trailoring a bike

[flarud]

kickstand up or kickstand down? I know I know, if I "ride" the bike instead of trailoring it then I would'nt have this question.
also, when tying down the front end, do I try to compress the forks as much as possible or just a bit?

thanks,
Barry

[MauiAl]

Hey Barry, nice to see a Harley rider posting

I would keep the stand up and compress the front forks when I tighten up the tie downs.

[Zukdriver]

Don't compress the forks too much, just enough to keep tension on the tiedowns. And secure the tiedowns so they won't come off if you hit a bump and the forks compress more. A bungee between the upper and lower hooks works well. It's so sad to see a bike in the back of a truck.

[flarud]

[QUOTE It's so sad to see a bike in the back of a truck. [/quote]

we are going up to deals gap from central florida. i wouldnt mind riding the bike up, but the wife says no. our neighbor and his wife are going to and they dont want to ride.

[BEANER]

Kickstand up I tie mine down pretty tight so I don't have to worry about them coming lose with all the bumbs in the roads

[Alf]

Compress the front forks probably half way but good and tight. Once your bike is tied down properly it won't matter whether the stand is up or down. Some tie the back and some don't being the perfectionist I am I tie down the back also. When you go to release your ties make sure you have a good grip on your bike. Also stop and check youe tie downs every so often.

[2WheelFun]

We left it down with no problems.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y17...KReadytoGo.jpg

[rbentnail]

I took some pics last time I put mine on the trailer. Hope it helps!
http://www.kawasakimotorcycle.org/fo...k-warning.html

[rbentnail]

Originally Posted by 2WheelFun

We left it down with no problems.

I want a Pepsi machine at my garage. Pepsi, Mtn Dew, tea and light beer.

[Silvercon]

I agree with compressing your forks about half way. If you dont have
some way to keep your front tire from slideing around I would use
more ties on the front wheel and make these pretty tight.
I tie the back also, its cheap insurance. There will always be
people that tell you they successfully go with just 2 ties,
just as some people ride without a helmet. You can, but
why risk it?

[Jake '53]

I still think there's something un-natural about a perfectly good motorcycle being hauled around on a trailer.

[bross]

Originally Posted by Zukdriver

Don't compress the forks too much, just enough to keep tension on the tiedowns. And secure the tiedowns so they won't come off if you hit a bump and the forks compress more. A bungee between the upper and lower hooks works well.

Very true, yank them down too far and you'll blow your fork seals. Great tip about the bungee, thanks!

Found this:
Motorcycle Trailer Tie Down - webBikeWorld
and this
Trailering Your Motorcycle - I Ride My Own
and this
Hauling, Shipping, Storing your Motorcycle
I actually wouldn't go as far as this guy says on tightening the forks down, he recommends 2/3 to 3/4 of your suspension travel, I'd stay closer to 1/2. That provides lots of room for your bike to still move with bumps etc. but still enough tension to keep the straps on when you do hit a bump. And remember, a dirt bike has about 12-13 inches of suspension travel, but your cruiser probably only has about 4" so you're only talking compressing the suspension 2" here!

How to haul a bike in a pickup

Get a motorcycle loading ramp. Make sure you get one that folds, and is rated for at least 800 pounds. Be careful about this - most ramps are for dirt bikes and rated for more like 400 pounds. These will deform over time. Get at least one pair of tie-downs, preferably two. Most people prefer the cam-buckle tie-downs to the ratcheting type. I have tie-downs that have both cam buckles and ratchets - I saw them once at Sam's club and bought two pair. I've never seen them since, and I deeply regret not getting two more pair. Get (steal) a plastic milk carton from a grocery store. This is your step up into the truck. Get a 10" by 10" piece of plywood or particle board to put under the bike's kickstand. This helps get the bike closer to upright and protects your truck bed.

Some people make a piece of plywood about 5' by 1', cut to fit the truck bed just behind the truck's rear window. Then you nail a couple 1' long 2x4's onto the plywood in the center, with about 4" between the 2x4's. This will brace the front wheel so that it can't turn on you while you're driving, thereby loosening the tie-downs.

Find a place where the road is fairly crowned and the driveways tip upwards from the road a fair amount. Back your truck into the driveway until the rear tires are solidly in the rain gutter. This will leave pretty much your entire truck out in the street, perpendicular to traffic. Put on your 4-way flashers, put the truck in park, set the parking brake. This alignment gets the tailgate as low as possible, and makes the run into the truck easiest. You're looking for a place that lowers your tailgate at least 18" towards the ground; two feet is preferable. The driveway should be heading downhill towards the truck so that the bike wants to ride up the ramp, or so that when unloading, when the bike is off the ramp it's backing uphill and wants to stop.

Lower your tailgate. Place the ramp in the center of the tailgate. Place your milk carton on the ground, open side down, just behind the truck's tailgate on the left hand side of the ramp. Put your 10" by 10" piece of wood near the left wheel well. Prepare a path that's easy for you to walk.

Start the bike, put it in first gear. Now, standing on the clutch side of the bike, walk the bike up the ramp. Let the engine and brakes do all the work, don't use your muscles to push or pull. Use the clutch and front brake to modulate the speed. If you don't like your run-up to the truck, stop, back the bike up, and start over. Shiny side up, rubber side directly below, concentrate on no tipping side to side. Since the engine and brakes and gravity are doing all the heavy lifting, this should be relatively easy. Be careful to be standing very solidly when you stop the bike in the truck bed. The truck suspension will rock a bit for about two seconds due to the sudden movement of 1000 pounds of bike and you. Put the bike's side stand down, on the piece of wood. Your bike should be happily parked in the truck now.

