Thoughts on ratchet straps

[Larry Fine]

Honda made it easy with the ST1300's.
Two eye bolts on the floor, a couple turn buckles, and a hook over the tip over hidden crash bar.
This is how they come to the dealership.

Does the same thing apply to 1100s? Do you mean just one attachment on each side of the bike?

How far splayed out to the sides from vertical are you talking? What about front/rear movement?

I imagine I take turns faster and with more jostling than a semi with disassembled bikes in crates.

I'd be concerned about the leverage of the bike's weight over the relatively short tension pathway.

 

[Sadlsor]

If the front wheel is chocked or otherwise immobilized, and the tipover bars are tied to the side, I would still attach straps to the passenger peg brackets.
Obviously there needs to be "some" angle to the sides from the tipover bars for stability, but I don't know that there is a prescribed degree.
I choose not to use either stand, and a little bit of give from side to side is OK when you try to rock it, but not a lot. If there is no play at all, you risk breaking something you may have tied off to, when you hit bumps in the road.
It's not often that I need to trailer a bike (other than MSF classes), and I've never had one fall over in travel.

 

[SMSW]

What about front/rear movement?

Obviously you have to immobilize the wheels from lateral movement. Look at @jfheath's picture in post 15. He has tied both wheels so they cannot slide on the trailer. If you angle ratchet straps forward and back, they serve to prevent the bike from tipping over and forward or backward movement. I prefer to put the front wheel against something sturdy, and tie it down to prevent a problem from sudden, strong braking. I'm not likely to accelerate as strongly as I can brake. I also want that rear wheel fixed in place. If you can screw a couple of short 2x4's to the bed of your trailer, that will solve this problem.

 

[draser]

While taking my bike to see John in Atlanta today, I kept having to retighten my straps.

How was it strapped: 2 straps (only) in front from the triple or 2 straps front and 2 straps rear? Was the bike straight on its wheels or any stand was down? Were the straps attached to the triple (front) and a frame/structural element in rear? Was it a particular side getting loose or you had to tighten all? Has this happened before?

In general, if the suspension isn't compressed enough the wheel will shift and straps will get loose. There has to be angle side-to-side and front-rear to locate the bike within trailer (especially when there's no front wheel choke). Also, enough strap should be on the spool in locked position so that the strap won't slip loose on the spool during transport.

Quality straps: I trailered 6 bikes (ST included) using Harbor Freight 1" straps - short and long trips (Detroit MI to Robinsville NC) - with no issues.

 

[DannoXYZ]

I got 3-pack of straps from Ace Hardware about 20-yrs ago. Don’t recall what brand they were. Had 5000-lb rating or something like that. Been using them since.

Personal I don’t like to compress suspension to hold bike. If I do, I chop off hook ends from straps and make sure to thread strap through remaining loop. That’s because as mentioned earlier, hitting bumps can compress suspension. Then straps are loose for fraction of second. The hook ends can lose contact from whatever they’re hooked onto and fall off.

Or when supension compresses over bumps and loosen straps, bike can shift around and get into a position where straps are looser. I prefer to strap down by wheels 1st. Then minimally pull down pegs.

 

[Grabcon]

I have hauled two bikes for 10 of thousand of miles on trailers and RV's. I found that no matter how I setup and tighten ratchet straps they would always come loose. I got tired of messing with them and acquired some used Q'Straint wheel chair tie downs. See link. When hauling 2 bikes in the RV I used a condor wheel chock for the front wheel of each bike and two Q'Straint tie downs for each bike. I setup the Q'Straints to pull the bikes forward into the wheel chock.

The Q'Straints are a self ratcheting system that tighten on their own. I put the bikes in the wheel chock attached the Q'Straint and compressed the rear suspension a bit to tighten them. They pick up slack on their own when they become loose. When unstrapping they have a little lever to release the tension. The bike road rock solid and never ever moved.

PS: they work on any bike

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[DannoXYZ]

Cool! How do those work? Spring-loaded reel that always pulls tighter? So if bike shifts and loosen strap, it reels it in? With ratcheting mechanism so it doesn’t loosen?

Personally if I had more time, I’d just use rope with taut-line knots.

 

[Grabcon]

Cool! How do those work? Spring-loaded reel that always pulls tighter? So if bike shifts and loosen strap, it reels it in? With ratcheting mechanism so it doesn’t loosen?

They have their own winding mechanism. If you look at the picture in the ad there is a little red lever, that is the release. Push and hold to release. Put the hook where you want it and release the strap it self winds and removes slack. Compress the suspension and they will snuggle up. As you are moving and let us say you hit a bump and the bike suspension compresses they will take up slack. To release presser and remove, press and hold down the little red lever.

I really like these. Expensive maybe but you never worry about them come loose or off.