"Tugger" lift straps. Or... Find a need, fill a need.

[creeper]

Many of you have been in a situation where you're by yourself, or perhaps with a friend... and someones bike has gotten stuck.
The heavier the bike and the more worn out you are, the greater the likelihood of this happening... it's one of those "inverse proportion" things.

Stuck in a gully, stuck in the mud, stuck on the wrong side of a mountain, stuck in a tree, stuck in the rocks... stuck in multiple combinations of the stuck places previously listed.

My Sherco isn't heavy (by comparison to say a KTM 640 Adventure ) but I do get it stuck sometimes... and I do get worn out frequently.

So, I was thinking about making some "lift straps". The kind you see on bikes in the Erzberg and Last Man Standing... and any other genuinely ugly competition scenario where it's good not to waste your last breath on a half-ass attempt at getting un-stuck.

Lift straps offer a lift point with the advantages of a good grip that isn't made of plastic, and "centerline of the bike" leverage.
You can pull up, you can pull back and forward. No fenders to cut your hands or bend, no muddy wheels to lose your grip on or turn. No piss-poor, dangerous grip on forks, swing-arms or exhaust pipes.

Anyway... I was looking around at what I have for raw materials. Suede... got lots of scrap suede.
Nylon webbing... a little, but kinda big for the application.
How about hardware? What's a good clean way to attach the straps securely?
After awhile, I walked away to do something else and forgot about the lift straps.

Wondering thru the interwebnet one day, I came across "Tugger"... aka, Highline Recreation in Logan, Utah.
Turns out, they make lift straps... with mounting hardware.
I considered what I had again for raw materials, looked at the lift strap kits they sell, thought about my raw materials again... and the time invested in R&D to get what I wanted... and looked at the lift strap kits again.

I ordered both a front and "#1" rear lift strap kits.



Both kits use a snazzy little slip-buckle that due to the design, won't wank up your motorcycle parts.



The rear kit uses collars that the slip-buckle fits over... and they allow the buckles to rotate freely.
If you look closely in this photo, you can see on the left a little piece of elastic that helps to keep the rear strap flat and out of the way against your fender... but stretches easily so you can get your hand under the strap.



The rear kit comes with two sets of bolts, (6 & 8mm) as well as an assortment of metal and nylon washers... and the aforementioned slip-buckles and collars.
The hardware allows a multitude of mounting options... I opted to use the inner fender to subfarme bolts, although I could have just as easily used the rear upper number plate mount bolts.



The materials used are first rate, the slip-buckle design is neat, the kits go on with a minimum of fiddling around and once on, seem pretty solidly attached.

Yes... you most certainly could make your own. And depending on the quality of your work, your DIY versions would be fine.
But, if you value your time, don't want to piss away money on DIY R&D and you don't have the bits and pieces handy to make something super sanitary... then the Tugger kits are something to look at.
Pricing is reasonable, and this is one of those little "find a need, fill a need" operations that we all need to support when possible.

That's it,
C

[Monroe]

have done similar analysis on a center stand dolly and went with the store bought. "a mans gotta know his limitations"

Steve

....and those straps would be helpful getting my pig gs out of trouble

[creeper]

Originally Posted by Monroe

have done similar analysis on a center stand dolly and went with the store bought. "a mans gotta know his limitations"

Steve

....and those straps would be helpful getting my pig gs out of trouble

Not so much limitations as my time value vs. reasonable cost of ready-to-rock lift straps.
That and being a small independant business-doode myself, I like to support the little guy when I can.

I can see where getting a GS stuck could end up with you walking and a GS sprouting roots where it lies.

C

[KenR]

Ya know, I've thought about getting some of those Tugger straps for years but never got around to placing an order.

This past Sunday I was near the end of a particularly long day on my 450EXC when I faced a difficult, silty, steep, rocky, rutted out, nasty long hillclimb between me an the barley pops in the truck. Got about 3/4's up the thing and the bike climbed out of the rut and fell hard onto the side, bending the chain guide and subsequently derailing the chain. There was no way I was going to get the chain back on without removing the wheel, and that was going to be impossible with the bike laying sideways across the hill half buried in silt.

I started wrestling the bike trying to get it out of the track and onto the sidehill. Grabbed a handful of back fender and tore one side right off the subframe. I eventually got the job done, the bike fixed and got home but not without considerable sweat and cussing.

An order for Tugger straps and a new rear fender is being placed today!

[creeper]

Originally Posted by KenR

Ya know, I've thought about getting some of those Tugger straps for years but never got around to placing an order.

An order for Tugger straps and a new rear fender is being placed today!

I haven't had the "opportunity" to use mine yet... just got them on, but I know exactly what you mean Ken.
You think, "Ah... just another thing to spend money on that I'll never use". But the first time you need them and they save your ass and some expensive motorcycle parts, lift straps start looking like a pretty smart purchase.

C

[RichBeBe]

I won a front Tugger as a door prize at an enduro this year and the following race i got bogged down in some NASTY mud and the strap was invaluable in getting me out.
After the race I ordered one for the rear and I love them. A friend ended up buying a pair as well.
So how great are they?
I stupidly used the rear as a tiedown point on a friends trailer and one of the aluminum pieces sheered off. Sent them an email saying how stupid I was and asking if they sold them separately, they asked for my address and mailed me a pair fore no charge. Unbelievable customer service and a great product. They have me as a customer for life