Tying down bike question

[Skinny]

I searched and came up dry.

Where's the best place to tie down the c-14 when pulling it into a front wheel stay or wheel chock.  I can't see how I can get a strap on the handlebar safely, must be somewhere upfront  under cowling to do this.

Any ideas.  Moving 525 miles and can't ride it there, logistical reasons.

 

[gPink]

soft ties around the fork tubes

[ljcorby]

Although I have not trailered the C14 yet, I have read a number of threads that using the handlebars is not the best thing to do.  Just my two cents.

[Son of Pappy]

soft ties around the fork tubes

+10

[BackInTheSaddle]

Agree with others, NOT the handlebars.  Use nylon web "soft ties" around the fork tubes just above the lower triple clamp.  Tight space for big hands (I wrap and loop the ties from the top of the fairing in front of the handlebars and then reach up from underneath to pull the soft ties down) and you have to make sure that you are not pinching lines or wires, but after you have done it once it gets easy.  I then use the ratchet straps and tighten both sides to about 1/2 compression of the forks so that the bike still has some give but won't bounce out of the strap hooks.  The rear is simple with soft ties around arms of the tetralever.  I just towed mine in a utility trailer for over 3,000 miles taking it on and off several times to ride with no issues.  Good luck.

[zx12-iowa]

I have  always uswd canyon dancers.  Never had an issue...

[stevewfl]

Canyon dancers.  Don't over tighten and you'll never have an issue.  I see people over tighten to the point they pull the grips on bikes LoL

Guy at Kawasaki shop has delivered several brand news ones, according to him sometimes hundreds of miles.  And he said he can't believe people frown upon canyon dancers on the handlebars.  I asked him to get some pics but i haven't ran into the fella'.

[B.D.F.]

Now you just stop it right there Mister! Even suggesting using Canyon Dancers is going against forum lore and well accepted urban legends as well as commonly held ritual results! Why that is almost as bad as saying the KiPass incantation does NOT WORK!

But seriously, I do think the legend is way ahead of the facts here: there just are not many cases of broken handlebars on C-14's, and we really don't know the history in the few cases that have happened. Most of the broken stanchions I have seen have been on wrecks so nasty that it is not obvious that heap of debris was a C-14 in the recent past.

The only thing I know for a fact is that my C-14 was towed on a flat bed using Canyon Dancers because that was all the choices and the only way the truck operator had to hold the bike down. That was some years ago and the same handlebars are still on the bike although for all I know they may be on the verge of a brink. 

But I do think I would use another method if I had the time to prepare for a trailering. The lower triple clamp is the obvious place to grab the front end of the bike I think.

Brian

Canyon dancers.  Don't over tighten and you'll never have an issue.  I see people over tighten to the point they pull the grips on bikes LoL

Guy at Kawasaki shop has delivered several brand news ones, according to him sometimes hundreds of miles.  And he said he can't believe people frown upon canyon dancers on the handlebars.  I asked him to get some pics but i haven't ran into the fella'.

[Son of Pappy]

All I'm gonna say is them stanchions are cast aluminum.  And there is plenty of leverage.  Too easy to plan ahead and use the soft ties.

[wally_games]

Canyon dancers.  Don't over tighten and you'll never have an issue.  I see people over tighten to the point they pull the grips on bikes LoL

Guy at Kawasaki shop has delivered several brand news ones, according to him sometimes hundreds of miles.  And he said he can't believe people frown upon canyon dancers on the handlebars.  I asked him to get some pics but i haven't ran into the fella'.

Only done it once with mine, but did use the Canyon Dancers with the cups. Only tight enough to keep it in the wheel chock. Strapped the rear down a little tighter using the soft ties.

[stevewfl]

Yeah, the stealership hauler guy told me he uses canyon dancers on ALL bikes he hauls, never had an issue.

I'm seen a fat man into ABS brake mode hard and stop on a dime, thats more pressure on the handle bars than any tie down should employ to hold the bike upright on a trailer 

[B.D.F.]

I agree with you Chet, I was just pointing out that sometimes, even if it is extremely rare ( ) forums have a tendancy to embellish a condition or event. To the best of my knowledge, there have either been very few or no events of Canyon Dancers snapping handlebars but the reaction in public areas is a bit extreme. That said, ALL handlebars are subject to damage if Canyon Dancers are used with a particular vengeance although of course tubular steel bars will bend while the aluminum ones like the C-14 uses tend to show any damage by snapping off.

So while I too would choose another method to tie down a C-14 if I had the ability to plan ahead and purchase items in advance of the trailering, I would use Canyon Dancers if / when that is the only choice and a bike has to be moved.

Besides, we all need to conserve our emotions for important things like KiPass....

 

Brian

All I'm gonna say is them stanchions are cast aluminum.  And there is plenty of leverage.  Too easy to plan ahead and use the soft ties.

