Does this look secure?

[playaSilk]

I'm figuring out how to transport my trike to the playa. I got a bunch of straps and ratchets and I'm attaching my trike to the roof of my car like so. I took it on a short drive and it seemed fine but... Never done this before, so I'm looking for feedback, advise, suggestions etc. Thanks in advance all!

[maladroit]

It looks good to me as long as that cargo rack and the spoiler are rated to handle a lot of force and jiggling. These things, you wiggle it as much as you can and only your car should move on its shocks. You stop 20 miles into your trip and check again, then you check it at every gas station or if you hear a new noise.

[Jovankat]

Would it e helpful to tie the brake levers tght to the handle bars to engage the brakes so there is less wiggling?

[LowePro]

Foam scraps or rags under the wheels or you'll get little scratchies in the paint job. You could lower the seat post and handlebars to reduce drag, just make sure to tighten them back up!

I'm not convinced a spoiler is load-bearing, not having seen it in person. And what happens if the front wheel happens to turn to one side, do the straps keep their tension or does the Trike loosen up? Just a few thoughts. Safe travels!

[Mojojita]

Be sure that you stop to do a strap check after about 20 miles. Always a good plan even when pulling a trailer or have a load on a truck or car. Also, let some air out of the tires before you go over any high-altitude areas such as Donner Pass.

[ygmir]

also consider, you may be searched at Gate, and if so will have to open your trunk..........

[Token]

I wouldn't do it that way.

That rear spoiler is not gonna survive that kind of load.

The idea is sound, and the roof rack is very likely OK.

I'd run a strap around the trunk lid, as close to the hinge as possible, then tie off to that instead of the spoiler.

Also, if you can get that front wheel off the glass, would help a lot. Not that there will be massive constant down force, but there will be a ton of dynamic vibration type loads from the straps and and other edges in the air-stream.

Then, depending where you drive from, if you are going up/down in elevation a few thousand feet, those tires need to be adjusted for pressure. If you hear a bang, pull over and check the bike tires.

I would seriously look into putting down three channel-irons on the roof rack and have the trike hard mounted there.

[FIGJAM]

I was gonna say strap a piece of plywood to the rack big enough to accommodate the trike.

[theCryptofishist]

You might want to measure height. Wouldn't want to forget and take it into a parking garage, say at the Sands.

[Thecatman]

I say no. The spoiler is not strength rated. You could ratchet the strap tight enough and rip it out. Try wheeling the trike so it is centered over the rack and strapping it to the rack. A drawback to the plywood method as suggested is as you drive, wind will get between the roof of the car and plywood causing a lifting effect increasing the possibility of the setup coming off. At the very least, redusing your mpg. Which ever way you choose, remember to check the strap tightness after the first few miles driving and then every 50-100 miles after. It may be time consuming but well worth it. And as fishy said, watch your overhead clearance......no fast food drive through, parking garages etc.
Good luck to you a and be safe!

[trilobyte]

Offhand, I have no idea. I know I wouldn't try it, those wheels will have some give no matter how tight you think you've got. Especially with miles and miles of road vibrations and bumps. As others who'd know better than I have suggested, the spoiler might not be able to take it, either. I'd also question whether there'd be too much slack with the front wheel.

It seems to me that, if you REALLY REALLY REALLY strap it down super securely, you're exerting force and pressure on the vehicle's body (that window and rear spoiler dude) in a way that it's not meant to take. You risk those getting damaged or breaking, which would probably be a major hassle. There's also the issue of needing to pop it off quickly for gate inspection. Also, if you're hauling a bike on a vehicle in something other than a bike rack, you're kind of opening yourself up for any cop anywhere pulling you over for an unsafe load. That would mean not only a ticket, but not being able to continue until it's corrected. That one's nebulous and probably varies not only from state to state but from cop to cop.

I know it's an added expense, but you might want to look into seeing whether you could rent some tiny little tow-behind trailer - some rental companies can even dial up a hitch for such a thing.

[bluemiragemi]

No. Put those straps in the trunk or the BODY of the car. That fender is not stable and you could snap it off

[theCryptofishist]

Maybe we should ask Lacivious.

[playaSilk]

Thank you everyone sooooo much for your feedback. These are the main points I'm getting:
- tie it to the rack directly, not to the spoiler
- tie down the brake lever
- lower seat/handlebars to reduce drag
- what happens if front wheel turns
- let some air out of tires
- can you open trunk for gate inspection
- tie to trunk as close to the hinge as possible
- get front wheels off the glass
- measure height for clearance

I'm going to try a different setup tonight and see if that works out better. Thanks again all.

[Captain Goddammit]

I really don't think tying the brake levers is going to do anything. The bike shouldn't be relying on it's brakes to be held on, at all, anyway. Nobody does that.
I don't know if you care, but you are absolutely going to screw up your paint and maybe even dimple your trunk lid, especially on the way home when the car and the bike tires are coated in abrasive playa dirt.
If you give a crap about the car, do something to get it on the rack and off the body and paint.

[Jovankat]

I really don't think tying the brake levers is going to do anything. The bike shouldn't be relying on it's brakes to be held on, at all, anyway. Nobody does that.

Except people towing cars on car trailers, they have the hand brake on. It's not quite the same thing but it's the same basic concept, rolling around = bad.

[Captain Goddammit]

Except people towing cars on car trailers, they have the hand brake on. It's not quite the same thing but it's the same basic concept, rolling around = bad.

I used to transport cars for a living... and yes you're right, it's not quite the same thing.
The main (pretty much only) function of the parking brake on a car being carried is to keep it from moving while you're attaching or removing the chains.

If you carry a bike fastened down in such a way that the handbrakes have anything whatsoever to do with holding it in place on the highway, I think you're doing it wrong. We don't want to make Elliot try to fix a trike that got run over by an RV do we?!

[Gunslinger]

put the straps down to your tow rings or structure beneath the bumper and call it good. My trike is bigger and I've had it on the roof one year, same as yours once, and rear wheels secured to the back rack with front resting on back windshield once. All made it fine with no whammies except once when I took the last corner to my neighborhood on the way home in 2012 and the bike rolled sideways and hung by the straps off the side of the car. Gate will make you remove bike to search trunk, no big deal, we made it work. Trikes rule, just get that strapping off the rear spoiler or loose both baby!