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[2harleys]

Would it really take that much less time to repetitively mount and dismount the BGS bracket to the bike then it would to pull a few straps taught?  Using a good loading front chock straps don't have to be hard on the bike suspension.

  Like I stated earlier  --  straps can -- and they do come loose. IF straps work for you -- good luck with that. I was just letting someone that was interested in a better mouse trap know where to buy the better mouse trap. Time was not the key issue here, but I would guarantee you a case of beer that I can have my two bikes loaded in the trailer and be popping the top off of one of those beers while you are still tying your bikes down. Plus the ass end of my bikes will NEVER "walk" sideways on bumps or hard corners. It may not hurt your suspension to "pull it down" for a long haul, but just common sense should tell you that your suspension would be alot better off if not compressed for a two day trek across the country in a trailer. IMO

[Puzzled]

  Like I stated earlier  --  straps can -- and they do come loose. IF straps work for you -- good luck with that. I was just letting someone that was interested in a better mouse trap know where to buy the better mouse trap. Time was not the key issue here, but I would guarantee you a case of beer that I can have my two bikes loaded in the trailer and be popping the top off of one of those beers while you are still tying your bikes down. Plus the ass end of my bikes will NEVER "walk" sideways on bumps or hard corners. It may not hurt your suspension to "pull it down" for a long haul, but just common sense should tell you that your suspension would be alot better off if not compressed for a two day trek across the country in a trailer. IMO

My reply to that is, either the strap is of poor quality or incorrectly used. I say that as I get paid to haul bikes to the events and I load these bikes within inches of each other and have yet to have a strap come undone on me. I disagree with the train of thought on suspension compression also. What is the difference if it is strapped down in a trailer or loaded two up with full gear running across the country?

Everyone has to do what they feel is correct in their mind. Granted it takes me a fair share of time to strap 10-12 bikes in the trailer. That is time I'd rather be doing nothing! For a two place trailer there may be better options than the old strap and wheel chock method, I just wouldn't trust it. 

[Twolanerider]

My reply to that is, either the strap is of poor quality or incorrectly used. I say that as I get paid to haul bikes to the events and I load these bikes within inches of each other and have yet to have a strap come undone on me. I disagree with the train of thought on suspension compression also. What is the difference if it is strapped down in a trailer or loaded two up with full gear running across the country?

Everyone has to do what they feel is correct in their mind. Granted it takes me a fair share of time to strap 10-12 bikes in the trailer. That is time I'd rather be doing nothing! For a two place trailer there may be better options than the old strap and wheel chock method, I just wouldn't trust it. 

My thoughts were much the same Mike.  Have used (good) straps for years.  Sure, still check them.  But they work.  At least when used correctly.

This new mousetrap may be handy.  Will readily admit if I used it or anything like it I'd not trust its one mount in the middle as my only support though.  Bike would still get strapped.

Glad that some found a device they like.  Sometimes good enough really is good enough though.  It takes only minutes to securely and effectively strap.  It's safe, proven and when done correctly doesn't hurt the bike.  Most important; I trust it.  I might come to trust a single central mount.  But when the manufacturer itself warns of continued lateral stresses as a potential problem for cross loaded applications there's no way I'd not also use a strap.  That being so the good front loading chocks and straps have and will continue to work just fine.

[Grizzly]

These "round table discussions" are wonderful!

Thanks for all the great input guys! 

[2harleys]

My reply to that is, either the strap is of poor quality or incorrectly used. I say that as I get paid to haul bikes to the events and I load these bikes within inches of each other and have yet to have a strap come undone on me. I disagree with the train of thought on suspension compression also. What is the difference if it is strapped down in a trailer or loaded two up with full gear running across the country?

Everyone has to do what they feel is correct in their mind. Granted it takes me a fair share of time to strap 10-12 bikes in the trailer. That is time I'd rather be doing nothing! For a two place trailer there may be better options than the old strap and wheel chock method, I just wouldn't trust it. 

