Another smartass statement that should be kept to ones self. He might take his bike on vacation when he goes with his family or he is unable to ride for long distances due to health.
As far as the question at hand. A good set of tiedown straps are your best bet, I prefer ratchet straps. To me they hold more secure. Also a good wheel chock one I would highly recommend is one from Harbor Freight for about $39. Check tie downs after about twenty miles for tightness and then about every tankfull after that. Good luck!

 

Something else to consider. If your straps get wet they may loosen. Good Luck!

 

GREAT advice especially coming from someone that doesnt even own a bike!!!
Just saying.....

 

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I have never seen these. I like the concept but I'm not sure I would like the brackets under my bike? My bike has a Shotgun Air Ride and I've already got a Condor in my trailer so which setup would I need? Do you have any pics of a bike not mounted on the system to get a feel for how the brackets look?

 

If it is a single axle trailer 60% of the load needs to be ahead of the axle to keep it from swaying when being towed. If it is a two axle trailer 70% of the load needs to be ahead of the trailer.

10% of the total load should be on the hitch for good performance. More or less will cause pogoing.

I use three sets of straps always the first set at the front pulls from the triple trees or even the axle which I prefer because it does not compress the forks. Never from the handle bars as they can collapse. The second set from about the middle of the bike. The front and middle should pull from a forward position to insure that the bike is pulled into the chock. The rear straps are low and pull at 90 degrees to the wheel. Never pull to the rear because if the front straps come loose the rear strap can pull the bike right out of the chock.

Most trailer wheels should be torqued to 90 ft. lbs. and checked before you leave and at 50 miles then every 200 miles. I have yet to go to Sturgis (ten times) and not see a trailer pulled over with a lost wheel. If it is a new trailer it should have instructions that are similar to my post or even require more often and sooner checks. I am referring to a used trailer.

When towing you need to be more aware of your position in the lane for cornering as when you go a round a curve the trailer will follow in a tighter turn. Such as in a left hand curve the tow vehicle is just near the center line the trailer will be on or over. The longer the trailer the more pronounced this is.

The bike and trailer will add some braking distance so adjust the following distance to the traffic in front a little farther back. Slow a little sooner for the traffic light or stop sign also.

The two chains on the trailer should be crossed and connected to a strong point on the tow hitch or vehicle frame. The reason to cross them is if the trailer jumps off the ball, it will rest on the chains and not catch into a pot hole or lip and tear off the trailer or flip it like a pole vault. The chains should be adjusted so the trailer tongue can not reach to the ground. You can do this simply by twisting the chain before hooking it to the hitch.

There is much to be aware of when trailering. I have been pulling boats, cars, bikes and materials for about 45 years. I have seen every mistake made during that time.

Here are some of the mistakes. Trailer tongue not safety latched onto the ball. Wrong size ball, safety chains missing or not crossed. wheels fall off. Load not placed properly and when going down a hill the swaying trailer spun the car/truck out.

It is quite a sight to see a trailer pass you when you're going down a hill and the bike on it looks like yours.

Buy the strongest straps that you can with the soft ties built in. It will save time.

Almost forgot one tip. If you are going to use a ramp to run the bike onto the trailer, be sure that the front of the ramp is pinned or tied to the trailer. If it isn't when you give a little throttle going up the ramp, it will spit the ramp back. I learned that one all by myself.