Strap in and secure your motorcycle with the right tie downs.

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Motorcycles are meant for riding, but the day will come when you need to transport one in a truck or trailer. You need a set of tie down straps to keep your baby upright and secured in place when that happens. A quick search online, and you’ll quickly realize there is an endless number of possibilities. They may all look the same at first glance. You want a set of straps that won’t let your two-wheeled ride take a nap when you hit that unavoidable pothole. We’ve created a comprehensive guide to walk you through the different types of straps and features to look for. That way, you buy the best straps for transporting your bike.

Rhino USA Ratchet Straps Motorcycle Tie Down Kit

This set of straps are the gold standard in motorcycle tie down straps. Each kit comes with two straps, two handlebar soft loops, and a storage bag.

This set comes with all the loops you want for tying down a set of handlebars, forks, and more.

Pro Taper Standard Universal Tiedown

This is one of the more user-friendly tie down strap designs Spring-loaded with a unique carabiner hook for locking the straps down quickly.

When we evaluated the couple dozen motorcycle tie down straps available, we considered the range of motorcycles, their weight, their height, and transport methods our readers use. One set of straps may be overkill for someone who has a dirtbike while not being enough for someone with a Harley-Davidson bagger. We started with the baseline criteria like strap type, material, and attachment method. Then we refined our choices based on the additional features each tie down set has, such as coated hooks, quick-release buttons, extra-wide strap, included handlebar loops, and weight ratings. We then selected based on our decades of riding and transporting motorcycles and other powersports and equipment experience. 

Our reviews are driven by a combination of hands-on testing, expert input, “wisdom of the crowd” assessments from actual buyers, and our own expertise. We always aim to offer genuine, accurate guides to help you find the best picks.

Rhino USA is one of the most well-known brands for those looking to strap your two-wheeled baby down and it’s easy to see why as this set of two straps have PolyBlend webbing, coated steel ratchets, and Chromoly S-hooks. The closed design of the S-hooks helps them to be more secure during transport and the ratchet handle is padded for better comfort tightening and loosening the mechanism. A cool option for these straps is that you can pick your color, so choose from black, blue, green, orange, red, or yellow, and the straps have a break strength of 5,208 pounds with a lifetime warranty.

The hooks’ coating also helps protect your bike, but it may not be as durable as you’d expect. Though it’s rare, customers have reported that if damaged, the coating can start to peel off, leaving both the hooks and your bike vulnerable. Also setup can be tedious with the relatively small spool space and you need to double check your work as the straps have a habit of coming loose. 

Trackside’s tie downs are literally made for motorcycles as they come with all the loops you want for tying down a set of handlebars, forks, or your bike’s rear swingarm. They’re made of quality fabric that’s designed to resist tearing, the hooks are coated to prevent scratches and corrosion, and a set of soft ties won’t harm your bike’s paintwork. Included in the set are two ratchets, two tie downs, and four handlebar loops making for an excellent all-around set.

They’re rated for an 800-pound working load, while also reasonably priced, meaning it’ll serve you well and not break the bank so long as you're in the market for a light-duty set. The only negative review stated that this set “wasn’t the best, but wasn’t bad for the money” which may be linked to the quality of the material used.

The black nylon webbing straps on these Pro Taper tie downs feature a bold logo printing down the length and measure 1.5 in W x 84 in L, which means you’ll be able to get plenty of tension on these straps for a secure hold. The hooks are large and coated to prevent corrosion and protect your bike, and they also come with a soft handlebar strap to make them easier and safer to use.

Unfortunately, they don’t come with a storage bag, which would be nice to keep them neatly tucked away when not in use. Their maximum weight capacity of 1,200 pounds is noticeably lower than other strap sets on this list, but the design and ease-of-use are excellent for those needing to get something for their dirt bike or naked machine.

When you purchase these Kodiak straps, you not only get a complete set of four straps but also handlebar loops and a storage bag, which means extra savings. The heavy-duty construction helps these straps to be durable and last and are constructed from 100 percent polyester and measure 1.5 in. W x 8 ft. L. The S-hooks are fully coated to prevent corrosion and damage to your truck, trailer, and motorcycle. They have a working load weight capacity of 1,500 pounds and a maximum breaking point of 4,500 pounds. Another nice feature for these straps is the ergonomic design of the ratchet handles that makes them more comfortable. 

One drawback of these straps is that the ratcheting mechanism can be tough to disengage, making them super secure but a challenge to get them to release. That may or may not be linked to the other issue of a misaligned ratchet buckle. 

