Most of the people in the USA love to own a motorcycle like any other vehicle such as a fashionable new model four wheeler or a luxury watercraft . According to some research reports, since 2017, almost over 80% of the people of the USA have their own motorcycles. And, this percentage is hiking day by day.
For most of the motorcycle owners their motorcycles are not only a mere vehicle. Rather, motorcycles are the most lovely minion for every biker. So, it is obvious that no motorcycle owners would expect any damage to their bikes while transporting those from one location to another. I myself seem to get a heart attack when I find even a single scratch on my beloved scooty!!
Though motorcycles are the easiest items to ship, yet it is really important to take some precautionary measures while transporting motorcycles to a new distant destination. In this article we will discuss some of the essential things that must be kept in mind while shipping motorcycles.
Let’s take a look:
- Do park the shipping truck or trailer to a flat level firm surface, meaning that it should be parked in any muddy or watery place. Because accidents may happen by slipping in the muddy soft area while loading a heavy bike on the trailer. Also, remember the loading surface should be slightly inclined, so that you don’t need to angle your ramp much while loading the motorcycle on the truck. Never use any kind of wooden log or ply piece for bike loading, as it might break or slide down because of the heavy weight of the bike.
- If you are planning to hire a truck or trailer for shipping your motorcycle, then make sure that the certain vehicle is capable enough to handle the weight of your motorcycle and well equipped for transporting long distances. Also, make that shipping company know specifically that you are going to load the motorcycle to their pick up truck, so that they can lend you the proper truck for shipping bikes.
- Keep your motorcycle in the neutral mode during loading to the truck. Check the neutral light on the motorcycle’s gauge pod to be assured that the bike is in neutral mode.
- Turn the truck or trailer off before loading and apply the e-brake mode. Remove the tailgate of the truck before starting the loading process.
- Make sure that you are using the proper ramp for loading your precious motorcycle. The ramp should be placed very carefully and of course in a firm plain surface. So that it won’t move while loading the bike on it.
- There are two prior methods to transport motorcycles. Enclosed transport and open transport. You need to select a suitable service provider as per your requirement. Suppose you are about to transport your bike to a very long distance moving, then obviously go for enclosed transportation. Because open transport is not really a good idea for long way shipping. On the other hand, if you need to cover a comparatively short way, you can go for open flatbed trailers.
- Choose the perfect restraints or tie down to ensure your bike’s safe arrival to its new location. Before buying tie down set ups, check for the customer rating for the certain manufacturers and select one which would match with your motorcycle’s needs. Use high quality tie downs with proper cam buckles or ratchets. Though higher quality restraints are a bit expensive, that is negotiable to your motorcycle’s healthy transportation process!!
- Always select a tie down for your motorcycle that has soft, nylon straps. Avoid affixing metal hooks directly to your bike while shipping. It can cause some permanent damage to the bike. It is better to attach soft tye material with the metal hook of the tie ups.
- If it is a standard sized motorcycle, then you should secure your motorcycle with at least four tie downs. And for large and heavy weight or sports bikes, you must use tie down s from at least eight sides. Make sure that your motorcycle is not moving or sliding while transporting.
- Get the front wheel in the right position and make it ready to tie down your motorcycle by securing the one side of the restraint to the trailer bed. It will help you tie up your bike immediately after loading it on the shipping vehicle.
- Never try to load a motorcycle alone. Get the help of a pair of extra hands to avoid any unexpected situation.