[B.D.F.]

I believe you misspoke and meant a 'gravitationally challenged person'. His significant other might be referred to as 'A gravitationally challenged gyno- American' just to be politically correct.

Of course you are correct- the bike can generate about 1 G or close so a 300 lb. person would easily put 150 lbs. of force on the bars just in braking and hitting a bump would greatly increase that. Plus the fact that the C-14 is a heavy bike and the general man- handling done to the bike is almost always done through the handlebars, especially the left one when putting it up on a side stand, trying to prevent a drop, etc. Handlebars simply have to be robust on all motorcycles or they would be failing pretty commonly.

There is a gentleman who had the left handlebar fail on a nearly brand new C-14 without any apparent shock or damage being done. That said, there is no way to know what happened in the bike's history including during manufacturing in Japan. It could also have been defective handlebars- who knows?

As I said, I would not start out or plan to bind a C-14 down by the handlebars but I would do so if I had to and have in the past, although only the one time.

Brian

Yeah, the stealership hauler guy told me he uses canyon dancers on ALL bikes he hauls, never had an issue.

I'm seen a fat man into ABS brake mode hard and stop on a dime, thats more pressure on the handle bars than any tie down should employ to hold the bike upright on a trailer 

[Son of Pappy]

I believe you misspoke and meant a 'gravitationally challenged person'. His significant other might be referred to as 'A gravitationally challenged gyno- American' just to be politically correct.

Of course you are correct- the bike can generate about 1 G or close so a 300 lb. person would easily put 150 lbs. of force on the bars just in braking and hitting a bump would greatly increase that. Plus the fact that the C-14 is a heavy bike and the general man- handling done to the bike is almost always done through the handlebars, especially the left one when putting it up on a side stand, trying to prevent a drop, etc. Handlebars simply have to be robust on all motorcycles or they would be failing pretty commonly.

There is a gentleman who had the left handlebar fail on a nearly brand new C-14 without any apparent shock or damage being done. That said, there is no way to know what happened in the bike's history including during manufacturing in Japan. It could also have been defective handlebars- who knows?

As I said, I would not start out or plan to bind a C-14 down by the handlebars but I would do so if I had to and have in the past, although only the one time.

Brian

All I can say to the above is BINGO!!!  This alone led me to the LSL bars.  Irrational fear?  Not to me.  It only takes the smallest flaw in cast anything to lead to total failure.  I'll take a bend over a fracture anyday.  Hairfractures can be next to impossible to spot, right up to the point of a dangling bar. 

Call me Cap'n Bar if ya want, someones gotta pickup the slack/void left behind

[Cold Streak]

Hmmm, I guess I messed up.  I trailered my bike from Mpls MN to Austin TX and back with soft ties on the ends of the bars, over 2400 miles.  I just did a 1000 mile weekend of riding and never even noticed the bars were broken.  I'll have to check again.    

I do agree tieing the triple clamp is a better option.  Call me lucky or  lucky or ...?

BTW, I hate trailering the bike (trailers are for boats), but there was snow on the ground in MN and it snowed twice while we were down there.  Not much choice.

[Skinny]

Thanks for the tips folks.   I would have liked to have ridden it there, but the time thing didn't work out.

[B.D.F.]

Well in that area we agree 100%- there won't be much, if any, warning before cast aluminum bars snap while steel tube bars will always bend. In fact, I don't know that I have ever seen tubular bars actually break though I've seen heaps of them mangled.

From a strictly design point of view, I am surprised any motorcycle manufacturer actually uses cast bars. On the other side of the coin, it is clear that there are so many bikes around with cast bars that they are not suffering any kind of unusual failures. <shrugs shoulders>

Then again, I feel the same way about some rather lightly cast aluminum footpegs some bikes use and yet they are not breaking all over the place either. Still, there are types I simply would not use even if stock to the bike I owned- those shell cast Buell pegs come to mind, I just could not ride with them.

But at least threads like this may provide information to others and help them make a decision about Canyon Dancers.

Brian

All I can say to the above is BINGO!!!  This alone led me to the LSL bars.  Irrational fear?  Not to me.  It only takes the smallest flaw in cast anything to lead to total failure.  I'll take a bend over a fracture anyday.  Hairfractures can be next to impossible to spot, right up to the point of a dangling bar. 

Call me Cap'n Bar if ya want, someones gotta pickup the slack/void left behind

[stevewfl]

One can go with HONDA or BMW and away from Kawasaki and Buell if one doesn't want such worries 

[stevewfl]

2 pages of how to tie down a C14!  I could've had my canyon dancers on and off and been to the track and back 6 times

[B.D.F.]

Shouldn't you be off talking with your imaginary female- dealer friends or rubbing your fob or something....

 

Brian

2 pages of how to tie down a C14!  I could've had my canyon dancers on and off and been to the track and back 6 times