A motorcycle that won't start or has gone down gets loaded on a flatbed or trailer with soft-tie straps at the forks and swingarm — never a hook-and-chain, which can crack a fork or crush a fairing. Detroit Towing handles cruisers, sportbikes, and touring bikes the same way across all 20 Detroit, MI service areas.
Most motorcycle calls aren't a crash — they're a bike that stalled and won't restart, a chain that snapped mid-ride, or a battery that died after sitting through a cold snap. All three end the same way: the bike goes on a flatbed or an enclosed trailer, secured with soft-tie straps run through the front forks and rear swingarm, never looped around anything that can bend.
A bike that's gone down is a different job. If it landed on its side, the crew checks for fluid leaking from the tank or cases before standing it up, since a bike that's leaking gas shouldn't get tipped upright again without knowing where the leak is coming from.
Why won't a hook-and-chain work on a motorcycle?
A chain wrapped around a fork tube or swingarm puts the whole load on one narrow point, and forks are built to compress straight up and down, not take a sideways pull. Rig it wrong and the bike arrives with a bent fork or a cracked triple clamp, which usually costs more to fix than whatever put it on the truck to begin with.
What if the motorcycle won't roll at all?
A seized engine, a locked front brake, or wheels that won't turn don't stop a flatbed pickup — the bike gets winched up the ramp rather than pushed or ridden on. What changes is how long loading takes and how many hands it needs, not whether the job gets done.
Could the fairing or paint get scratched during loading?
It shouldn't — soft-tie straps go through structural points, not across the tank or fairing, and the ramp is padded so the tires don't skid metal-on-metal going up it. The bigger risk is usually whatever happened before the truck showed up, not the loading itself.
Do you tow scooters and mopeds too, or just full-size bikes?
Same equipment either way — a scooter or moped gets strapped down the same as a cruiser or sportbike, just with less weight to secure. The process doesn't change with engine size.
What if more than one motorcycle is involved at the same scene?
Each bike gets its own trip — motorcycles don't get stacked or towed together, since one going down against another on the truck bed risks damaging both. Detroit Towing sends the flatbed back out for a second load rather than crowd more than one bike onto it.