We launched you to Acebikes a number of months in the pastand like many people, the Dutch specialist agency wagered that our bike transportation sport may use a little bit tune-up. Fortunate guess. Pioneering purpose-built gear from straps and wheel chocks to ramps and dollies, Acebikes provides nearly all the things your bike wants when your bum’s not within the saddle, in need of storage insurance coverage and STA-BIL.
Admittedly, Acebikes loaded us down with new equipment proper in the midst of our low season, however we’ve had time to place it to the take a look at now that spring has sprung. With our internet cred on the road, I seized each alternative to make use of what Acebikes despatched, and loaned it out to each pal in want. Essentially the most notable of those hauls was the transport of a Honda Rune (that’s an 890-pound bike for the uninitiated) from Florida to Northern Wisconsin, simply in need of 1,600 miles. So I hope you’ll agree that due diligence was achieved.
Buckle-Up How novel can a tie-down strap actually be? Within the case of Acebikes’ Buckle-Up cam-buckle strap, it was positively one thing I hadn’t tried earlier than. I normally keep away from cam straps in favor of standard ratchets, however the Buckle-Up strap could have restored my religion.
Basically an extended single strap with cam buckles on either side, the Buckle-Up is essentially the most hassle-free system I’ve ever used to tie down a bike. It has two sewn-on nylon sections that slide over your grips, and it takes a fraction of the time it will take you to suit two standard straps. And people cam buckles I used to be sweating are rated to 300 daN (roughly 675 kilos of power) every, that means I may grasp that Honda Rune the wrong way up and I’d nonetheless be good.
I’ve at hand it to Acebikes, you’ll by no means harm paint with a hook, or pinch a wire beneath a strap with this method, and the fake sheepskin sleeve offers a velvety barrier on your TFT screens and devices. The one factor I questioned was whether or not the webbed nylon sections would harm handlebar controls on older bikes, however I’ve a Norton Commando and a Honda CL350 readily available that handed with flying colours.
Ratchet Premium Deluxe You don’t must reinvent the wheel to have a stable product, although, and we discovered loads to love with Acebikes’ extra fundamental Ratchet Premium Deluxe as nicely. These straps work like others available on the market, with sewn-in hooks and loops, they usually’re straightforward to wrap round handlebars, triple clamps and rear subframes.
Constructed with 38 mm (1.49-inch) straps and 900 daN (2,023 lb) ratchets, Acebikes recommends these straps for heavier bikes, however we discovered them confidence-inspiring and straightforward to make use of on all the things we hauled. The simulated sheepskin sleeves hold the specter of scratches far out of your thoughts, and whereas it sounds persnickety, I actually recognize that Acebikes contains Velcro loops so that you can tie up the slack. Little issues like which can be what separate a premium product from the remainder.
SteadyStand Multi Acebikes didn’t invent the wheel chock, so far as we all know, however you can argue they’ve perfected it. The corporate has eight totally different SteadyStand configurations protecting all the things from Softails to Tremendous Cubs, they usually use a pair of ramped surfaces to assist the back and front of the wheel for improved stability. There’s an excellent chock for almost each buyer, however the one we discovered to be essentially the most useful was the SteadyStand Multi.
The built-in worth of the SteadyStand Multi is that this single wheel chock offers sure-footing for almost any bike you’ll must haul. There are six pairs of pin holes within the entrance ramp, equivalent to tire diameters from 15 to 21 inches. Switching between them is a tool-free afair, because the adjustment rods are secured by beefy cotter pins. Adjusting for tire width is even easier, because the again ramp consists of a pair of spring-loaded plates. Fold them in, and slide them to no matter width you want from 90 to 200 mm.
Along with all that adjustability, I additionally actually got here to understand the grab-and-go versatility of this wheel chock. Certain, if we had a devoted trailer for hauling bikes, a bolt-in stand just like the SteadyStand Fastened would all the time be there once you wanted it, however we don’t all have that luxurious.
The non-slip rubber ft on the SteadyStand let you toss the stand the place you want it, which is very helpful in a V-nose trailer the place strapping the bike securely will be problematic. In follow, I most popular to butt the entrance ft of the SteadyStand up towards the E-track in our trailer, however I can’t say the stand gave me a motive to want that further margin of security. It’s heavy and doesn’t fold up or disassemble simply, however you possibly can’t beat the additional set of fingers this stand provides once you’re loading up.
TyreFix Professional Whereas everybody’s responsible of getting achieved it, it’s actually not advisable to go away the again of a bike unsecured whereas transporting it. One good jostle, and the again of the bike can pivot, which hundreds the entrance straps erratically and ultimately results in disaster. However what do you do if the again of your bike lacks tie-down factors, as is the case with the Indian FTR?
Acebikes’ TyreFix provides an answer to that downside, and for sure bikes, I couldn’t think about a greater system. It makes use of a grippy I-shaped part that wraps over the tire, with straps, ratchets and hooks constructed proper in for a easy set up.
However I say sure bikes for a motive, and that’s as a result of the TyreFix wants a variety of clearance across the rear tire to work. Mid or low-mounted exhaust pipes are the largest problem, because the ratchet desires to occupy that very same house, and also you’d hate to finish up with a scuffed-up pipe from the ratchet rattling towards it.
That stated, the TyreFix works spectacularly for bikes with brief or high-mounted pipes, and we put it to good use on my Honda CRF450RL and a Yamaha FZ-07. Sport bikes and requirements just like the FZ are actually the target market for the TyreFix, and so long as you’ve got some room to work with, it’s a fast and straightforward approach to hold your rear wheel secured.
Because it’s not as glamorous as another side of using, transporting a bike is a kind of issues we’d want not to consider till we now have to. And I perceive the sentiment, however a scarcity of preparedness can chunk you within the bottom rapidly and result in expensive repairs once you’re hauling a motorbike.
I can confidently say that the gear represented right here from Acebikes has grow to be our go-to equipment for transporting bikes, that means even when it’s the very last thing to cross my thoughts, odds are my bike’s arriving shiny aspect up.
