Trailering a new FJR

[MrMung]

Picking up my new 2007 this weekend, hauling it across the Cascades to Seattle-burbs (I know...I'm a wuss).......

Concerned about attach points for the tie-downs, and wanna insure no scratches, rubs or other damage...of course I will cover it also.

Will traditional tie points (handlebars, rear axle/footpegs) work ? Like I have done on the dirt bikes ?

Hopefully a few folks have done this, and have it sorted out ?

Thanks for the advice.....

 

[gregory]

Under you.

 

[snowmonkey]

Mung, try using the search feature. There has been a lot of discussion on this topic. I typed in "tie downs" and got this LINK

BTW, congrats on your new bike.

 

[MrMung]

Thanks Snowmonkey......

(search now enabled).....

 

[MrTwisty]

Invest in a set of Canyon Dancers.

https://www.kneedraggers.com/search/search....y=canyon+dancer

 

[angus]

Picking up my new 2007 this weekend, hauling it across the Cascades to Seattle-burbs (I know...I'm a wuss).......
Concerned about attach points for the tie-downs, and wanna insure no scratches, rubs or other damage...of course I will cover it also.

Will traditional tie points (handlebars, rear axle/footpegs) work ? Like I have done on the dirt bikes ?

Hopefully a few folks have done this, and have it sorted out ?

Thanks for the advice.....

I would not cover it i damaged the paint job on a Harley by trailering it with a cover the cover wore through the paint.

 

[Fred W]

Picking up my new 2007 this weekend, hauling it across the Cascades to Seattle-burbs (I know...I'm a wuss).......
Concerned about attach points for the tie-downs, and wanna insure no scratches, rubs or other damage...of course I will cover it also.

Will traditional tie points (handlebars, rear axle/footpegs) work ? Like I have done on the dirt bikes ?

Hopefully a few folks have done this, and have it sorted out ?

Thanks for the advice.....

Tie downs to lower triple tree, not to the handlebars. The handlebars on an FJR are cast alloy and bolted on the upper triple tree. Definitely not strong enough for tying the bike down. Forget those harnesses that loop over the handlebars too, unless you are using that as a backup in conjunction with the lower tie downs that are doing the actual holding. Handlebars are OK (though not preferred) on dirt bikes, but not 600 lb street bikes.

 

[Parachutist]

Hmmm.

I've trailered my FJR from Mich. to Florida, Nashville, Tn., and Las Vegas using a "Canyon Dancer, over the handle bars and another set of tie downs on the forks where the fender attaches without any problem or damage. The tie down over the bars had just a moderate amount of tension on them, just enough to get the tension on the tie down to sing a little. I also had the side stand down and the bike with a very moderate lean towards the side stand. I've never worried about the rear moving unless there was some good reason. The back of the bike stays pretty much planted, I've secured the back of the at times and left it un-secured at other times without without ever a problem.

 

[Auburn]

Having had mine towed by AAA once :angry: . I now always carry four soft ties so they can hook to them with their tie downs. I put the softie around the lower triple clamp on each side in the front. If you run the soft tie through itself it extends out far enough so the hook from the tie down doesn't touch the body work. The tie down point in the truck also matters. Ideally you would like it a couple of feet away from the front wheel and even or forward of the front axle. I attach to the passenger peg mounts in the back.

Also, don't use the cheap thin straps, get some good wide ones that can handle the load. Soft ties are not expensive, but not all shops carry them. If you need you can barrow mine since you live in the area. PM me if you need them.

 

[CODan]

cyclecinch.com, much better than canyon dancer

use backups too

 

[Grumpy]

You know if you'd ride it, you wouldn't have all these worries!

jim

 

[MrMung]

You know if you'd ride it, you wouldn't have all these worries!jim

As soon as Goodyear starts making studded motorcycle tires, and chains come in 180 x 17...I'm ridin' the white.....

