Check Your Tiedowns

I was bringing the CR to the shop the other day in prep for another trip to Maine and
I had made sure the bike was strapped down pretty good. Anyone that has traveled
with me knows I use more tiedowns than one would think you really need. But I hate
stuff blowin' and flappin' on the trailer and if something moves, it means I failed in
the most basic element of a road trip. Safely takin' stuff with you.

I was no more than ten miles up the new route 44 extension and looking in the mirror
the bike looked like it was now leaning a little to the side. I was going to pull
over to the side of the road but the Spring Street exit was coming up so I turned off.
Pulled it to the road side at the bottom of the ramp and got out to check what was
going on. It was tight. Pushed and pulled the handlebars a bit and it didn't move at
all. The bars were strapped down, compressing the front fork a bit. I had a tiedown
on both foot pegs too. Over kill, some would say. I gave the front tiedowns another
pull and thought I must be imagining the lean.


Got back in, crossed Spring Street and started up the on ramp.
I heard a bang and felt a tug on the trailer, like I had bounced over a curb. That
couldn't be the case, I had seen and steered well clear of the island in the road.
A quick look in the rear view mirror showed nothing. Nothing? Where's the bike?!
I leaned foreword looking in the mirror and saw it laying over on the trailer floor.
Over to the side of the road I go again.

What the heck was going on here? There it was tipped over. The tiedown had let go?


When I first looked at it, that's what I had though, that the tiedown had slipped out. That wasn't it. It had broken. On the end that holds the mechanism to tighten and loosen the strap, it had torn apart. The threading that holds it together had all frayed and popped apart. Must have been from that one last tug that over tighten and caused too much stress.



Lucky that I used more tiedowns than I needed because I didn't have anymore in the truck. If I had only used the two I would have been screwed. I buy new tiedowns almost every year and I have no idea how old the blue one is that broke, but that brown and red tiedown is from 2001, my first trip up to Maine to ride. Proving once again that newer is not necessarily better. But be sure to check your tiedowns for wear and tear.


The rest of the trip to the repair shop was uneventful.

Here's what I'm so'post to see when I look in the mirror. CR in the middle, standing straight up. That looks better.

Hope the repair cost is not too much... C-Ya all in Maine..!
-Sul