The Ultimate Guide about Motorcycle Tie Down Methods
Transporting the motorcycle on the road can occur between motorcycle manufacturers and motorcycle distributors, motorcycle rental companies to individual users, motorcycle event organizers to the event venue, or the motorcycle owner to his destination when he goes out for a trip.
Transporting motorcycles, valuable and heavy items, and ensuring them arrive at their destination intact is not an easy task. Today, let’s delve comprehensively into all aspects of motorcycle securing, ensuring maximum protection during transportation.
The Way to Transport a Motorcycle
As mentioned above, transporting motorcycles can serve many different purposes. There are bulk transports as well as individual ones. There are long-distance transports as well as short-distance ones. Motorcycles come in different sizes, shapes, and weights too. Let’s explore the methods of transporting motorcycles.
Traditional Trailers
Trailers are versatile solutions for transporting motorcycles, they are suitable for moving multiple bikes. They have enough space and stability to hold the motorbike but also have some disadvantages. The trailers always need a compatible towing vehicle, or else they can not move. Also, additional costs will be increased, due to the increased number of axles. Besides the additional cost, the added weight and resistance will lead to increased fuel consumption, increasing the cost of transportation.
Pickup Trucks
Transporting the motorcycles in the bed of pickup trucks is very popular, due to the way of offering stability and protecting the motorcycles from other vehicles. But, under this method, there are also many limitations. Such as the space of the pickup truck bed is not very big, so after loading the motorbike, there is no extra space or other items. Loading and unloading motorcycles can also be challenging, you will need ramps and an extra person to work together.
Van
Using a van to transport the motorcycles can protect the bike from weather and provide extra protection. This method is suitable for long trips and needs an empty van. The limitation of this way is that it is not suitable for the living space or when the van is used for long periods, since the motorcycle stored inside the van can lead to the accumulation of gasoline fumes within the vehicle, which is harmful to your health.
Motorcycle Hitch Rack
Attach the motorcycle hitch rack to the vehicle and use the motorcycle tie down straps to secure the bike on it. In this way, you can reduce fuel consumption and don’t need extra space compared to trailers. This method is particularly suitable for individual use when they go out for a trip.
Enclosed Shipping Container
The enclosed shipping container is used to transport bulk motorcycles from one place to another. They are usually arranged in rows and secured inside containers using motorcycle straps. This motorcycle transportation method is used for import shipping, such as you purchase from foreign countries and they need the shipping container to deliver your bike. If within your country, the motorcycle manufacturer transports bulky bikes to the distributor, the motorcycle race organizer transports the motorbike to the event venue, and they also use the enclosed shipping container.
How to Tie Down a Motorcycle?
To safely deliver the motorcycle to the destination, securely tying down the motorcycle is the most important job during transportation. Let’s take a look at the key steps on how to tie down a motorcycle.
Choose High Quality Motorbike Tie Down Straps
Use the high quality motorbike tie down straps to secure the motorcycle, you’d better choose the heavy-duty one. For the webbing material, we suggest you use polyester material instead of nylon material, due to nylon having greater stretchability and is not suitable for securement. For end fittings, you need to choose strong hooks for attachment.
Here are the best motorcycle tie down straps for your choice.
Inspect Motorcycle Tie Downs
Before every use, you need to inspect your motorcycle tie downs carefully, if you find any signs of wear, fraying, or damage, replace them immediately. Never compromise on quality.
Find Proper Attachment Points
Find the strong and sturdy part of the motorcycle to attach to the motorcycle tie down straps, such as frames, handlebars, and tires. Never attach the weakened parts of your motorcycle to the tie downs, since they can not withstand the weight and pressure from the bike during moving.
Use Correct Number of Motorcycle Tie Downs
Generally, we recommend at least 4 motorcycle tie downs to secure the motorcycle, two straps secure in front of the bike, and two at the rear. However, the number of straps needs to be determined on a case-by-case basis, depending on the weight of your motorcycle.
Evenly Distribute Tension
You need to apply equal tension across the motorcycle tie down straps to maintain the balance on the motorcycle. Unequal tension will lead to unbalanced stress and cause motorcycle shifts during transportation.
Tighten the Tie Downs Securely
After you attach the tie down strap to the motorcycle and anchor point on the transportation vehicle, you need to tighten the straps gradually. Ensure the straps are tightened securely but not overly tight.
Double Check the Securement
Before transportation, you need to double-check each motorcycle strap and make sure the motorbike is firmly secured in place.
How to Choose the Proper Motorcycle Tie Down Straps?
There is no fixed size of motorcycle tie down strap to tie down motorcycle, when you choose the strap for a motorbike, you always need to know clearly about the weight of the motorcycle and the working capacity of the motorcycle tie down. Remember, the working capacity of the motorcycle tie down must exceed the weight of the motorcycle that you are going to transport. Below, we will talk in detail about 3 aspects: tie down webbing, locking mechanism, and end fitting.
Tie Down Webbing
There are 3 types of material used to make the tie down webbing: nylon, polypropylene, and polyester. The polyester webbing is the most commonly used material. For tying down the motorcycle, 1 inch and 1.5 inch polyester webbing are the most commonly used size.
Know more about polyester webbing.
Locking Mechanism
Both ratchet mechanisms and cam buckles can be used to make motorcycle straps. Which one to use depends on the size and weight of the motorcycle you need to secure. Motorcycle ratchet straps are used to tie down heavy-duty motorcycles and cam buckle motorcycle straps are used to secure light-duty motorcycles.
End Fittings
There are 3 common types of tie down hooks used to make motorcycle straps, they are S hooks, carabiner hooks, and snap hooks. Among them, the S hooks with safety latch (the advanced version of S hook) is the most popular one, you can see most tie down straps for motorcycles use the S hook with safety latch as their end fittings.
Webslingness is a professional manufacturer of motorcycle tie down straps in China, we can offer customization services for you. If you have any tie down needs, contact us below with your detailed request.
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Everything you want to know about motorcycle tie down securement
Dave Lee
Dave Lee has amassed over two decades of experience in the cargo control industry, serving as a product manager. Prior to joining Webslingness, he spent three years at a transportation company.