Hauling Harley?

[Bnrc73]

I've had my XLR 27'for a few months camped several times by didn't take my Electra Glide. I'm taking it south for Jan. I'm nervous having never loaded it before. If some one would be so kind as to talk me through the loading process. I would appreciate it. Thanks in advance.

[Keystone]

Pretty simple and straight forward. I raise the nose of the trailer as high as it will go. This lessons the angle of the ramp. I then ride right up the ramp and into the wheel chock. If you are using a Condor style chock you can then just get off of the bike and start tying down the bike. If not you will need another set of hands.

[Flybob]

Loading is simply clutch management. slow and easy up ramp with your feet down. Have tie downs ready. Crank down fairly tight on tie downs.
Here's a suggestion to make your trip much more fun after you get it loaded. Buy a small wireless back up camera or baby monitor and mount it on the wall facing the bike. Put the monitor in the TV. This will prevent you from having to stop and go back and check the bike every time you hit a large bump or take a sharp turn. Believe me it makes the ride much more relaxing. Note keep the monitor out of sight as some states prohibit it being in view of the driver when driving.

[emm-dee]

Visit your Harley dealer and you should be able to get a demo of how to do it. Most of them load/unload big Harleys several times a week. They can also show you the best place on the MC to attach the tie down straps.

The locking chocks are the safest ones. The Condor is pretty good and the Titan Bulldog is great. Roll the bike in and the cradle for the front wheel rolls over-center and with a cam action compresses against the tire sidewalls to hold the bike upright.

https://titanlifts.com/chocks/titan-...hock-2061.html

Lots of opinions about final securing of the bike using straps. Most will say clamp them tight but that's a little hard on the forks and seals. I like the "Load-All" straps that have spring loaded clips on the "S" hooks to prevent them from coming undone. I only compress the bike springs about ½ inch and over thousands of miles of hauling have never had a problem.

[KyDan]

Not a harley fer sure but.... I've hauled my Suzuki Intruder a few thousand
miles.
I hauled it in the back of my pickup. I hated to snug it down tight as
mentioned it compresses the forks and shocks. If you don't snug it down
it bounces on the shocks and I didn't like that either.
I put wood blocks under the belly of my bike and snugged it down on those.
That kept the bike nice and firm but it didn't compress the shocks or let
it bounce excessively.
It worked well for me.
Donno if that's an option for a big ole Harley or not.

[ChipBruce]

Just be careful when you go over the joint between gate and trailer, that's where a lot of kick stand springs bite the dust. I usually stand to take pressure off the shocks/forks to gain more lift.

On the way out, leave it in gear and use your clutch to back it down the ramp. Enjoy!

[emm-dee]

Also, be careful at the point where the front and rear wheels are equal distance when the center is directly over the beginning of the ramp. You need really long legs. I usually just power past that point legs up. You're only going to be in that position for less than a second so be ready for it.

[Bnrc73]

Do I tie it down in the middle for weight distribution or to one side to lessen Hitch weight distribution?

[ChipBruce]

Originally Posted by Bnrc73

Do I tie it down in the middle for weight distribution or to one side to lessen Hitch weight distribution?

I would put mine in the middle. If I was hauling 2 bikes I'd balance them out.

[SidecarFlip]

Different strokes for different folks I guess....

I haul vintage bikes for a dealer in Marne, Iowa. Old Triumph's, Nortons, Matchless, Beezers, Excelsoriors and others, usually 4 at a time in an enclosed trailer and I use E-Track and ratchet tie downs with 4 per bike (2 on the handlebars, one on each side splayed out) and 2 on the back splayed, attached to the rear seat frame with the suspensions compressed. Each front wheel fits in a steel angle chock. I've hauled them from New Jersey to California to Iowa and never had issue one.

I like the cam idea, may use that but I've never had one incident yet. There are very expensive bikes too. I do it as a hobby not for income, I know the dealer personally and it's a nice vacation. Picked up a couple at Jay Leno's a couple years back.

I always compress the suspensions to take the travel out of the bikes to eliminate any bouncing. Thats the only safe and secure way to haul them and I never ride them into the trailer. They always go in and out with the engines off. Quite a few of the ones I haul haven't been run in years anyway. I walk them in and out.

I use a pair of 6 foot aluminum ramps, one for me to walk up on and one for the bike and usually a helper on the back end pushing. Off is just me and the handlebar brake. Bought the ramps at Harbor Freight some years back. I have chains on each that secure the ramps to the trailer to they won't kick out. The trailer always stays hooked to my vehicle when loading and unloading the bikes, never unhitched. Unhitched and loading is a recipe for disaster. This isn't behind an RV either, It's behind my SUV.

