I blew out the seals on my Honda CRB600F4i one time and I'm pretty sure it happened due to trailering to the racetrack.

I think the loads on the fork when tightly strapped to a trailer are diffrent than when your riding. At first it seems like it should be the same, but I think it has something to do with the fork not being allowed to rebound fully and the force from a bump is normally tranmitted at an angle toward (into) the fork since you are moving forward. On a trailer, the motion of the bike is stopped so the force is applied at an angle placing a greater the normal lateral load on the fork while it is compressed.

 

the yamaha scooter is pimp

 

????????
what scooter?

 

pic 10 in his photo bucket

 

LOL yea I bought that about 6 months ago from a friend, I was going to ride it to work, (2 miles) but the hill up to work is close to a 7% grade and it wouldn't quite make it, so that's why I bought the KLX, and now I can't imagine not having the bike. The scooter is a 1980 Yamaha QT 50 with 320 miles on it, cherry huh? That's like 12.3 miles a year LOL. My wife and 9 year old ride it in the neighborhood.

deej

 

Nothing like resurrecting a 6-year old post.

I installed two floor brackets inside my cargo trailer to occasionally transport my bike. When I tested it out and synched it down I could see the tires get squished a little. It felt secure side-to-side But I remember this link with the brace.

My question is, will the bike transport ok without a brace? I mean there is enough tension pulling it down I would think it would take a hell of a bump to compress the shocks more and free up the hooks into the brackets. I'd like to hear from others who transport their bikes without any sort of brace and how it works for you.

 

The folks who blew seals from trailering are the extreme minority. I trailer four bikes and never have had a seal blow. I do not store the bikes with the suspension compressed (they stay in the trailer). The blown seals in transport is more than likely an issue with over doing the tie down or a maint. Issue (bleed the air once in a while) that was bound to happen. I have one of the braces and it just seems like extra work and no benefit. If it makes you happy feel free to brace.

 

I use braces and find them to make trailering much more secure. They are black abs plastic, about 3" diameter in front and 4" on the rear, if the rear is strapped down tight, which I do when using the hitch carrier.

 

I've seen those plastic ones you're referring to Scott for about $20 with shipping. I don't mind buying one if it's really necessary.

 

I'll never use the fork brace again. Unless you have actual ratchet straps, you can't get your bike to tighten down without using the spring compression in the forks.