A motorcycle tied down incorrectly to your trailer could result in your motorcycle shifting or tipping over during a trip down the highway, or even falling out of your trailer. To keep your motorcycle tied down safely on a trailer during road trips, learn the correct procedures. Follow these steps for how to trailer a motorcycle.
Steps
-
Attach your trailer to the trailer hitch.
Hook up the trailer to the trailer hitch on the back end of your car or truck.
-
Set a wheel chock at the front of your trailer.
A wheel chock is a sturdy material made of metal or hard plastic that is placed around the front wheel of the motorcycle to inhibit it from moving.
-
Load your motorcycle in the trailer.
Use a ramp to make it easier to push the motorcycle into the bed of the trailer.
-
Place the front wheel of your motorcycle into the wheel chock.
-
Put soft loops around the base of the right and left side handle bars.
Soft loops will prevent the hooks on the ratchet straps from scratching your motorcycle.
-
Hook ratchet straps to the soft loops on the right and left side handle bars.
Ratchet straps help keep your motorcycle firmly secure and are made for tie down applications like when you trailer a motorcycle.
-
Locate secure points on the trailer and attach the other ends of the ratchet straps to them.
-
Tighten the ratchet straps.
Pull out the slack on each of them and then tighten them gently. The motorcycle should be able to stand up by itself after the tightening of these two straps.
-
Find a stable piece on either side of the motorcycle on the rear frame.
Each motorcycle is different, so ensure that you’ve chosen a sturdy component by picking a part of the frame.
-
Wrap a soft loop around both of these stable pieces at the rear of your motorcycle.
-
Attach ratchet straps to the soft loops at the rear of your motorcycle and then to your trailer.
-
Pull the ratchet straps at the back of the motorcycle tight.
-
Double check all your ratchet straps.
In the process of tying down your motorcycle some straps can come loose.