Just how I do it. Thought I's share my method...

Just how I do it. Your mileage may be different because it's you bike. There are not mine and I don't want any issues, they are very expensive machines.

[northstar1960]

many opinions on loading a securing a bike for travel . so here's mine. After over 8000 miles of hauling my Vulcan 2000 very heavy 2053cc cruiser what i have come up with seems to me to be the best . The HF $58 chock is as good as the $300. condors i do bolt it to the floor so it can't move . like was mentioned in another port raising the nose on the TH will lessen the angle of the ramp . center the bike to the ramp and simply ride up once you do it a few times you'll wonder why you were ever nervous about it . the HF chock will lock the front wheel in place then i simple take a short cam strap and secrure it around the front wheel and the chock . that all the straps needed up front I'm a firm believer in not compressing the front forks we don't want to damage the cartridges in there .bike does not bounce !!! then i use 2 4x4 blocks on either side of the rear wheel that sits on top and a short piece of e-track and strap it down so the rear wheel can't slide out . this is it over 8000 miles and the bike only moves when i'm loading or unloading . no need for a camera , no need for lots of straps and really no need to compress the shocks front or rear , As i mentioned this causes more harm then good . the bike suspension will work as it should it can't move as it's straped through the front wheel to the chock and the rear can't slide out . there you have it imo the best way to tie down and haul a bike

[Bnrc73]

Originally Posted by SidecarFlip

Different strokes for different folks I guess....

I haul vintage bikes for a dealer in Marne, Iowa. Old Triumph's, Nortons, Matchless, Beezers, Excelsoriors and others, usually 4 at a time in an enclosed trailer and I use E-Track and ratchet tie downs with 4 per bike (2 on the handlebars, one on each side splayed out) and 2 on the back splayed, attached to the rear seat frame with the suspensions compressed. Each front wheel fits in a steel angle chock. I've hauled them from New Jersey to California to Iowa and never had issue one.

I like the cam idea, may use that but I've never had one incident yet. There are very expensive bikes too. I do it as a hobby not for income, I know the dealer personally and it's a nice vacation. Picked up a couple at Jay Leno's a couple years back.

I always compress the suspensions to take the travel out of the bikes to eliminate any bouncing. Thats the only safe and secure way to haul them and I never ride them into the trailer. They always go in and out with the engines off. Quite a few of the ones I haul haven't been run in years anyway. I walk them in and out.

I use a pair of 6 foot aluminum ramps, one for me to walk up on and one for the bike and usually a helper on the back end pushing. Off is just me and the handlebar brake. Bought the ramps at Harbor Freight some years back. I have chains on each that secure the ramps to the trailer to they won't kick out. The trailer always stays hooked to my vehicle when loading and unloading the bikes, never unhitched. Unhitched and loading is a recipe for disaster. This isn't behind an RV either, It's behind my SUV.

Just how I do it. Thought I's share my method...

Just how I do it. Your mileage may be different because it's you bike. There are not mine and I don't want any issues, they are very expensive machines.

I grew up in Oakland in SW Iowa.

[SidecarFlip]

Marne, Iowa is the oldest Triumph dealer in the country btw.

[Taranwanderer]

I've been using a product called the Biker Bar for over a year now. It's a bracket you bolt to the floor, and a bar that clamps onto the bottom of your bike frame. You ride the bike into the bracket, the bracket locks onto the bar, and you get off the bike and walk away. No straps needed. I love it. It's expensive but worth it.

Biker Bar? | Biker Bar | THE B&W ADVANTAGE

[harleyrider03]

Here is a bracket I made for the wheel chock. No holes in floor and it can be removed if you want to.

[northstar1960]

nice bracket . i just use four lag bolts . i do remove chock when not in use . the holes are minimal . the bracket would work for me cause i got other stuff i store when traveling . but it all works good

[Psykokustomz]

I took a piece of aluminum angle iron and bolted my chocks to that. I than cut slits in the bottom of the angle iron so that the drings would come through it. So that when the bike is in the chock the d ring and hook of the strap holds the angle and chock down. Once bikes are pulled our I remove the angle and chocks as one unit and I have a nice flat bunk house

[SidecarFlip]

Go they 'mark their spot' with an oil drip??

[Bnrc73]

Thanks. Sounds like an easy set up. My choke has 6 inch legs on it. I'll have to see where they line up to my d rings. Looks like my garage is a little smaller than yours.

[Psykokustomz]

The one on the left is a Victory so no drops there. The one on the right was my buddies Harley I hauled to Sturgis for him. There were precautions made for any droll over the victory spots it may have left LOL