Tying down a 1979 GS1000S

[simon kuether]

Get 'em all drunk and it won't hurt when they hit the ground.Don't ask how I know.Cheers,Simon.

[Zook]

Silly Yuppies, trailers are for boats!
Serously, always attacch to the bike from an UNsprung point. This allows the suspension to do as intended. To suspend the bike when you hit bumps.Tying it down from the suspended points may damage forks from bottoming, especially if you have cartridge type forks.

I also had a Concours and use the double ended loop straps and went around the top of the lower fork tube between the fender and tube then put the tie down hook through that. Worked flawlessly to Montana and back when we had more people than bikes.
Rode there the first time.

[lurch12_2000]

Silly Yuppies, trailers are for boats!
Serously, always attacch to the bike from an UNsprung point. This allows the suspension to do as intended. To suspend the bike when you hit bumps.Tying it down from the suspended points may damage forks from bottoming, especially if you have cartridge type forks.

I also had a Concours and use the double ended loop straps and went around the top of the lower fork tube between the fender and tube then put the tie down hook through that. Worked flawlessly to Montana and back when we had more people than bikes.
Rode there the first time.

That's info I was trying to pass on in the earlier thread but was scoffed at and accused of rocket science:-)
Now here's the rocket science:
Partially compress the suspension and and strap the handle bars or upper front forks, and you probably still have 2 inches of travel plus the 1/2 inch flex of the tires and watch those straps slacken on the bumps in your rear mirror and hope your bike doesn't reposition itself at a funny angle. Now, be honest, admit you probably then pull over at the next rest area to fix!
or
Do it the right way and have only the 1/2 inch flex of the tires and hardly notice any slackening of the straps when you hit the dips and bumps.

Further rocket science:
Now allow for the stretch of the straps ( yes ,there is always a percentage of stretch factor that can be relative to the length of the tie down strap).
By strapping at a 45 degree angle (most stable angle) from the lower fork below the sprung weight point you'll be close to 2-3 ft of length from bike to tie down hooks.
Strap at the handlebar or triple tree point and you're closer to 5-6 ft of strap length.(Do your math with finding the length of the sides of a triangle and maintain that 45 degree angle!)
Let's see...5% stretch factor of 3ft = 1.8in, 5ft = 3in, and also add that difference to the slackening factor of the 2 methods when hitting the bumps.

Had enough??? pictures are available for the reading challenged... or just ride the bike if it's roadworthy!!!!!:-) :-)

[PAULYBOY]

Agreed. You tie down a bike witout compressing the suspension somewhat, and the first good bottoming it takes, your strap tension will go slack, and she could fall over.

Anytime I've tied a bike, it's been from the front and rear axles to the attaching points. I tied it down with 8 tie downs 2 on each side for lateral stability, and 2 on each side for fore and aft stability.

[Billy Ricks]

Rocket science again.
Blow the seals, yeah right.

Exactly, if you're going to tie it down using the bars or anything above the lower fork tubes use something between the lower triple and the fender or some other way to keep from compressing the forks. This way you take the dive out of the suspension and won't have the fork compressed and ruining seals.

[flyingace]

Sprung or unsprung isn't relevant. You need to tie the bike down so it CAN'T fall over. This means tying each side down with knots such that tension is individualized for left/right and front/back. I moved my old GS 2000 miles in a trailer with valuable stuff on either side - it never moved.

[lurch12_2000]

Sprung or unsprung isn't relevant. ..

I disagree, but won't argue that people successfully moved their bikes many miles with different methods. I tested what the dealer suggested (see previous posts) and it worked better and seemed much more stable with 4 straps and the wheel chock(all for $35). And I won't argue that they're wrong concerning the stress on the fork seals either.
Last word?...probably not.
Knots??? Man, no one does knots anymore....ratchet straps are where it's at!!!

[Zook]

Just think...tie down from a sprung point such as the bars or triple clamp and whn you hit a big bump the suspension compresses...what happens when it decompresses....violently?

Yep, the strap has all that slack in it and then hyperextends...the bike goes careening down the highway....I know lots of people that's had it happen.

Notice how cars are chained down on trailers...by the rear axle and lower control arms. Watch them as they go down the highway, bouncing on their suspensions.

Guess why?

[gs1197]

If there's enough fairing clearance, you may be able to use soft ties looped around the fork tube just above the lower triple clamp. Be careful not to pinch brake lines and that nothing rubs against the fairing which could cut the tie downs and/or damage the fairing.
Another option is a Canyon Dancer, it has sleeves which slip over the grips, and a strap with loops on each end to connect tie downs to. Works very well.
I've always used 4 tie downs on the front, and a tire strap on the rear wheel.
Never blown a seal either.

[Zook]

What happens when the grips slip off???

[gs1197]

Can't happen, it doesn't pull on the grip in such a way that it could slip off.
It's basically 2 individual strap/sleeves that are crisscrossed together. Slide the sleeves over grips and pull on looped end of the straps which draw the sleeves inward. Left end of the strap pulls the right sleeve, right end of the strap pulls the left sleeve.
When the free ends are pulled down, it captures the handlebars.
Probably sounds more complicated than it is, but it works very well on bikes with fairings or that don't have room for soft ties. Have used 1 for years...the same 1, also very durable.

(Not endorsing this link, never purchased from them. But it had a decent picture)

http://www.discount-tie-downs.com/catalog/proddetail.php?prod=CDH&gclid=CP_m04msuZQCFQRgswodhk7xTQ

[Zook]

I saw somewhere (don't remember where) one guy's bars bent using one of those.

[lurch12_2000]

I saw somewhere (don't remember where) one guy's bars bent using one of those.

even a caution in their own ad about that and not using ratchet straps....

[gs1197]

even a caution in their own ad about that and not using ratchet straps....

Good reason to FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS.

And if some nimrod tightened it down enough to bend the handlebars (if that actually happened), probably the type that could screw it up no matter what method used.

[Zook]

The problem is by attaching to the bars you have attached it to a sprung point on the bike.
Hit a bump, the forks compress and when they uncompress...YANK! bent bars.
That is if the strap doesn't break.