When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
I have a smaller 8' trailer and haul my bike on a regular basis because I travel for work. My philosophy is more tie down straps the better. Some guys just throw 1 strap on each side of the handlebars and take off -- I dont recommend that. I tie the bike down anywhere i can find. On my road king i put 4 straps on each side. Better safe than sorry!
Buy quality straps, and straps that you like. I dont have the ratcheting type of straps but if i had to buy new ones I think they are the way I would go. And look for straps with bigger hooks on the end. Alot of straps have the smaller hooks which make it tougher to find a place to hook onto your bike.
.................................................. ...
NOW have at him fellas, and tell him to never trailer the dang thing
I've got a 2-bike enclosed Wells Cargo 7x12 trailer I found used locally for a good price. We replaced its Pingle wheel chocks with the Condors. They make it real easy, as the Condor chock holds the bike firmly, and you don't have to worry about supporting the bike while you strap it down. All that's really needed is a couple of straps to pull the bike forward and downinto the Condor. When I took delivery of thebike the dealer strapped it down using the inside of the handlebars; they said that's how they did all their bikes. We've since been attaching straps on my Street Glide to the lower part of the engine guard. That gives enough pull forward and down that the bike's not going anywhere. I added rear guard bars to protect the bags, and that's where we attach the rear straps -- primarily just to keep the bike from moving laterally; the front straps are holding the bike in the Condor chock.
We tried a different approach to anchoring my friend's SE V-Rod: he has 3 spoke wheels, so we just looped a padded strap around the wheel and strapped it against the Condor. That worked pretty well, except that the chrome wheel needs to be clean so the strap pad doesn't grind road dirt into the chrome. (As you can tell, we're pretty **** about avoiding scratches.) We actually tried transporting the V-Rod with just that one strap; however, we noticed that the back end of the bike did move a bit laterally (fortunately not enough to hit the side wall or the other bike), so we won't be doing anything withoutusingrear straps.We haven'ttried the front wheel approach on my Street Glide, since it's got laced wheels and there's not a lot of room between the spokes.
There are lots of tie downs on the market. Some come with the soft tiebuilt into the strap. I have that type; however, I discovered that the hook comes too close to paintwork or chromework, and I've since switched to using separate soft ties, as they're a little more flexible and can give you more clearance. Another desirable option is a soft tie with a sheepskin sleeve, which further reduces the chance of scratching. Another thing to consider is the length of the strap. Most of the ones on the market are 5-6 feet long. Since the distance from my bike's rear guards to the D-rings in the floor is pretty short (7-8 inches), we couldn't use the standard ratchet strap with hooks -- they were just too long. My dealer gave me a handful of the straps that are used to transport the new Harleys, and they are working fine asrear straps.
I trailer my ultra in a 5.5' x 10' trailer with a Condor bike stop mounted in the trailer. I mounted 4 permenant "Cargo Buddies" recoil straps on the trailer which I purchased from Bass Pro Shop. The recoil strapsare a little expensive but worth every dime.
powerties have built in soft ties to prevent scratching you bike. i went to their web page and got one of their specials, 4 ties and a storage bag. quality stuff! not the cheap stuff you find in the stores.
7 Surprising Harley-Davidson Products that Are Not Motorcycles
Slideshow: The bar-and-shield logo shows up on far more than motorcycles, some of the company's most unexpected products have nothing to do with riding.
Slideshow: From the troubled AMF years to modern misfires, these bikes earned reputations for reliability issues, questionable engineering, or disappointing performance.
Crazy Bunderbike Build Looks Amazing, But Is It Impossible to Ride?
Slideshow: The Swiss custom shop has taken a Harley Softail and stretched it into something so long and low that it looks closer to a rolling sculpture than a conventional motorcycle.
Engraved Rebellion: Inside Bundnerbike's Glam Rock II
Slideshow: A standard cruiser becomes an intricate metal canvas in the hands of a Swiss custom house known for pushing Harley-Davidson platforms far beyond their factory brief.
Slideshow: Harley-Davidson's challenges aren't abstract; they show up in dropping shipments, shrinking dealer traffic, and strategic decisions that aren't yet translating into growth.