2008 Goldwing trailer tie down advice?

[bgw08]

I have just purchased a trailer with a Goldwing sized wheel chock, 4 D-rings welded into the steel floor, and rows of tie-down attachment points along each side. It has a 4 foot long ramp. My questions are:
1. What is the best technique for attaching the tie-downs (attachment points and techniques)?
2. Can someone tell me if the bottom of the goldwing will clear the end of the trailer, with the 4 foot ramp, or will I need to find a hill or curb to minimize the "breakover" angle at the end of the trailer?
Thanks for your information.

[WingAdmin]

Here are a few rules I use when tying down:

• The bike will move (it has suspension, remember). Make sure your straps account for that.
• Use triangles. Squares move. Triangles don't. Use two different tie-down points (fore and aft on the trailer) to fasten to the same point on the bike, making a triangle. Do this on both sides.
• Use fastening points as high as possible on the bike, connected to low parts on the trailer as far away from the bike as possible. Floor of the trailer, plus height of the bike plus strap = triangle.
• Fasten the wheels if at all possible. They are the only parts on the bike that won't move.
• Have a couple people sit on the bike while strapping it down, to compress the suspension as much as possible.
• Don't fasten to the handlebars on a Goldwing. The bike is heavy, and they will bend/move.
• When driving, make frequent checks to make sure nothing is working its way loose. Especially after the first few miles.

[dingdong]

Here is another method with pics just to show you the tie down points. I like WA's triangle method with the straps. Single strap pulling to the rear is a no no in my opinion. Straight down or triangle for the rear. If the front straps loosen, the rear strap will pull the bike to the rear and out of the chock.

http://www.allamericanprod.com/tiedown.html

[Red Ron]

I too have an '08 and I follow the method that "Dingdong" gave a link to. In addition there are a couple of things I do:

1. I have a padded block of wood that barely slides under the engine block when bike is standing straight up after the first 2 straps. This block absorbs some of the weight of the bike and keeps the shocks from fully compressing (espically if you hit a big hole in the road) and therefore reduces the risk of blowing a fork seal. Some don't agree with this but I have trailered many bikes for many thousands of miles like this and never had a problem.

2. Another thing I do is to make sure the bike is in nuteral before I get it all the way strapped down. This takes all the pressure off the tranny. Remember if it is in gear and strapped down the back wheel can't slide therefore there might end up being a lot of strain on a somewhat sensitive tranny if it is in gear.

[actionpack]

I too have an '08 and I follow the method that "Dingdong" gave a link to. In addition there are a couple of things I do:

1. I have a padded block of wood that barely slides under the engine block when bike is standing straight up after the first 2 straps. This block absorbs some of the weight of the bike and keeps the shocks from fully compressing (espically if you hit a big hole in the road) and therefore reduces the risk of blowing a fork seal. Some don't agree with this but I have trailered many bikes for many thousands of miles like this and never had a problem.

2. Another thing I do is to make sure the bike is in nuteral before I get it all the way strapped down. This takes all the pressure off the tranny. Remember if it is in gear and strapped down the back wheel can't slide therefore there might end up being a lot of strain on a somewhat sensitive tranny if it is in gear.

real good point on the blocks under the engine mounts , i blew the seals on my vtx trailoring it to fl , now i always block under the engine up front where the motor mounts are leaving just enought room to get the blocks under the engine , and then tighten the rachet straps down tell the block under the engine is tight , no more blown fork seals

[gareva1]

I too have an '08 and I follow the method that "Dingdong" gave a link to. In addition there are a couple of things I do:

1. I have a padded block of wood that barely slides under the engine block when bike is standing straight up after the first 2 straps. This block absorbs some of the weight of the bike and keeps the shocks from fully compressing (espically if you hit a big hole in the road) and therefore reduces the risk of blowing a fork seal. Some don't agree with this but I have trailered many bikes for many thousands of miles like this and never had a problem.

