@@ImTheKaiser Thanks for your response. Its not the fluid that worries me, its the constant pressure on the fork spring. I can have my bike strapped down for 3 days travelling. Maybe I worry about nothing ?

Contrary to popular perception, completely compressing the forks will NOT build up pressure or cause damage, due to how forks are designed to function. Even if you do bottom out the forks completely, it will not cause damage unless something is defective or improperly installed to begin with. The oil in the fork tubes does not build up pressure, the oil flows freely from one chamber to the next through the Compression Valve. Because oil is non-compressible, forks are not designed in a way to where the Oil builds up pressure and provide rebound, the spring is there for that function. Oil would be terrible for this function, as the non-compressible nature would be the same as hitting hitting concrete with a hammer. Some shocks do use Gas to build up pressure and provide rebound, but that is a completely different system and Gas does compress progressively. On almost all motorcycle forks, the rebound operation is from the springs in your fork, not from pressure in the oil. The oil only controls the rate of compression/rebound. The only way to build up pressure is to compress the forks so rapidly that the oil cannot pass through the compression valve quickly enough. You would have to exert extremely fast compression force. And even then, there is a relief valve in the valve stack that will open up completely when extremely rapid forces are encountered. You also won't bend the forks like this, the force needed to bend forks is very high, that force is well in excess of what is in this video and impacts that bend forks usually involve the forks being hit from an angle and not from straight compression. (Think about standing on a soda can, the very thin wall can handle your weight until force is applied from an angle) Think about coming down hard from a wheelie or hitting a pothole. This frequently bottoms out the forks completely and results in far greater forces on the suspension than what is in this video. While not recommended, forks are designed to handle bottoming out, they have a rubber stopper at the bottoming out point to prevent metal on metal contact.

@@ImTheKaiser Tell that to my 2013 Suzuki.

@@ImTheKaiser sure.

It won't hurt them, you'd have to bottom them out and then exert enough force to bend the tubes. Not an easy task as the cylinders are very strong against comprehensive forces. As far as the Oil inside and the Fork Seals, Oil Pressure is not built up inside the fork by this. The Oil flows freely through the valve from one chamber to the other.

Yeah I meant that in addition to the straps in the video

It depends on how you have the bike secured. As long as there is good tension on the front and rear, you shouldn't have any issues.

Used it Saturday and it worked like a champ! I trailered the bike for 5 hours on some minimal maintenance roads and didn't have any issues. Thanks!

That's great to hear! Thank you!!

It is designed no to touch any of the bodywork. Some aftermarket handlebars can cause issues, but this is rare, only the most extreme handlebar modifications direct the strap towards the bodywork. Standard applications work just fine without contact.

Awesome! Ordered!

They must have some odd looking circles where you come from...

Someone gets it! :-) It's a common misconception and failure to understand how these suspension systems function.

True! rule @ 1 not to compress the suspension so much otherwise they will burst!

Guys, the video mentioned to avoid clamping down too tight. But even if you do bottom out the forks, it will not cause damage unless the seals are bad or improperly installed to begin with, you are not going to bend the fork tubes like this... You would have to exert extreme blunt force or extreme compression force, enough to actually bend the fork leg/tube. The forces required to do this are well in excess of what is in this video. Think about coming down hard from a wheelie or hitting a pothole. This frequently bottoms out the forks completely and results in far greater forces on the suspension than what is in this video. While not recommended, forks are designed to handle bottoming out, most have a rubber stopper in there at the bottoming out point to prevent metal on metal contact.

There is no large amount of Oil Pressure inside of the forks, this is not how these forks function. It is a common misconception that the "Oil is Compressed" when the "Forks are Compressed" and that it is this "Compression of Oil" that rebounds (bounces) the forks back up. This is not how most suspensions function - the oil is not under high internal pressure during compression, the springs take this energy. General Fork Overview: Spring: The springs inside the forks compress and cause rebound, it is the spring that takes most of the comprehensive energy and releases that energy as rebound. Oil: The Oil simply controls how fast the spring compresses and rebounds. This is done by forcing the Oil through compression/rebound valves. Valve: This valve controls how much oil can push through at any one time and thereby dampens the amount of compression/rebound. The size of the valve controls the amount of damping and how hard/soft the damping is. (Important take-away: The spring stores the comprehensive energy, not the Oil) Oil cannot be compressed, the volume and displacement of the Oil stays the same throughout the Compression and Rebound strokes. Being non-compressible means that Oil cannot build up a lot of energy during compression to release on rebound, actually, the suspension would simply get hard as a rock if it worked that way. But that is not the oils purpose or how it works, that is the springs purpose and springs have a nice bounce to them, just like our suspensions do. The job of the oil is primarily to control the springs energy and control the rate/speed of compression/rebound. So when you compress the forks all the way, you will find that the oil is pushed through the valve and simply ends up on the other side of the valve. The oil is not under pressure when the forks are resting or moving slowly, even when compressed. The Oil can be under pressure in certain situations. Primarily when the forks are compressed/rebounded very rapidly and forcefully. (Like hitting a pot-hole) But even there they would have to be compressed so rapidly that the oil cannot pass through the valve quickly enough compared to the force of the impact. This is not the case in our example, the forks are compressed slowly and left in a stationary position. In our scenario there is no excessive oil pressure, the oil simply flows through the valve to the other side and sits there. You can also conclude with this that Fork Seals do not simply get "Blown Out". You will find that the primary cause of leaky seals is degradation of the rubber o-ring, metal scarring that damages the o-ring and improper installation. I hope that makes sense! Kai

Hey Kai, I appreciate your detailed explanation of how front suspension works. Like them, I was worried about compressing the front forks too much and potentially blowing the seals but after a bit of research and now reading your comment, I can have peace of mind about strapping down the bike for the long haul next weekend. Thanks, CB

That is correct, works the same on all bikes. If you have huge ape-hangers then please consider the extra leverage that will exert on your bars, but other then very extreme cases, it's really straight forward.

