Securing Bikes Into Van

[RossF1984]

Hi,

Looking for an easy and cost effective solution to secure 2 bikes (L3 GSXR-600 and Ninja 500) in the back of a van?

Would 2 front wheel chocks bolted to the van floor work with something to secure the rears? Would I just need to ratchet strap the rears to keep them upright?

TIA.

[MK3 Dan]

That's exactly what I do, wheel chock on the front, handle bar strap to compress the front then a strap either on the rear wheel to stop it moving or over the seat if you really want to secure it.

Sure people will say it is not ideal to compress the suspension - don't go too mad with strapping it down so you don't damage fork seals. I also only leave it strapped down for transport and loosen them off slightly if leaving it over night.

There are some no strap solutions that are no doubt better for the bike but they are not the cheapest.

[Steve Bass]

Don't drill the wheel chocks into the floor. Rather fix them to a half sheet of 3/4" plywood or similar. The weight of the bikes holds it down nicely especially if you're securing the rear wheel too. And easy to remove when not needed.

[Bodo]

Similar what I do. Wheel chock on the front, fork loops to tie down; attach the back to the load bay rails.



Works for two bikes side-by-side as well, as long as they're not bigger than large nakeds. Otherwise, turn one bike front to back, but take care to have a suitable wheel chock. The usual ones only get up to 140 tyres; rear ones of larger bikes won't fit.

Edited by Bodo on Monday 29th June 00:33

[Alex9]

MK3 Dan said:

Sure people will say it is not ideal to compress the suspension - don't go too mad with strapping it down so you don't damage fork seals. I also only leave it strapped down for transport and loosen them off slightly if leaving it over night.

What's the deal with the fork seals then? I hear it a lot but the seals hold no pressure so it shouldn't matter to them if the fork is compressed or not?

[Rushjob]

Alex9 said:

What's the deal with the fork seals then? I hear it a lot but the seals hold no pressure so it shouldn't matter to them if the fork is compressed or not?

Mine were blown by Brittany Ferries on a trip back from France, very nice of them to try to push the fork stanchions out through the bottom of the lowers they put so much tension on the tie downs after I'd left the bike already very secure.

[RossF1984]

Thanks for the replies.

Guess I best get busy then. The Boss aka The Wife is itching to do a tour of N. Wales or Scotland on the bikes. Don't however fancy the minimum of 3 hours just to get to Snowdonia/8 hours to The Highlands on top of a GSXR. Happy to do the good bits on arrival!