Trailer question

[1moreroad]

I will be trailering the bike to a track day on a Uhaul 5 x 9 with a ramp.  It is not the dedicated motorcycle trailer (nearest rental for that one is 50 miles away -- the wonders of living in a small town), so it has no front wheel mount.  Besides a canyon dancer with a pair of tie downs + a pair of tie downs are the rear pegs, can I just wrap a tie down around the front wheel to hold it steady?  Do I even need that?  I've seen both opinions -- you absolutely need a front wheel chock or, you just need a canyon dancer + tie downs to hold the whole bike in place.

[DogBoy]

I can't imagine needing more than the Canyon Dancer and tie downs to the rear pegs. (Unless you see some jumps you can't resist taking with the tow vehicle and trailer.   )

I never used more than tie downs from the triples and one off the subframe when I hauled my race bike in a cargo van.

[et]

You should use something to hold the front wheel steady.
Not just for preventing forward/backwards motion. But also side-to-side motion; ie turning of the front wheel.
Assuming the trailer has walls on front and sides; you can just load the motorcycle at an angle so that the front wheel is wedged into one of the corners. Putting a bike in straight may look pretty; but it doesn't hold the bike as well as putting it in on an angle.

How I haul/load motorcycles:

In compact pickup truck:
Front wheel wedged into driver side front corner; back wheel towards rear passenger corner.
With my Ford Ranger all my bikes fit almost perfectly corner to corner; so tiedowns don't have to be super tight.

On a flatbed trailer without any walls:
Front wheel in a wheel chock, tie downs using barharness/canyon-dancer at front, and tiedowns withloops attached to rearframe near passenger pegs. AND using my weight on the motorcycle; I tiedown very tight to avoid the bike bouncing up-n-down on it's suspension. Which could cause the tiedowns to come loose.

With both I put the bike in gear. And by hand rotate the rear wheel backwards until the slack in the drive system is taken up. This prevents the motorcycle rolling back-n-forth.

[1moreroad]

Thanks, DB.

...Assuming the trailer has walls on front and sides; you can just load the motorcycle at an angle so that the front wheel is wedged into one of the corners. Putting a bike in straight may look pretty; but it doesn't hold the bike as well as putting it in on an angle....
With both I put the bike in gear. And by hand rotate the rear wheel backwards until the slack in the drive system is taken up. This prevents the motorcycle rolling back-n-forth.

Good ideas.  The trailer has low walls.


Thanks!

[arkansawyer]

One tie down (or rope) from the right front of that trailer around the front side of the front tire, then back to the right front of the trailer.  Same for the left side.
That will let you load the bike in the middle and keep the front wheel from cocking to either side.

[Mr Sunshine]

I'm with DogBoy....and we both have some trailering experience.

[Gaolee]

You don't have to worry much about the wheel moving if you use the canyon dancer and a couple tie downs to secure the handle bars.  As long as the front wheel is against the front of the trailer and you have the bars well secured, you will be fine.  You will have to compress the forks, but I don't think it does any harm.  They are meant to be compressed.

It's the same as how I would load a bike into a pickup if there was no wheel chock.

[Jeff N]

Is it the infamous U-Haul garden trailer?

I used that many years ago, towed by my '80 Celica. As has been suggested, park the front wheel into a corner, secure the front end with tie-downs, and you'll be fine.

[Mr Sunshine]

You don't have to worry much about the wheel moving if you use the canyon dancer and a couple tie downs to secure the handle bars.  As long as the front wheel is against the front of the trailer and you have the bars well secured, you will be fine.  You will have to compress the forks, but I don't think it does any harm.  They are meant to be compressed.

It's the same as how I would load a bike into a pickup if there was no wheel chock.

The chock is to prevent the front wheel from twisting and canyon dancer tye down doesn't do this.

You need to attach straps to your rear subframe and that'll take care of the problem.

[phoenix]

the place I have rented a trailer from provided a cheap aluminum front wheel chock that I secured in place with a few wood screws (the floor was wood). The first time I used a trailer, I didn't do much about the rear except a few straps through the back wheel, and it tilted over to the point where the kickstand touched down once in a while as I bounced down the interstate. The second time I rented a trailer, I added 2x4's on each side of the rear wheel to prevent it from moving side to side, and it stayed in one place better in my opinion. Maybe the deal with my experience versus other peoples' is that the trailer I used had little or no suspension ability, so the bike got to absorb every bump in the road. I doubt the U-haul will be any different.

[vulcanbill]

Just redecked and rewired the trailer and didn't get around to putting the home made wheel chocks (2 footlong 2x4s stacked on each side of the tire) back on.  Took the bike into the shop on Saturday morning.  In hindsight, I would say do something to stabilize the front wheel if for no other reason than peace of mind.  Watching anything move in the rear view mirror while the bike is on the trailer is very unsettling.  I know its tied down well and I know its not going anywhere but I see it moving and that makes me have to poo a little.  Just my 2 cents but I just went through this yesterday so it's fresh in my memory.  Still is good.

BillO

[airah18]

I hope your trip went well. In my case, if I use Canyon Dancer, I usually use soft ties which are specifically made for bars. These are prettily designed as wide point for the bike.

[veefer800canuck]

Hope your trip went well. I use the soft ties specifically made for bars if I use Canyon Dancer. These are nice as they are a wide point on the bike. Good luck!

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