 

[FJstaR]

Tie it down safely with your best trucker skills and the tips you (we) learn on this forum. Enjoy your first ride on familiar dry pavement. There will be plenty of adventurous riding ahead. Congrats on the new FJR and let us know when it's home safe in the garage.

 

[krashdragon]

Picking up my new 2007 this weekend, hauling it across the Cascades to Seattle-burbs (I know...I'm a wuss).......
Concerned about attach points for the tie-downs, and wanna insure no scratches, rubs or other damage...of course I will cover it also.

Will traditional tie points (handlebars, rear axle/footpegs) work ? Like I have done on the dirt bikes ?

Hopefully a few folks have done this, and have it sorted out ?

Thanks for the advice.....

Like the guys said... use the wide soft ties on the triple trees, (Usually Harley dealers have them) then use the ratcheting tie downs... but make sure they pull forward! Not sideways. And get those front forks compressed!

Ive hauled my bikes from Ohio to Cali and Texas a couple of times. I finally did get a brace for the front wheel, but only because the floorboards in my trailer are wood, and painted, so they are slippery. Make sure you cinch the front forks down tight. Get those front forks compressed. That's what holds the bike. Use rear ties down, you can use the passenger pegs, and have those pull forward as well. They will just keep the bike from hopping. That's all I used even on my Harley and the FJR. No problems.

A couple of suggestions. Do not cover it. The cover will wear thru the paint.

You can stop at a Honda shop and pick up a can or two of Honda Spray and Clean. Wipe on, wipe off! A couple coats of that will help, especially if your windshield is in the airstream. Alternative would be to take off the shield.

Have someone sit on your bike and hold it upright while you fasten the front tie downs. The soft ties keep any hooks away from the paint.

Make sure the kickstand is up and the bike in neutral before you get one side tight... Try to snug each side a bit, alternate sides. It's a real pain to have the bike almost tight and then you cant' get the kickstand up!

If it's on a trailer, crank the front of the trailer up so there is a more even run up on the ramp. Having the front of the trailer lower than the rear is a good way to get hung up and scratch the bottom, or even take the kickstand spring off a Harley! <BG>

When you go to unhook the bike, unhook the rear straps first.

Then have someone sit on and brace the bike. If you unhook one front strap, the bike will pull to the other side. You're letting one fork expand about 4 inches, it will pop the opposite way, presuming you have racheting straps, they unhook easiest, too.

If you have to unhook it yourself, you can put two opposing straps on the handlebars towards the front sides of the trailer, that will keep the bike from falling when you unhook it, then you can get the sidestand down.

Enjoy your new ride!

Mary

 

[MrMung]

Picking up my new 2007 this weekend, hauling it across the Cascades to Seattle-burbs (I know...I'm a wuss).......
Concerned about attach points for the tie-downs, and wanna insure no scratches, rubs or other damage...of course I will cover it also.

Will traditional tie points (handlebars, rear axle/footpegs) work ? Like I have done on the dirt bikes ?

Hopefully a few folks have done this, and have it sorted out ?

Thanks for the advice.....

Like the guys said... use the wide soft ties on the triple trees, (Usually Harley dealers have them) then use the ratcheting tie downs... but make sure they pull forward! Not sideways. And get those front forks compressed!

Ive hauled my bikes from Ohio to Cali and Texas a couple of times. I finally did get a brace for the front wheel, but only because the floorboards in my trailer are wood, and painted, so they are slippery. Make sure you cinch the front forks down tight. Get those front forks compressed. That's what holds the bike. Use rear ties down, you can use the passenger pegs, and have those pull forward as well. They will just keep the bike from hopping. That's all I used even on my Harley and the FJR. No problems.

A couple of suggestions. Do not cover it. The cover will wear thru the paint.

You can stop at a Honda shop and pick up a can or two of Honda Spray and Clean. Wipe on, wipe off! A couple coats of that will help, especially if your windshield is in the airstream. Alternative would be to take off the shield.

Have someone sit on your bike and hold it upright while you fasten the front tie downs. The soft ties keep any hooks away from the paint.

