Tie Down Straps & Securement

Keep your Wheels in One Place with 24MX Tie Down Straps

Whether you're on a track day, broken down at the side of the road, or trailering your new dirt bike home, you need to ensure it's anchored securely. 24MX has a range of tie-down straps for every occasion. So read on and keep your pride and joy strapped down safely. Transporting a motorcycle is a tricky business. If you fail to use the proper lashing straps and secure them to the correct places, your bike will take a tumble. While this may result in minimal damage while transported inside a vehicle, if your dirt bike falls off a trailer, it will sustain serious damage. For this reason, the correct tie-down straps, anchored in the right places, are paramount.

Types of tie-down straps

Tie-downs, lashing straps, or ratchet straps, as UK bikers call them, are available in several different styles. The main difference, though, is in how they are anchored. The anchor points will ultimately dictate the type of lashing strap you buy. Tie-down straps are open-ended, hooked, or a combination of both.

Belt-style straps feature a simple buckle mechanism on one end. Meanwhile, the other end passes through the buckle. A row of teeth prevents it from slipping back. This strap style comes into its own when transporting your bike in the back of a van with no floor anchors but plenty of internal framework to loop them around.

If your transport has anchors such as D -rings built into the floor, hook-ended tie-down straps are a great option. This strap style often has strong steel hooks fitted to oversized loops on both ends. The oversized loops allow you to either use the hook attached directly to your motorcycle or to slide the hook out of the way and secure your bike using the loop.

A combo tie-down strap is the most versatile type, as it offers a hook and loop on one end and backs it up with a carabiner-style fastener on the other end. This type of strap is perfect when travelling over rough terrain, as the carabiner cannot come loose from the D-ring even if the bike moves around.

How do you tighten a tie-down strap?

Once again, there are generally two methods of tightening the straps: the buckle and ratchet. The buckle has rows of teeth inside, which grip the strap as it passes through the buckle. The teeth allow the strap to move in one direction as it is gradually pulled tighter.

The ratchet has a lever mechanism, and once the strap loops through the ratchet, the lever works back and forth, tightening the strap. This type of tightening mechanism is considered the stronger of the two methods as it's possible to put more pressure on the strap, making it tighter.

Anchor points on the bike

Take care when choosing an anchor point on the bike to ensure it is sturdy enough for the job. It's not unusual for tie-down straps to be capable of lifting 500 kg. With a ratchet-style tightening mechanism, some parts of your bike will bend well before the strap snaps. Anchor points such as the forks, especially between the top and bottom yoke, are ideal, as are frame rails close to engine mounting points.

Lashing straps are made from various combinations of woven polyester and EVA or nylon. Look through the product specifications, and you'll find the loading capacity in kilogrammes. These can range from 250 – 630 kg. To give you an idea of how strong that is, you could lift a fully fuelled BMW R1250 GS off the ground with a 300 kg rated strap.

The weight and size of your bike, along with the anchor points available, will help you decide on the type of tie -own which best suits your needs. Whichever tie-down style you choose, the 24MX range of tie-down straps will keep your favourite wheels securely in place.

Purchase your Tie Down Straps for Motocross and Enduro here on 24MX.ie. We are Europe's and Ireland's number one online motocross and enduro retailer.