If you’ve got a bike to move on, an enclosed trailer for bikes is the best option to transport the vehicle. An enclosed trailer protects your bike from dust, rain, wind, sunlight, and UV lights while carrying from one place to another. Most importantly, it carries your bike safely without getting the greedy eyes of thieves.
However, for transporting the motorcycle in an enclosed trailer, you should know how to tie down a motorcycle in an enclosed trailer at first. You may find it a bit tricky but believe me, it’s worth it.
This article aims to educate you on how to load motorcycle on trailer and how you can tie down the bike in it for a convenient journey. So, let’s start.
How To Tie Down A Motorcycle In An Enclosed Trailer
As said earlier, transporting bikes in the enclosed trailers is the safest option. You just need some additional preparations for that. By following the few steps that’ll be discussed below, you can successfully put your motorcycle on the trailer.
Arranging Required Equipment
You will require ratcheting straps and heavy-duty “D” rings tie-down anchors that are surfaced mounted inside the trailer.
You might also be interested to have a wheel chock to stop rolling the bike completely. Again, there are some soft yet durable straps that are used to keep the ratchet straps away from your bike in order to ensure the paint and chrome aren’t damaged.
If you’re wondering how to tie down a motorcycle with ratchet straps, here I bring guidance for you. At first, connect the straps to the trailer’s anchor points. Then, lay them stretched out to the middle of the trailer.
Many may consider doing this part after lifting the bikes but that would increase the risk factor as you may accidentally knock over the motorcycle. The best way to secure the bike is to take help from one of your buddies.
Setting Up The Trailer
Setting up an enclosed trailer for motorcycles is the most important part that you should do before picking your bike on it. Make sure the bike is as level as possible so that your bike will be more secure on it.
I recommend you to use a wheel chock that keeps your bike in place. Wheel Chocks are made of plastic, rubber, or other sturdy materials that are placed against the wheels to keep them steady. Motorcycle wheel chock on trailer eliminates accidental lateral movement of the wheels just like car’s hand brake.
Chocks are important for certain situations such as when the bike is parked, lifted, or transported to keep the wheels steady. They come in different shapes and sizes considering different wheel sizes and heights. Some of them include ice cleats to work more efficiently.
How to tie down a motorcycle on a trailer without a chock?
When you don’t find the exact chock for your bike’s wheels, you should look for different solutions for securing them in the trailer.
You need to make sure to lift the bike into the enclosed trailer as straight as possible. Try to place it at the center of the trailer so that each side of the bike has an even distance from the trailer’s body. When you place the motorcycle at the center of the trailer, its weight is distributed on the van equally to give the bike a smooth ride.
You can also improvise a piece of wood or plastic instead of wheel chocks. If that doesn’t fit perfectly, you may compensate it by wrapping the piece with a towel. However, keep in mind that even if this arrangement works for your bike, doesn’t guarantee to work for bikes of all sizes and weights.
Loading A Motorcycle In An Enclosed Trailer
When the straps are prepared, you should look for ways how to load motorcycle on trailer. Load the Hauling motorcycle on trailer and put the kickstand down. Then, get the front tightened enough before putting the kickstand back up. It allows you to ensure the kickstand is protected during transportation.
Tie Down The Bike Properly
Finally, let’s talk about tying down the bike properly onto the enclosed trailer.
- At first, you should fix one of the ratchet straps against the motorcycle kickstand tightly. Tight it until there’s no slack in the strap. Fix the strap to a D ring on the trailer’s surface to hold it in place.
You can use soft straps on the bike and loop them to ratchet straps to ensure there’s no damage to the body due to the straps.
- The second strap should be placed on the chassis of the motorcycle. You need to position the second one diagonally from the first one.
- Choose more anchor points precisely and repeat the process with another strap at the front of the motorcycle and another at the rear of the bike.
- Don’t forget to tighten the straps until there’s no slack in the straps to keep the bike perfectly upright during transportation.
- Lastly, when you stop somewhere for taking fuel or stretching for a little, check back the condition of the bike. Vibrations while traveling may loosen the straps and cause the motorcycle to fall on the enclosed trailer. Frequent monitoring will reduce the probability of an accident.
What to Avoid When Transporting Your Motorcycle In An Enclosed Trailer:
- Going for the cheapest straps. The payment for repairing your motorcycle will be way more than some top-quality straps. So, leave no alternative other than choosing sturdy and durable straps.
- Using rear bag guards as attachment points as they might get pulled off.
- Using low-quality motorcycle wheel chock for trailer. You may use a bike rack for enclosed trailer for utmost safety.
- Driving recklessly while keeping a motorcycle tie down on the trailer. You may think the bike is tied down securely but the vibration of the vehicle loosens that with time. So, drive in a decent way.
Conclusion
So, now you know how to tie down a Harley Davidson motorcycle on a trailer, right? Well, whether you own a Harley Davidson or not, your ride is definitely precious for you. It really matters to know how to transport motorcycle on trailer. So, follow the exact procedures for tying down your motorcycle before transporting it.
I hope the article regarding how to tie down a motorcycle in an enclosed trailer helps you out just at the time you require it the most. Leave a comment below, I will appreciate that. Thanks for reading so far.