Flat tires, breakdowns, and cross-country moves are potential setbacks to moving a motorcycle by riding it. But if you have an enclosed trailer at your disposal, it becomes quite easy to move a bike. But how to tie down a motorcycle in an enclosed trailer?
You can tie down your motorcycle in an enclosed trailer with a chock. You have to place the chock properly to prevent it from getting loose on the way. However, if there’s no chock available, you can still secure the bike into the enclosed trailer without stress.
This comprehensive guide explains how to tie down a motorcycle in an enclosed trailer, with and without a chock. I also added a few safety tips you can follow while moving a motorcycle from one place to another. So, let’s get moving!
The Benefits Of Using An Enclosed Trailer To Move Motorcycles
While there are many options for moving a motorcycle, the enclosed trailer remains the best choice. This owes mainly to the large room where you can place the bike without getting it exposed to potential harm.
An enclosed trailer offers maximum protection against UV lights, sunlight, wind, rain, and dust. Beyond that, it will save you from attracting the attention of thieves, especially during sleep on cross-country rides.
Furthermore, an enclosed trailer offers ample room to accommodate as many as two to three motorcycles. No matter the number of motorcycles, what’s important is knowing how to tie them down to prevent the bike from falling or getting lost while driving. With an enclosed trailer, the chances of this happening are little to none.
The Best Place Inside The Enclosed Trailer To Tie Down Your Motorcycle
Although an enclosed trailer has enough room for more than one motorcycle, one should be able to determine where best to put the bike such that it will be safe. And the best place to tie down your bike is the center of the enclosed trailer. Why?
The center is the best place to put a motorcycle in an enclosed trailer because this guarantees that the bike does not contact the trailer’s body on either side. In addition, there is equal distribution of weight to prevent one side of the trailer from gaining more weight than the other, which will slow you down.
So, I recommend first measuring the trailer’s size to know where the center is. And then tightly secure the bike using a chock, ropes, and other elements.
How To Tie Down A Motorcycle In An Enclosed Trailer? [With & Without Chock]
As earlier suggested, the enclosed trailer offers the best medium to transport motorcycles. While moving them, you must ensure they are properly tied down.
To effectively achieve the purpose, there are two options available. You can either tie down the bike using a chock device or without it. Either way, there are many processes involved. And by following the steps I will highlight below, you can securely lock your bike inside the trailer.
How to Tie Down a Motorcycle with a Chock
A wheel chock is the best device for the job to stop the bike from rolling continuously. But before you mouth the chocks or the bike, it’s best to set up the trailer first.
So, the first step is to use heavy-duty “D” rings, tie-down anchors, and ratcheting straps.
Usually, these tools come readily attached to the trailers. These are perfect for keeping the ratchet straps from damaging the chrome and paint of the motorcycle.
In this case, the first thing to do will be to bridge a connection between the trailer’s anchor points and the straps. After this, they should be laid stretched out in the middle of the trailer. The chances are that one will end up getting knocked over the motorcycle. Thus, these steps must come before the bike is lifted off the ground. The process gets a lot easier if you have someone helping you out.
The next step is to set up the chock.
Chocks are available in different forms and materials. They are made of sturdy materials such as rubber and plastics to keep the motorcycle and other devices steady. Chocks help to keep the wheels steady while the bike is being transported, lifted, or parked. Like car hand brakes, these chocks help prevent accidental lateral movement of the wheels.
NOTE: Ice cleats are often added with chocks to improve the grip.
How to Tie Down a Motorcycle without a Chock
There are situations where one will not find the perfect chock for the bike’s wheel. In this case, tying down a motorcycle in an enclosed trailer becomes a little more tricky. However, this does not mean that there’s no way around it. There are other means of securing a motorcycle in an enclosed trailer without using wheel chocks.
Alternatively, you can opt for a plastic or piece of wood to replace wheel chocks. Although there is no 100 percent guarantee this will work perfectly, it goes without saying that it is worth a try. And if it doesn’t give the desired result, a piece of towel can be wrapped around the wood.
