Trailer Tie Down

kellenbenz said:

I have to disagree with Kent. Attached are pictures of tie down point for a wethead RT from the rider's manual. I did it the same way on my hexhead. This does not compress the suspension and worked perfectly for my trip from Texas to the Canadian Rockies.

Click to expand...

Yes, the instructions are different between Hexhead/Camhead and Wethead because it apparently can't be done on a Wethead. On the prior bikes, the instructions are to loop over the bars each side of steering head.

In either case however, there is little to no possibility of the bike bouncing on its suspension.

So, you're not disagreeing, it's apples/oranges.

Something not previously mentioned ...

The straps that came from BMW with the BMW Multi Trailer are imho far and away the preferred type of strap to use.

They do not have hooks, but rather the strap is looped around the appropriate place on the bike and then fed into a ratchet mechanism that cinches them down with mechanical advantage. Much better that muscling the strap through a comparatively very dubious friction or cam fitting. They could be called endless or endless loop straps. More expensive obviously but you get what you pay for.

lkchris said:

Yes, the instructions are different between Hexhead/Camhead and Wethead because it apparently can't be done on a Wethead. On the prior bikes, the instructions are to loop over the bars each side of steering head.

In either case however, there is little to no possibility of the bike bouncing on its suspension.

So, you're not disagreeing, it's apples/oranges.

Click to expand...

The instructions for some or all Oilheads said the tie downs went just above the lower fork brace, not compressing the suspension. This was a very good idea for the R1100RS because those stubby adjustable aluminum bars on that model would break at the first good bump.

On some models the bodywork makes this difficult. As typical there is no one right answer.

Quick update- used ratchet straps on the handlebars to the the attachment point on the trailer- 1 each side- and added additional ones on each side of bike on frame behind footrests; compressed front end. Also put soft cloth where straps contacted fairing. Checked about every 150 miles and was solid for the 550 mi trip. Dealer helped load and with initial tie down. Two days rental on the trailer cost me about $35.

I watched one guy tie down a bike and he put a strap from one side of the trailer, through the rear wheel, around the tire, and on to the other side. He said that by keeping the rear from moving side to side it would keep the bike from eventually tipping over.

One strap per side in the rear would be more secure. A strap wrapped around/through the rim can still allow side to side movement.