How to transport your motorcycle without riding it

To move your motorcycle from one place to another without riding it, the formula is simple: a trailer (or a van) and a good loading and strapping system. With a type-approved trailer at home, taking the bike to the workshop, passing the roadworthiness test or dropping it at the start of a route stops being a logistical problem and becomes a ten-minute job. You don't need to start it, expose it to traffic or add wear-and-tear miles.

The essentials at a glance:

• You need a type-approved trailer and a car that can tow it.
• A tilting loading system saves you from lifting the bike by hand.
• Good strapping keeps the bike safe and everything within the law.
• Having the trailer always ready at home is what makes you actually use it.

When it pays to transport the bike instead of riding it

There are plenty of everyday situations where moving the motorcycle on a trailer is more practical —and safer— than riding it:

• To the workshop, when the bike has a breakdown that puts it out of service or you simply don't want to add miles.
• To the roadworthiness test (MOT/ITV), to arrive unhurried and without risk if the bike isn't at its mechanical best.
• To the start of a distant route, avoiding hundreds of kilometres of dull motorway before the good part.
• With a newly bought bike that doesn't yet have insurance or paperwork in order.
• In bad weather, with a large-capacity bike or a roadside breakdown, where riding it isn't a comfortable or safe option.

What you need to transport it

You don't need much, but it's worth being clear before the first time:

• A suitable car. Not every car tows every trailer: it depends on the maximum mass and your licence. Check it in what car you need to tow a motorcycle.
• A type-approved trailer (or, as an alternative, a van: you can see how to carry your motorcycle in a camper van).
• An effortless loading system. A tilting trailer lowers the ramp to the ground so you load the bike without lifting it; here are the advantages of tilting trailers.
• Correct, legal strapping. Loading the bike is only half of it: you have to secure it well and comply with the rules. We explain it in how to transport a motorcycle safely and legally.

No force and no age limit: why this matters especially after 50

Transporting the bike instead of riding it isn't just about convenience: for many riders it's what lets them keep enjoying it without punishing their back. Loading the bike onto a tilting trailer is done at ground level, without lifting weight —key when the bike is heavy or when your body is no longer up for the effort. It fits well with these tips for riding safely after 50.

Having the trailer ready at home changes everything

The difference between using the trailer and hardly ever using it is almost always how easy it is to have on hand. And that's where the folding trailer from Littleway Team makes the difference:

• It folds in seconds and stores vertically in any corner of the garage: you don't need permanent space to keep it.
• It loads effortlessly thanks to the hydraulic stabiliser, with a payload of up to 500 kg.
• No tools needed: every movement is done with safety pins.
• Type-approved for Europe, patented and made in Spain.

With a trailer like this always ready, that "I have to take the bike to the workshop" stops being a chore: you unfold it, load the bike in a couple of minutes and you're done.

Moving the bike without riding it, sorted

Taking the bike to the workshop, the roadworthiness test or the start of the route without starting it is as easy as having the right trailer and knowing how to load and strap it. Choose a car that can handle the combination, a tilting trailer that loads without force and good strapping, and you'll have solved for good the "how do I get the bike there?".