Not trying to cause any problems on this site, but since you are a professional hauler, I do have a question for you. How do you go about tying down "properly" on two full dressed Ultra Classic CVO's with full fairing and lowers. And how do you get a proper angle on your straps when you have only inches of clearance side to side? Everything I have ever read says you should NOT tie to handlebars on these bikes. What method do you use? I know a professional hauler would have no use for the system that I use, because you would have to get wreches out and readjust for each bike. That would be absolutely stupid to do. But for the recreational hauler, I still believe the strapless system is superior. When I did use straps I was using 4 -3 inch ratchet straps on the front and one on the ass end around the wheel. I never could find a way that I was 100% happy with to attach the front straps for a long haul. As for the suspension  -- the bike is doing what it was designed to do when going down the road loaded, but I think if you asked anyone from the MOCO about how they feel about leaving that suspension "loaded" for an extended period of time, they might tell you it was not designed to be "pulled" down and locked for days in a trailer. IMO  Sorry if I ruffled any one's fur on this subject, but I was just showing soneone what I think is a great way to haul a couple of bikes.

[porthole]

I thought Bike Pro might be to light.

The Bike Pro chocks are defiantly up to the task of 800+ pound dressers.
The nice ting about the Bike Pro or Condor type "over center" chocks is that you can ride in and step off.

The nice thing about the Bike Pro as far as strapping is that I do not have to compress my suspension at all if I choose not to, and I don’t.

I use a strap to wrap the front wheel into the chock. The straps on the forks, bars or wherever you place them only keep the bike from leaning on turns.
For the rear I also do the same.

For the most part I have one strap around the front wheel, which holds the bike in the chock. Two on the forks to keep the bike from leaning and two on the rear to keep the bike from tail walking.
Sometimes on long trips I may place an additional strap through the rear wheel to help keep the bike from moving forward in an emergency stop. I doubt that I need it though.

The other thing I like about the Bike Pro is it takes 30 seconds to remove the chock from the trailer and use the trailer for other purposes. Currently I have two Bike Pro chocks and three plates in the trailer. Will be getting two more plates for my toy hauler. And I have an additional plate in the garage for when I wan the bike to stand upright.

The only negative I have seen with the Bike Pro is that after hundreds of miles it takes a little bit of effort to get the front wheel to pop out, certainly not discouraging though.

Thanks went to site.  Have you seen system work? Not a lot to spend if it works.  Could not tell from the info on the page if something mounts on the motorcycle tough?
I see now the bar mounts to the frame before loading.  Can’t forget that it on there! Is a height change forgiving or are the grove slots for the bar allow it to guide right in?

Is this chock easy to remove from the trailer when you are not using the trailer for bikes.

[2harleys]

My thoughts were much the same Mike.  Have used (good) straps for years.  Sure, still check them.  But they work.  At least when used correctly.

This new mousetrap may be handy.  Will readily admit if I used it or anything like it I'd not trust its one mount in the middle as my only support though.  Bike would still get strapped.

Glad that some found a device they like.  Sometimes good enough really is good enough though.  It takes only minutes to securely and effectively strap.  It's safe, proven and when done correctly doesn't hurt the bike.  Most important; I trust it.  I might come to trust a single central mount.  But when the manufacturer itself warns of continued lateral stresses as a potential problem for cross loaded applications there's no way I'd not also use a strap.  That being so the good front loading chocks and straps have and will continue to work just fine.

Everone I know hauls their bikes in their trailer front to back, not side to side, so that does not come into play. They are talking about not hauling on the back of a motorhome etc. where the bike would have a lot of stress on the frame in a sudden stop or acceleration. I DO agree with you -- If it works for you --GREAT, if you are happy,  GREAT,  but someone out there might see something they like better.   Is'nt that what this site is all about?? After I load my bikes, I never have to "check" again, as I m certain they will be EXACTLY like they were when I loaded them ( after 10 miles or 2,000 miles).  

[porthole]

One thing to keep in mind with straps, and even the best have this inherent issue, is that after cinching them down you need to check it after a hour or so to cinch up for any stretching. They are mostly nylon straps and nylon has a inherent stretch.

[Twolanerider]

  Sorry if I ruffled any one's fur on this subject, but I was just showing soneone what I think is a great way to haul a couple of bikes.

Don't see any apologies necessary.  In fact didn't see a problem until you mentioned.  Had so far been just a discussion of options.  Nothing the matter with that.

