02f4i
12/3/2006 11:38:14 PM
Ok so I got sick of wading thru the millions of posts of how to strap down a bike and throw it in a truck bed. for Thanksgiving I had to travel from Phoenix to San Diego and then back. I was speaking about it with my friends and I mentioned how nice it would be to ride down there. Anyway long story short, I borrowed a trailer and cargo straps. I didn't have the $$ or the time to get to a bike store for those fancy mancy hand grip straps, this is how i solved that little dillema:
While my buddy was pulling the straps tight, I was sitting on the fuel tank bouncing so the strut would compress. This is a VERY important step!!!!!! You don't want your precious to litteraly bounce off your trailer.
Next thing I had to tackle was the back end. I thought of several diffrent ways to do this and this particular set-up worked for me.
As you can see I threaded it thru the rear passenger pegs and the rear tire. The only point of contact with the bike was the pegs. Once again while tightening the straps I sat and bounced on the seat to compress the strut.
Finally, being a bit paranoid I wanted to ensure the bike wasnt going anywhere and I guess I wanted that warm fuzzy feeling, plus i had a couple extra straps, I did this.
That was a little paranoia setting in, but what the hell right, its my baby!! The over all picture looks like this:
So there it is!! I litterally put this trailer thingy together in like 15 minutes, I borrowed everything, and now I am back home without any extra scratches/dents/dings!! Ohhh before i get flamed for how filthy the bike is, the pictures were taken on the trip home after riding for a full 3 days.
I really hope this helps, because as you can see in the last picture I do not own a pick-up and every post i found was how to strap it down in the back of a pick-up.
If anyone has any questions feel free to reply or PM me, I will gladly share any information!!!
Jay
baxsom
12/4/2006 6:00:28 AM
wouldnt flame you because of a dirty bike
huge chicken strips maybe but never dirt
if you ever decide that you need to trailer a lot
invest in a baxley sport chock
you ride right into it and it locks the front down completely
Brandon77
12/4/2006 10:54:33 AM
nice post...useful stuff!
kcinobro
12/9/2006 2:08:33 AM
Aren't there trailer's that are specifically made for bikes. I'm not sure what they look like though. I have a Lincoln Town Car but it doesn't have a hitch. I heard that you can attach a hitch to any vehicle. Is that true? If not, is there anyway i can haul my bike?
woot
12/9/2006 11:32:13 AM
Be very careful wrapping the bars like that.
On bike that don't have true clippons ( the older ninjas I know had risers on the fork tops that slotted into the top triple, instead of clip-ons. This metal was cast. Cast metal is very brittle and I saw what I was warned about - the cast snapped, the bike flopped over into the R1 that was being trailered with it.
On the new sportbikes getting a better spot to tie from is difficult, however, consider going to the lower triple instead. It'll work as well once you get the angles sorted out.
Otherwise, great post. Demonstrates the proper X-technique.
Woot.
gixxereater
12/9/2006 11:56:11 AM
To improve upon this method even, spend the $20 for Canyon Dancers and be done with it. Also for the rear (if I tie it down, i dont always) I do similar to what you have, but just hook the left side in the rear peg as you did, but not through the wheel. Seems simpler to me. Nice post though.
02f4i
12/9/2006 3:30:36 PM
When I actually do go out and buy a trailer for my bike I will get the canyon dancers, but I put this together in 15 minutes with all borrowed stuff from friends that ride only dirt bikes. I was just happy to be able to safely get to and from phoenix....
02f4i
12/9/2006 3:32:46 PM
U-Haul will attach a hitch to any car... just gotta get the right redneck with enough wild turkey sometimes
quote:
ORIGINAL: kcinobro
Aren't there trailer's that are specifically made for bikes. I'm not sure what they look like though. I have a Lincoln Town Car but it doesn't have a hitch. I heard that you can attach a hitch to any vehicle. Is that true? If not, is there anyway i can haul my bike?
bushmasterAR15
12/10/2006 3:00:39 AM
Yes you can mount them on prettymuch anything. Maybe $30.00 to buy it and DYI.
MisterBasket
12/12/2006 12:56:45 AM
U-haul has motorcycle specific trailers for $15/day but you have to return them to the site you rent them from, you cant just drop the trailer off at any u-haul center. With regular U-haul trailers you can drop them off anywhere but they will probably be too heavy for your car to tow. Your towing capacity is probably only around 1000 lbs and lightest trailer they have is 710 lbs. Youd be pushin it with one of those.
kcinobro
12/12/2006 1:30:45 AM
Yeah that might be pushin it. But how much does a bike specific trailor cost if I was to own one? I plan on takin a one-way trip when I move to FL. If it costs too much, I might end up gettin a big U-Haul truck, strappin the dike inside with all my stuff, and pullin my car behind it.
HurricaneForce
12/12/2006 3:07:48 AM
I bolted a trailer hitch on to the bumper of my old Volvo a few years ago, and it worked great.
You could just buy your own trailer for $200. Weighs about 220 pounds, and is rated to 990 pounds.
Cheap Trailer Try this link^
kcinobro
12/13/2006 11:04:11 AM
quote:
ORIGINAL: HurricaneForce
I bolted a trailer hitch on to the bumper of my old Volvo a few years ago, and it worked great.
You could just buy your own trailer for $200. Weighs about 220 pounds, and is rated to 990 pounds.
Cheap Trailer
Try this link^
That just might work. But, is the trailor making your car dip like that or did you just have bad shocks?
mferrari
12/13/2006 1:05:58 PM
Nicely done. For those interested I am going to building a trailer next week probably so I will take pictures and put up some info. It will look pretty much like the one Jay used but I will also be adding in a rail kit for the bike.
02f4i
12/13/2006 8:17:19 PM
definitly looking forward to the pix and the information on where ya got the material, I would rather build one than buy a used one that someone didnt take good care of
HurricaneForce
12/13/2006 9:30:51 PM
There's alot of weight on the trailer, and some in the back of the wagon. The car didn't normally ride that low.
Puck
12/15/2006 5:11:39 PM
TSC (Tractor Supply Co.) has a 4'X6' Carry-On trailer with a tilt bed for around $350.
http://www.mytscstore.com/detail.asp?pcID=3&paID=1023&sonID=733&page=1&productID=17343 Just an idea. Gander Mtn and Rural King both have them too, maybe Lowe's too, not sure on them though.
quote:
ORIGINAL: kcinobro
Yeah that might be pushin it. But how much does a bike specific trailor cost if I was to own one? I plan on takin a one-way trip when I move to FL. If it costs too much, I might end up gettin a big U-Haul truck, strappin the dike inside with all my stuff, and pullin my car behind it.
deek98
1/10/2007 1:36:16 AM
I have a tow turck and toe nikes
I dont like the set up on the handle bars. You can scratch the dampeners. Customers dont like ANY scratches to anything :)
I got 3 ( 6 straps) pair of ratchet type straps at Home Depot
OldFatGuy
1/10/2007 7:51:48 PM
howieT
1/13/2007 1:48:22 AM
No man he's got the back of that station wagon packed tight. If you are moving get a trailer like he said and a tow hitch. Dont over load you car or the ball is likely to hit the groound and pop off and nitey nite for your bike. ship what you can and leave the cheap heavy stuff behind. Gotta love Wal-Mart.
OsinO
4/2/2008 7:26:16 AM
Finally I have found some good pictures on where the straps go exactly! Thanks!!
