Strapping motorbikes into the back of a van

[premmington]

On the subject of motorbikes...

To the collective...? What do you lot do for strapping them into a back of a van...?

Reason I ask is - of late I started booking in a lot of electrical work on motorbikes - I could do abit more to be honest - if I could get them here to my workshop.

I got a MWB VW Crafter van. I bought a front wheel chock/alloy ramp/handle bar strap off ebay. I got a life time supply of other ratchet straps hid up somewhere here.

Reason I ask is - paint sprayer opposite - showed me how he straps his motorbikes into his van - he reckons the handlebar straps I bought muck up the handlebar controls - he just puts them into a wheel chock - and just uses two straps on the front lower yoke.

He don't even strap the back of the bikes at all...!

 

[cheb]

How far and how fast?

For short runs I did as your sprayer does, for longer runs it was the same but with straps at the back too.

A couple of short looped straps helped keep the ratchets away from the bike. I tried one of the handlebar straps and didn't like it, too much faff for too little gain

 

[northwest]

@Greeves246 is your man, he has turned this into a science.

 

[roofman]

On the subject of motorbikes...

To the collective...? What do you lot do for strapping them into a back of a van...?

Reason I ask is - of late I started booking in a lot of electrical work on motorbikes - I could do abit more to be honest - if I could get them here to my workshop.

I got a MWB VW Crafter van. I bought a front wheel chock/alloy ramp/handle bar strap off ebay. I got a life time supply of other ratchet straps hid up somewhere here.

Reason I ask is - paint sprayer opposite - showed me how he straps his motorbikes into his van - he reckons the handlebar straps I bought muck up the handlebar controls - he just puts them into a wheel chock - and just uses two straps on the front lower yoke.

He don't even strap the back of the bikes at all...!

If you were closer i have a bike trailer (real one) you could have....Thinking of it i might even be able to bring it down your neck of the woods in a month or so if you want it...How far are you from Lakenheath? as i be a regular jet geeker.

 

[oldbikedavey]

Just make sure that you have solid anchorages for the ratchet straps, and set the ratchet straps on to short webbing strops looped around suitable bits of the machine.
Front fork lower yokes and rear upper suspension mounts are likely best.
Keep the front wheel hard into the front bulkhead , and make sure that everything is as tight as a drum......

 

[E T]

Reason I ask is - paint sprayer opposite - showed me how he straps his motorbikes into his van - he reckons the handlebar straps I bought muck up the handlebar controls - he just puts them into a wheel chock - and just uses two straps on the front lower yoke.

He don't even strap the back of the bikes at all...!

That how I always do it. I used to work for a motorcycle shop in my younger years. Transported a lot of bikes.
Front of the van had a steel bar on the bulkhead behind the seats with 3 Y shaped forks for the front wheels and lashing points for the straps.
Two straps either side of the bottom yoke and pull the front suspension down. Usually no straps on the back unless it was a big one like a Goldwing. I coulf fit 3 normal size bikes in like that.

 

[Robotstar5]

@Cato has his van set up for moving bikes, I know he has a front wheel cradle, but not sure about strapping.

 

[8ob]

Anything vehicle/machine with suspension can only be anchored down by its wheels. Any other method eats straps and damages things.

Bob

 

[Screwdriver]

Getting them in and out of a van is the bigger problem, a full width ramp (disability ramp) is the best option.

 

[premmington]

If you were closer i have a bike trailer (real one) you could have....Thinking of it i might even be able to bring it down your neck of the woods in a month or so if you want it...How far are you from Lakenheath? as i be a regular jet geeker.

I did concider a bike trailer... (I got a tow bar on my Passat estate car).

1. I got the VW Crafter van already

2. Workshop space is tight - so I could leave the bikes in the van when not working on them

3 I not always in my estate car on work days - wifey uses it for "dog walking sled" our two dogs and daughters two dogs on Julies doggy day care days - and I just use one of my Citigo/Up courtesy cars.

Taking a lot of electrical bike work on of late - so need to gear up for it...

Taken a few jobs from local and not so local bike dealerships last year -- they deliver and collect the bikes.

Its a project and I got a van

 

[Pete.]

When I did landspeed racing all the guys with dedicated vans for their bikes used a front wheel chock fixed to the floor of their van. It had a rocker that doubled as a ramp for loading the bike into the chock and a retainer to support the back half of the tyre. Many of them just put the wheel into the chock and let it sit there unstrapped.

