How Do You Tie Down a Motorcycle on a Trailer without Chock: The Motorcycle Tying Trick!

Suppose you want to carry your motorcycle somewhere. If the area isn’t so far, you can ride on your bike to take it there, but what if riding isn’t an option? What do you do? Well, you simply carry your motorcycle on a trailer or a truck. 

But the problem is that you have to use a chock to keep your motorcycle steady while it’s being carried over.

In case you can’t have a chock at the moment, knowing how to tie down a motorcycle on a trailer without a chock can be useful information. It’s not that hard. You just have to follow the correct methods.

How to Tie Down a Motorcycle without a Chock?

This task isn’t so simple, to be honest. All you need is some straps to tightly hold the bike down on the trailer and a good sense of the strapping anchor points or weight anchor points. Once you can get these two points clear in your head, the rest becomes easier.

With that in mind, let’s talk about the process in a step-by-step way. 

Step 1 – Figure out the Anchor Points

Anchor points are the points in your bike where you’ll connect the straps. Once you’ve taken your bike on the trailer, start with testing out by using the straps on the heaviest points in the bike. A total of 4 strapping points is usually enough.

You won’t likely get the best anchor points initially, and that’s okay. Take some guesses and place the straps in various places. Once your motorcycle seems to be fixed well on the trailer, stop changing the strapping positions. 

Step 2 – Tighten Where Necessary

Strap tightness shouldn’t be even in all the points. Don’t use hard straps on the bike. Use a soft strap on top of the bike and use ratcheting straps in the bottom. Tighten the ratcheting straps even after they seem tight enough. 

The reason for this is when the trailer will move, the rapid movement might loosen the straps a little. Thus, a little over-tightening can be a good idea.

Try moving the bike once the strapping is done. If it seems stiff enough, it should be good to go.

Step 3 – Test Ride

Since you can’t use a chock, which is an essential element for carrying a bike, being extra safe shouldn’t be an option. It’s mandatory. A little strap damage or loose-fitting can become a few-thousand dollars risk. 

Take the trailer down in your neighborhood for some riding. This is just to check the tightness of the straps. If you notice some movement during this test ride, then it means the straps should likely be tighter. 

Also, check if there’s some gap between the bike and the straps. Gaps might not be noticed initially, so check for those.

And that’s all folks! However, some points should be kept in mind to protect your bike from some common risks. We’re going to talk about them below.

Some Things to Have a Careful Attention While Tying Down a Motorcycle

We’ve talked about the basic process. Now let’s discuss the common risk factors and how to stay safe from them – 

• Front Wheel Movement

Since the front wheel isn’t stiff like the one in the back, it should be stuck with something that is going to prevent the wheel from moving sideways and letting the straps loose. 

Usually, if you use a chock, then you know it’s made of a material that’s a mixture of plastic and rubber. The material composition of it makes it sticky and allows it to have a solid grip against the rubber wheels. 

You can achieve nearly the same thing with a piece of wood or a stone or anything that resembles a chock. Try some materials and see which one does its job well. 

Also, not every size will fit all bikes. Bikes vary in weights, design, and weight distribution. As not all chock sizes are the same, so are your chock alternatives.

Now, the main goal here is to use a chock alternative that’s going to work the best for its task. The material isn’t highly important for the cause.

• Cover the Bike’s Unprotected Areas

You don’t need to use a cover for your bike, but still, using some cover in the handlebar and open engine components areas is important. 

The goal of the strap fastening is not to let the bike drop. However, it can drop for a slight strapping failure or some bad road conditions. Covering ensures the uncovered areas remain protected.

Final Words

If possible, use a chock. It’s the recommended tool to use while carrying a motorcycle. Now you know the answer for how do you tie down a motorcycle on a trailer without chock.

Therefore, you’ll have much more knowledge and use your common sense on the best ways to adjust the bike’s positioning from now on.