Bonneville America Forums Forums Off Topic Discussion Forums Lounge Towing my New Bike...In the Rain

Im towing my new triumph to my apartment tomorrow. It will be on one of the Uhaul Motorcycle trailers. Its suppose to rain and thunderstorm all day tomorrow though, what should I do? Would a cover be sufficient? Thanks!

Strap it down tight - compress the forks quite a bit so it doesn't bounce, and tie the back end down so it doesn't slide around.
Unless the cover if pretty tight I wouldn't bother - it flapping around will probably do more damage to your paint then the rain will. It will be dirty when you get home, but its washable. The rain won't hurt it.
Becky

Steve, everything that Becky said and the few times I have had to haul mine......best place to attach straps is to the handlebars between the risers and the controls.
I used a pair of soft straps with loops on both ends, wrapped them around the bars and attached the ratched straps to those.

Now you know, if it gets rained on, that will affect any future resale value!
You've seen them, "always garaged, never been in the rain, only ridden in daylight..."

I always put a cable/zip tie around the front brake lever and the 'bar, pulled as tight as possible, just to be sure the bike won't roll. Learnt the trick as i used to do frequent ferry crossings from England to the Continent and on rough seas the bike can move even if strapped down. It's just a bit of extra peace of mind !!!

It will be a three hour ride. Ive heard that draining all fluids is a good idea, but I really wont have the ability to do that ahead of time. As long as the bike is strapped down tight I should be alright, right? Thanks for the help

draining all the fluids sounds rediculous. I had my worries driving 2.5 hours home through a crazy lightning storm with only 2 straps on the risers, no wheel chock, and nothing on the back wheel. It'll be fine

What kind of straps should I get? Since they dont have any included in the Uhaul trailer. I want to make sure the bike is secure, and I will have no idea what im doing. Some advice on strapping it down is also appreciated.

thanks for all the help guys. Yeah, the fluid thing sounded a bit off. Thanks for clarifying

If the trailer has hooks on the sides get some ratchet straps.....you can pull them down a lot tighter than just a plain webbing strap.

You'll be fine !!!!

Warning!!!!!!
Be VERY careful when releasing the ratchet straps!!!!!!
They tend to let go all at once, and if you're not ready,
the bike can flop over, and/or fall on you.

I'll pm you my cell# if you want to discuss technique,
Uncle Charlie

Get ratchet straps - 4 of 'em and some "soft ties" they are short webbing straps with loops at each end. Hook those over the bars, then hook the ratchet to them and the floor hook/rail of the trailer. The pull snug type straps will loosen up on you - I know this from experience and stopping every 50 miles to tighten them up.
Don't leave the kick stand down once you have it stable between the 2 front ties - it could break from pressure - the bike will shift a slight amount and appear to be bouncing some. As long as you have the forks compressed, it shouldn't go anywhere (dont ask how I know this!!)
I have used a UHaul bike trailer, no wheel chock but I tie it so the front tire is pulled/pressed up against the front rail of the trailer.
Then I tie the back tire by wraping the tied down thru the tire and snugging each side to the side rail - sorta a cross tie.
I have hauled mine 4+ hours a number of times. No need to empty any fluids (some commercial transports require that for their insurance reasons) - an almost empty fuel tank will just make it a little lighter, but I've hauled full too! Never a problem in that department.
I have only ever had one problem and that was not compressing the forks enough and it bounced when I hit a pothole coming out of a driveway - not a pretty sight. I have loaded and unloaded my bike by myself multiple times - a ramp tailgate is easiest, but I have done it with just a narrow removable ramp too. I did it myself the very first time it was tailered too!
You'll be fine.
B

Dry out the spark plug wells before you fire up the bike.
Running the engine with a lot of water in there really
p---es off the gremlins.

Other than that, a little rain wouldn't hurt anything.
In saying that, I'm assuming the exhaust pipes will be facing rearward while in transit...
If for some reason the pipes were pointed forward,
a very heavy rain could have the potential to hydraulic it's way into the engine.
Not likely, but some tape or a couplea rags stuffed into the pipes would cure that scenario.

I prefer to move a bike with the tranny in neutral, so that if it moves a little, it isn't banging the gears or engine innards around.

Bounced my two speedys from Edmonton to PortDover with nothing more than four ratchet straps,did unload off the trailer fer a little boot while waiting fer the ferry.No I'm not one of thoes guys that trailer there bikes to the party but the ol lady has a bad back and that is a helleva distance on a speedmaster.

Interestingly I towed my TBA just a couple of weeks ago, and it happened to be in the rain for the first 4 hours. Here are some pics of it sitting on the trailer. Note:
- I used ratchet ties with nylon straps,
- I chocked both wheels,
- I left it on the stand,
- I pulled the suspension down a lot,
- I left it in 1st gear,
- I tied off the front brake.

I wrapped the front nylon straps around the risers.

It makes sense to leave it on the stand, that way when you release the ratchets it don't fall over.

Hope this helps.

Hey Keith, what ya got going on there on the clutch cover?

The little emblem on the cover in the circle... am I seeing stuff? Looks like a stick man meditating... or a set of scales

Am I going crazy?

Dude! Score one for me pulling out the stick man!!
Awesome!

Now I can go to bed!