+Daniel Gatchell That won't hurt 'em.

Even if you do bottom out the forks, it will not cause damage unless the seals are bad or improperly installed to begin with, you are not going to bend the fork tubes like this... You would have to exert extreme blunt force or extreme compression force, enough to actually bend the fork leg/tube. The forces required to do this are well in excess of what is in this video. Think about coming down hard from a wheelie or hitting a pothole. This frequently bottoms out the forks completely and results in far greater forces on the suspension than what is in this video. While not recommended, forks are designed to handle bottoming out, most have a rubber stopper in there at the bottoming out point to prevent metal on metal contact.

Even if you do bottom out the forks, it will not cause damage unless the seals are bad or improperly installed to begin with, you are not going to bend the fork tubes like this... You would have to exert extreme blunt force or extreme compression force, enough to actually bend the fork leg/tube. The forces required to do this are well in excess of what is in this video. Think about coming down hard from a wheelie or hitting a pothole. This frequently bottoms out the forks completely and results in far greater forces on the suspension than what is in this video. While not recommended, forks are designed to handle bottoming out, most have a rubber stopper in there at the bottoming out point to prevent metal on metal contact.

There is no large amount of Oil Pressure inside of the forks, this is not how these forks function. It is a common misconception that the Oil is Compressed when the Forks are Compressed and that it is this Compression of Oil that rebounds (bounces) the forks back up. This is not how most suspensions function - the oil is not under high internal pressure during compression, the springs take this energy. General Fork Overview: Spring: The springs inside the forks compress and cause rebound, it is the spring that takes most of the comprehensive energy and releases that energy as rebound. Oil: The Oil simply controls how fast the spring compresses and rebounds. This is done by forcing the Oil through compression/rebound valves. Valve: This valve controls how much oil can push through at any one time and thereby dampens the amount of compression/rebound. The size of the valve controls the amount of damping and how hard/soft the damping is. (Important take-away: The spring stores the compression energy, not the Oil) Oil cannot be compressed, the volume and displacement of the Oil stays the same throughout the Compression and Rebound strokes. Being non-compressible means that Oil cannot build up a lot of energy during compression to release on rebound, actually, the suspension would simply get hard as a rock if it worked that way. But that is not the oils purpose or how it works, that is the springs purpose and springs have a nice bounce to them, just like our suspensions do. The job of the oil is primarily to control the springs energy and control the rate/speed of compression/rebound. So when you compress the forks all the way, you will find that the oil is pushed through the valve and simply ends up on the other side of the valve. The oil is not under pressure when the forks are resting or moving slowly, even when compressed. The Oil can be under pressure in certain situations. Primarily when the forks are compressed/rebounded very rapidly and forcefully. (Like hitting a pot-hole) But even there they would have to be compressed so rapidly that the oil cannot pass through the valve quickly enough compared to the force of the impact. This is not the case in our example, the forks are compressed slowly and left in a stationary position. In our scenario there is no excessive oil pressure, the oil simply flows through the valve to the other side and sits there. You can also conclude with this that Fork Seals do not simply get Blown Out. You will find that the primary cause of leaky seals is degradation of the rubber o-ring, metal scarring that damages the o-ring and improper installation. I hope that makes sense! Kai

Shut the F up

I understand, it's above your pay rate.

***** We have used only the front strap on lots of short trips. If you are taking an extended trip or if you are going over very bumpy terrain then we do recommend our rear strap in addition to the front. We have a combo-kit available here: www.luckybike.com/tools-tie-down-combo-kit-cam-buckle-lb-handlebar-tie-down-ratchet-lb-tire-tie-down Or sold separately here: www.luckybike.com/tools-lb-tire-tie-down-ratchet-strap-assembly-break-strength-2-500-lbs-working-load-limit-833-lbs-black

With my old arse and brain have ADD...does the Combo Set come with Good EZ Reading Directions, for folks like me? :)

-- Thanks for the input and you are completely correct on all points. We had already addressed this in the video by adding a note at 6m28s. kzbin.info/www/bejne/omWyqZdporyXn80m28s

+-Project Xfire- Thanks for the tip about the forks. I'm gonna buy these straps asap.

I don't see why not, as long as you have place to anchor both sides of the strap. You would need one strap for each bike.

draininhere That is great news, we love to hear from our customers on how they use the product! Glad to hear you like them!

Hello Gollden, Thank you for your interest, the Tie Down Straps can be purchased through our website by using the link below. www.luckybike.com/motorcycle-tie-down-ratchet-cargo-strap-transport/tie-down-ratchet-straps

I have Volusia 800 ,with a plain 5 by 8 trailer ,do I need to put 2 straps on the front forks ,then 1 across the seat,?,,,what about the back forks?

We make our support straps with high strength fabric, this is soft and flexible to ensure it doesn't damage your grips or bar-ends like other rigid systems may.

mine are indeed 100% fabric and look nearly identical to yours.