The setback, however, is that this will likely not work for all bikes. The bike’s weight and size determine its suitability.
Some basic steps should complement the processes above to secure a bike in an enclosed trailer without using wheel chocks.
- Begin by using the ratchet straps. Fix one of them against the bike kickstand tightly. Ensure there is no slack, as this could build up a potential risk. So, tighten it properly to get rid of the slack.
- The D-ring is the next object to use. Fix the strap to it to hold the bike in place. Since most of these anchors come with trailers, there’s no need to find where to put them.
- Soft straps should be used instead to prevent damage to the bike’s paint and appearance.
- After using the D-ring to serve its purpose, place the second strap on the bike’s chassis. Ensure the second one is diagonally positioned to the first one. This will keep the bike steady.
- Select more anchor points. But this time, be more careful and deliberate about it. Repeat the previous processes with another strap. Use one at the back and front of the bike, respectively.
Suppose there’s a stop along the way for a bit of stretch or to refill the fuel tank. In that case, it is vital to check the bike’s condition to know if anything has gone wrong. While traveling, vibrations may cause the straps to loosen. As a result, the motorcycle may fall on the trailer. This is why constant monitoring is essential. It will help keep the bike in place and lower the risk of an accident.
How To Mount A Motorcycle Inside The Enclosed Trailer?
With all the straps and chocks in place, getting the motorcycle on the trailer is the next big task. First, you need to ensure that the enclosed trailer is leveled correctly to get the bike on board safely and quickly. The bike can be driven straight up into the trailer when the trailer is leveled.
Moreover, the kickstand should be put down immediately after the bike gets on the trailer.
After placing the bike in the trailer’s center, you can start tying it down. Start from the front of the bike. Tighten it properly, and after that, put the kickstand back up. While on the move, this ensures that the kickstand doesn’t get damaged. For quick haulage, you should ask for helping hands.
Necessary Safety Measures To Take While Carrying A Motorcycle
The benefits of using an enclosed trailer to transport motorcycles from place to place are endless. Enclosed trailers securely hold the bike in one place and keep different bike parts protected from damage.
For example, if you’re using a windshield for road glide, the chances of it getting damaged or scratched due to debris and impact reduce to zero inside an enclosed trailer.
But even as advantageous as they are, one must ensure that certain safety tips are followed to get the desired result.
These safety procedures will not only give bike owners the confidence to get their bikes to their destination without damage, but they will also enhance smooth driving on the road. Some of these safety tips include the following-
- Avoid using low-quality straps to tie down the motorcycle. It is not possible to tie down the bike tightly with such straps. There will still be instances of slacks that can make the bike fall on the trailer. Subsequently, you will then have to spend money on repairs. There are two repair costs here – one on the trailer and the other on the bike. These repair costs will eventually be more than the amount that would have been spent on high-quality straps.
- Do not use back bag guards as attachment points. This is because they can get pulled off while on the ride.
- Avoid driving recklessly even when it is evident that the bike is secure in the trailer. In some cases, the bike might get loosened due to vibrations.
- Ensure the wheel chocks are of high quality. There are more risks attached to using a chock device that is not good enough. Alternatively, one can use a bike rack for optimum safety.
- When getting the bike on the trailer, ask a friend to help you out. It’s difficult lifting the bike yourself.
- It’s easy riding the bike onboard. To do this, ensure the trailer is leveled. This will prevent seeking others to help get the bike on the trailer.
Wrap Up
While transporting a motorcycle, it is highly likely to get damaged if not properly secured. Hence, vehicles such as enclosed trailers are used to move motorcycles, whether for repair, transport, or race. So, it is essential to know how to tie down a motorcycle in an enclosed trailer properly during transportation.
The steps I discussed above will prevent the bike from falling on the trailer, getting damaged, and damaging the trailer as well. So, now you can mount your bike on an enclosed trailer without any hesitation. Good luck!
