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Written by Ian Schoenleber. Posted in Tech-n-Tips Terminal Block
Have you ever struggled to secure something to your motorcycle? I sure have. Here’s my story of shame. About 13 years ago, I took my BMW F800GS on a tour through Utah. Prior to the trip, I’d purchased an ultralight backpacking tent. My budget was tight, so I used bungees to secure the tent and luggage to the passenger seat. I’d heard about Rok Straps supposedly being better than good-ol’ bungees, but I put off that purchase until later. That was a mistake. Somewhere on Interstate 15 leaving Utah, my dollar-store bungees shifted and came loose—whereupon my tent became a permanent part of the Utah landscape, never to be seen again.
Since then, I’ve paid much more attention to how I secure cargo to my motorcycles. Thankfully, motorcycle accessory manufacturers have come up with several ingenious and easy-to-use strap designs that make securing gear easier and safer than ever before. Over the last several months, I’ve been testing a variety of popular tie-down straps. In the end, it wasn’t a winner/loser competition because each strap type has pros and cons.
For this article, I tested Rok Straps, Mosko Moto BackCountry Cinch Straps, Voile straps, Nelson-Rigg Rigg Straps, Giant Loop Pronghorn straps, Green Chile Adventure Gear Mondo, and Mondo UL straps.
The seven straps tested for this article.
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Why not just use bungee cords? There are several inherent problems with the traditional biker go-to. The first is safety. Have you ever heard of someone losing their sight due to a bungee snapping back and impacting their eyeball or getting fish-hooked by one? There are a lot of these stories.
What about ratcheting cargo straps? They’re designed to hold down static loads. They’re heavy, often have a lot of excess straps, and often use open-ended hooks that can easily detach from mounting points. However, they can work as a temporary measure if they’re all you can find. For example, they’ll secure a broken pannier.
And what about bungee nets vs. cords? Nets have special applications for securing a bulky, low-density load like a jacket, helmet, or box. I recommend having one or two on hand, as they fulfill a different role. But before we delve into specific products, let’s establish the basic guidelines for securing objects to your motorcycle.
The first is to determine where you’re going to attach the straps. Most products I’m covering use a girth hitch to secure to the motorcycle—essentially, the strap has a loop on one end that is wrapped around a tie-down point on the bike, then back through itself, making a connection point that cannot come loose. Some bikes have many attachment points; others have few. Consider using passenger grab handles, luggage rack attachment points, frame rails, passenger peg brackets, pannier rack frames, and crash bars. But be careful to avoid using an attachment point that can move or allow the strap to slide, including any bracket or item that pivots along with your swingarm or rear suspension. You’ll also need to stay away from your bike’s hot exhaust pipes. Likewise, keep clear of the chain and wheels. And, you also need to avoid any attachment point that is not “closed”—in other words, could the strap slip off the bike if the load shifts?
The first is to determine where you’re going to attach the straps.
If your motorcycle lacks attachment points, you can add your own. Check out the hardware store for creative options. Companies like Giant Loop and Mosko Moto sell specific attachment rings. Or consider upgrading to an aftermarket rear rack that has a larger surface and more attachment loops than an OEM rack.
The item you’re tying down may or may not have webbing straps or attachment points. If not, you’ll need to be extra careful where you run the cargo straps so the item can’t shift out of place and come loose. Most duffle bags and motorcycle bags have loops designed specifically for this purpose.
Once everything is routed properly, consider whether you’ll need to secure any excess webbing so nothing can flap around in the wind or get caught in the wheels, spokes, or chain. Many of the straps listed here feature industrial-strength Velcro loops to help you secure extra strap material. Another trick is to grab some electrical tape, fold up the loose strap material so it’s about two inches from the cam buckle, and wrap tape around the excess strap material.
Once everything is secured, grab the items you’ve tied down and try to manhandle them around, simulating off-road riding. You may find that more adjustments are necessary.
Selecting a good strap—and mounting method—is crucial for a fully loaded duffle bag.
Now, let’s take a look at what I consider to be the best options.
• Rok Straps come in different sizes and use a stretchy, strong webbing material on one end. The great thing about stretchy straps is that they provide additional tension, further preventing things from shifting around or coming loose. They typically feature closed loops on both ends allowing for the girth hitches mentioned earlier. Rok Straps come with a one-year warranty.
• Nelson-Rigg Rigg Straps utilize a slightly different design than the other metal cam-style straps listed here. The lightweight aluminum cam buckle is placed at one end of the strap with a short loop to attach to the motorcycle. They also use an open-ended metal hook (with an angled keeper) for quick attachment. They feature excess strap Velcro keepers and come with a five-year warranty. However, they are not to be used for tow straps or tying down motorcycles.
• Mosko Moto Backcountry cinch straps use very strong poly filament webbing materials but no stretch materials, which Mosko reasons can wear out over time. They feature the most heavy-duty cam buckles of all the options in my tests (two on each strap). Mosko also claims they can be used as tow straps in a pinch, a testament to their strength. Not the cheapest, but some of the best. They come with a limited lifetime warranty.
• Green Chile Adventure Gear sent out two sets for testing, the Mondo and Mondo UL (ultralight). Mondo straps use one metal cam buckle per strap and feature stretchy material (GCAG claims it’s extremely strong) to aid in tensioning. The GCAG Mondo UL straps feature mil-spec plastic buckles, the same elastic webbing as found in the Mondo straps, as well as a cool slack management attachment called the “web dominator” that allows you to secure any excess webbing. All GCAG straps come with a lifetime warranty.
Finally, the two remaining straps in our test were Giant Loop Pronghorn and Voile . Both designs are quite different from the others in this test—both are made from stretch polyurethane and are designed to secure smaller objects (but not as long as webbed straps). Think of these straps as heavy-duty, stretchy, and reusable zip ties.
You can use them to secure luggage, tie down a broken pannier, secure a rain jacket or camp shoes, or tighten down a tool roll—the possibilities are endless. Use them anywhere you might consider a large zip tie. They’re super tough and reusable. I always keep them in my everyday carry pack because they have so many uses. The Pronghorn straps have a limited lifetime warranty, and Voile straps carry a one-year warranty. The Giant Loop version is slightly reinforced versus the universal Voile ones, and they’re designed specifically for moto applications.
As the adventure motorcycle movement continues to expand, we have more options than ever when it comes to accessories. So, throw out those dangerous old bungee cords, and embrace the functionality, safety and versatility of modern tie-downs!
Ian Schoenleber founded Big Rock Moto in 2018 after a long career in nonprofit management. From his home base in the mountains of Southern California, Ian produces video content about motorcycles, focusing on in-depth bike reviews, gear tests, and buyer’s guides. Ian has been an avid motorcyclist since the age of 12, and he enjoys all aspects of riding, from street to dirt. You can follow Big Rock Moto (@bigrockmoto) on YouTube, Instagram and Facebook.
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