A lightweight, ultra-portable wheel chock, that never rusts, doesn’t need to have holes made to be bolted down, can be easily carried away, and just works. It isn’t perfect, but it’s a damn good start.
About the Chock
The Kafe Adjustable Motorcycle Wheel Chock from DiscountRamps.com weighs in at only 20 lbs. It’s a chock that can easily be carried to your truck’s bed or trailer deck, and doesn’t need to be bolted down. Instead, you’ll simply extend the chock’s arms they lock the chock firmly into place. It’s what your shower curtain’s tension rod wants to be when it grows up.
The chock’s range is from 51″ (1.29 meters) to 87″ (2.21 meters). Don’t mistake those numbers as a suggestion. If you’re thinking of buying the Kafe Adjustable Motorcycle Wheel Chock to use in your 4′ (48″) wide trailer, don’t do it. It’ll be an exercise in futility, like trying to get blood from a stone. Trust me, I already tried and failed.
On the other hand, the chock fit just fine on a 6’x9′ trailer. We extended both sides hard twice, really pushing it to get it seated right. After that, the chock sat taut even and a kick-for-good-measure couldn’t make it budge. That’s a pretty sweet feature because there is no one-size-fits all for truck beds and trailers. Points for versatility.
Now, typically at this point comes the shit-your-pants moment known as getting your motorcycle up the ramp, but I should backpeddle a bit here and share my story.
So, uh, I actually ended up needing it…
Normally I just get product, test it, review it, and never touch it again. Yeah, never say never.
By all intents and purposes, I should’ve have been done building my own trailer and had it ready for the long weekend. I gave myself weeks to prepare and get everything together. But, see, well, there comes a time in every journey when the pressure adds up and things go astray: Some succumb to drugs, some succumb to alcohol, and the best of us succumb to women.
Me? I succumbed to writing articles on the internet. Alone in the dark in the glow of my laptop, writing to the sound of a snoring dog. Writing stole me away from my trailer. Not drugs, not alcohol, and not even women. Who’d a thunkit?!
But hey, it worked out, and there I was at Uhaul when it struck me: the Adjustable Motorcycle Wheel Chock is actually perfect for those who’d like to rent a trailer to tow a motorcycle on occasion. No drilling, no bolts, no problem. Tension rods out, bike strapped on, and ride off into the sunset.
The one shortfall is…
This is not your traditional wheel chock. You can forget about saying “Look, Ma. No hands!” It does not use the motorcycle’s own weight to hold the bike completely vertical. You’ll have to ride your motorcycle on to the chock and rest it on your kickstand, even with a beefy front tire like my 130/90-M16.
So rest your bike on the chock, and then work back and forth from side to side strapping your motorcycle in. The chock stays in place the entire ride, even with this Mad Max-inspired lunatic behind the wheel of a 4×4.
Build quality, assembly, and finish
Overall the build quality is on par with the price point. The instructions are clear and visual, and the assembly is easy and painless. One of the acorn nuts lost its shiny chrome dome top. The wheel stop edges weren’t perfect, but for <$150 they were smooth enough. We had more hardware come with it than should have been included, but hey, better to have extra than not enough.
Closing thoughts
The Kafe Adjustable Motorcycle Wheel Chock from DiscountRamps.com gets a solid recommendation for anyone looking for an inexpensive, ultra light, drill-free, bolt-free motorcycle wheel chock. It’s especially handy for trailer rentals, truck beds, multi-purpose trailer or anywhere you don’t want a chock to be a permanent fixture. Value for your dollar is right.
The chock would be nicer if it it used the bike’s weight to lock the bike in an upright position. Set your expectations according to what the chock’s true purpose is: to help brace the front end of the motorcycle and keep it vertically straight in applications of a variety of sizes. You can still properly strap down a motorcycle from the sidestand position, it just takes a little more effort.
The no drill, no bolt chock looks like a boat anchor, but it weighs like a piece of paper. It’s a crafty hack that does the job. In places where a traditional bolt-down motorcycle wheel chock won’t do, or for people moving bikes on a variety of different platforms, the Kafe Adjustable Motorcycle Wheel Chock is an easy to recommend solution.
*TOWING TUESDAYS!*
Towing Tuesdays! is a weekly column for anyone who’s ever even thought about getting their motorcycle from Point A to Point B without riding it. Whether you’re taking it to the shop downtown, or hauling ass outta town, this weekly column is guaranteed to put tongues to balls. Trailer tongues. Hitch balls. Come back next week for even more bad trailer puns.
Check out all of our Towing Tuesdays! articles right here!