The bike should be centered in the truck bed and pointing straight along the direction of travel. Some people like to put the front tire in the left front corner of the bed, and have the bike diagonal in the bed. This will allow you to close your tailgate, which is an extra piece of security. I don't care for this as much as it's harder to tie the bike down properly, and considerably harder to unload the bike. The diagonal thing is good for dirt bikes, not as good for touring bikes.

Put the canyon dancer on the handlebars, put tie downs on the canyon dancer, and then attach them to the truck bed. Tighten the tie downs until the front forks are about 2/3 - 3/4 compressed - not quite bottomed out. Start with the throttle-side tie-down, and pull the bike to straight upright. You can now put the side stand back up. Now, tighten both front tie downs until the forks are 2/3 compressed and the bike is upright. You want the bike riding on its suspension. If you're just going a few miles, you're done. If you're going several hundred miles, it's a good idea to find tie-down points at about the passenger peg or passenger hand rail locations, and run tie downs from there to the tie down points at the back of the bed. Check the tie-downs carefully, they should not be touching your bodywork at any point. If they are, get a rag and put it between the tie-down and the paint. You must find a way to tie up the free ends of the tie-down straps, or they will flap in the wind and scratch up your paint. I like to leave my saddlebags and trunk on the bike when hauling, as there's just no good place to keep these in the truck bed, and they fill up too much of the truck interior.

To get the bike out, find your dream parking spot. Place your milk carton and ramp. Release the rear tie-downs if any, then the throttle side tie- down. Last, the clutch side tie-down. Stand on the left (clutch) side of the bike. Leave the engine off this time. Pull the bike backwards until the rear tire is on the ramp. At this point, you'd better have a good grip on the handlebars and front brake lever, the bike really wants to go down the ramp. Walk the bike down using the front brake to modulate the speed and the milk carton as your step.

If you have to park overnight with your bike in your truck bed, back up into your parking space so that there's a building or tree or massive bushes directly behind the truck within 6 feet. Now to get the bike out, they have to lift it over the sides. Some people like to loosen the front tie-downs to relieve stress on the front fork springs. I don't, 'cause 1) I might forget to re-tighten in the morning, and 2) if overnight compression makes the front fork springs sag, they were made of junk metal and needed to be replaced anyway.

Using these techniques, I've loaded Harley Road Kings and my ST1300 in and out of my '00 Silverado 4x4 about a dozen times all by myself, no extra person. I find that unless the extra person is a motorcycle rider with loading experience, they just get in the way - push when you're not ready, pull when you want to go forward, and fail miserably to understand that the bike must stay quite vertical or nothing is going to stop it from falling off the ramp and doing $$$$ damage. If you do have an extra person, they should only be helping keep the bike upright, there's no need to push or pull the bike forwards and backwards.

If you've never loaded a 500cc+ street bike in a truck before, I'd advise you get some experienced help for the first time or two both in and out. Practice in (or near) your driveway a couple three times before driving away.

You might have the idea that if you're going to the Honda shop, they will know how to do this. This is not my experience - Honda guys tend to look like keystone cops when loading or unloading a street bike. They're used to 220 pound dirt bikes, and the extra 500 pounds really throws them. Harley mechanics generally know how to do it, but they don't tend to want to touch your bike until asked, then they want you to step aside and let them do it. Generally, no mechanic with any sense will touch your tie-downs, as they don't want the responsibility.

If you learn how to do this by yourself, I guarantee you that everywhere you go, you'll drop jaws. It's well known that it's impossible for one guy to load or unload a street bike by himself.

[ontwowheels]

Originally Posted by flarud

kickstand up or kickstand down? I know I know, if I "ride" the bike instead of trailoring it then I would'nt have this question.
also, when tying down the front end, do I try to compress the forks as much as possible or just a bit?

thanks,
Barry

true true true... Have a great time at the Gap, it's a hoot.

Originally Posted by rbentnail

I want a Pepsi machine at my garage. Pepsi, Mtn Dew, tea and light beer.

Look at that V2K up there, it looks pi$$ed!!!! like a caged bull

Originally Posted by Jake '53

I still think there's something un-natural about a perfectly good motorcycle being hauled around on a trailer.

going old skool here......word to your mother...

[bross]

Originally Posted by Jake '53

I still think there's something un-natural about a perfectly good motorcycle being hauled around on a trailer.

I trailer our bikes (or in the back of the truck) when they both need service, kinda hard to ride both on the same day! Or like this weekend, we hauled the DRs out to BC, 1200kms (745mi). That trip for Jodie on her DR200 would have taken over a week instead of the day and half it took us in the truck, plus we had kids, stuff we were hauling out there. Nothing wrong with trailering if it's done with good reason. And unless you live near the great twisty roads, then sometimes there just isn't enough time to ride to your destination and back. We have quite a few people who trailer their bikes from here, the frozen wasteland called northern Canada, to Vegas / Laughlin in the winter, early spring when we still are buried in snow, so they can at least ride for a week to 10 days. Now just trailering a bike to Bike Week so you can ride up and down main street is just wrong.

Now having said all that, Jodie and I have ridden on every vacation that we didn't have the kids, no trailers allowed.