Plastic wrap bike on trailer question?

[Tollbooth]

 Going to pickup a bike and open trailer it 1500 miles. Can I plastic wrap it to keep the finish clean and avoid chips, etc? OR will doing, "the wrap", cause more harm than good? This has been a coffee house argument. Got any experience or just an opinion?
Guy's I need your help settling this cause there is a bet on it. A cup of coffee is expensive these days!
Thanks
Tollbooth

[easyricer]

I trailered my Shovelhead 1200 miles to Fl a couple of years ago. I left it uncovered, bike did just fine, was just as filthy as if I had ridden it
Years ago, I drove a big truck pulling a flatbed. A few of my loads were plastic wrapped. If I didn't tarp them with my tarps, the plastic wrap ended up spread out all over the highway. It will shred itself in the wind.
EASY

[War Horse]

Keep it uncovered, anything on it will rip the "Potty mouth" out of the paint and chrome, anyway you dont cover it while you ride it, do you  I learned this the hard way back in the 70s with my panhead show bike 

[PoorUB]

Years ago, I drove a big truck pulling a flatbed. A few of my loads were plastic wrapped. If I didn't tarp them with my tarps, the plastic wrap ended up spread out all over the highway. It will shred itself in the wind.
EASY

[truck]

Do you mean stretch wrap it? Like War Horse said it might hurt the finish if it's wrapped while dirty. I wrapped one and went about 600 miles and the stretch wrap held up very well/perfectly. I didn't get to see it after it was unwrapped because someone stole the trailer and bike.

[Neckball]

Can I plastic wrap it to keep the finish clean and avoid chips, etc?

How is trailering different or worse than riding?  If you don't wrap it when you ride there's no need to when you trailer.

[truck]

With an open trailer your bike is getting hit by everything the tow vehicle stirs up off the road. Try tailgating a tractor trailer to see what I mean.

[harleyfarmer]

Would add that if possible put something across the front of the trailer like a short piece of plywood. Doesn't need to be much higher than a foot or two. A pick-up will have the tendency to throw stones back because of tires and it sits up higher than a car in relation to the trailer. Also, when riding you don't usually follow a vehicle as closely as you would be on a trailer. We put diamond plate aluminum across the front of our box trailer for that reason. jmho

[Jaycee1964]

Getcha self a bike cover @ Wally world for short $$$.  Wrap it on snugly with bungie cords and call it a day.  I'de leave the plastic wrap off it.  make sure areas that may "flap" are well tied down.  Towed a bike 1700 miles once in a similar maner without issues.

[Breeze]

   This has been a coffee house argument. Got any experience or just an opinion?
 

And now it's a HTT argument as well.   

[ricochet]

The point about placing some kind of deflector in front of trailor is a valid one.  I think about a sled trailor in the winter.  Without at least a shield the freaking sled gets literally coated top to bottom and inside and out with road debrix, mud and salt.  A short shield goes a long way but still not perfect as you can get a bit of backdraft too.

ricohet

[texaskatfish]

Years ago, I drove a big truck pulling a flatbed. A few of my loads were plastic wrapped. If I didn't tarp them with my tarps, the plastic wrap ended up spread out all over the highway. It will shred itself in the wind.
EASY

shrink wrap NO way - the shield concept for front of trailer is a GREAT idea

I'm in the truckin biz - and I cannot count the dozens or hundreds of conversations I've had with freight customers that "think" they want some brand new freshly painted pc of machinery "tarped".................at hwy speeds plastic or a tarp will slap the crap out of the finish - it's a hellova LOT easier/cheaper to wash off bugs and road dirt than it is to ever try and touch up paint

[Snuff™]

I've trailered to Sturg... I new a guy that trailered to Sturgis a couple of times, his wife didn't want to ride one time and wanted more than one bike out there the other time.  Open trailer, not covered, and never a problem, 1225 miles each way.

[NETacomaFatboy]

http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/BRTP/ultragard-street-motorcycle-covers.aspx

[War Horse]

All I can say is, its your bike, if you decide to put a cover on it, report back to us after the trip and....... 

[NETacomaFatboy]

it is a long trailer trip.  So I would start searching for a travel cover or even pick up a cheap throwaway cover off Craigslist and cut it up to cover the bike....

[Bigs]

I trailered my Sportster down and back to Daytona from York twice and my Road glide once. 945 miles each way with a 3 foot high board on the front of a Harbor Freight 4X8 fold up trailer. I was lucky and didn't hit any hard rain, only a light mist once.
   Bigs

[truck]

Years ago, I drove a big truck pulling a flatbed. A few of my loads were plastic wrapped. If I didn't tarp them with my tarps, the plastic wrap ended up spread out all over the highway. It will shred itself in the wind.
EASY

shrink wrap NO way - the shield concept for front of trailer is a GREAT idea

I'm in the truckin biz - and I cannot count the dozens or hundreds of conversations I've had with freight customers that "think" they want some brand new freshly painted pc of machinery "tarped".................at hwy speeds plastic or a tarp will slap the crap out of the finish - it's a hellova LOT easier/cheaper to wash off bugs and road dirt than it is to ever try and touch up paint

Stretch wrap, shrink wrap and tarps are three different animals.

[rbabos]

Myself, don't see a problem if the bike is first wrapped with nice soft blankets and the shrink wrapped to hold it there.
Ron

[hbkeith]

As said , a deflecter on the trailer is all thats needed. dont make the simple "Potty mouth" hard 

[76shuvlinoff]

When we loaded three bikes on an open trailer we took note of who wasn't there to help and put theirs crossways at the front.

just sayin'

[texaskatfish]

Stretch wrap, shrink wrap and tarps are three different animals.

70 mph wind never discriminates - unless the wrap is multiple layers and skin tight THEN and only then it might survive the trip without being compromised

[koko3052]

When we loaded three bikes on an open trailer we took note of who wasn't there to help and put theirs crossways at the front.

just sayin'

[moose]

Do you mean stretch wrap it? Like War Horse said it might hurt the finish if it's wrapped while dirty. I wrapped one and went about 600 miles and the stretch wrap held up very well/perfectly. I didn't get to see it after it was unwrapped because someone stole the trailer and bike.

guess they wanted the stuff to wrap theirs or the trailer

[cheetah]

Pulled a BLACK Sportster from Georgia to New York on an open trailer with no new scratches nor dings. But then It was almost all the way via interstate.
C