How much should the shocks be compressed when tying the bike down on a trailer?
How much should the shocks be compressed when tying the bike down on a trailer?
I usually do about half or less.
Most of the time I have a home made "fork save" [peice of 2x4 cut to length] in there so the forks compress very little.
It doesn't matter, do it with none, half or full compression. What ever you feel like.
You can not, I repeat, you can not hurt the springs or seals by doing it this way. You can leave it for extended periods with no worry, you can not, I repeat, you can not hurt the seals or springs by doing this.
Lets think about it your fork is filled with oil 5 and a half inches from the top you strap it down and compress it 8 inchs???
Just to clarify this a little, your oil measurement is taken when the forks are already compressed fully. Yes, there are no springs in when the measurement is taken so they will take up some of that space, but the wording in your post made it seem like you only have 5 inches of space yet are compressing it 8 inches.
I still tie mine down at loose as I can while still feeling safe about it. If anything it just makes me feel better....LOL
On my current bike, the front is compressed about 5 inches (of 11.8" available) and the rear about 4 inches (of 11"). The bike is very stable on the road. I have tied bikes down like this for over 40 years and I have never had any problems with this method and I agree with prev posters that there is no risk to suspension components.
Best advice so far. I usually check pretty early in the trip. If I'm coming from where I've ridden the dirtbike and there's a bumpy dirt road to get out, right afterwards is the best place to check. Most likely you'll spot any problems with your tiedown technique there and you can correct and be good on the highway.I stop after about ten minutes and check the strap tension again.