Hey, I'm going to pick up my ninja this week, but its a lil' cold to ride her home. So, i'm going to put her on a trailer and do it that way. I really dont want to but a wheel chuck because this will prolly be the only time it's on a trailer. For the front wheel to kinda anchor it in, can i just screw some 2x4's on each side of the tire? And then with the tie downs, where is the best place to bring the straps over/or through the bike. and should i tighten them down so that the suspension is all of the way down and doesnt move or what. Thanks for the help!!

You never want to compress a motorcycle's suspension that much when trailering it; otherwise you can blow fork seals and damage rear shocks. At most they should be compressed perhaps 1/3 of their travel. If you don't have a chock, anchoring some 2x4's alongside the front wheel should work fine. This gadget is useful for anchoring the front end:

http://www.cyclecynch.com/

and I then put two straps on the rear from the rear passenger pegs to the trailer. If you aren't fully confident in how to do this yourself, just have the dealership deliver it for you. They likely have more experience toting bikes around safely than the rest of us put together.

Buy some tie downs (with the extra handlebar straps) at the dealer and have him secure the bike on the trailer. This way he is respossible to do it correctly and you should have no problems. If the front of the bike is secure there is no need for wheel chock or any other devices. I've done thousands of miles with bikes on trailers and have never had a problem with just using two tie downs on the handle bars.

Put the bike straight onto the trailer with the front wheel centered in the trailer. Use tie downs on the handlebar area (careful of the wiring) down to the corners of the trailer. Pull down on the tire downs so the bike will not move. After you've got it secured, put a rubber band, tie wrap or small bungee cord around the front brake lever to engage it and the bike will not move if all done correctly. The engaged front brake lever adds a final degree of stability to the tied down bike.

Congrats on the purchase!!

Im buying the bike used for a private seller, so i will just tie her down good i guess.....thanks!!

Ratcheting tie downs are easier to use than the standard type, but if you do get them be careful not to overtighten them.

Thanks for the tips Alex! I never knew that overtightening could damage the suspension. In my mind, shocks compress so a little compression won't hurt? Guess I was way off :)

Kelly, I will definitely use the rubberband over the front brake lever trick. Such a simple solution!

Here is how I transport my bike to and from the track (I will do it correctly in the future):

http://www.thebeastisback.com/ninja250/trailer.jpg

I know you said you were going to use a trainler and I'm not sure what size or configuration. Apply this solution as needed. :)

When I brought mine home from SD the dealer loaded the bike straight into the back of my pick-up, left it in first gear, and then used a ratchet tie-down on each side of the front to the box. Come up under the fairing, wrap the web around the top of the tube and then loop through the hook. Only snug down enough on each side to be firm, DO NOT FULLY COMPRESSION the front suspension. In the back I just looped a tie down around the rear wheel and tied it to either side of the box.

I'll take some pictures when I get home.

CAUTION - when you go to off load the bike be very careful when releasing the tension on the front straps. Best way is for you or someone to be siting on the bike so it doesn't get pulled to the other side. If you are going to do it by yourself, put a 2x4 under the kick stand and SLOWLY release the tension on the right side first.

Chris, That Pearl paint job and Gold wheels is stunning. I plan on going the Gold wheel route.

Canyon Dancers FTW!


Hey Chris, where did you find that little trailer?

Im buying the bike used for a private seller, so i will just tie her down good i guess.....thanks!!

Congrats on the bike Matt! Hopefully I'll be purchasing mine soon as well! :D

Congrats on the buy!

As for the wheel chuck my s/o keeps his bike in it all the time. Of course he has a big boy bike :)

For trailering we use canyon dancers as well as the straps. my s/o normally does the loading but I do know now (grr) not to let the straps cross across the bike. On our journey from CA to MD he (grr) passed straps that held his bike in place across Tyke's front fender and it rubbed the paint then of course now she's got a bald patch...

Chris, That Pearl paint job and Gold wheels is stunning. I plan on going the Gold wheel route.

Woot! :) Just make sure your shop does it right


Hey Chris, where did you find that little trailer?
Not so little (the price that is) hahah. I bought the dual rail setup so I could potentially haul my Ninja AND my Vespa in the event I have to move, vacations, etc. I also have two (optional) wheel chocks.

This trailer literally is a trailer in a bag. You can break it down in minutes and rebuild it in minutes. Industrial strength cotter pins attach everything.

http://www.trailerinabag.com

Canyon Dancers FTW!

Check out that cycle cynch (http://www.cyclecynch.com/). Basically, improved Canyon Dancers that aren't as hard on the grips. I used a set of Dancers for years, and the Cycle Cynch does do a better job.

Mean while back at the thread of the OP :D

Working from the top is the easiest. You want the wrap to be above the clamps.

http://www.ninjette.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=56&pictureid=699

Lock it down in the hook

http://www.ninjette.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=56&pictureid=698

Unless you are tying off real high you shouldn't have any web rubbing on the fairing.

http://www.ninjette.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=56&pictureid=697

brought mine home through some twisties just fine secured like this:
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_V-U-OR3ze94/SaSpwqeoGMI/AAAAAAAAAPA/CucZiHxVhsU/s800/100_3258%20copy.jpg
Had the dealer secure her for me....

So, Matt... did you get a good deal on your bike? :)

I think so... it has 3,000 miles on it, never been dropped, and has a two brothers al. slip on. Also it got a dyno jet kit. Red is the color and it came with a joe rocket ballistics jacket and an alright helmet, cant remember the name, not that good. the final price was $3,000. not to bad in my mind. compared to what i see on ebay, 4 grand for a stock 08? thats a lil much for me.

It will be fun to hear your impressions of the little monster when you get it home. Keep us posted.

Matt... PO anyone on the boards?

PO??? I'm new to this forum stuff...lol...what does that mean?

sorry... previous owner. :o

lol...thats alright... nope i found it through craigs list.

haha...so it turns out that when i called the guy back, he had just sold it for the same price. I was going up that day to pick it up and pay him, lets just say i was not happy. Anyways, does anyone know about the 2004 suzuki gs500f's. The one im looking at is $2500 with 1300 miles on it. any info would be greatly appreciated.

Sorry about the news Matt - that really bites the bag. Keep looking, your Ninja is out there waiting for you to find it.