Tie down strap question.

[Rosie1965]

Will be picking up my new to me Venture Royale tomorrow and can't wait.

I will be bringing it home on a trailer as the weather around here isn't too great yet.

What I'm wondering is where is the best place to hook the tie down straps. My other bikes don't have all this bodywork to worry about so they are pretty easy.

Any help is appreciated. By the way, it's a 1990.

[Cougar]

Hey Steve, welcome.. Some with that year bike will chime in real soon on how to tie it down for you,, we should hook up one day we live near Iowa City.. Hey look under MEET AND EATS

HERE: http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?t=66362

And please show up with your new bike in July.. be great to meet with you.

I am betting that you will tie it at the front forks .

Jeff

[twigg]

At the front tie it down round the lower triple tree

 

Anywhere across the rear subframe at the back, just don't have the straps on any plastic.

 

On my trailer I also add a strap tying the front wheel to the front of the trailer.

 

The bike should be upright, both stands stowed.

 

I found it easier to use separate straps on each side, so, four in all plus the front wheel.

 

It didn't move an inch.

[friesman]

When I got mine from the previous owner I rented a uhaul trailer and made up a wheel chock out of 2x4 to help hold the front wheel straight. I felt that I wanted to keep the front wheel facing directly straight forward and not tuned and case of any forward pressure would be absorbed by the whole front fork assy, not one side or the other.

 

Brian

[MiCarl]

At the front tie it down round the lower triple tree

 

Anywhere across the rear subframe at the back, just don't have the straps on any plastic.

 

On my trailer I also add a strap tying the front wheel to the front of the trailer.

 

The bike should be upright, both stands stowed.

 

I found it easier to use separate straps on each side, so, four in all plus the front wheel.

 

It didn't move an inch.

 

Like he said. Assuming your trailer isn't quite wide those front tie downs won't touch anything.

 

On your 90 the front of the bag guards are beefy enough to tie off the rear. Use the lower outside corners.

 

I like to load the suspension up a bit, you don't want the thing bouncing to slack your lines.

[KIC]

I used soft straps on the handlebars then attached down to the trailer. 2 more on the front forks. 2 on the rear using the rails in front of the bags, and one on each sideleft to right.

 

Sounds like over kill..probably was. Now he is the biggest suggestion i can make:

 

Use bungee cords on your straps. I lost my KLR650 when I went over a speed bump and the bike rocked just enough for 1 strap to pop loose. I learned that if you use a bungee cord between two straps, if there is any play in the strap it goes to the side instead of the top or bottom, loosing the strap.

 

Good luck on the bike !

 

Bill

[twigg]

I used soft straps on the handlebars then attached down to the trailer. 2 more on the front forks. 2 on the rear using the rails in front of the bags, and one on each sideleft to right.

 

Sounds like over kill..probably was. Now he is the biggest suggestion i can make:

 

Use bungee cords on your straps. I lost my KLR650 when I went over a speed bump and the bike rocked just enough for 1 strap to pop loose. I learned that if you use a bungee cord between two straps, if there is any play in the strap it goes to the side instead of the top or bottom, loosing the strap.

 

Good luck on the bike !

 

Bill

 

You can use handlebar straps, but with most configurations that will have the straps catching the fairing (ask me how I know!)

 

There should never be any slack .... Use ratchet straps and tighten them enough to compress the suspension about halfway through its travel.

 

This is always a stressful job until you have done it once and found that the bike hasn't moved in 500 miles ... Then you relax the next time

[tz89]

figure 8 off the fork brace in front, bag guards in back, and I used 2 lateral at the sides.

 

If you use the handlebars: you have to load the suspension or it may get loose, and have to avoid the plastic. Before the method above I went from the handle bars backward and the bag guards forward.

[Rosie1965]

Thanks for the tips. On my Magna I just hook to the bars and the rear grab bar and load the suspension.

Without having the Venture here to examine, wasn't quite sure where to hook. The trailer is big enough that I can pull it up against the front rail and load the suspension then pull back and down on rear protectors. Minimum of 4 straps.

Jeff, plan on putting plenty of miles on the old girl this summer. Plan on running the great river road at least to Wisconsin. Looking forward to meeting up with other members.

[bongobobny]

A front wheel chock is a tremendous help! Harbor Freight has a nice one, or as suggested you can make one out of 2X4's...

[KIC]

You can use handlebar straps, but with most configurations that will have the straps catching the fairing (ask me how I know!)

 

There should never be any slack .... Use ratchet straps and tighten them enough to compress the suspension about halfway through its travel.

 

This is always a stressful job until you have done it once and found that the bike hasn't moved in 500 miles ... Then you relax the next time

 

I didn't put a lot of tension on the soft straps running over the fairing. I used them to stabilized the bike as soon as the bike was on the trailer. they had a good high point of stabilization from left to right. I used the lower points to "hold the bike still". Should have clarified that in the original post.