No wheelboard? Here is how you tie a motorcycle to a trailer in a pinch – Jalopnik

Driving on a motorcycle is perhaps the best transport mode. Yet there are situations in which swinging one leg over your two -wheeled machine is not optimal, but you still have to transport it. And whether you experience mechanical disruptions, the weather is not suitable for a ride, or you want to camp camping, but still have fun on two wheels when you arrive, certain procedures are needed to do this safely.

Secure your bike on a trailer or truck bed usually includes straps and wheel toast animals. There is a correct way and the wrong way to tie a motorcycle, but what if you don’t have a wheelbok? There is room to improvise and replacements are plentiful, but there are things that you have to take into account if you plan to transport your motorcycle without them.

We want to emphasize that this is a final resort option. You really have to use the right wheel blocks or think about it to buy something if you don’t have one yet.

After loading your bike on the trailer or truck bed, the most important thing is to ensure that it does not move excessively. Minimizing the movement is crucial for safe transport. Without wheel blocks, the motorcycle will rock back and forth if you accelerate or delay. And make sure the engine is not running. Certain motorcycle engines, such as the V-twins of Harley-Davidson, have many vibrations that can loosen the belts, and the hot exhaust can melt a belt that goes over it.

Wheel blocks are wedge -shaped blocks made of sturdy materials, designed to keep wheels in place. Technically, everything can serve as one with the right shape. Make sure it is made of a sturdy enough material to support the weight of the motorcycle. Scramous boards that happen to be wedge -shaped would not be sufficient because they do not miss structural stiffness and can curve under the weight of a vehicle. (If you are wondering, there is a completely different set of procedures that you must follow when transporting your motorcycle with a camper.)

Securing your motorcycle with belts is a must, especially if you do not use the right wheel blocks. Choosing the anchor points for the belts is just as important. You want to attach them to the ends of the trailer or the luminaire points on your truck bed. Use no less than four creeped belts, because this creates a stable four-point-down system, with the belts in a downward corner of 45 degrees. Do not attach them to something such as braking lines that can break easily. Moreover, you can wrap soft belts around both steering wheel to prevent the front from walking around.

If your motorcycle is secured in the right way, there should be no play in the belts and your ride must still stay, even if you give it a soft shake. For peace of mind you can ride around the block and take a few turns to test if it has passed your motorcycle for transport. It may sound a bit more complicated than the transport of a car, but follow these steps, and you should be good.

However, don’t forget that a motorcycle is only as safe as its wheels, so try not to forget those wheel blocks. At the end of the day, the most important thing is that your bike survives the journey to be driven another day. Just make sure that you know which states allows lane filtering if you travel away from your region.