How to transport a motorcycle
How do you transport your motorcycle and ensure your pride and joy is safe and secure during transit? As experts, we're here to help.
Travelling by motorbike is easily one of the best ways to get about. With near-unparalleled openness and freedom, it's not hard to see why people buy them - and when the weather's perfect, you don't need any excuse to ride.
However, the realities are that it's not always possible to ride your bike. For example, it may need repairing or be midway through some work, or if you are moving house, it may not be practical for you to ride your motorcycle to your new home if you have other vehicles to drive.
So how do you transport your motorcycle and ensure your pride and joy is safe and secure during transit?
Get the right equipment
Whether you are using a truck, a trailer or a moving van to transport your motorcycle, there are some pieces of equipment essential to ensure safe loading and transporting of your motorcycle. These are necessary for you to avoid causing damage to the bike or yourself as you attempt to load and secure your motorcycle.
Loading ramp
It would be best to use a proper ramp to get your bike into the truck, trailer or van to ensure safe loading for both your bike and you. Wooden planks or similar may bend, bow or sink, causing the motorcycle to fall during loading.
Ratchet straps
These are used to secure the bike. Bungee cords or ropes have too much give allowing the bike to move in the van, and they may also cause damage to the paintwork of your bike. One of these ratchet straps should be a soft loop strap.
Chocks
You will need to place chocks in front and behind your tyres to reduce the stress of the ratchet straps.
Canyon dancer bar
This harness is used to secure the handlebars of your bike during transit and protect them from damage.
Loading your motorcycle
While pushing your bike into the back of a van may sound simple, the loading process offers plenty of opportunities for your motorbike to be damaged. It is also the time which poses the most risk of injury to yourself if you try to load it alone or don't load it correctly, as you could hurt your back, neck or limbs trying to lift it.
Secure the ramp
The ramp should come with a rubber end which will rest on the van and the metal end should rest evenly on the ground. Most ramps have a hook to which you can fasten a ratchet strap. Fasten the other end to the back of the van and tighten. This will prevent the ramp from slipping when under the weight of your motorcycle.
Grab help
The ramp should come with a rubber end resting on the van and the metal end resting evenly on the ground. Most ramps have a hook to which you can fasten a ratchet strap. Fasten the other end to the back of the van and tighten it to prevent the ramp from slipping when under the weight of your motorcycle.
Bike into neutral
If you usually leave your motorbike in gear to stop it from moving, you must shift it into neutral to roll it up the ramp.
Kickstand up
You cannot travel with the kickstand down as this risks damage. Your bike should be transported upright and will be supported by the straps.
Securing your motorcycle
Once your motorcycle is in the van, truck or trailer, it must be secured. If your bike is allowed to shift or move about during transit, you risk significant damage to the motorbike and everything else it is travelling with.
Position the chocks
Put chocks in front of the front wheel and behind the back to prevent your motorcycle's wheels from moving.
Attach the harness
The canyon dancer bar harness should be attached to the bike, and the ratchet straps should be attached to the harness.
Ratchet straps
Attach one to each side of the harness and affix it to the floor or wall of the van. Tighten to ensure there can be no movement from the bike.
Soft loop strap
The soft loop strap is designed to go over the body of the motorcycle. The soft loop is attached to another ratchet strap and fixed to the van.
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Clive, Trustpilot
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