Haul loop reviews

MOTO-X  February 2009

FRONT HAUL LOOP:

There are some products you look at and think, 'that's brilliant, why hasn't someone made one of these before?' And Kriega's Haul strap is just one of those things. I'd not seen it advertised before, and I just happened to notice it on the Kriega stand at the recent Dirt Bike Show whilst perusing their rows of fantastically crafted soft luggage, backpacks and hydration packs. So why did such a seemingly mundane accessory be so welcome? Well, if you ever happen to take part in the Beach Race, or indeed any similarly snotty endurance event, unless you're David Knight, at some point you will need to drag your machine out of trouble. Hell you might even need someone else's help to free the recalcitrant lump of metal out of the hole it's stuck in. That's why so many riders cobble together makeshift straps at the front and back of their machines, because without them, dirt bikes are really tricky to get anything sensible to hold onto and pull. More often than not these straps are just a length of webbing cut from an old tie-down strap, hastily wrapped around a fork leg or seat bolt; not exactly reliable, and they cut into your hands if and when you have to press them into use. So the boffins at Kriega have come up with a simple, well designed and effective solution. The Haul Loop. It simply fits around the forks just below the lower yoke, the tough nylon buckling together tightly and neatly. To make sure it doesn't slip down the leg, a small loop then attaches to a cable-tie above the yoke. The actual part that you pull goes over the top of the front mudguard and has a hard plastic tube covered with a non-slip material. Now, having just got the strap, I decided to fit it ti my long term WR250F for the last event of the year. As the weather had been fine but cold, I didn't think for a moment that I'd need it, but  what the hell, it was no use sitting in the garage so I whacked it on - fitting time two minutes(that's about an hour for Swanny, providing his dad was there as well!). And Christ was I glad I did. The unremitting muck and slime in one small wood had to be seen to be believed, and both I and the hard workinh marshalls/spectators had ample opportunity to test the effectiveness of the strap as I slithered my way around the course. I helped out a fair few riders myself (once they had helped me. It's like that in enduro) and I really wish they had bought one of those jobbies. If you ride any type of event that involves mud, sand or bad weather - so that's any race in Britain - be it motocross, enduro or hare and hounds, investing in one of these straps is a smart move. It will certainly help you get out of trouble quicker than the guys who haven't got them. The words 'not. rocket science' and 'science' come to mind.  JC

TBM  January 2010

Now here's an accessory virtually every dirtbiker should fit to their machine! Kriega's new Rear Haul Loop works on the same principle as last year's Front Haul Loop - it gives you something to grab onto to heave your bike up/out of/over tricky terrain. Yet we find we have to lift the rear of the bike much more often than the front, so this new part has even greater appeal. Essentially it's a very tough piece of strapping, coated with ultra-grippy 'Toughtek' and topped off with a section of 'Hypalon'(the same stuff they make rigid inflatable boats from) that you secure around your bike's subframe, run over the rear fender, and pull tight with the stainless buckles. The loop is semi-rigid so it stays right where you need it and is always easy to grab - unlike most homemade 'lifting straps'. And it's so much better than lifting the bike with your hand under the rear fender because it gives greater grip and your gloves won't end up covered in mud! The Rear Haul Loop is a universal design, intended to fit most enduro/trail bikes and costs £19. It's just the job for pulling yourself out of the wintery gloop.