Tyre Downs

[Guest]

Same for the forks. They are made to be compressed up and down -but very little side loads are put into them in normal riding.

No offense intended, but I don't think you really understand what is actually going on in your bike's chassis as it is leaned over and soaking up bumps mid-corner. It's a black art, I don't pretend to be a master of it either, but sideways loads and intentional component flex is a part of every ride, we just don't feel it from the seat.

On a VFR, maybe. On an FZ1 with cheezy damping rod forks, going over a dip leaned over can easily result in a tank-slapper. Don't ask how I know. :unsure:

[Guest]

Ok which one of you guys is this, trying to think of 1st Gen owners in South Carolina.

[kaldek]

Hi folks,

Having recently trailered my CBR1000 to the track, I decided to take a video of a tyre down and the wheel when the bike is shoved violently from side to side.

In short, I hope that folks take this as evidence that Tyre Downs do NOT damage wheel bearings.

[Jmmymc750]

My my my.

Imagine the impact load of a bump transmitting through the bearings, frame, and wheels while riding. It is amazing that these things don't fly apart every time we hit a spot of imperfect pavement.

Ever fallen off a dirtbike, only to watch it tumble down the mountain, land upside down, keep running, and sustain only scratches to the plastic?

Ever fallen off a Suzuki GS700ES, watch it skid down the road, flip over and land across the muddy ditch upside down, still running, and fairings all beat to $h*@! ? Then ride it 1600 miles back to Virginia after your leg heals?

I think the bikes can take being tied down however you want to tie them, but maybe we should just ride them where we are going? :biggrin:

This is a very heated "discussion"! Highly entertaining! Rant on!

Cheers all!

[03vfrrider]

Not to change the tone of the discussion, but THIS looks like a pretty good way to secure a bike to a trailer without blowing the fork seals or damaging the wheel bearings.

[V4 Rosso]

In short, I hope that folks take this as evidence that Tyre Downs do NOT damage wheel bearings.

All I see is a lot of camera shaking going on.

j/k :laugh:

[kaldek]

All I see is a lot of camera shaking going on.

j/k :laugh:

Heh - true! I was considering re-filming it but by that stage the bike was off the trailer and back in the garage.

[Jmmymc750]

Not to change the tone of the discussion, but THIS looks like a pretty good way to secure a bike to a trailer without blowing the fork seals or damaging the wheel bearings.

Thank you.

[Knute]

Not to change the tone of the discussion, but THIS looks like a pretty good way to secure a bike to a trailer without blowing the fork seals or damaging the wheel bearings.

That's the reason(s) I purchased a couple of them. Very happy with 'em.

[ericlw]

tyre down is quite an annoying name for a product.

[vfrurknee]

Not to change the tone of the discussion, but THIS looks like a pretty good way to secure a bike to a trailer without blowing the fork seals or damaging the wheel bearings.

That's the reason(s) I purchased a couple of them. Very happy with 'em.

Knute,

Did the girl come with them?

Ernie

[kaldek]

tyre down is quite an annoying name for a product.

Yes it does tend to force you to pronounce the words very slowly so nobody gets confused!

[VFR4Lee]

Looks like a pretty cool product. :fing02:

Personally i have a truck and no tie down points on the floor, just at the top corners of the bed.

Doesn't look like it would work for that. :comp13:

I'm OK with the regular tie downs since I only load a bike in there once in a while.

If I had a trailer and carried bikes on it much, I'd look into the tyre down.

Although I thought it was a typo or something when I saw the thread title. :cool:

[Knute]

Not to change the tone of the discussion, but THIS looks like a pretty good way to secure a bike to a trailer without blowing the fork seals or damaging the wheel bearings.

That's the reason(s) I purchased a couple of them. Very happy with 'em.

Knute,

Did the girl come with them?

Ernie

Nope, no girl Ernie. Lucky for me I'm happily married, or it could've been a deal breaker.

[Guest]

When a motorcycle is riding on its own the forces on the wheels/shocks/forks/swingarm are all inline with the plane of the bike. It's not DESIGNED to take side-loads like that encountered when a big 500+ pound bike is swaying back and forth side to side. Bikes lean naturally on their rounded tires and stay upright with the force of gravity or inertia + gravity straight down the plane of the tires (if they didn't then they'd fall RIGHT over).

The same is true, to a lesser degree, of the rear wheel. The swingarm is designed to go up and down. Any side forces would actually throw the bike into a tankslapper and the frame and swingarm pivot are not really designed for these tough twisting forces -only in and out action, up & down.

Mate that is total utter bollocks.

Ever considered what forces go through your forks and swingarm when you hit a bump when cranked over??? Frame designers tune flex into the chassis so that it can act somewhat like a spring when leaned over, because any vertical forces are now going sideways through the forks and swingarm.

Please sirs, i'm going to have to disrespectfully agree with y'all here based upon some injineerin' calculatus eliminatus.

If the bike were strapped to a wall with a tyre strap such that the entire weight of the bike was cantilevered out and hanging off of the rear wheel (sorta like what your bike would look like when your truck rolls over sideways in a ditch), then the roll torque across the rear axle would be on the order of 625 ft-lbs, assuming a 500 lb bike and a swingarm pivot to axle distance of 15 inches.

If we use some theoryrum about shifting the torque along an axis, and put the axle torque pivot point into the needle bearing such that the entire load goes into the ball bearing of the swingarm eccentric, and assume the width of the eccentric is about 3 inches, then the radial load on that SKF 61908 bearing would be on the order of 2,500 lbs.

Since the data sheet for that bearing gives a radial load capacity of 3,110 lbs. it appears that this 1-g acceleration load is within the operating specs for the bearing and so no damage would be expected.

So now how many of the rest of you squids besides me make them 1-g turns in their pickem up trucks when hauling a load of bikes? Ever rode over the hill from Chattsworth to Ellijay? You know what i'm talkin bout...

[Knife]

I give up. I'll never tow my bike again (I've only done it once so far).

[warrenjrose]

I use the Cycle Cynch to secure bikes.

http://www.cyclecynch.com/CCpages/CCproduct.html

I find it provides really nice tie down points without screwing up my grips like the Canyon Dancer does.

For my race bike (600rr), and any other bike with a hollow axle, I absolutely love the Strapless Stands.

http://www.ststands.com

They were out years before Pitbull, and I like them a little better. Unfortunately the VFR doesn't fit, so I have to resort to the straps. On other bikes however, it is absolutely amazing. Puts zero load on the suspension, and I don't have to secure it with anything else. You can also pack a trailer really well because you don't need as much room between bikes for straps.

[bryan217]

I use a Baxley Sport Chock http://www.baxleycompanies.com/Sportchock.html when I transport my bike, which I've only had to do when I bought it (so far). Of course I use some straps, also, but the chock is so secure, I could probably use it without any.

[Knife]

After seeing this, I'm not going to worry too much about the load on my suspension while trailering my bike.