Hi guys

I am taking my bike (BMW R1200 GS) to Norway by Frieght Ferry from Immingham(Hull, UK) to Brevik. Booking all done. I will be traveling in the same boat. The booking says I should take my own straps. Now this is my first trip abroad so need help about tying my bike with Ratchet and Straps. Are there any specific straps that I should buy. Which part of the bike should I run the straps to tie it down.
Thanks

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Chandrasekharan Badrakumar
Stainton, North Yorkshire, UK

Hello Chandrasekharan:

Get one reasonably strong ratchet-strap from a hardware store or automotive supplier. The straps generally have a tag on them indicating the breaking strength of the strap - 5,000 pounds breaking strength should be sufficient. The strap should have a hook on each end.

Bring with you one old towel or old blanket to use as a pad over the seat of the motorcycle (this prevents the strap from digging into the seat and cosmetically damaging it).

Ride the moto into the ferry, and position it with a tie-down point (found in the floor of the ferries) on either side of the seat. Put the side-stand down, NOT the center stand (the motorcycle will be much more stable with the side-stand down, giving three points on the ground, than with the center stand down). Put the moto in gear.

Now, lay the strap across the seat as shown in the picture below, using the old towel or old blanket to protect the seat, and cinch the strap down reasonably securely. You don't need to grossly over-tighten it, the purpose of the strap is to prevent the moto from rolling or sliding, not to nail it to the floor of the ferry. After you have strapped it down, see if you can find tire chocks lying around (there are generally tire chocks all over the place on ferries, they use them for trucks). Chock the front and back tire.

The strap shown in the photo below was provided to me by the ferry line (they also provided the very nice green pad that goes over the seat of the moto). You don't need to buy a strap as big as the one in the photo (the ferry company uses that strap for trucks most of the time), but try and get a ratchet strap of similar design.

Michael

Photo showing how to secure moto in ferry

The same concept holds true for shipping the moto by air freight. When I ship it in an aircraft, I tie the front and back tires down as shown below, but this is not out of concern for movement in flight, it is to provide extra protection when the air freight container is being moved to and from the aircraft using automated equipment. The containers tend to get jerked laterally and bumped against hard stops when being handled by automated equipment, this is not really a concern on a ferry or aircraft.

You shouldn't need to tie the front and back tires down unless a storm or high seas are forecast along the route your ferry will be taking.

If you can't find an old towel or old blanket (or don't want to be bothered with the bulk), try and find a heavy-duty cardboard tube such as you see in the picture below, that will do an equally good job of preventing the strap from causing cosmetic damage to the seat.

Michael

Moto tied down in air freight container

You won't need 10 ton straps or anything like that - you're only trying to stop it moving, not lift it up. As others have said the bike needs to be on its side stand and the straps arranged to make sure it doesn't roll off the stand. One strap over the seat and ratcheted down to compress the suspension (a bit) seems to be the starting point with a second one arranged to stop the bike moving fore and aft.

Often the hardest bit is finding something to attach the straps to. The deck hands direct you into a convenient corner out of the way but you find you're on a plain piece of steel decking with no fixing points.

The "My ferry link" line that I traveled with a few months ago had a number of bike specific parking areas. I was directed to put the front wheel onto a kind of concrete V block and stay sitting on the bike. Four deck hands then appeared like a Formula 1 pit crew and lashed the bike down in about 30 secs. All I had to do was step off. It worked well with the worthless old wreck I was riding but maybe I wouldn't have been quite so ambivalent about their choice of attachment points if I'd been on something worth a bit more. I'm sure they meant well though

Not much to add to the above posts except learn how the strap threads through the ratchet buckle when you buy it, although there's usually at least a few bikes on any ferry, and someone will always help you.
I carry a short strip of light webbing in my pocket to tie up my front brake, and I put the bike in gear as well --- no --- I'm not really a pessimist --- honest. You can use the end of the strap to tie the brake. It doesn't need to be too tight. I also place the buckle on the same side as the sidestand so it's clear of paint etc. I ratchet till the forks go down about ¼ to 1/3 of their travel. Some use their gloves to protect the seat, but it wouldn't be my choice. I use a pad of fairly dense foam, about 300 x 200 mm, 30mm thick, which I also use as a pillow and a camping 'seat'.
The main thing is, don't worry about it, as I say – there's always willing help.
Enjoy your trip.

Brian

Same rules for putting a bike on a ship as on a trailer, North Sea can be really rough so compress the front forks and tie down the rear wheel, it wont go anywhere then. Try tying down a bike and putting it on a trailer with the strap over the seat and you will see it tumbling down the road sooner or later. Having the centre stand or side stand down will only damage the bike in really bad weather.

