I have been hearing about Pingel wheel chocks for years but much to my surprise they have a lot more to offer then just tie down accessories. Since 1967 the Pingel family has been developing motorcycle performance and accessory products. Their catalog is over 100 pages with everything including wheel chocks, floor tie down systems, nitrous systems, air shifters, even a drag racing practice tree and the list goes on. I am dreaming of the cool drag racing bike I could build with Pingel’s help, but this story is about a couple of their first class wheel chocks.
After reading about the Pingel family I was excited to check out some of their products, mainly the Cycle Jaws. The Cycle Jaws is a wheel chock that is designed for single person operation. The adjustable jaw on the chock holds the bike upright so when you dismount the bike it won’t fall, no kick stand needed. Once you get off the bike you tighten the jaws a little bit and the bike stands almost completely vertical—which we all know is the position the bike needs to be in when you tie it down.
The cool thing about the Cycle Jaws is that it can be used without mounting it. But if you do have a designated spot for your motorcycle in your toy hauler, truck, garage floor or motorcycles lift, the mounting of the Jaws is easy. Of course the only thing I am worried about right now is mounting it in my trailer. After spending a couple of minutes putting the Cycle Jaws together (it comes in a few pieces for shipping) it is time to find the perfect spot to mount it. The first thing I did is put the Cycle Jaws in the area I thought it would best fulfill my needs. Since the Jaws can be used without mounting it, it was easy to set it in different positions to see where it worked best. Once I had it in the spot I liked I pulled my bike in and made sure I had the clearance I needed on all sides. Then I went under the trailer to make sure when I drilled the four holes in the floor that nothing was in the way. In the past I have had to remove tanks before I drilled, so make sure you check underneath before you drill. One more innovative thing about mounting the Jaws was that Pingel mounted the securing nut onto a flat plate that you attach to the bottom of the trailer. So if you want to remove the wheel chock you just unscrew it from the top and the nut stays in place. You never have to go under the trailer again to hold the nut. This is great because then it is not a hassle to remove it if you want to use it in your truck or garage.
I also had the opportunity to check out the Series E Track Wheel Chock which is designed to be used with the E Track adjustable tie down system. The advantage of the E Track system is that the Pingel wheel chock can be latched anywhere on the track and be secure. For those of you that bring different toys for different outings this is perfect because you are not stuck putting your motorcycle in the same spot every time. Some toy haulers come from the factory with E Tracks installed and for those that would like to get E-tracks Pingel also sells them. These chocks are available in 3 1⁄2 inch and 6 1⁄2 inch widths to accommodate different size front tires.
If you are into street bikes or drag racing motorcycles you need to check all that Pingel has to offer at www.pingelonline.com or call them at 608-339-7999 you’ll be glad you did.
-THM
