Transporting the Mille

Anyone got any pics of their Mille strapped down in the back of a van.....doing mine for the first time this week so lookin for tips :exclamation

Obviously on a trailer, not in a van, but the principle is the same.

On the front I went under the fairing and round the bottom triple clamp on both sides, so any marks from rubbing while in transit would not show.

On the back I initially strapped across the footpegs (as in the pic), but the strap started to fray, so changed and just went through the wheel and over the swingarm.

Bear in mind the ride would have been much bouncier on a trailer with no suspension, so you should have no trouble in a van, as long as you've got reasonable anchor points.

Usually i wedge the bike in diagonally across the van, facing forward with the front wheel in the r/h corner with steering lock on. Put on sidestand in 1st gear and ratchet strap each side of bike to a low point eg floor, till suspension just starts to compress. One more strap round back wheel pulling toward the back of van and thats it. Picked up my sv from leeds all the way back to devon, didnt move at all. However, with the aprilia this isnt so secure do to the crap stand. My dealer showed me a good way when i picked the ape up- bike facing straight forward in middle of van, front wheel pushed as far forward as poss. Put in 1st gear, steering lock on but NOT on stand. Place hook end of strap over each clip on, leaving a bit of slack so the hook is dangling slightly, instead of hooking on the clip on itself. Wrap strap around clip on a few times to secure before passing through hook and down to ratchet at securing point on floor. Now get a 3rd strap and feed through rear wheel and attach to each rear corner of van. Dont forget to put an old jumper or rag between wheel and strap to protect the wheel! Hope this helps. :thumbup

when i bought mine i picked it up in a van from leicester- put it on a paddock stand and put one strap over the swing arm and another over the seat, only really relied on the paddock stand to keep it up right!

worked a treat though, it got home fine with no damage :thumbup

put it to one side then strap it from the foot peg to the roof thats how i transport my bikes in rick's van

i always stap the front brake lever as well so it cant move as well putting in 1st gear.....i've been know to carry bits of wood,screws and electric screwdriver as some hire vans dont tie down points

best to get bar straps about £30 from bike it if you are doing it on a regular basis get a wheel **** about £60 then loading a bike will take a minute best investment I did and the safest way to transport

so what if i could get it on the ABBA or front paddock stand?

I always transport mine on my Abba stand in a van - just tie the stand (front and rear, plus sideways if you can) rather than the bike - done several long trips like that and 100% solid.
Mate of mine had his fall off a paddock stand in a van - be very careful if trying that.

Agree with the above post regarding a paddock stand. Happend to me and a mate his bike came off the stand and hit mine. Paddock stands are not stable enough in my opinion.

Here's my two penn'orth...

(The bits going over the seat are just the loose straps.)