When I put a bike in the van I put it in kinda diagonally from front left to rear right then leave it on the centre stand. i then put a single strap from rear left tie down to mid right tie down and under the rider's seat (with a cloth protector on the paintwork) and crank it down to compress the rear spring. They don't usually move. I drove one 6 hours from Exeter to kent like that.

 

[dobbslc]

The handlebar straps are good but be careful the tie downs don't rub on the fairings.
A wheel chock with a couple of ratchet straps will work well enough. Pull them tight enough to compress the suspension a bit or they'll jump off when you hit a big bump...

 

[Cato]

As @Robotstar5 said, I use a wheel chock at the front, so roll the bike up the ramp and into the chock. That holds it while I strap it.

Straps wise no mater how far or how fast I use 4 straps as they don't belong to me and I need to look after them properly.

There is no universal position as the bikes vary so much, but the most common place is one down and diagonally forward from around the fork above the lower yoke each side. At the rear it's top shock mounts, frame brackets or whatever is most accessible. Don't just use two at the front as the rear can hop and slide side to side under even fairly moderate braking or cornering. Again, someone else's property ... etc.

The really important part is to make sure that the straps load the suspension. Do not just use the wheels, swing arm etc.

Another important thing to mention is insurance. Your car/van/workshop policy must specify motorbikes and that they're being transported. This isn't just for accident damage but they'll refuse a break in payout too if they find out you've been carrying them even if there isn't one in it at the time of break in.

 

[waddycall]

However it fits

Although generally in a bigger van I put the front wheel against the bulkhead, front straps on one of the yokes, I don’t tighten these fully. I put a strap or rope from each handlebar to part of the subframe so the handlebars can’t turn and put two straps from the subframe to rear tie down points. Dead stable

 

[Cato]

Anything vehicle/machine with suspension can only be anchored down by its wheels. Any other method eats straps and damages things.

Bob

That's true for everything apart from motorbikes. Because they're top heavy and unstable due to only having two wheels strapping off the wheels loads them up above that and it acts as a fulcrum. That can damage the bike, but also it tries to tip while bouncing as you corner and no matter how tight the straps/chock is they start to chafe.

Loading the suspension by strapping high up prevents the tipping motion, and the pressure on the tyre contact patch stops the lower section moving too. It also removes all the bounce.

As you say though, the opposite is true for anything with more than two wheels.

 

[pedrobedro]

We never used ratchet straps, tension straps with the hook round the bar and pull down against the front suspension then tie the spare strap round the tension grip to stop it pulling up. There was a chock to hold the front wheel in place specially made to bolt into the Transit. Rear straps were optional only really used on long trips or heavy bikes.

 

[Mick Annick]

On the subject of motorbikes...

To the collective...? What do you lot do for strapping them into a back of a van...?

Reason I ask is - of late I started booking in a lot of electrical work on motorbikes - I could do abit more to be honest - if I could get them here to my workshop.

I got a MWB VW Crafter van. I bought a front wheel chock/alloy ramp/handle bar strap off ebay. I got a life time supply of other ratchet straps hid up somewhere here.

Reason I ask is - paint sprayer opposite - showed me how he straps his motorbikes into his van - he reckons the handlebar straps I bought muck up the handlebar controls - he just puts them into a wheel chock - and just uses two straps on the front lower yoke.

He don't even strap the back of the bikes at all...!

What @Cato says

The chock to stop the front wheel moving sideways is essential, I know from bitter experience.

Handlebar straps are the work of the devil

 

[Greeves246]

Dave Cooper racks for the back of a vehicle have a 125kg limit. For a ramp, The Ramp People have a good range.
As a matter of interest having carried many bikes including some very expensive ones , I usually put two straps on the bottom yokes and two at the rear. Never tightened down solid, always allowing some movement in the suspension so that any bumps in the road didn’t transmit to the bike, and never used ratchet straps, used the straps that all new Ducatis were strapped to a stillage with.
Black Widow ramp

 

[Bobupndown]

Moved house with a Luton van, rear tail lift groaned a bit lifting the bike. Strapped to the side with a mattress protecting it. Still managed to break an indicator.

 

[Migmac]

Trailmater off road recovery do a lot of adventure bike recovery work, haven’t seen any of the bikes they recover fall off or break. Check out their YouTube channel for visual ideas