Motorcycle Towing: Safe Transport Tips and Techniques

Motorcycles are light compared to cars, yet moving one safely can feel trickier. A bike has two narrow tire contact patches, a high center of gravity, sensitive controls, and a frame designed for dynamic loads rather than awkward pulls. I have hauled everything from small dual sports to fully dressed tourers, across town and across states, and the difference between a clean, drama-free tow and a maddening, risky one usually comes down to planning and restraint. Treat the bike as a machine that needs gentle guidance, not brute force, and you’ll save yourself money, paint, and nerves.

Not every problem requires a tow. If your issue is a dead battery and you carry a portable booster, that five minutes can replace a two-hour ordeal. If you have a puncture and the tire holds a plug long enough to creep home, you might skip the hassle entirely. Still, there are moments when towing is the only smart move. Any time a bearing fails, a chain snaps, coolant dumps, or the bike won’t run without backfiring, assume the safest place for it is on a trailer. If you are dealing with a bent wheel, leaking fork seal, or a questionable steering head, do not try to ride it out. The risk-reward curve is terrible.

Calling professional towing pays off in two common scenarios: the bike is heavy and you lack proper gear, or you are on a risky shoulder with bad visibility. A flatbed with a motorcycle chock, soft straps, and an operator who knows where to hook points is worth every dollar. If you do it yourself, commit to doing it right, because improvised shortcuts tend to multiply. I have seen a soft bag rip under a strap, a side stand punch a hole in a wooden deck, and one disastrous attempt to tow a scooter with a rope around the fork. All avoidable with basic setup.

Towing forces don’t act gently. Braking loads shift forward, compressing suspension and loosening rear straps. Crosswinds push the bike laterally and try to pivot it around the front tie-downs. Imperfections in the trailer deck transmit sharp jolts. Static security that looks perfect in the driveway can unravel ten minutes into a highway run if you ignored how the bike moves in the real world.

Two principles help:

Stabilize the front, contain the rear. The front wheel is the anchor, so trap it in a chock or create a reliable cradle, then compress the front suspension slightly so it can’t pogo. The rear straps don’t need to crush the shock, they just need to stop side-to-side wag.

Use angle and redundancy. Straps that meet the bike at a shallow, wide angle resist lateral movement better than vertical straps cranked until they sing. Two independent tie-down lines at the front and two at the rear give you a margin if one point loosens.

The right platform depends on weight, distance, and your vehicle. A small open trailer with a hard deck and a quality chock is, for most owners, the best balance of cost and safety. Even a 4×8 trailer handles a full-size motorcycle if it’s rated for the load, has working brakes when required, and has enough tie-down points. Keeping the bike low reduces the pucker factor while loading, and the trailer’s suspension does a better job soaking up bumps than many truck leaf-spring rears.

A pickup bed has the advantage of being already in your driveway, but bed height and ramp slope work against you. Loading a 600-pound cruiser into a tall 4×4 on a short ramp is how many scratches and back injuries happen. If you use a truck, use a long arched ramp and a second, smaller ramp or sturdy step for your feet. I prefer an extra helper who can steady the bike as I feather the clutch and walk alongside.

Hitch carriers look tidy and are fine for lighter bikes and short distances, provided you stay within the tongue weight of the hitch and the carrier’s rating. Remember, a 300-pound dirt bike plus the weight of the rack adds leverage at the far end of your vehicle. Watch for suspension squat. Many who try to push the limit end up with your vehicle’s headlights pointing skyward and twitchy steering. If you feel unsure looking at it, you are probably pushing it too far.

You do not need a van full of exotic gear, but certain items make the difference between hope and certainty. Spend money once on tie-downs and a chock. Cheap straps lose tension and their hooks spread. A proper chock centers the wheel and holds the bike upright while you fuss with straps, which is priceless when you are alone.

Ratchet straps should have soft-loop ends or separate soft ties. Steering tubes, lower triple clamps, and handlebar switchgear do not enjoy direct hook contact. Always inspect strap webbing for frays, UV damage, and worn stitching. Retire questionable straps immediately. A strap that fails at 60 mph feels like a light switch from calm to chaos.

A wheel chock with a heavy duty towing cradle plate that pivots, grabbing the tire, lets you roll in and step away. There are good bolt-down options for trailers and freestanding shop chocks that sit in a truck bed. If you lack a chock, you can block the wheel front and back with wood and screw the blocks into the trailer deck, then rely more heavily on strap geometry, but it’s a compromise.

