March 2024 forum picture

As promised, here is a picture of Meldrew's Silver Wing on a ferry in the UK! I haven't had my 2 wheelers on a ferry so it is a different shot.

Enjoy.

We don't mind it being a day early Glenn.

Loosemarbles wrote:

We don't mind it being a day early Glenn.

Oops! oh well sorry about that! LOL

Nice photo.
Look at the bright side Glenn. You'll only do an OOOPS once every 4 years..

Just looking at the forum photo, it reminded me of how I used to wince at the sight of the marshal pulling that strap down over my precious SW seat.

It's never normally exposed to that much pressure. On one particular ferry, they used those straps while the bike was wedged into a front wheel supporter. To add insult to injury, you had use your side-stand because pulling up onto the main stand would pull the bike out of the wheel supporter. It was ghastly!

On another trip, they let us put our bikes on whatever stand we wanted and didn't fasten them down! I was much happier with that. The sea was like a mirror so, no problems.

I've carried my own tie down straps and padding for years, even since I was handed a length of oily rope to tie my BMW R65 up on a Stranraer to Larne crossing back in the early Eighties, and expected to get on with it. I still remember spending most of that crossing trying to clean the oily crap from the rope,off my hands. I've carried and worn a pair of work gloves for tie downs ever since.

I have a selection of tie down straps, carabiners, ratchet straps, and pads I carry in a zip bag, and what you can't see in the pic is the thick laminated foam pad I use to protect the seat when I use a tie down strap. Looking at the faded orange straps used they're not mine, they are what the ferry supplied and are hooked to eyelets in the deck.

I've never used the side stand or believed in that '3 points of contact' bollocks. I always use the centre stand and can lock the front wheel, use wheel chocks, or one of those handlebars canyon dancers. You've just got to visually  weigh up where they want you tie up, and utilise any rails, deck cables, or handy securing points.