[mwdhand]

What ever you do, do not quickly release the tied down bike with no one helping hold the bike steady. The uncompressing of the shock on only one side will wake you up quick!!!! try to release a little bit alternating sides.

:them:

Without a good wheel chock, this could suck big time.

 

[Torinate]

I used an open trailer (U-Haul) - non-motorcycle specific for 800 miles. Worked great and was no problem what so ever. It didn't have wheel chocks. But, the floor was "grooved" metal and the wheels fit into them ok. Once it was strapped down they weren't sliding or kicking out no way.

Good luck!

 

[waterwerks]

Well thanks to all of you for the info...I will be using the enclose U-Haul 5x8 trailer because I just don't want to worry about the bike getting messed up on an 1100+ mile trip across country. I will be purchasing the tie-downs with the soft ends on them as well a wheel brace for the front end.

Again..I know I could count on everyone's help with this...I've been very worried about how I was going to get my bike out to New Mexico. I was NOT going to let the government ship it as part of my household goods on the moving truck like they wanted to do...plus I want to be able to talk my tools and some other stuff along with me in the trailer that I don't trust the movers with.

 

[stomper]

Make sure that 5 x 8 has the tie down rings on the floor. I don't recall them on the ones that I saw at the U Haul dealer around here.

 

[waterwerks]

As for the tie-downs...I will probably purchase a set and just put them in the trailer...or I might do like someone else said and use a 3/4" sheet of plywood and set the tie-downs in it so I can just remove them after I'm finished...

 

[stomper]

.or I might do like someone else said and use a 3/4" sheet of plywood and set the tie-downs in it so I can just remove them after I'm finished...

Not sure if I understand that theory but aren't you just securing the bike to the piece of wood it is sitting on? Whats to stop the bike and plywood from moving around - sideways or up and down when you hit big bumps ?

 

[Homewrek]

My 100 mile trip in a U-Haul

I bought my "D" from a guy in NJ and I transported it in a 5' X 10' U-haul with tie down rings back to Connecticut. I did well without any movement at all on the 100 mile trek as follows:

-2 HD tie downs with protective handlebar straps that went around the triple tree. The bike was pretty much secure right there
-No wheel chocks on a U-haul or any way to mount them in a rented trailer (you can't drill holes) so I made my own in a sense. Get a 4" x 4" block about 2' long. I wedged that behind the back of the front tire. I then used 48" SHD cable ties that went around the wood block on either side of the tire and looped 2 cable ties together to secure it to the front end of the trailer. That kept the wheel from moving at all and also helped secure the front wheel so it wouldn't slip out from under itself and slide side to side.
-2 more HD tie downs looped around the back tire and pulling that tight and then securing them to the D-rings in the back of the trailer.
-I went for overkill and looped a few cable ties together and secured the back tire going straight back to the rear of the trailer and secured it on the gate.
The bottom line is that the tie downs on the D-rings were probably all that I needed but the 175lb cable ties provided extra insurance and piece of mind.
I hit plenty of pot holes and other surface issues on the NJ turnpike and going over bridges and bad roads on the Major Deegan in the Bronx but the bike never moved at all.
Good luck.