tie downs on a "B"

I've tied down dozens of bikes, hauled them thousands of miles but the "B" has got me scratching my head. Front forks and / or front engine guards, got that figured out. I can't figure out the rear tie downs. The rear engine guards are so low that I can't "ratchet" the strap tight / can't get enough slack out to tighten it down.
We're tight on space so I don't want to take the bike apart.
We're using our Ramp-Free trailer & we have my G/F's Scout beside my B. Heading to Canada for a month, 1300+ miles one way. We don't need any tie down issues on the interstate.
Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated.
Thanks

try using straps around and through the rear wheel.

I agree. One strap from tie down on trailer then through and around the rear wheel and then to other tie down point and ratchet it tight. I have done it dozens of times with no issues

Thanks, I've done the wheel deal on other bikes. I'll give it a try on the B. I wanted to do a "practice run" long before we go, so I'll have all the tie down points figured out.
Found out I've got to ad some tongue weight, that's a first.

I run two straps with loop extenders on the front between the triple tree and the tie down and then two looped thru the rear tire pulling opposite directions to keep her centered. One caveat tho, I've had no luck with "fancy" straps and use plain simple ones. The supposedly better ones kept loosening up regardless of how I used them.

Thanks Chief, I'll give it a try = as far as "fancy", if it ain't broke, don't fix it or KISS; Keep It Simple Stupid.

They were supposed to be specifically for tying down bikes. I found them to long and they tended to loosen up for no reason. My cheap old standby straps work perfectly every time. The loop extenders are awesome thou, loop them around your triple tree and thru themselves and you have an instant tie down for the bike. Funny how I've only found them at HD places....:icon_wink:

Amazon

I've trailered (Kendon ride-up) my B to Sedona, AZ from northern IL three times, once to Wrightsville Beach, NC, once to Franklin, NC and twice to Philadelphia, PA with no problems. All told over 17,000 miles. I do a 12" soft loop at each fork leg and triple tree clamp and then a ratchet strap from there to the trailer. In the rear I use soft loops around the frame under the side cover and then down to the axle of the trailer. The angle is such that I don't even have to remove the covers once the soft loop is in placed, so I just leave them there when riding. BTW, using the rear protector bars is a no-no -- several folks have done it and had the bolts break off. Designed for upward loads if the bike goes over, not downward loads.

Thanks for the info. Going to check out the frame tie downs that sounds like the way to go. Already doing the triple tree deal. At first I was going to use the F & R crash bars but read it's not a good idea. With 2 bikes on the trailer, it's pretty tight between them. We have one of the first ramp-free trailers, I'm sure they're better now.
Thanks !

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Mine are looped around the frame and I never remove them.

Remember, The B has an aluminum frame. So don't ratchet it down like you do lighter bikes. It can ride on its own suspension. Just strap it with side to side tension. You want to keep it straight up. Let it bounce on the shocks. It won't move much like your on the road. The trailer suspension will take up some of the road shock. Strap the tires at the bottom and as high as you can without hitting anything. Hard to do on the back tire.
It scared me to haul it without pulling it down hard but worked good. You can strap it downward slightly, to help keep it in the trailer in case of an emergency. Main thing is let it ride on its own.
A good wheel chock is a must.

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Originally Posted by Radical Taz

Attachment 5149Attachment 5148
Mine are looped around the frame and I never remove them.

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Yes, ditto for me. With the side covers on they are pretty much out of sight. The primary reason for tying down the rear of the rear of the bike is to keep it from swinging sideways during a hard turn or hard breaking with bumps that would allow the rear of the bike to lift off the trailer and swing. As such, the straps don't need to pull down real hard on the suspension, just keep the bike centered and prevent it from swinging sideways.

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Originally Posted by Travelor

I've trailered (Kendon ride-up) my B to Sedona, AZ from northern IL three times, once to Wrightsville Beach, NC, once to Franklin, NC and twice to Philadelphia, PA with no problems. All told over 17,000 miles. I do a 12" soft loop at each fork leg and triple tree clamp and then a ratchet strap from there to the trailer. In the rear I use soft loops around the frame under the side cover and then down to the axle of the trailer. The angle is such that I don't even have to remove the covers once the soft loop is in placed, so I just leave them there when riding. BTW, using the rear protector bars is a no-no -- several folks have done it and had the bolts break off. Designed for upward loads if the bike goes over, not downward loads.

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Travelor, you obviously didn't have any issues with the Kendon and the B, which is great news! I have a Kendon single, and have used it to haul my FJR, but have never put the B on it. I've been thinking of trailering to Cortez, because Texas is pretty damn boring and hot in August, but wondered about getting the big B(east) on the Kendon. Any tips/tricks? I did have to cut the chock down slightly, so it wouldn't whack the front fender on the FJR, was wonderign if there was anything else I needed to look out for... TIA!

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Originally Posted by Travelor

Yes, ditto for me. With the side covers on they are pretty much out of sight. The primary reason for tying down the rear of the rear of the bike is to keep it from swinging sideways during a hard turn or hard breaking with bumps that would allow the rear of the bike to lift off the trailer and swing. As such, the straps don't need to pull down real hard on the suspension, just keep the bike centered and prevent it from swinging sideways.

