[SomeStrangeGuy]

Originally Posted by bubba

I just put down the side stand and go for it that way, one is just as reliable as the next

Thats right, frames are cheap anyways

[lfg929]

I use good front straps so I never worry about one failing. Having said that, if the rear subframe is easy to get to then I will run the rear straps towards the back. If it isn't then I will just loop a tie down around the rear wheel and pull it towards the back. All you really need to do with the back is to just keep the rear wheel from hopping around the trailer if you hit any bumps.

BTW, if you have cheapie straps then do yourself a favor and go buy some good ones. Why someone would spend thousands of dollars on a motorcycle but then not go spend $50 on some good Ancra heavy duty ratcheting straps is beyond me. Get ratcheting straps for the front and use the cheaper ones on the rear.

[SomeStrangeGuy]

Originally Posted by lfg929

... not go spend $50 on some good Ancra heavy duty ratcheting straps is beyond me. Get ratcheting straps for the front and use the cheaper ones on the rear.

I had to use their 'pull-tite' version for towing my truck a short distance once, and they're about 4 years old now and still in use, and are in perfect shape - I'd hate to see how long the ratchet ones hold up

(just my backwards way of voting for Ancra, I'm also a big fan, I leave the cheaper stuff for lumber, lawnmowers, etc.)

[Pete]

Originally Posted by soniccbr

...then rear straps tighted to pull tire off bed.

...then rear straps tighted to pull tire off chock.

Huh? You lost me there.

[ConqSoft]

Originally Posted by lfg929

I use good front straps so I never worry about one failing.

I dunno about that. I think that one of your front straps at Grattan was faulty.

[figment]

I dropped two very expensive bikes inside my trailer on a twisty mountain road last year. I used the "both straps pulling forward method". I also did NOT use ratcheting ties downs, but ANCRA ties. I believe the reason the bikes fell over was due to the suspension allowing the tension on the straps to be jerked loose. This is allowed by the way the bikes were tied in one direction only. I had checked these bikes at the first 10, 100, 200 and 300 miles. Each time I had to re-tighten them a bit. When I got the trailer to the ride location, I was horrified to find them leaning on each other.

From now on, I will use ratcheting ties on top of the compression ties and I will use rearward facing rear tiedowns. Leason learned. YMMV.

[ConqSoft]

I use Ancra racheting on the front, and Ancra standard on the rear. Both pulling forward into the chock. Never had any issues, over a LOT of miles. Including one 3000+ mile trip, and many 1000 mile trips to the mountains.

[Pete]

Ancra-schmancra...see the attached thread for the best tie-downs on the market. I finally got a chance to give these a full test, hauling my bike for 6 hours in non-stop rain, on an open trailer at speeds up to 95 miles per hour, nasty potholes, bumps, the whole nine yards. They didn't budge or stretch, even from getting wet, AT ALL.

Ratchet Straps

[CBRBob]

Never use rateching tie downs, you can all to easily over compress things. If someones tie downs kept loosening up, that should be a sign that you bought crappy straps. Cambuckle type straps don't loosen when tension is let off, they will only allow the strap to go in one direction (unless they are a crappy design). I have hauled many many bikes over thousands of miles and have never ever had one failure, not even a loose tie.

[Pete]

Originally Posted by CBRBob

Never use rateching tie downs, you can all to easily over compress things.

Ridiculous. That's like blaming a gun for a murder, and not the person who pulled the trigger.

[lfg929]

Yeah, if you are a moron you can fully compress your suspension and destroy it. If you have any sense in you though you will know when to stop. I basically leave about 2 inches or so of fork travel remaining and stop there. I tell more by how much side to side movement I get than anything else but keep an eye on the fork tubes to make sure I don't compress things too much.

[deez]

Originally Posted by Pete

Ancra-schmancra...see the attached thread for the best tie-downs on the market. I finally got a chance to give these a full test, hauling my bike for 6 hours in non-stop rain, on an open trailer at speeds up to 95 miles per hour, nasty potholes, bumps, the whole nine yards. They didn't budge or stretch, even from getting wet, AT ALL.

http://www.fireblades.org/forums/sea...earchid=116347

Sorry - no matches. Please try some different terms.

[Pete]

Sorry Booth, forgot I was in search mode when I copied and pasted. It's fixed now.

[figment]

Originally Posted by Pete

Sorry Booth, forgot I was in search mode when I copied and pasted. It's fixed now.

Pete is the man...

I still have not tried mine out. Glad you had a good experience with them!

[Pete]

The plastic shim on the strap seems pretty flimsy, like it wont last the first trip...

And you have nothing to worry about in that regard. I inadvertently let one of them get caught up inside the ratchet while tightening the strap, which put a lot of stress on it and its stitching. I remembered your comment and figured I'd leave it be to test its durability just for you. Seriously though, it rode that way the entire trip, and came out completely unscathed.

[soniccbr]

Originally Posted by Pete

Huh? You lost me there.

I suspend the bike on the straps, not the forks bashed into the chock

[CBRBob]

Originally Posted by Pete

Ridiculous. That's like blaming a gun for a murder, and not the person who pulled the trigger.

Jason Williams proved it, he's not guilty! The GUN shot his driver, not him.