Long haul transporting of my bike..

I'm going to be putting my new bike on a trailer and hauling it over a 2-3 day trek from Saskatchewan-BC (2000+ kms or ~1500 miles) when my work here is done in a month or so.

My question is this: is there any potential damage to the front shocks if they're compressed for hauling for that long? should I adjust them to the softest/hardest setting beforehand, or should I just make sure I let them relax a little bit after each stretch of the drive??

Thanks
 
I'm going to be putting my new bike on a trailer and hauling it over a 2-3 day trek from Saskatchewan-BC (2000+ kms or ~1500 miles) when my work here is done in a month or so.

My question is this: is there any potential damage to the front shocks if they're compressed for hauling for that long? should I adjust them to the softest/hardest setting beforehand, or should I just make sure I let them relax a little bit after each stretch of the drive??

Thanks

You shouldn't have to compress the forks all that much to begin with. If the bike is kept in gear and you use more of a "side to side" strapping position, it should hold the bike just fine. Tony and I drove 15 hours to Deal's Gap and neither of our bikes had their forks compressed.
 
No need to really adjust the forks for transporting it. The main thing is that you should compress the front suspension a little, but make sure the forks don't bottom out. Just check the straps at every gas stop to make sure everything remains secure.
 
I agree that you shouldn't have to compress the shocks.
If you are hauling your bike I would really thinking about grabbing one of these:

Canyon Dancer Bar Harness II - Street Bike - Motorcycle Superstore

0000_Canyon_Dancer_Bar_Harness_II_Black.jpg


This will allow you to have more support without having to ratchet your tie downs so tight.
There are a couple of different models and you can shop it around for price. I think this is a great piece of equipment.
 
I agree that you shouldn't have to compress the shocks.
If you are hauling your bike I would really thinking about grabbing one of these:

Canyon Dancer Bar Harness II - Street Bike - Motorcycle Superstore

0000_Canyon_Dancer_Bar_Harness_II_Black.jpg


This will allow you to have more support without having to ratchet your tie downs so tight.
There are a couple of different models and you can shop it around for price. I think this is a great piece of equipment.

good suggestion and I picked one up when I grabbed the bike from the dealership ;) they work great
 
and whatever you do, do not make an attempt to cover your bike for the trek. let it get dirty and clean it when you get home. I have a buddy who tried to cover his bike on the trailer to keep it clean on the way home and the cover came loose. It preceeded to whip all the paint off of the top of the fuel tank.
 
You shouldn't have to compress the forks all that much to begin with. If the bike is kept in gear and you use more of a "side to side" strapping position, it should hold the bike just fine. Tony and I drove 15 hours to Deal's Gap and neither of our bikes had their forks compressed.

Never transport a bike "in gear" this can cause accelerated wear on the gears of the transmission and or any of the other driveline components including the crankshaft. Sounds crazy but this is true for cars, ATVs, trucks, etc. as well. Something I read in a service manual. :)
 
Never transport a bike "in gear" this can cause accelerated wear on the gears of the transmission and or any of the other driveline components including the crankshaft. Sounds crazy but this is true for cars, ATVs, trucks, etc. as well. Something I read in a service manual. :)

That's only if the rear tire is on the ground spinning, as in towing a car with the drive wheels on the ground. For a motorcycle it will be on a trailer so it's a non issue.

For trailering a bike I use four Ancra brand tie downs, and only Ancra brand; pulling to each of the four corners of the trailer. I also use a Baxley chock to place the front wheel into. I also pull it down tight, not half-assed. Your forks will be fine. Afterall they are made to compress all the way to the end of their travel.
 
That's only if the rear tire is on the ground spinning, as in towing a car with the drive wheels on the ground. For a motorcycle it will be on a trailer so it's a non issue.

For trailering a bike I use four Ancra brand tie downs, and only Ancra brand; pulling to each of the four corners of the trailer. I also use a Baxley chock to place the front wheel into. I also pull it down tight, not half-assed. Your forks will be fine. Afterall they are made to compress all the way to the end of their travel.

Pete, while I agree that there is no issue with compressing the forks, you really don't want to compress them to the end of their travel. By doing that you could damage them if you hit some large bumps or pot holes since they'll bottom out hard. You want to leave a little travel for the forks to absorb some of the road impacts. Just my...:2cents:
 
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