Motorcycle Tie Down Anchors: Which Type to Use in Your Trailer or Truck Bed (and Where to Put Them)
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Your tie-down gets all the attention. The anchor it hooks into does the real work. If the anchor is in the wrong spot, held down with the wrong hardware, or the wrong type for how you haul, the best tie-down in the world won't save you.
So let's sort it out: the main kinds of motorcycle tie down anchors, what each one is good for, and where they should go if you want to load fast and stop wrestling straps.
What a tie down anchor actually does
An anchor is the fixed point on your trailer, truck bed or van floor that your tie-down connects to. Every bump, brake and lane change gets passed from the bike, through the tie-down, into that anchor, and then into the floor.
That means three things matter:
- The type of anchor, and which fittings it accepts.
- Where it sits relative to the bike.
- How it's fastened to the floor and what's behind it.
Get those right and the rest is easy.
The four common types of motorcycle trailer anchors
1. D-rings and fixed tie down brackets
These are the classic folding rings or welded loops you see bolted to trailer floors and walls. They're simple and they're everywhere, which is why most people start with them.
The catch is that they're built for straps. You hook a ratchet strap to the ring, run it up to the handlebars or the lower triple clamp, and crank it down. That compresses the forks, and the bike's position is set by wherever the rings happen to be. Move the bike, and you're drilling new holes.
2. E-track
E-track is the wide steel rail with rows of slots you see in cargo trailers and box trucks. Fittings clip into any slot, so you get lots of adjustment, and it can go on the floor or the wall.
It's a great choice for enclosed trailers and vans where you want to haul different loads. Our 6" E-Track Rails are 12-gauge roll-formed steel with a black powdercoat, sold as a pair, for when you only need a short run in a specific spot.
3. L-track (airline track)
L-track is the narrow aluminum rail with round openings down the middle. It's lower and more compact than E-track, which is why it works so well in truck beds and tight floor layouts. We go deep on it in our aluminum L-track guide, and if you're stuck choosing between the two rail styles, read L-Track or E-Track? What's the difference?
Our Moto Track Angled Aluminum L-Track comes in 6", 8", 12", 24" and 36" lengths. The angled sides sit flatter and snag less than square-edge rail.
4. Single point anchors
A single point anchor is one fitting spot, bolted exactly where you need it. No long rail across the floor. When the bike's gone, all that's left is a small anchor point you can walk over or slide gear across.
For L-track, our L-Track Stainless Steel Single Point Anchors are round 1.5" stainless steel anchors that hold up to wet trailers and salt air. They come in a pack of 2 with backing plates, screws and nyloc nuts.
For E-track, the E-Track Single Point Anchors are single-slot anchors that fit all standard E-track fittings, also sold as a pack of 2.
Which anchor type should you use?
Here's the quick way to think about it:
| If you... | Best fit |
|---|---|
| Haul the same bike in the same spot every time | Single point anchors |
| Haul different bikes or move them around | L-track or E-track runs |
| Have a truck bed or tight floor | L-track or single point anchors |
| Have an enclosed trailer with walls you want to use | E-track |
| Only ever use ratchet straps | D-rings work, but you'll be strapping the forks |
Plenty of riders mix them, like single point anchors in the truck and E-track in the trailer.
Where to put your anchors (this is where most setups go wrong)
With straps, anchors go out wide and forward so the strap can pull down and out from the bars. That's why most trailers come with rings near the front corners.
Moto Cinch works differently. It secures the bike by the foot pegs, not the handlebars. So your anchors go under the pegs, not out by the front wheel. Here's how to find the spot:
- Park the bike where you want it to ride. Leave room for the ramp, the tailgate or door, and anything else you carry.
- Mark the floor directly under the left and right foot pegs. Those two marks are your anchor points.
- Pick your hardware. For one bike in one spot, a single point anchor at each mark is all you need. If you want adjustment, run a short piece of L-track or E-track through each mark instead.
- Check under the floor before you drill. Look for fuel lines, brake lines, wiring, crossmembers and the trailer frame.
How to bolt anchors down so they actually hold
An anchor is only as strong as what's holding it to the floor. A few rules:
- Through-bolt, don't just screw. Bolts with lock nuts beat wood screws every time.
- Always use backing plates underneath. They spread the load across more of the floor so the bolt can't pull through.
- Seal the holes if the floor sees weather.
- Re-check the nuts now and then, especially after rough roads.
We sell matched hardware so you don't have to guess:
- Single Point Anchor Hardware Kit: 2" x 1/4" bolts, backing plates and lock nuts. Handy as a spare in the trailer.
- 2.5" Heavy Hardware Kit: larger, thicker 3.2mm backing plates for tougher single-hole installs.
- 2" L-Track Hardware Kit: screws, lock nuts and round backing plates for longer L-track runs.
- 2" E-Track Hardware Kit: Grade 5 bolts with nyloc nuts and washers for E-track installs.
Bolting into a truck bed where you can't reach the back side? We covered one option in Rivet Nuts (rivnuts) for easier installs in truck beds?
Putting a tie-down on your anchors
Once the anchors are in, pick the Moto Cinch that matches your bike and your anchor type:
- Dirt, MX, dual-sport and ADV: Moto Cinch MX L-Track or Moto Cinch MX E-Track. The MX is built from aircraft-grade aluminum, ATS lab tested to 1,500 lbs per unit, and fits foot peg heights from 13.5" to 17".
- Street and sport bikes: Moto Cinch Street L-Track or Moto Cinch Street E-Track.
- On a budget: ECO Cinch MX L-Track or ECO Cinch MX E-Track.
Click the boot onto the peg, cinch the cam lever, and go. No straps over the bars, and minimal fork compression. That's the big difference between a footpeg setup and the strap-and-ring approach most riders start with.
Running E-track and want the front wheel held too? The Moto Cinch E-Track Wheel Chock mounts into floor E-track and fits tires up to 7" wide.
The bottom line
The right motorcycle tie down anchor is the one that matches how you haul, sits right under your foot pegs, and is through-bolted with backing plates. Do that once and every trip after is click, cinch, go.
More on getting the bike in safely: How to Tie Down a Motorcycle in a Trailer (Without Damaging Your Forks) and How to Haul a Dirt Bike Without Straps.