You'll find that the ferry companies insist you provide and do the tie down to avoid liability when things go pear shaped and the bike goes sliding around the car deck.

I have been on several ferry services, and each liner/member of staff likes things done in different ways, best to double check, and they will probably help you. They don't want your bike sliding around the place.. so don't worry... just don't put it on the centre stand!

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https://fernsforays.wordpress.com/

Just a reminder so doesn't really apply to the original question. On P&O ferries on the Dover/Calais route, for some time now and alongside where the bikes are parked is a sign saying that securing the motorbikes is down to the rider NOT the crew. I don't have any problems with that. The simple (and grubby) webbing strap and pad over the saddle is more than enough. I never bother with putting her in gear nor lashing the sidestand but of course if the Channel is not like a millpond, commonsense should prevail.

Thanks guys

I am going by the freight ferry from IMMINGHAM-BREVIK. Does any of you know what facilities are available for strapping the bike. Of course I will be carrying the straps.

Badrakumar

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Chandrasekharan Badrakumar
Stainton, North Yorkshire, UK

Badrakumar, if you don't mind me asking , what did it cost for the shipping, not sure yet but next year i'm thinking of either south(again) or east, but a trip to to our Scandnavian cousins might well be what the doctor ordered, if your going to the mini meet in October I might see you there.

I don't think you need a super strong strap, unless you are riding an elephant. In which case you are in the wrong forum. The idea is to hold the bike in place and keep it from tipping over. If you have two light weight straps, use them instead of buying a 10 ton strap.

Crossing the Amazon delta I secured my F800GS by putting it on the center stand and running a strap through the front wheel and around the center stand. I found a thick board and put it underneath the front tire to stabilize the bike. On the second night as the barge motored up Rio Para toward Belem, the barge slammed into waves every minute or so, sending a shutter down the length of the barge. The going got a little rough, but the bike didn't fall over. I noticed that two cars on the barge had long ropes securing the wheels to the sides of the barge. No one suggested that I should further secure/stabilize the bike, but then again my Portuguese was and remains on a Tarzan level.

A few days later I was on a ferry to São Luís, BR, and when I returned to my bike to prepare for disembarkation, I found a crew member had used a fire hose to secure the bike to the side of the ferry. Imagine that.

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Peter B
2008/09 - NJ to Costa Rica and back to NJ
2012/13 - NJ to Northern Argentina, Jamaica, Cuba and back to NJ
2023 - Peru, Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina, Chile, Bolivia...back to Peru.

Blogs: Peter's Ride

I've noticed the same signs; you tend to notice them when no one comes to assist you strap down the bike; nor do the P&O staff check the strapping that the rider does - not obviously anyway.
That's why I like my bike to be on "the top side" of any other bikes that are resting on their sidestands.

There is potential here for other ferry companies plying their trade to the UK to follow suit: it's an inevitable result of the "compensation culture".

I talked with a ferry crew on the vehicle deck, maybe a couple of years ago now; it might have been that same company as above i.e. P&O but I don't quite recall which one. (Incidentally, this is not as easy as it sounds; they are busy un/loading vehicles so you have to really catch their attention to get them to chat).
Anyway, the ones I talked with always recommend using the centre stand simply on the basis that it has two bolts holding it in place viz the single bolt of a sidestand.
+ two "prongs" in contact with the steel deck.
But, what do they know??!

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Dave

Last year I took five major ferry trips across Europe and each and every trip was different. Different in how, and, at times where the bikes are stored during the vessels sailing. Some are excellent and provided a good service with straps and or rope, some, were not so confident inspiring.

It is very much advised, with experience, to take your own straps and also, just to make a tiny observation, some ferries grounding points are, too, different, some may use RINGS some may use the FOUR-STAR-HOLE type, and depending on the size of the HOOK they should fit the four-star-hole adequately.

Just be aware that the ships floor will (may be, should be) slippery due to the heavy lorries, cars et al that use the ferry too, most are fine but take caution.

TIP & ADVICE: Before you strap-down the bike try and put some weight onto the bike by compressing-down the (front) suspension as this, as I’m told, makes the bike “move less” during the sailing, then, when/after you are strapping down the bike take a look around the sidewalls of the ship to see if you can find any CHOCKS and take what you think you’ll need and chock the front and rear tyres, this is after leaving the bike in gear and having the bike placed on it side-stand too

Don't sweat over the how's, why's and wherefore's of strapping bikes down. Everyone has their own preferred option and no amount of arguing is ever going to make them change their habits. I make a lot of ferry crossings during the year and, personally, I just go with the flow and do what I'm told to by the ferry staff. They will rarely be experienced bikers, so probably don't know much about the relative strengths of side stands v centre stands, but they do know about securing vehicles for potentially rough crossings.

The method shown in Pan European's photo is typical.