As for tieing down the front end of a fairing bike I've done it a few times over the years.  Use a Condor or other loading front wheel chock and soft ties around any of the several places that can be grabbed. Exposed crash bar adjacent to lower fairings.  Front peg mounts.  Carefully around legs.  Front wheel pulling forward.  Lots of options if one looks close.  Have always found enough tie points to pull forward or outward or somehow to be secure without having to pull heavily downward and compress the forks.  You're right too in that I never pull down on the handlebars.

With good straps and careful location hunting it works.  Relatively easily too.  It's trusted (which makes a lot of difference) and takes well less than ten minutes.  That center bar mount might take less time putting it on and taking it off and tweaking it to adjust to the base.  But I'll trade a couple of extra minutes to feel more secure and have the redundance of multiple strap locations rather than just the one base mount.  Even if I used the base mount I'd still throw a couple straps front and rear.  So it just wouldn't save me anything.

[Grizzly]

Hey 2Harleys,

It's obvious that you're very high on the BGS system and good for you that you've found the perfect setup that works for you!  That's one thing I love about this fantastic site... Reading and learning from everyone's personal experiences...  You can always learn something new if you pay attention.

As mentioned earlier, I'm very interested in this BGS system and have read your comments and visited the site to view photos etc.

One question I have is... I can see how the base unit is bolted to the trailer floor and the docking bar is clamped to the frame of the bike and then snaps into the base unit.  It appears that you hand tighten the bar to the frame by screwing the end of it... What keeps this bar from wiggling loose when in transport?  

No matter how secure the base is attached to the floor and no matter how secure the docking bar is attached to the base unit, if the bar should become loose from the frame, you've got a serious problem!  

The video and reading material has a lot of info, but I didn't see anything about this.

Your input would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!
Grizzly

PS - Did you happen to view the video on the Wheel Dock system that I currently use and love?

[porthole]

This looks like a fairly good mount, albeit a bit pricey, but convenience can be everything. If you only ever have one or two of the same bikes in the trailer then that is one thing, but different models and different brands might add to your set up time a bit.
Does the clamp mar the frame at all when mounted?

As for the suspension  -- the bike is doing what it was designed to do when going down the road loaded, but I think if you asked anyone from the MOCO about how they feel about leaving that suspension "loaded" for an extended period of time, they might tell you it was not designed to be "pulled" down and locked for days in a trailer.

Looking at the video I tend to disagree. It is very obvious that the mount, when the bike is latching in, is unloading the suspension somewhat. Doesn't matter if it is 1/8" to 1", the trailer "ride" is being transferred to the frame as well as the suspension.


One thing I can add that doesn't concern what type of chock you have: if you have a transition flap from the trailer to the ramp, you need to be aware of this flap moving.

When we brought LtBawb's SEEG home from Rhode Island several years there was an "issue" in the trailer.

Driving through the crappy roads of NYC on Rt. 95, somewhere along the line we hit a bump hard enough that the bike and the flap moved at just the right time frame that the rear fender came down on the flap, denting the fender and cracking the paint.

I have since added a catch to the flap to prevent this in the future, but it was at the expense of a Screamin Eagle fender.

Although on the plus side, on that same trip, on the same stretch of  road, while sitting in traffic, a piece of concrete about 18” long and 6”x6” fell off a bridge and just missed the front fender of my truck!

[2harleys]

Hey 2Harleys,

It's obvious that you're very high on the BGS system and good for you that you've found the perfect setup that works for you!  That's one thing I love about this fantastic site... Reading and learning from everyone's personal experiences...  You can always learn something new if you pay attention.

As mentioned earlier, I'm very interested in this BGS system and have read your comments and visited the site to view photos etc.

One question I have is... I can see how the base unit is bolted to the trailer floor and the docking bar is clamped to the frame of the bike and then snaps into the base unit.  It appears that you hand tighten the bar to the frame by screwing the end of it... What keeps this bar from wiggling loose when in transport?  

No matter how secure the base is attached to the floor and no matter how secure the docking bar is attached to the base unit, if the bar should become loose from the frame, you've got a serious problem!  

The video and reading material has a lot of info, but I didn't see anything about this.

