommymac

Condor says you dont need front straps, I dont want to test that theory and tie down the front anyway.

Right, I read that somewhere. I've seen major trailer-carnage from going over a bump and bikes falling into each other. No WAY I would leave a bike just rolled into a chock.

Please note - if you use a sport chock in a trailer you MUST have something that the chock goes up against - OR do four points of tie down to make sure the chock doesn't slide forward making the tie downs loose.

I also swear by tie loops rather than canyon-dancers or other ties that go onto the grips. We use them in the BMW Semi, the bikes are too close to use anything on the grips. After tieing down 40 bikes at a time in the two level semi again and again using straps on the lower triples is a better and better idea.

[CrazyKell]

I like the straps better than the canyon dancers too.

The chocks will probably work for this year, or if I can convince my father to move his "condor" (not sure of the brand of his) I'll be using that too.

It's a bit much for 1 bike to the track but I have a lot of buddies that I'm sure might want a ride too.

[azoomm]

Originally Posted by CrazyKell

I like the straps better than the canyon dancers too.

The chocks will probably work for this year, or if I can convince my father to move his "condor" (not sure of the brand of his) I'll be using that too.

It's a bit much for 1 bike to the track but I have a lot of buddies that I'm sure might want a ride too.

If it means you can get someone else to pay for gas.... go for it!

[CrazyKell]

Originally Posted by azoomm

If it means you can get someone else to pay for gas.... go for it!

Hell ya! And it also means I don't have to sleep in a tent anymore!

[tommymac]

Originally Posted by azoomm

Right, I read that somewhere. I've seen major trailer-carnage from going over a bump and bikes falling into each other. No WAY I would leave a bike just rolled into a chock.

Please note - if you use a sport chock in a trailer you MUST have something that the chock goes up against - OR do four points of tie down to make sure the chock doesn't slide forward making the tie downs loose.

I also swear by tie loops rather than canyon-dancers or other ties that go onto the grips. We use them in the BMW Semi, the bikes are too close to use anything on the grips. After tieing down 40 bikes at a time in the two level semi again and again using straps on the lower triples is a better and better idea.

At the NYC motorcycle shows they have a booth and give demos how you dont need them, then they throw a big cruiser in one and rock it around.

I have to drive through some truly horrendous roads getting out of NYC and I usualy have to check and tighten my straps back down by tthe time I get to jersey. So without them I am sure my bikes would be all over the crossbronx expressway.

[azoomm]

Originally Posted by tommymac

At the NYC motorcycle shows they have a booth and give demos how you dont need them, then they throw a big cruiser in one and rock it around.

I have to drive through some truly horrendous roads getting out of NYC and I usualy have to check and tighten my straps back down by tthe time I get to jersey. So without them I am sure my bikes would be all over the crossbronx expressway.

Side to side isn't the issue - and they ALWAYS rock them side to side.

It's over a speed bump or other inadvertant BUMP that would have that baby going up and down that would be the problem. Putting that much faith in something a tire can go UP out of... I'll put a few $15 straps on just for peace of mind.

I have people bitch about the possibility of a blown fork from tieing down too tight - I'd rather blow a fork than lose a bike. And - MAN but we tie them down REALLY tight in that semi. Haven't blown a fork in years - and they get tied down about every weekend...