Side and center stands are not tie-down points. In fact, leave the side stand up if you are using a chock. A stand can dig into wooden decks and add asymmetric loads, and center stands can flex under ratchet force. The bike needs to rest on its wheels with suspension slightly compressed.

Wheel straps and fork savers have their place. A rear wheel strap that captures the tire across the deck helps lock the tail, especially on scooters with limited frame points. A fork saver, often a cut plastic block that sits between the tire and the lower triple, limits fork compression on long trips and protects seals. If you compress the fork to the bump stops for hours, you will shorten seal life.

This is where most bad days begin. A mistake at the ramp loads the bike with dynamic energy that straps cannot fix later. Before the front tire touches the ramp, confirm your contact patch. Is the ramp rated for the bike’s weight? Is it secured to the deck with safety straps or a pin? Does the ramp provide traction? If it’s wet or dusty aluminum, I add a strip of grip tape or a rubber mat.

Two methods are common: powered ride-in or manual walk-up. For heavy street bikes, ride-in with engine power is smoother because you control speed with the clutch and rear brake. Keep revs just above idle, slip the clutch lightly, and hover your right foot over the rear brake. Have a spotter stand on the opposite side near the rear of the bike, hands ready to steady without grabbing controls. As the front wheel reaches the top, aim dead straight for the chock. Pause, settle, kill the engine, and hold the front brake while the spotter blocks the rear wheel.

For small bikes, you can walk them up in neutral using a combination of leg power and front brake modulation. This feels safer to some riders because you are not balancing throttle at an angle. The risk is losing momentum halfway up and rolling back. If you doubt your strength, do not try this alone.

Never straddle the bike on a tall ramp with no assistance. If your foot slips, gravity wins and you will not save it. Use a second ramp as a walking plank, keep your body on level footing, and resist the instinct to twist the throttle if the bike hesitates. The throttle solves nothing when momentum is poor and geometry is awkward.

With the bike upright, chocked, and in gear, move quickly but not hastily. Aim for symmetry. Your goal at the front is to pull the bike down and slightly forward into the chock, and at the rear to prevent sway.

Attach front soft loops to solid points near the lower triple clamp or around the fork legs above the lower clamp, not on fork tubes where they slide, and not on handlebars if you can avoid it. Bars can rotate in clamps and bend under loads. Run straps from each loop to anchor points forward and outboard. Ratchet each side evenly, alternating clicks, watching the fork compress an inch or two. Do not mash the fork flat. That slight preload keeps tension consistent despite bumps. The straps should form a wide V, not an unsightly vertical line.

At the rear, pick stable points on the subframe or passenger peg mounts, checking that they are metal and braced. If you can see the frame gussets and bolts, even better. Angle the rear straps slightly back and out. Tighten until there is no lateral play when you rock the tail. Avoid strapping to movable parts like grab rails with rubber mounts or to plastic luggage racks. If all you have is the rear wheel, use a wheel harness rated for the bike’s weight, cinch it to deck rings, and add a backup strap from the subframe to a side anchor to stop yaw.

Secure loose strap tails so they do not whip in the wind. A flapping tail can wear through a strap in one highway segment. I tuck them under the ratchet body and tape the bundle, or use reusable Velcro ties.

Finish with a shake test. Push the bars side to side and bounce the front gently. The bike should rock against the suspension but not shift footprint on the deck. Put hands on the tail and wag it. If it moves more than an inch, add a click or adjust angles.

Sport bikes with full fairings hide strong tie-down points. Avoid looping around clip-ons or brake lines. The safest method is to remove a small plastic panel near the lower triple clamp to expose solid frame behind the head tube, or to use canyon dancer style bar harnesses designed for clip-ons. If you use a bar harness, monitor it early in the trip; they can loosen if bars rotate. For long-haul, I still prefer direct fork or triple points with soft loops.

Scooters often lack a true frame near the headstock and have plastic everywhere. In that case, a wheel chock plus a wheel strap front and rear, combined with rear tie-downs to passenger pegs or the engine hanger, works. Keep strap edges away from bodywork and use padding. The low center of gravity on scooters makes them stable once you control the wheels.

