Shock Straps: The Best Tie-Down Ratchet Straps

Do you load your motorcycle on a trailer or truck bed? I often do, especially the dirt bikes, and it’s an exercise that always puts knots in my stomach.

It’s not a tough thing to do, rather it’s just that any bump I hit can make the bike move around quite alarmingly.

That's because when I tie my bike down, I use a variety of Nylon straps (in which there is very little give) to tie the bike to the trailer bed (in which there is very little give). The only moving part in the mix is the motorcycle suspension.

The idea is that when you tie the bike down, the suspension should soak up the bumps you hit on the road, but it never quite does. Motorcycle suspension is generally damped so that it doesn’t keep bouncing, that means the suspension can’t react as quickly as it needs to. The net result is that your bike can unhook from its anchor point, which really doesn't bear thinking about.

You can see how shock absorption might work in the Sock Strap video below.

I’m glad to say it’s not something that has ever happened to me, at least not catastrophically. I've lost an anchor here or there, but I’m cautious and usually use four (and sometimes six) ties per bike for the simple reason that I like riding my bike, not picking it up off of the highway.

I met Fred Gill at AIMExpo in October and immediately gravitated to his product because of the playful colours, the sturdy ratchet straps and robust and flexible urethane shock absorber. Gill told me he first used the product years ago for tying down small aircrafts and when the owner retired, he loved it so much he bought the company. Gill kindly gave me a few mulit-coulor Shock Straps to try out.

When I finally got around to loading up the KTM for a ride, I found the Shock Strap to be a simple and ingenious device that really improves on the regular tie down. The heavy-duty urethane, that looks and feels like rubber, acts as a secondary “shock”. When you hit a bump, the Urethane gives to maintain tension in the strap far better than the motorcycle suspension can.

Your bike will like the flexible straps because it doesn’t need to be tied down quite so tightly. And I like it as I can now drive the trailer like a maniac over whatever I want with confidence. I know this to be true because the first time I used the straps, I rode north on the Triumph and the wife trailered the dirt bikes. She confessed she had to drive over a twelve inch chunk of something on the road. The wheels of the trailer left the ground but the KTM, barely moved. The Shock Straps did their job and held fast.

“But what about the Urethane?” I can hear you asking. “Doesn’t it get brittle and decay?” That's what I asked. Sometimes, yes and if you talk to Fred Gill, the owner, he’ll happily show you some examples of the product at 10+ years of use. The product coulor faded and show some cracks on the surface but the Urethane still works just as hard as it did on day one.

The best part about the Shock Strap is it's barely more expensive than the regular tie-down.

It’s rare I get to say this, but this product really is a must have. Each strap sells for $20. If you use tie-downs, you need these.