How to tie down a Rune in a trailer?

oh GOODY....you've hit one of my areas of REAL expertise :lol: They call me Trailer Queen....have trailer, will travel. I trailer one of my two Runes about once every other month....to somewhere....some rally.

Here is the scoop:

When they come from the factory, they are tied down to the case savers...and to a point under the seat. For mine, i had to attach higher than the case savers to get some leverage, so i attach at two points. One, i use soft ties to attach to the fork area right around the turn signal. This gives a really solid tie point. In addtion, for added stability, i use a "Canyon Dancer" ...which goes on the bars and provides another point of attachment. However, i do NOT crank down much on this attachment to the bars...and i don't recommend putting much pressure on a handle bar. you could actually bend your bar if you did!

For the rear, i had to see a Rune in the crate from the factory to figure this out. Remove the seat, then there are two black plates that attach to the frame with a single phillips screw. Remove the screw, remove the black plates on each side, and carefully 'snake' a soft tie under the exposed frame. You will probably need needle nose pliers to get the soft tie out form inside the frame. temporarily store the black plates for transport. To attach the STOCK seat, there is a place in the seat frame where the factory deliberately built a split in the frame of the seat for the strap to fit thru for trailering. If you have a Corbin seat, you don't have to 'worry' about this.

let me know if this all makes sense. I can elaborate if need be. In addition, i have soft material wrapped around my straps on the rear...to make sure they don't rub against the side of the bike and scuff it any. I should take some photos of all this some day. My next "Trailer Queen" adventure will probably be the Hoot, late June. The next one after that, InZane Valk/Rune rally late July.

Hope this helps....let me know if you need more details.

Tim
NO, NO, NO, You have that all WRONG. you don't know how to tie down a Rune :roll: . I had some warranty work done by my dealer ( Cycle World of Cherry Hill) back in December. When they picked the bike up I helped the guy tie and secure it like you just mentioned. BUT when THEY brought it back THEY tied the straps around the right front forks AND both BRAKE lines :shock: (one front line and one rear) he untied the bike himself before I got outside and noticed how it was strapped down. I did not ride the bike until the ice thawed in april. I then noticed a small amount of brake fluid splashing onto my gas tank and surrounding areas ( I had all the painted parts well waxed so it did not damage them ). I was baffled and could not figure out why and where it was coming from 'till I had my Rune parked next to Gene's Rune. I then compared the brake line routing and how they were curved and realized the brake lines were bent and how they got that way.
I called the dealer and described what I had discovered. The service mgr. asked me why I waited so long( like I was riding all winter with the snow and ice we had this year ) to contact him and denied his QUALIFIED technicians would do such a thing.
Rather than fight a losing battle with him Gene and I went to his dealer and told him the bike must have came from the factory like that. No questions asked, he ordered new brake lines and fixed it under warranty
Take care and good luck
Rich K ( Rune Ski )

ahhh...but you see Rich, any VETERAN Trailer Queen like me knows dang well not to pull that ROOKIE mistake. I never tie around brake lines, wires, etc. Mine is done with soft ties....all on solid metal. My way is perfect. I'll have to take pics and show you some time.

Remember...i have been trailering my Valk....and my Road Star ....and now my Runes EVERYWHERE. Obviously, the guys that trailered yours didn't pay attention to detail. Shame on them.

Trust me...my bike comes out of trailering as IMMACULATE and PERFECT as it did going in. Hey, you remember how emaculate my red and white Valk was at the Home Coming last year? That bike has been trailered probably no less than about 50-60 times!!!!!!!!!! Already both my Runes have been trailered several times.

I looked at my bike, and i can tell EXACTLY where those guys must have strapped yours. Shame, shame on them. i do mine by the turn signal....and not against the brake lines. I'll take some pics from different angles and post them.

Trailer Queen

tie down

You may have already solved your request. I just acquired a Rune and have transported it in my toy hauler.

The best and easy way to tie down any cycle is to have a Condor wheel chock. Or any other similar brand. The chock holds the bike up after you drive into it. It makes it a one man operation. Use soft straps on each side of the engine guards and draw them down ninety degrees to the bike. Then using another set of soft straps simply attach to the wheel spoke that is at the bottom on the wheel. Attach these at about 45 degrees to the front of the bike to pull it into the chock harder. Have the bike in gear. You're set to go

I have T-tracks to connect to because they provide more options for locating a mounting point. But D rings or eye bolt set in the right location are ok too.

The bike is very secure. I have trailered to Sturgis and Datona bike Week
for over 4k miles without the bike moving at all.

This might be another option for you to consider. Ride carefull.

I have done an enclosed U-haul-can't remember the size, however they make one that has a somewhat low ramp that pulls out from the bottem of the U-haul. Someone suggested loading the bike backward because it is easier to load than to unload. It is a little harder to tie down that way, but the off loading is safer. I prefer putting the bike in forward and getting help with the off loading, especially if the ramp is a little steep. Also you can back the trailer down into a ditch and change the angle of the ramp by using the back side of the ditch to support the ramp.; I think it all depends where you have the most help to steady the bike. U-haul also has an open trailer made specifically for bikes. The only problem with that one is the Rune doesn't fit properly and you have to tie off the back gate in a semi open position. If I were you, I would look for someone close to you that owns an enclosed trailer outfitted with tie-down anchors and a wheel choc. Maybe someone on this board has a trailer you can use. Any of the three options above work, but I hope someone from this board who owns a trailer lives near you can help.

Black Frog....After rereading your question, I realize I did not answer it very well. On the length of the ramp. You will know if the ramp angle is too steep when you load the bike. It will hang up between the wheels. To lower the pitch of the ramp, the ditch idea I mentioned above works, or you can put something under the back end of the ramp and use some wood or bricks to essentially lengthen the ramp. The tie down process has been explained several times in other threads, but the way I do it is to put the front tire in a wheel choc. Wheel chocs are nice to have, but not totally necessary; however if you have one, use it because it makes the whole process easier. I use the crash bars for the main tie down points. I use 4 tie down to the crash bars. Two to keep the bike from moving forward and two to keep the bike from moving backward. All tied off to the floor. I tie them off at about 45 degrees front and rear. The crash bar tie downs are secured tight enough the the front shocks are depressed a little. I then tie the handle bars the same way but not so tight and they get tied off to the walls. I then tie off the rear wheel to the floor. Be careful of the rear fender. Make sure the tie downs are lower than the fender. That's a lot of overkill, but tie-downs are cheaper than bikes. I recently learned from this board to leave the bike in gear. I also check the bike everytime I get gas. There it is-good luck with your new rune.