Make sure the kickstand is up and the bike in neutral before you get one side tight... Try to snug each side a bit, alternate sides. It's a real pain to have the bike almost tight and then you cant' get the kickstand up!

If it's on a trailer, crank the front of the trailer up so there is a more even run up on the ramp. Having the front of the trailer lower than the rear is a good way to get hung up and scratch the bottom, or even take the kickstand spring off a Harley! <BG>

When you go to unhook the bike, unhook the rear straps first.

Then have someone sit on and brace the bike. If you unhook one front strap, the bike will pull to the other side. You're letting one fork expand about 4 inches, it will pop the opposite way, presuming you have racheting straps, they unhook easiest, too.

If you have to unhook it yourself, you can put two opposing straps on the handlebars towards the front sides of the trailer, that will keep the bike from falling when you unhook it, then you can get the sidestand down.

Enjoy your new ride!

Mary

Thanks for the detailed info Krashragon. Everything you describe makes sense......

But I am wondering about not covering....The Cascade pass on I-90 here in WA gets the snowplow treatment, and then sand/gravel as well. Melt it a bit, slush it up, and you have gritty soup !!My trailer has a front-piece, about 24 inches high, and my truck has rear flaps, but I worry about road crap dinging the paint/shield...so was thinking of covering with a soft shipping blanket, just to keep the flying sand off the finish....but also dont want the paint/finish burnished by rubbing fabric....dilemma

I know....wait and pick it up in March...NOT !!!! Gotta have it now !! There might even be one nice day before Spring !! One !!

We are just recovering from floods here, so now snow is forecast this weekend...

I gotta move to San Diego....

 

[ColoradoFJR]

I trailered my new (to me! - 800 miles when I bought it) 2006 from Omaha back to northern Colorado (~500 miles). I used soft ties on triple clamp, but did not like the what the soft tie was rubbing on, so I extended the soft tie by using two together on each side and tied the left side to the right side of the trailer and right side to the left side of the trailer - I got almost a straight shot through the plastic and plumbing that is under the body work and kept the ratcheting tie down hook far away from my new baby.

There are many opinions all over the internet and this forum, but the majority I found suggested not bottoming out the forks when you tie it down - you should compress the forks about 1/2 of their travel. This will prevent the forks from bottoming out as it rides on your trailer but still keep from bouncing around a lot because you have partially compressed the suspension. The Google number one hit is this article from sportutilitytrailers.com.

Enjoy your new FJR!

And no, I did not take any pictures of how I did the soft ties....

 

[Warchild]

Picking up my new 2007 this weekend, hauling it across the Cascades to Seattle-burbs (I know...I'm a wuss).......

An alternative:

1) Depending on where you pick up the bike.... head straight south to the Columbia River.

2) On the Washington side of the River, take HWY 14 west.... this goes up and down the cliffs adjacent to the river all the way to I-5, forcing you to constantly change RPMs and shift a good amount - perfect for break-in purposes.

3) Once you hit I-5, turn north to Seattle-burbs.

These 3 easy steps prevent your new FJR from the stigma/negative karma of having been trailered before it is ridden, and at the same time, will give you a thorough head start on your 600-mile initial service.

:thumbsup:

 

[FJstaR]

Enclosed rental trailer? or a 3m kit? Plenty of cleaner polish and industrial saran wrap? Naa... it will probably be just fine uncovered with a 24" high front and flaps. Still learning though.

 

[Fred W]

cyclecinch.com, much better than canyon dancer

How is that different from the canyon Dancers? (serious question)

use backups too

Actually the handlebar tie points should be the backups. Get the majority of the force on the forks (lower triple tree).

As an aside, I went to the cyclecinch.com web site. The product they have called EZ-Chock is ridiculous. Their chock, which doesn't bolt down, would not keep the front wheel from moving laterally, which is the whole point of a chock.

[edit] You want a wheel chock? Get one of these suckers: Condor Chock