What is the best way to secure a bike on a truck bed? I've heard all you need is the front, and that you need to compress the springs by sitting on it, then use some ties to lock it down hard to the bed and you should be good, but is that it??? Where do I anchor the bike with out damaging it? Help?

 

I always went from the corners of the bed to the handlebars.

BTW, I have a fork saver if you're interested.

 

Waiting for skrooz to respond to this... He gave someone hell yesterday for tying down to the handlebars and the passenger pegs. That's the most common method, IMO... If there's a better way to do it, I'd like to start using that method.

 

i've gotten away with using one strap on one side of the bike and a zip tie to hold the front brake lever in but i dont suggest this method unless you dont care if ur bike falls over and i usually dont.

 

I mean I would like to keep the bike in as nice condition as possible. I've seen the handle bar thing, that doesn't seem like it would be good for the bike.

PS. How do you check the VIN of a motorcycle to make sure it has a clear title and doesn't have any liens on it??? The title itself would tell me if its clean and has any liens wouldn't it???

 

Don't give anyone ideas. lol

 

I think once you have the title and in the section where it says liens, it is blank, then it doesnt have any liens on it. MAKE sure you look on this though. I bought a vehicle from out of state once (different state title), I looked over the title and it wasnt until I went to DMV I realize that it had a lein on it. It eventutally got straightened out because the guy had in fact paid it off, but man, I was mad at myself.

You need a canyon dancer to tie down the handle bars instead of the way you see me do it. The canyon dancer prevents the straps from rubbing on the fairing the way it was on mine. It didnt damage the paint, but it could easily have.

 

ya I dont have those and I might be picking up the bike tom. So... any other way with out those things??

 

ha, I think the way I did it? lol. I wraped it up and over and around the front forks/tripple tree and hooked it into itself. I would recommend if you are doing it like that to put a soft cloth under the strap so that it does not scratch your fairing everytime it rubs against it though. Other than that, I do not know. I know you have to secure the handle bar on both sides some way, and compress the suspension as far as you can. It wont damage the suspension doing this. (correct me if I am wrong guys).

The main thing I did wrong in my towning was not putting the wheel into the wheel bracket at the front. I still think I would prefer better weight distribution on my trailer though. I feel safer since the tong of my hitch could only support 100 lbs.
Make sure you put it in 1st gear. I wanted to ziptie the front brakes, but I didnt have a big enough ziptie on hand to do this.

 

whatever you do (depending on if the truck is 4x4), make sure you have a decent pitch for the ramp going to the bed or you'll crack the bottom fairing...seen this happen at least three times since the season has started