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Exactly how and why I use them!!!!

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Originally Posted by jmdaniel

Travelor, you obviously didn't have any issues with the Kendon and the B, which is great news! I have a Kendon single, and have used it to haul my FJR, but have never put the B on it. I've been thinking of trailering to Cortez, because Texas is pretty damn boring and hot in August, but wondered about getting the big B(east) on the Kendon. Any tips/tricks? I did have to cut the chock down slightly, so it wouldn't whack the front fender on the FJR, was wonderign if there was anything else I needed to look out for... TIA!

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I did upgrade my Kendon single to the ride up version. Upgrade is available for 2003 and later trailers if yours is not already a "ride up" model. No way I was trying to load the B on that narrow standard ramp and trailer tail piece. Cost of that upgrade was about $500 from Kendon. Now I just ride it on and off. The chock guide rails on older trailers are also a little close together for the width of the B front tire, so tire rides up on the guides rather than just fitting between them. As a result you really have to hold the front wheel straight as it rides on the guide bars. I didn't like this so I also upgraded the chock and guide bar assemble to the newer style where the front tire bits between the bars, and there is no twisting effect. The chock is also much lower and adjustable for tire diameter which make for much easier loading and unloading. This upgrade was $200 from Kendon a couple of years ago. Wore out two tires in 5,000 miles because of too HIGH tire pressure after listening to all the idiots on the web who say to always run trailer tires at the maximum pressure. That is only valid if you are also at the maximum load. Tires on the Kendon are rated at about 1,300 pounds each (at least mine were) but the B on the trailer is only a 1,200 - 1,300 pound total load. I put new radials on, loaded the B and took it on some test runs for 50 miles at 65 mph. Settled on 38 pounds which yielded only a 3 pound pressure increase and a 12 - 15 degree temperature rise of the tire (well within limits). Got a much, much smoother ride. Then I happened to look at the FAQ's on the Kendon website and lo and behold their recommendation is 36 - 38 pounds!
I DO NOT keep the spare on the trailer when trailering the B because the weight of the B makes the trailer ride too low and the spare will rub on the road over bumps. Hope this helps.

My G/F owns a "Ramp Free." It worked okay with less weight or one bike. For our 2600 mile round trip, I did a load / tie down test with it. While cranking it up & it was hard to crank, it was loaded w/ my "B" & her Indian Scout, the damn nylon strap broke & the 1350-1400# load (both bikes) went crashing to the shop floor. The frame flew up, hit my L side, knocked the wind out of me also chipped a bone in my L. elbow, left a sizeable bruise on my side & elbow. 2 days later, I went out & brought a new 12' dove tail flat bed & rigged it w/ wheel chocks & tie downs to haul bikes. It has a higher weight rating, no nylon lifting straps or locking pins to worry about. Cost about 1/2 what her "Ramp Free" cost. I feel much safer loading, unloading & tying down our bikes. == still nervous about hauling our bikes 2600 miles round trip. For side tie downs, I removed the rider foot pegs, cut a 2' piece of angle (made it pretty) to fit in the ft. peg holes. Will hook the tie down straps in them. I can not access the side frame w/o removing the custom seat.

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Originally Posted by Travelor

I did upgrade my Kendon single to the ride up version. Upgrade is available for 2003 and later trailers if yours is not already a "ride up" model. No way I was trying to load the B on that narrow standard ramp and trailer tail piece. Cost of that upgrade was about $500 from Kendon. Now I just ride it on and off. The chock guide rails on older trailers are also a little close together for the width of the B front tire, so tire rides up on the guides rather than just fitting between them. As a result you really have to hold the front wheel straight as it rides on the guide bars. I didn't like this so I also upgraded the chock and guide bar assemble to the newer style where the front tire bits between the bars, and there is no twisting effect. The chock is also much lower and adjustable for tire diameter which make for much easier loading and unloading. This upgrade was $200 from Kendon a couple of years ago. Wore out two tires in 5,000 miles because of too HIGH tire pressure after listening to all the idiots on the web who say to always run trailer tires at the maximum pressure. That is only valid if you are also at the maximum load. Tires on the Kendon are rated at about 1,300 pounds each (at least mine were) but the B on the trailer is only a 1,200 - 1,300 pound total load. I put new radials on, loaded the B and took it on some test runs for 50 miles at 65 mph. Settled on 38 pounds which yielded only a 3 pound pressure increase and a 12 - 15 degree temperature rise of the tire (well within limits). Got a much, much smoother ride. Then I happened to look at the FAQ's on the Kendon website and lo and behold their recommendation is 36 - 38 pounds!
I DO NOT keep the spare on the trailer when trailering the B because the weight of the B makes the trailer ride too low and the spare will rub on the road over bumps. Hope this helps.

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It does! I'm going to shoot you a PM with another q or 2, but gotta run, packing for a vaykay...

Retro kit installed! Travelor, do you have any pics of your B on the Kendon?

https://i.imgur.com/lOJOL1c.jpg

That's how I tie down mine go to Florida 2400 miles round trip no problem at all.

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Originally Posted by Youngw1500

That's how I tie down mine go to Florida 2400 miles round trip no problem at all.

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Where/when in Florida?????