Tying the FJR down.

[meosborn]

I need to haul my FJR in the back of my P/U but I'm having a hard time trying to figure out a good way to tie it down. If I try to strap it down using the handlebars the straps hit the fairing.

My only experience in this is with dirtbikes. They weigh a lot less and are a lot narrower. I'm worried about getting it secure and not damaging it in transit.

Anyone had any experience? Sorry if this has been covered before but I couldn't find anything on it using the search function.

Mark

 

[skyway]

Something like this?

Loading the FJR1300 into a Pickup

 

[sparky3008]

I need to haul my FJR in the back of my P/U but I'm having a hard time trying to figure out a good way to tie it down. If I try to strap it down using the handlebars the straps hit the fairing.
My only experience in this is with dirtbikes. They weigh a lot less and are a lot narrower. I'm worried about getting it secure and not damaging it in transit.

Anyone had any experience? Sorry if this has been covered before but I couldn't find anything on it using the search function.

Mark

Seems your problem is strapping and not loading.

Looks like the guy in the link put towels on the fairing and it must have worked for him.

Personally I like to have something for the front wheel to keep it from wanting to go to the side.

Strapping the rear end is also a good idea to keep the bike from trying to hop around.. I perfer a trailer but ya gotta do whatcha gotta do...

 

[GunMD]

https://www.canyondancer.com/

A device called "Canyon dancer" is a great way to tie down the front...

 

[motorgod]

I used an item similar to the canyon deancer when I had to trailer my bike home do to a flat tire. Worked great! I did have some towels for strapping down the rear end. My bike trailer is a three rail designed for dirt bikes and the tires were actually riding on top of the rails. Didn't look pretty but it got me home!

I bought my bar tie-downs at my local Yamaha dealer.

 

[FastJoyRide]

Using tips from other folks on these forums when I pulled my FJR 3,000 miles this Summer in my Chev pick-up, I used soft ties around the lower triple trees, which crossed above the front fender without touching it (that is, the soft tie around the right side is attached to a tie-down running to the left side, and vice versa). I bought some 2 inch cam lock tiedown straps for these front ties, overkill I know, but they made me feel better! I also used a canyon dancer which routes a second pair of 1 inch front-end tie-downs away from the fairing Tupperware, but I used very little downforce or tension on those, just enough to keep the bike from dancing.

At the back I used 1 inch cam lock tidedown straps with soft ties around the passenger peg frames. No interference even with the bags left mounted, although I stuffed a pair of large car washing sponges between the strap and the pipes to ensure no scratches. There is no down force needed on the straps at this end, you just don't want the rear wheel free to move left or right.

All of this worked like a hot damn! I did find that finding a ditch for the truck so that my loading ramp could be virtually flat, took all of the drama out of that part of the exercise... Good luck!

 

[markjenn]

I've towed a variety of bikes over tens of thousands of miles, and I'd recommend you invest in canyon dancers for the front and some soft-ties in the back. I've never heard of a bonafide report of any problems with bar bending or breakage with properly used CDs.

I also believe that if possible, you want to attach to points that are above the suspension, not below, wth the bike standing vertically on its wheels and facing directly fore/aft in the vehicle with the wheels chocked or restrained from hopping side to side. This allows the bike's suspension to act as a shock absorber for the tie down forces, and reduces any tendency for the bike to crow hop to one side.

Pickups are generally easier on bikes than trailers; a pickup has much greater sprung mass and better suspension, so you can get away with a lot in a pickup that would cause problems in a trailer. Offsetting this is the hazard of loading into a high bed - anything you can do to reduce the total height differential between the ground and the pickup bed will make this operation a lot less hazardous.

- Mark

 

[Toynut]

I would suggest looking into one of those automatic wheel chocks that grab the front tire when you roll the bike into it. They also sell a front tie down that grabs the tire in a four point harness. Loading a heavy bike into a pickup bed is not for the faint of heart, nor should it be attempted by yourself!