Your input would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!
Grizzly

PS - Did you happen to view the video on the Wheel Dock system that I currently use and love?

The bar mounted to the bike is basically a large screw clamp that has a handle mounted to it to tighten the screw. That handle is weighted so it always stays down when trailering. It would be impossible for that screw to come loose until your hand unscrews it. As for wheel chocks  -- they say you do not need them but I use the Pro chocks in my trailer with this system. With my front wheel locked into the Pro chock and the frame solidly mounted to the floor, I just fail to see how you could make it more secure. Throw some straps on also if it makes you feel better, since you probably already have some straps. But that is over kill.

[2harleys]

This looks like a fairly good mount, albeit a bit pricey, but convenience can be everything. If you only ever have one or two of the same bikes in the trailer then that is one thing, but different models and different brands might add to your set up time a bit.
Does the clamp mar the frame at all when mounted?

Looking at the video I tend to disagree. It is very obvious that the mount, when the bike is latching in, is unloading the suspension somewhat. Doesn't matter if it is 1/8" to 1", the trailer "ride" is being transferred to the frame as well as the suspension.


One thing I can add that doesn't concern what type of chock you have: if you have a transition flap from the trailer to the ramp, you need to be aware of this flap moving.

When we brought LtBawb's SEEG home from Rhode Island several years there was an "issue" in the trailer.

Driving through the crappy roads of NYC on Rt. 95, somewhere along the line we hit a bump hard enough that the bike and the flap moved at just the right time frame that the rear fender came down on the flap, denting the fender and cracking the paint.

I have since added a catch to the flap to prevent this in the future, but it was at the expense of a Screamin Eagle fender.

Although on the plus side, on that same trip, on the same stretch of  road, while sitting in traffic, a piece of concrete about 18” long and 6”x6” fell off a bridge and just missed the front fender of my truck!

I will concede that if you are going to haul different bikes alot  -- this is probably not the mount you would want to use. Each bike would have to have the plate adjusted to it which could take an extra 15 or twenty ninutes to do. But I haul the same bikes all of the time, so that is not a concern for me. The bar does not leave ANY marks as it has a very thick strong rubber where it contacts the frame, and it mounts right at the crossbar of the frame so it does not "tweak" the frame.  As for the back flap on my trailer it is made in such a manner that it does not move when in the up position. If system is adjusted properly it does not unload the suspension at all, but some of the ride of the trailer would definitely transfer to the frame of the bike.

[porthole]

As for the back flap on my trailer it is made in such a manner that it does not move when in the up position.

Mine too, now.

Was just throwing this out in general as most trailers I have seen with the flap do not secure the flap. And in the shorter 10-12 foot trailers this can be an issue. In my case, where the cross member is on the frame dictates where I mounted the chock. If the cross member was 1 or 2 inches further forward it never would have been an issue.

[Puzzled]

How do you go about tying down "properly" on two full dressed Ultra Classic CVO's with full fairing and lowers.
I use the lower tree the vast majority of the time. When that is not possible I use the the frame as a lashing point. I set my straps right around where the neck joins the frame. In conjunction with my main lashing points I use the crach vbar as a secondary strap. I also use the bars to strap to the walls to stop left to right movement. I don't ever use the bars on a Harley as a primary lashing point. On sport bikes this is the only way to strap them in.

Sport bike going in. (no bagger pics on this computer)



And how do you get a proper angle on your straps when you have only inches of clearance side to side?
Your missing the fact that the fairing is wider than the actual front end. With two fairing bikes close to each other there is a couple of feet between the tires.

Everything I have ever read says you should NOT tie to handlebars on these bikes.
On a Harley I agree.

When I did use straps I was using 4 -3 inch ratchet straps on the front and one on the ass end around the wheel.
That is still me. I use 8-10 straps on a Harley and 4-6 on a Sport Bike.

they might tell you it was not designed to be "pulled" down and locked for days in a trailer. IMO
You either strap it tight or risk the straps coming un-done.

Sorry if I ruffled any one's fur on this subject, but I was just showing soneone what I think is a great way to haul a couple of bikes.
Don't be sorry. There is more than one way to do things. Choices. This is why there is more than one flavor of ice cream.