F: Frame Safe tie down points?

[CoreyL]

Hi All, I occasionally trailer my Series B Meteor and I struggle to find tie down points on the bike that are suitable for attachment of straps. The Brampton forks seem delicate and much of the tubing/bracing on the rear end also seems less than robust. I have the straight crash bars through the upper sidecar mount and have used those in the past. Can this group suggest (preferably with some photos) recommended sturdy locations on the bike for attaching ratcheting straps? I plan to put the bike on a rolling road dyno at some point in the near future to sort out the carburetion so the rear wheel needs to be free to rotate.

Thanks in advance for any advice!

Cheers,
Corey

 

[bmetcalf]

I loop these above the lower link on my Girdraulic blades https://www.amazon.com/RHINO-USA-Soft-Motorcycle-Straps/dp/B01AS5QC1C I would think Bramptons are strong enough, you don't want to cinch them down extra tight anyway.

For the rear, I made one of these, using all thread, eyebolts, and coupling nuts, as attachment points. Red loctite at all but one joint.

 

[vibrac]

I took my Vincent twin to the Grossglockner hill climb twice but the first time I used a trailer centrally mounted with two steel bars to the central sidecar lug and bolted down only the rules on trailers on german motorways (slow lane only) made me use a van for the second trip
In a van I simply use two loops round the handle bars pull through and tighten and attach the hooks of tie down straps at approximately 30 degrees to floor hooks. A rear strap over the seat is an extra precaution on crash breaking. Since the Vincent is the biggest bike I carry 3/4" ratchet tie downs are all I need. This method was learnt from my lucky friends who went on the continental circus in the summers of the sixties doing 10 or so meetings both sides of the iron curtain (in one case after Bruno in the Prague spring over roads the Russian tanks had cut up) they knew what they were doing and their tie downs were not the ratchet sort just good quality pull and lock, unfortunately a rare find nowadays.

 

[Bill Thomas]

Like Vibrac first bit, Helps if trailer has half round metal sheet for the front wheel to sit in,
And I use a tie round the front brake lever as a steady,
I used long bits of angle iron and welded flats at the ends to bolt to the floor,
Top fitting was a long 1/2" bar through the sidecar fitting hole, With spacers to take where the angle iron
slides on away from the tank and seat.

 

[Old Bill]

There is a simple answer to this and it applies to cars as well as bikes, do not compress the suspension because if you do when the trailer hits a bump the machines weight bears down and has the potential to shake the straps loose. On girdraulics pass the strap over the bridge plate each side and tighten that way you only compress the bikes tyre and on the rear tie round the lower fork tubes as close to the wheel dropouts as possible, not to tight as the back end moves very little. Alternatively on the rear end lash the wheel itself if space permits. Mind how you go.......

 

[Robert Watson]

Or like this.

On the woolly Rapide and been good on several aeroplane flights. Special nuts on the back and the other bits on the front are for the tank bag tie downs. The front mount is a 5/8 in dia rod drilled and tapped with a bolt and lock washer in each end.

 

[Albervin]

I have a similar set-up to Bruce for the rear and I have drilled a hole in the ends of my crash bar to mount a shackle. I also tie down my front wheel in the wheel clamp on the trailer. On really bad roads I need to adjust every few hours. Thousands of miles and never lost a bike yet.

 

[Bill Thomas]

The late Peter Ross, West London, Had His trailer, Complete with Viscount !!, Over take His tow car !!,
He said His Wife could NAG the Ball Hitch OFF, .
Sorry Brenda, Bill.

 

[vibrac]

I was once going up the A1 with Ron Kemp two Vincents on the back, trailer was a big one Ron had a Triumph Herald (that dates things) as we went down a slight incline the trailer started to oscillate bigger and bigger swings then it started to move the Herald .... then Ron put his foot down, I was paralysed with fear but the road was clear and Ron drove out of it. Riding the Vincents after that was an anticlimax

 

[Michael Vane-Hunt]

I have never had to trailer my bike anywhere but if I did have to I would put something like these on the head stock.