Just my 2 cents. :bigeyes:

 

[FJRocket]

Anyone have any problems with getting the Canyon Dancer over heavy bar end weights? IOW, is the CD plenty long to get over the bars?

Any recommendations where to buy the CD Bar Harness? I went ahead and ordered one here for $33.50 (incl. shipping and 2 free ratchet straps):

Discount Tie Downs

 

[Rogue]

Anyone have any problems with getting the Canyon Dancer over heavy bar end weights? IOW, is the CD plenty long to get over the bars?
Any recommendations where to buy the CD Bar Harness?

I used one on my Connie with Throttle-Miesters with no problems at all. I forget where I got it.

 

[madmike2]

CycleGear carries them, as well as most of the on-line stores. I wouldn't trust the Canyon Dancer as the primary tie down for the front. It puts a lot of stress on the aluminum bars. I have always tied bikes with soft ties and crossing them as explained above, using the Canyon Dancer for secondary/safety precaustion.

 

[itsari]

A few more options for you to consider, here. Both items, the BikeGrab wheel chock and the KYA Tyre Down, seem pretty cool.

 

[Bounce]

After towing large bikes a few times (and learning from those who do so regularly) I recommend you avoid using the handle bars as tie points. The weight of the bike under recoil can bend/snap your bars.

Use soft ties to the triple clamp and down through the opening around the forks. Compress the front forks about 1/3 of their total travel. You can also tie down your wheel rim so that it won't tend to jump (you then don't need a tire chock).

Using soft ties you can tie either to the rear passenger pegs (risky if you put a lot of compression load on the ratchet straps) But avoid the rear subframe directly as it might not like the stress. Strapping the rear rim to the base of the truck/trailer will do the most good for controlling rear end hop while under way.

 

[markjenn]

The weight of the bike under recoil can bend/snap your bars.

I've never ever heard of a bonafide report of this happening. Never.

- Mark

 

[meosborn]

Are front wheel chocks good enough to eleminate the need to compress the forks? I personally don't care for keeping the forks compressed for an extended period of time if I don't have to. (Of course, I care even less for having to repair my bike if it tips over while I driving down the road.)

It seems that I read an ad for a front wheel chock that claimed you could use it for trailering all by itself. Not really what I plan on doing but it would be nice it they are strong enough to rely on for the majority of securing the bike in place.

 

[FJRocket]

I've never used a wheel chock on a bike, but even if the front wheel is locked in, the ass end could hop around, couldn't it? So I would think that you would still want more than one point to secure it.

I like having compression on the forks when tying down a bike, just not all the way. And always like to tie down the rear, or strap it so that it can't hop sideways. Usually, I strap it to all four corners of the truck.

 

[Bounce]

The weight of the bike under recoil can bend/snap your bars.

I've never ever heard of a bonafide report of this happening. Never.

- Mark

That's where each person's experiences are different. I have. Pays yer money and takes yer chances.

 

[Bounce]

I personally don't care for keeping the forks compressed for an extended period of time if I don't have to.

Your forks compress when you sit on the bike - and stay that way all the time you ride it. Unless the bike's a garage queen, it spends more of its life with the forks compressed than not. As long as you don't compress them all the way down, you'll be fine.

 

[sparky3008]

The weight of the bike under recoil can bend/snap your bars.

I've never ever heard of a bonafide report of this happening. Never.

- Mark

That's where each person's experiences are different. I have. Pays yer money and takes yer chances.

Tied down many a dirt bike and street bikes.

As Bounce mentioned after this post about compressing the forks when you sit on the bike. That is pretty much how I do it. I usually will sit on it and have someone tighten the straps not much more than what my weight does. This just keeps the bike pretty steady. No need to wrench down on it like superman. This is where breaking bars might start to come in. Personally I never thought about it on my dirt bikes because the bars are different. Even on my cruiser it was a one piece bar. I personally wouldn't trust the FJR bars with a lot of pressure on the forks because of their design and the way they are attached to the triple. Just my 2 cents and adversion I guess. I would perfer doing it lower or directly to the triples somehow but not on the handlebars.