Beull Lightning Tie Down Question

[rishardh]

Thanks again for all your input.

Did a search and found out that the block of wood trick are for dirt bikes where the fork travel is much greater than sports bikes.

Bossanoava, mine does not have the condor, just the standard rails. Do you walk your bike or ride the bike into position? Either way you can only back it out by walking. Good tip on using rags on sharp edges so the straps don't cut.

I decided to use 6 straps.
- 1 set on the lower triple
- 1 set on the handlebar
- 1 set on the rear seat beam

Idea was if one of the strap fails the others will hold the bike in place. If these straps were cheap I would have used more.

I will try and strap it down this weekend and take some pics. Want to take it for a test ride before the actual trip. I've never pulled a trailer or strapped down a bike before. Wish me luck

 

[jerseymayhem]

........holy overkill batman......

 

[cyclonemick]

4 straps is all you need! I have used 2 Ratchet straps while hauling my Cyclone in the back of my Ranger plenty of times! Just hooked them up around the bars but if you use 4 it will just give you piece of mind! It's a good idea to stop every hour or so or when you get gas just to make sure things have not loosend up on you! When you compress forks make sure you do not get crazy tight just enough where it won't wobble, I have seen plenty of people over the years blow out Fork Seals but compressing forks way to much!

 

[xtremelow]

I use 4 straps with rear pass. pegs and 3 straps without, I just hook the straps to a cicrle strap that is wrapped around the top triple tree so I am not putting all the pressure on the bars, note this is on a Firebolt but I do the same thing on my fiances Lightning. Then in the rear I just strap through the wheel w/o pass. pegs.

Best pictures I have of my bikes loaded up as I first got them.

 

[Bossanova]

Do you walk your bike or ride the bike into position?

I walk it on. With the condor chauk, once it is up on the trailer, it is kind of locked in and you can leave it to start strapping it down.
These trailers pull really nice but they are VERY hard to back up so be careful (since you have never driven with a trailer). They track very close to the car so you can actually pull through a fast food drive-thru. Try a trial run, pull the trailer for 15 minutes or so and stop and check the straps. after that they are good for hundreds of miles.

btw, six straps is an over kill but I don't think everyone on here knows what this trailer is, or looks like. If a strap fails, and the bike falls over, it falls in the road...

 

[rishardh]

Loaded the bike to the trailer and did my first pull. Stopped after 3 miles to tighten the straps. All straps were good except for one at the back which had to be tighten. Took it on the highway and got off and checked after 10 miles. All straps were still nice and tight.

Yes, backing up was tricky. I think I figured it out in the end. Looking back instead of using the mirrors helped cos I could make corrections before it was too late to make it go the other way.

Here are some pics. Included the 'Trailer in a Bag' setup for those of you who have not seen it.

 

[sk8ace]

I have never seen that before, looks great! I might have to pick up one of those!

 

[rishardh]

Overkill... maybe You should see me in full gear riding down 2 blocks, all residencial neighborhoods, 20mph speed limit, to get some milk.

Bossanova, walking the bike on the trailer was easier than I thought it would be. I did not push it. I was on first gear. Will unclip the license plate/light attachment to avoid hopping over it.

How far off the ground is your hitch ball. I think mine is too low. Could hear the chains drag when going over a dip in our alley. I was trying to keep the rail level.

 

[jerseymayhem]

i guess with a trailer like that i would use more straps as well. Ive seen trailer in a bag before but not like that, so i assumed something different.

 

[Bossanova]

I can't remember the actual height of my ball,(I am out of town) but when hitched, the trailer rail is level to the ground. Looks good but I think the extra set of straps coming off the bars, running aft are couter-productive and an over kill. Also the back straps should be pulling as high and straight up from the axle line as possible. Having the straps pulling them forward, tends to "tow-in" the wheels and over time will wear the tires wrong.

NOTE: Everywhere the straps might be touching any bike surface- however so lightly, you run the risk of chafing the paint or plastics. Make sure the straps are routed so they don't touch anything.

Here is pic of my wifes Blast when I bought it. When I get home, I will post pics of my 1125R strapped in and maybe one of the dresser too...
Notice I didn't even strap the back and this was a 150 mile trip home with her bike in tow.

 

[Bossanova]

Oh- and just twist each chain once or twice to shorten it up before clipping it on the hitch rings. Just don't put it so short that it won't make a full swing without binding.

 

[rishardh]

Good pointers. I will move the straps coming from the handlebar to the front eyelet. Looking at my pic, where do you suggest I strap the rear?

 

[Bossanova]

Looking at my pic, where do you suggest I strap the rear?

The back just needs a slight "pre-load" to provide some suspension action for the whole set up, and keep the rear axles from moving around in the slip joint. I suggest just going from the passenger peg rear-sets down to the outer eyelets (see my earlier post).

 

[rishardh]

That's exactly what I did on my 2nd trial run. The rear straps kept getting loose on just one side. I suspect the bike was not dead upright when I ratcheted the front straps. I was thinking of looping a strap around the rear wheel and the trailer rail.

I raised the hitch ball from 12" to 14" and that solved the trailer stand scraping the ground when I drove it out of the driveway which has a steep bank.

 

[Bossanova]

Finally had to load up the XB for short ride to the dealer.

For long trip I would have put my lights on, leveled the trailer by flipping my reciever hitch/ball and padded the seat rail where the strap goes around it.

 

[rishardh]

I did the 3000 mile trip. Glad to report the bike and trailer made it back safely. I only had 2 problems.


1. The trailer was vibrating/throbbing when going over 70mph. We could feel it in the van especially when the roads were very smooth. I started off with 70psi and gradually reduced it to 35psi and this went away.
2. One of the Trailer license plate bolts came off and it was hanging on with just one nut. I noticed this when I stopped for gas. I replaced them with locking threads.