How to Tie Down a Motorcycle

You’ve spent a whole lot of money on your motorcycle, so I’m sure you want to transport it in the safest, most secure way, am I right? However, if you don’t know where to start or what materials you need to get the job done, don’t sweat it. Today you’ll get the confidence to know exactly how to tie down your motorcycle on your truck or trailer as securely as possible, so you can have peace of mind and focus on other things while you’re hauling it… like the road.

7 Basic Steps to Tie Down Your Motorcycle:

Gather the necessary equipment
- Ratchet tie-down straps
- Soft loops
- Anchor points (D-rings, E-track anchors)
- Wheel chock (Optional but recommended)
Load motorcycle onto trailer or truck
Rest motorcycle on kickstand or wheel chock
Pass soft loop straps securely around handlebars
Attach tie-down hooks to soft loops
Attach opposite tie down hooks to anchor points
Tighten the straps until all the slack is gone

Below, I'll dive a bit deeper into these 7 steps and give you some helpful tips, along with some essential products, that will help you out before you attempt to tie down your motorcycle.

Step 1. Gather the necessary equipment

There are a few things you will need before loading up your motorcycle. The main items you will need are: ratchet tie-down straps, soft loop straps, anchor points, and possibly a wheel chock. Some of these items you may already have, and some you may not, but they are crucial elements to making sure your motorcycle is as safe and secure as possible.

Ratchet Tie-Down Straps

I know what you're thinking: "Why can't I just use the old bungee cords or chains I have laying around somewhere in my garage?" Well, I really hope you're not actually thinking that, and here's why.

The recommended (a.k.a. safest) way to transport your motorcycle is to use tie down straps that have a combined safe working load limit (WLL) that is greater than the complete weight of your motorcycle.

So unless you want to say "bye bye" to your motorcycle as you're hauling it, you'll want to invest in some quality tie-down straps that can handle your load.

Soft Loops

By using soft loops, you’re giving the tie-down straps a much more secure connection to the motorcycle. Soft loops create a stable anchor point that’s not going to slide around or slip from the tie-down point while you’re transporting your motorcycle.

These also will minimize the metal-on-metal contact so that your bike don't end up getting scratched or chipped from the tie-down straps.

Anchor Points

If you don't have a secure point for your ratchet straps to attach, you will need to install an anchor point. There are several different types of anchor points, but the most common are D-ring and E-track anchors.

An E-track system is great because it is very versatile and will allow you to use several different accessories as well, including hooks, grab handles, and nets. However, if you don't find yourself hauling many accessory items, a D-ring mount will do just fine for you.

Wheel Chock (optional)

Although wheel chocks are not always required to properly secure your motorcycle, we still recommend them.

Wheel chocks will help keep your motorcycle stabilized not only while you're strapping it down initially, but also while you are hauling it, as it will provide an added hold on your motorcycle.

How much weight can a ratchet strap hold?

Different straps will have different weight capacities, so you will need to check each strap's capacity before choosing one. In order to make sure that your load is as secure as possible, the combined safe working load limit (WLL) of the tie-down straps you’re using must be greater than the complete weight of the secured cargo.

So for example, if your bike weighs 500 lbs, and you’re using two straps to tie it down, each strap must have a WLL of at least 250 lbs. We recommend getting straps that are rated above the capacity you actually need to guarantee the safest possible application.

Also, try to use ratchet straps in pairs, mainly for the front straps, as this will help get a secure, snug fit on your bike and help keep it from coming loose.

Step 2. Load motorcycle onto trailer or truck

Finding a way to get your motorcycle onto your truck or trailer might be the most difficult step in this process.

You may be able to manage loading up your motorcycle on your own (especially if you're Superman or Dwayne Johnson), but if you don't already have loading ramps, you may want to think about investing in some. Loading ramps will make it almost too easy to load the bike onto your trailer or truck, and will take all of the burden off of your knees and back.

Since you'll obviously only need one ramp for a standard motorcycle, there is a single ramp option just for you.