2. Another thing I do is to make sure the bike is in nuteral before I get it all the way strapped down. This takes all the pressure off the tranny. Remember if it is in gear and strapped down the back wheel can't slide therefore there might end up being a lot of strain on a somewhat sensitive tranny if it is in gear.

real good point on the blocks under the engine mounts , i blew the seals on my vtx trailoring it to fl , now i always block under the engine up front where the motor mounts are leaving just enought room to get the blocks under the engine , and then tighten the rachet straps down tell the block under the engine is tight , no more blown fork seals

Now instead of blowing your fork seals, you are slamming the entire frame of your motorcycle against a block of wood

I've hauled my bike in trucks and trailers, and I use 7 straps:

---two on the triple tree (NOT THE HANDLEBARS), one going each direction toward the front corners of the trailer
---two on the engine guards, going the same general direction of the triple tree straps, maybe a little further back
---two on the rear crash guards or the frame piece that the guards attach to (the frame is the better place to put them, as the rear guards are merely bolted to the frame)
---one around the front wheel to stabilize it, as I don't have a wheel chock.

preload maxed out, straps tightened to pull the suspension down about 1.5 inches in the front, bike in neutral, kickstand and centerstand up...never had a problem.

[actionpack]

I too have an '08 and I follow the method that "Dingdong" gave a link to. In addition there are a couple of things I do:

1. I have a padded block of wood that barely slides under the engine block when bike is standing straight up after the first 2 straps. This block absorbs some of the weight of the bike and keeps the shocks from fully compressing (espically if you hit a big hole in the road) and therefore reduces the risk of blowing a fork seal. Some don't agree with this but I have trailered many bikes for many thousands of miles like this and never had a problem.

2. Another thing I do is to make sure the bike is in nuteral before I get it all the way strapped down. This takes all the pressure off the tranny. Remember if it is in gear and strapped down the back wheel can't slide therefore there might end up being a lot of strain on a somewhat sensitive tranny if it is in gear.

real good point on the blocks under the engine mounts , i blew the seals on my vtx trailoring it to fl , now i always block under the engine up front where the motor mounts are leaving just enought room to get the blocks under the engine , and then tighten the rachet straps down tell the block under the engine is tight , no more blown fork seals

Now instead of blowing your fork seals, you are slamming the entire frame of your motorcycle against a block of wood

I've hauled my bike in trucks and trailers, and I use 7 straps:

---two on the triple tree (NOT THE HANDLEBARS), one going each direction toward the front corners of the trailer
---two on the engine guards, going the same general direction of the triple tree straps, maybe a little further back
---two on the rear crash guards or the frame piece that the guards attach to (the frame is the better place to put them, as the rear guards are merely bolted to the frame)
---one around the front wheel to stabilize it, as I don't have a wheel chock.

preload maxed out, straps tightened to pull the suspension down about 1.5 inches in the front, bike in neutral, kickstand and centerstand up...never had a problem.

if you got a setup you like , stay with it , i'll go with the blocks under the engine mounts , did i mention i blew the fork seals drawing that front end down

[Red Ron]

Thank you Actionpack. Finally somebody that gets it. The block is NOT absorbing the full load. The front and rear suspension is still getting some of it because the bike is suspended above the block until the 1st 2 straps makes it "squat" down and make contact with the block. Also the block is padded with layers of carpet padding. That engine block ain't gonna crack. And my fork seals are not going to blow. In my case if I hit something hard enough to cause the engine block to crack that is going to be the least of my problems.

[DaRamblerman]

Here is another method with pics just to show you the tie down points. I like WA's triangle method with the straps. Single strap pulling to the rear is a no no in my opinion. Straight down or triangle for the rear. If the front straps loosen, the rear strap will pull the bike to the rear and out of the chock.

http://www.allamericanprod.com/tiedown.html

ding dong this link send you to a continual pop-up ad wanting you to allow viral updates into your computer or your phone.

[Viking]

Yup... looks like the link goes to the site, but is then rerouted. It has been hijacked. It is not ding dong's fault. Web pages get hijacked all the time. Anyone reading this, please do not navigate to that linked site.

[dingdong]

Yeah and that is quite an old link. Wasn't like that back then but thanks for the heads up.

[keithg64]

This is the link from our diy section for the 1800.

viewtopic.php?f=15&t=14030

[keithg64]

The above with the block is a great idea.

[raven41951]

I have a toy hauler which has six d-rings in the floor, three on each side. I checked out everything I could find. Use two straps on the triple tree, one each side. Two on the frame members under the battery/brake cylinder and two on the frame under the front of the rear bags.

I use a condor wheel chock with a 3x5 mat under it to somewhat protect the vinyl floor. I located the bike just to the rear of center of the trailer wheels, as I had plenty of weight up front. The wheel chock was secured to four of the d-rings.

It made the 1300 mile trip from New England to Florida Without any adjustments, but I did check it every time I fueled, which was every 200 miles (26 gallon tank at 8mpg).