Adventure bikes with crash bars offer strong front points. Soft loop around the bar near the frame mount, not at the top run near the tank, and watch cable routing. If you have a large windscreen, loosen upper bolts and move it to the lowest position to reduce sail effect and vibration cracking on long trips.

Dirt bikes are forgiving. They are light, tall, and have wide bars. A fork saver is especially helpful here because fork springs are softer. I have hauled five hours of washboard with a fork saver and consistent strap tension. Without one, you need to stop and retension after the first few miles as the fork settles.

Car-style tow dollies and rope towing do not translate well to motorcycles. A motorcycle’s drivetrain and steering geometry dislike being pulled by the headstock, and the risk of tank slappers is real. Some purpose-built front-wheel dollies clamp the tire and let the rear roll on the road. Use them only for short, slow moves, and consider chain and transmission implications. On many bikes, the gearbox and output shaft do not lubricate well when the engine is off. Spinning the rear wheel for miles can add wear. If you must, disconnect the chain on chain-driven bikes or remove the drive belt. Shaft drives generally avoid this but check the manual. Personally, I reserve dollies for shop yard moves, not road towing.

As for towing a bike with another bike using a strap, do not do it in traffic. If you must move a disabled bike a few hundred yards off a dangerous location, run the strap around the fork just above the lower triple on the disabled bike and to the frame low on the towing bike. Keep the line short, riders communicate, and stay under walking speed. It is a last resort in a controlled environment.

Once on the road, the job becomes vigilance. In calm weather on smooth highways, a properly tied bike rides like cargo, but conditions change. Crosswinds create steady lateral load that can chafe straps on plastic edges. A sudden stop transfers energy forward and tests your fork compression.

I hold speed to the flow of the right lane, often 5 to 10 mph slower than I would drive empty. The tires on small trailers heat quickly above 65 mph. Leave extra spacing for braking and watch for expansion joints. If your trailer or truck hops over a joint, your straps get a jolt. A short roll of the throttle before the joint and a light brake after keeps the load more composed.

Stop after the first 10 to 15 miles to recheck everything. This is not optional. Webbing settles and hooks seat into anchor rings. You will almost always get an extra click or two on a strap. After that, check every fuel stop or two hours. Touch each ratchet, confirm the chock is still bolted, and look for rub points where the strap passes near a sharp edge. If you see fuzz on the webbing or heat glazing, reposition and protect with a sleeve or a section of rubber hose slit lengthwise.

Avoid strapping over soft saddlebags or seat edges. Over time, that pressure leaves a permanent impression. If you must pass a strap over a painted surface, lay a clean cloth or foam under it and ensure no grit is trapped.

Rain is more than wet pavement. Water lubricates strap hooks and teeny movements become easier, which leads to slack. It also penetrates deck boards and softens them, especially on older trailers, so your wood screws for wheel blocks may loosen. Retighten in the first downpour break. Wind loads a bike like a sail, particularly tall ADV bikes with wide screens. Lower anything adjustable and, if the forecast calls for gusts above 30 mph across open flats, consider delaying or taking a route with windbreaks.

In cold weather, webbing stiffens and ratchets can freeze. Work a little silicone spray into ratchet pivots beforehand. In summer, the sun degrades straps faster than most expect. UV-stressed straps fade and become brittle. Replace faded straps each season if you tow often.

The dull part matters when something goes wrong. Your auto policy may cover a trailer you own up to a certain weight, but cargo coverage varies. Some homeowners policies cover personal property in transit, with limits. If you own an expensive motorcycle, ask your insurer how it is covered while being transported. Keep photos of your tie-down setup before you leave. If something loosens and you need to claim damage, those photos help establish that you used reasonable care.

If you hire towing, ask whether the company carries cargo insurance adequate for the bike’s value. Good operators will say yes and can provide a certificate. I once had a scooter tip on a flatbed when a rush job left straps under-padded. The shop made it right because their coverage was solid, and I had photos from pickup and delivery.

Experience teaches faster when you acknowledge the patterns behind common failures. The top problems I encounter or get called to help with are predictable.

If these look familiar, do not beat yourself up. Correct them and the rest gets simpler.

A friend called me from a state route shoulder, midsummer, late afternoon. His chain snapped on a 600, punched a small hole in the left case, and sprayed oil on the rear tire. He nursed it to the shoulder, shaking, grateful. We decided to tow it to my place rather than wait three hours for a truck. I had a small flatbed trailer with a chock and fresh straps. The sun was hot enough to soften the trailer deck, which mattered later.