What we love about these Progrip Powersports tie downs are the integrated soft hooks and loop extensions built into this set. The box comes with four straps that come in black, blue, green, orange, or red, and the quality construction of these straps is impressive with 3/8-inch diameter coated 1045 steel S-hooks, high tenacity nylon, and box-X stitching. What that all means is you’ll be able to safely move motorcycles of any size with the lab-rated 4,000 pounds break strength and 5.5 feet of working strap length.

One drawback of the straps is that the hooks are thick, making it difficult to hook them onto the bike in tighter places. Also, while the manufacturer claims that the cam buckles have an easy-to-release button, some people find them hard to work with. The design of this strap is that they don’t have a ratcheting action, which can make them not as secure.

Our top pick for the best motorcycle tie down strap is the Rhino USA Ratchet Straps Motorcycle Tie Down Kit. It’s the gold standard of motorcycle tie down straps with plenty of nice-to-have features. If you’re looking for value, then the Trackside 8-Piece set won’t let you down, so long as you're dealing with a lighter machine.

Cam buckle straps are a basic type of motorcycle tie down that relies on a basic tensioning system. They tend to be more affordable and easy to use for most motorcycle tie down setups, but they do have some limitations in terms of the amount of tension they can safely hold before breaking.

Often more expensive but also more useful than cam buckles, ratchet straps use a ratcheting device to coil up the strap. This provides extra tension without having them rely on the sheer strength that cam buckles require to get the strap secure. Most ratchet straps are more efficient and quicker to set up because of this design.

The hook is the main part that actually connects the tie downs to the bike and trailer. Since direct contact is made, the design of the hook is important to avoid scratches or other surface damage while the strap is in use. Rubber-coated hooks are the most popular type to avoid this type of damage. There are two main hook types, S-hooks and double J-hooks. Open S-hooks with a 45-degree angle are easy to hook onto your bike and work better when transporting your bike on a truck. However, closed and 90-degree hooks are considered more secure and are better when your bike is on a trailer.

The main bulk of a tie down comes in the form of the strap. Coming in different lengths, different strap materials are often used to hold different weights. It’s important to get the right length of strap to make sure you have enough to work with when securing your motorcycle to your trailer. Nylon is the most popular strap material because it’s more affordable. However, it isn’t as durable as polyester. While they require a higher upfront cost, polyester straps are sure to stay strong even when exposed to harsh weather and UV rays. They are also less susceptible to stretching like nylon.

A tie down strap won’t work unless there is some way to actually tension it. The tensioner is where cam buckle or ratchet designs are used. The basic buckle relies on physical strength, while the ratchet holds the tension with each turn for a more complete hold.

The strap needs to be long enough to bridge the distance between a part of the motorcycle and the trailer. Extra length is also usually required to have enough for securing the strap through tension. Most straps are two to eight feet in length, but longer versions are also available for larger trailers. That doesn't mean the longest possible option isn’t always the best choice. Transporting your bike on a small trailer or truck bed means you don’t need extremely long straps. If the straps are too long, you need to tie them to contain them from whipping around in the wind while driving. A wider strap is also an important feature to look for because it gives you better tension and is more durable.

It’s important to stay within a strap’s weight limit for safe use; otherwise, the tie down may break or otherwise fail during transport. There’s a difference between load capacity and breaking strength. Load capacity is the safe operating weight limit, while breaking strength is the point at which the straps will break. You should never use the breaking point limit as the weight capacity limit for strapping down your bike.

While prices can vary, you can generally expect to pay $30-$50 on ratchet straps for your motorcycle. As per usual, quality, piece count, and type are all going to influence the price. However, there's really no need to spend much more than that to get a reliable product. You can save money and go cheaper, but that usually means you're taking a gamble on quality. Ratchet straps aren't that expensive, so you might as well spend the extra few bucks on something you can safely rely on.

As with something you do for decades upon decades, you pick up a few tips and tricks along the way in terms of selecting the right product, and/or using it. That’s the case with us and motorcycle tie down straps. To help you bridge the information gap, here’s a selection of what we’ve learned along the way.

You’ve got questions. The Drive has answers.

A: Basically, you connect one end to the bike and the other to an anchor point on a trailer. Then tighten the strap until there is good tension. For a complete explanation, check out our guide on how to properly transport your motorcycle.

A: You need enough to keep the bike properly balanced and immobilized. Some owners feel that two in the front are enough. However, most people use four: two in the front and two in the back.

A: As long as the vehicle’s weight is below the maximum weight capacity of the straps, yes.

A: You might hear tie down straps called ratchet straps, lashing straps, or simply tie downs.

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