Electric winch?

STFlips

Site Supporter
Joined
Apr 18, 2018
Messages
653
Location
Whitby, Ontario, Canada
Bike
2001 ST1100A
I've been toying with the idea of putting one of those small 12V winches (2000 lb rating) to help me get the bike up the trailer ramp when I am alone. Soft straps on the forks, but musing about where and how to mount it for strength. Anyone tried this or is it just a stupid idea and just get help when needed?
 
Not sure I'd pull from the forks. The way they are slanted helps send road force up and back, but may not take well to a reverse force. The lower you pull from applies more torque leverage to the forks.

If riding it up (on the bike or standing beside it) or getting help isn't ideal for you, I'd be likely to make a Y cable to attach to the side tip over bars, come to a point in front of the front tire and attach the winch hook to that.
 
If riding it up (on the bike or standing beside it) or getting help isn't ideal for you, I'd be likely to make a Y cable to attach to the side tip over bars, come to a point in front of the front tire and attach the winch hook to that.
That is an excellent idea.
 
Considering the forces placed on the front forks during normal riding, no way are you going to damage them simply pulling the bike up a mild grade. They can withstand "stoppies" where the entire weight of the machine PLUS g-forces are applied. Yes, I realize that the pulling force is in the opposite direction, but the entire front end gets stressed in all directions in normal use. Far beyond a simple pull onto a trailer.

I used a small ATV type winch years ago to make a lift to carry windows up the side of a house during construction. It had a keyfob remote that was very handy.
 
I'm assuming that you don't have a commercial trailer that has a deck that is high up off the ground. If so, you are only rolling it up a mild grade. You won't be lifting it vertically so this isn't going to damage anything. If pulling on the forks concerns you, there is a loop on the left-hand side tip-over bar that is easily accessible without having to remove the cover. You don't need to pull from both sides of the bike, the forces aren't great enough to be a problem. Hook on to that loop and winch away. I did it once winching an ST1300 up on to a landscaping trailer. I thought that winching only on the one side might make it hard to keep the motorcycle stable but the force is being applied so low down that it wasn't a problem.

Having said all of that, there is another option that you might want consider. Light-weight aluminum ramps can be had really cheaply now. If you don't have enough width on your existing ramp(s) to walk up on to the trailer beside the motorcycle while propelling it up the ramp using its own power, buy another ramp section so that you can do so. Much easier than winching, much safer for you, and much easier to stabilize the motorcycle on the way up.
 
As my age advances, I find myself not as strong or stable as I was, hence the need for assistance of some variety. The ST can sure be a handful to muscle around. Sometimes it sucks getting old.
 
These are the ramps that I bought when I had my ST for loading it on a snowmobile trailer. Easy to ride the bike up because you have the side ramps to put your feet on. Now I do the same thing with a 2012 Goldwing that is a few hundred pounds heaver than the ST. Very easy to ride up.

7' Long Black Widow Aluminum Non-Folding Arched Motorcycle Ramp | Discount Ramps

If you still want to go with the winch. I have one that I just mounted to an aluminum plate so it is portable. I just hook it up to a jump pack or a lawn tractor battery. I put carabiners on the plate. When I need to pull something on the trailer, I just use a tie down strap that is tight across two points on the front of the trailer and attach the winch to it with the carabiners. I have pulled up an GL1000 Gold Wing that was not running and a few dead snowmobiles. Very easy to do. By putting it on a plate, it makes it portable so you can use it anywhere you need some extra pulling power.

Here is a photo of the winch setup that I use.

20240413_105007.jpg



As far as an attachment point to the ST, I would just use a soft strap to the triple tree. That is what I did with the GL1000 that has a windjammer on it.
 
Top Bottom