We loaded cleanly, strapped at the lower triple, and used the passenger peg mounts for the rear. Fifteen miles later, at the first check, I noticed the rear strap angle was too vertical. With the soft wood and heat, the D-ring bolts leaned. The tail could yaw an inch. We moved the rear straps farther outboard and added a short wheel strap across the rear tire to the deck. The rest of the trip was uneventful. The first setup was not unsafe, but the small change made a big comfort difference. That day reinforced the habit of reassessing strap angles and anchor integrity as conditions change. Even on a short trip, the deck changed under us.

A few low-cost upgrades more than pay for themselves. Aluminum E-track installed on a trailer side rail or deck creates flexible anchor points so you can tailor angles for different bikes. Spring-loaded E-track rings drop in seconds and hold strong, and you can reposition without drilling new holes. For a truck bed, I like bolt-in stake pocket anchors that add tie-downs at bed corners.

Soft loop sleeves that slide onto straps, sometimes with a rubberized outer layer, are worth it when you need to pass over a sharp bracket edge. They reduce friction and heat pockets. A simple rubber wheel chock wedge can stop a tailwheel from migrating sideways during hard crosswinds.

Skip bungee cords and skinny cam-buckle straps for anything but the lightest dirt bikes on short, slow hauls. Cam buckles creep under vibration and bungees are decoration, not security. Also skip decorative covers or full bike covers while towing. They flap, abrade paint, and act like a parachute. If weather protection is a must, use a fitted front cowl cover that straps down with minimal slack, and check it often.

Back home, resist the urge to yank everything off quickly. Loosen rear straps first so the bike does not settle forward into the chock with slack in back. Then ease tension from the front evenly, a few clicks per side, so the fork returns without lurching. Keep a hand on the bar to steady. If you used a wheel strap, remove it last. Roll the bike back carefully and confirm the ramp is secured before unloading.

Inspect the bike where straps touched. Look for strap marks on fork legs, fairing edges, or passenger peg brackets. Wipe away any dirt the straps pressed in. Cycle the forks a few times to confirm smooth travel. On long trips, check fork seals for a faint ring of oil. A tiny sheen might just be road grime mixed with moisture, but a real leak will show as a wet line and drip. If you see it, plan a seal service soon.

Check the trailer or truck, too. Ratchet bodies take a beating. Clean them, spray a light lubricant into pivot points, and store straps dry, away from sunlight. Replace any strap that shows cuts, heavy fuzz, or heat glazing, even if it still “looks okay.” Straps are cheaper than paint and hospital bills.

If you hand off to a pro, you can still influence the outcome. Communicate the bike’s weight, any quirks like a stuck front brake or locked steering, and whether it has delicate accessories. If the tow operator arrives with a flatbed, watch for a wheel chock or a motorcycle deck. If they plan to sling the bike by the bars without soft ties, speak up. A respectful operator will listen. Offer to show solid tie points at the triple or subframe. Your goal is not to micromanage, just to ensure the basics are met.

A good tow operator will double-strap the front to a chock, add rear control, and secure the loose ends. They will stop after a short distance for a recheck. They will also ask where to drop the bike and how to position it. If unloading into a tight garage, clear enough space for a safe roll-off. A calm, collaborative five minutes saves time and keeps everyone safe.

The most valuable habit in motorcycle towing is restraint. Do not over tighten out of insecurity. Do not overload a carrier because it seems fine in the driveway. Do not rush loading because weather is turning. The bike does not care how late you are. It cares whether forces are controlled and predictably resolved into the chock and deck. When in doubt, stop, breathe, and adjust angles rather than add more force.

A final note on towing etiquette: your setup reflects on all riders. A bike wobbling on a trailer at highway speed makes everyone around nervous. A tidy, well-tied bike earns compliments at gas stations and quietly raises the bar for what “good enough” looks like. The skills aren’t complex. They are a handful of good decisions made in the right order and repeated without shortcuts.

With the right gear, a solid routine, and a respect for the physics at play, motorcycle towing becomes another part of the ride rather than a dreaded chore. You will load in rain on the side of a county road, at night in a hotel lot, or between errands at home, and the same quiet confidence will carry you through. That’s the goal.

Bronco Towing
4484 E Tennessee St
Tucson, AZ 85714
(520) 885-1925