Step 3. Rest motorcycle on kickstand or wheel chock

After you get your motorcycle loaded into your truck or trailer, you want it to be stabilized while you start to attach the straps. If the motorcycle has a kickstand, lower it to balance the bike while you get it strapped down. However, you need to make sure you put the kickstand up before you start traveling, so as to not damage it or the bike. If your bike doesn't have a kickstand, or if you would like a bit more stabilization, this is where the wheel chock comes in handy.

You can easily bolt a wheel chock to your trailer or truck to help stabilize the motorcycle; this is an especially great option if you haul your motorcycle frequently.

Step 4. Pass soft loop straps securely around handlebars

Since you already know how helpful it is to have soft loop straps, now it's time to put them to good use. You're going to attach the soft loops to the most secure part of each handlebar. However, we recommend that you do not attach the straps directly to the handlebars if you can avoid it, as this can cause additional stress and possibly damage the handlebars. Instead, if your bike has a triple tree, we recommend to attach the straps there, as it is much safer for the bike.

There are also ratchet straps that have built-in soft loops to save you a step and an extra purchase. The high quality ShockStrap tie-downs have both soft loops and built-in shock absorbers which will absorb any impact and ensure constant tension on your bike, even if it happens to shift a bit during travel.

Step 5. Attach tie-down hooks to soft loops

Once you have the soft loops secured around the handlebars or triple tree, you're going to secure the tie down hooks to the soft loops. This part is fairly simple, just make sure that the soft loops aren't going to slide around the handlebars, and that the tie-down hooks are fully hooked around the loops.

Step 6. Attach opposite tie down hooks to anchor points

After you hook one end of the ratchet strap to your soft loop, you're going to take the other end and secure the tie down hook to the anchor point that you either have just installed, or already have installed on your trailer or truck. You don't necessarily need a D-ring anchor point, but just make sure that whatever you are attaching your strap to is secure and can be easily grabbed by the hook.

And don't just stop at securing down the handlebars, either. We definitely recommend using at least one more strap on the rear of the bike along with the one on each handlebar. You can attach a rear tie over the seat for a nice snug fit, or you can attach a tie through the rear wheel to help with better rear stabilization.

Step 7. Tighten the straps until all the slack is gone

Once everything is hooked up and in place, the only thing left to do is tighten that sucker down. Make sure that when you tighten the straps, you're adding tension evenly to each side, so that the bike is properly secured and not getting more tension on one side than the other. Even though it can seem a bit tedious, we recommend going back and forth to each side while tightening to make sure it's evenly secured.

Also, make sure you do a final check before you take off, because even after you think you're done and good to go, you may have missed something. Make sure all the ratchets are closed, and all the excess straps are tied up so they don't risk becoming loosened as you travel.

Still have questions?

Give our experts a call at 800-298-8924, or contact us online. We're happy to assist any way we can!

About the Author

My journey with etrailer started in Customer Service, where I went through months of product training to make sure that I had all of the knowledge I needed to help our neighbors find a solution to any situation. I helped them with technical questions, troubleshooting, product information, and anything else they needed. Since it has always been my passion to write and express myself through words, I made the transition over to the content side of the website so I could combine my product knowledge and passion for writing.

In order to make sure that I am giving you the most accurate, current information, I am constantly doing research and talking with people who are doing what I am writing about every day. I am constantly striving to find out what questions you are asking, and to give you an answer to every one of those questions, plus answers to questions you haven't even asked yet - yes, I'm that good. Plus, I am constantly getting hands-on training with our vendors and asking them all of the hard questions, that way you can have all of the information you need before making a decision.

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Written by: Olivia M.

Updated on: 2/13/2020

Bill

2/18/2023

Once the bike is in place and strapped down,check the straps at each stop,getting gas ,lunch,just look for any thing loose or out of place.If the you are racing or doing track days,the tires will cool and change the tension on the straps.

Mike L.

2/18/2023

That is excellent advice, thanks!

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