Boxerworks.com

ME 109 wrote: Any tips on where to start looking?

That is soooo tempting.

ME 109 wrote:

Major Softie wrote:I'm not getting the unwritten part of the post

I looked everywhere for the unwritten part to see if I 'got it'.
Any tips on where to start looking?

The unwritten points are read between the unwritten lines.

For those interested and not familiar with the "Canyon Dancer" style strap, the best things about it are:

1. They pull to compress the forks from the same point the rider's hands and arms push
2. They slip over the bars at the outer ends to help keep the forks straight
3. They are designed to protect the motorcycles finish
4. They are easy to put on and position before loading a bike (I've been able to load/unload by myself if I position things correctly)

My hauling technique for my RT uses a simple, $25-at-Harbor-Freight-hoop-type wheel chock that's bolted to floor of my pickup---not one of the big, fancy drive-in-and-it-grabs-the-front-wheel devices. I don't compress the front suspension much, if at all. For front attachment points, I run a heavy-duty rachet strap (a 1000 lb. working load) around a fork slider just above the fork brace/fender mount, putting both hooked ends of the strap into the same stake pocket in the front corner of the truck bed. This, of course, leaves the fabric of the strap in contact with upper end of the fork slider, which some might see as a no-no for the long-term integrity of the cargo straps. They may be right, but this could be remedied by using a couple of "soft-tie" straps around the top of the fork slider, and hooking the same rachet strap to both ends of hte looped soft0-tie. I adjust the strap for each side so that the bike ends up not leaning to one side or the other. This pulls the front wheel tightly up against the front of the wheel chock, but lets the motorcycle's front suspension function as it was designed to. The bike is being held upright from these low attachment points, and the fork tubes are free to bounce up and down in the sliders that are firmly secured.

In the back, I run somewhat lighter straps (because that's what I have, not because a stouter strap would be a bad idea) from the truck's two rear stake pockets, to the lifting handle on the left side of the bike, and through the rear sub-frame on the right side. These attachment points tend to compress the rear suspension a bit, so I don't over-do the tensioning---just enough to keep the rear wheel from hopping to one side or the other.

Watching the bike bounce up and down on big bumps and dips can be a little disconcerting, but as long as the front wheel is firm pulled into the chock, the bike is just bouncing along, but isn't going anywhere. This arrangement has gotten me through several bouts of "road hockey" on the Dan Ryan Expressway through downtown Chicago, so I'm pretty confident with it. And the bike's suspension bits are little worse off for the trips it takes in the truck.