I wouldn't use the bars either. Use the engine and bag guards. Lock the steering and put the bike in gear. The bike stays on it's kickstand and the straps don't have to be as tight as loading on a truck or trailer. The ride is pretty smooth and I'll bet a bike would be fine in gear and w/o straps, but obviously you want (have) to use them. Try to be in line early because the straps can get ratty and you want to grab the good ones.

It's a nice ride, but grab a seat in the cabin - they fill up fast. Or you can upgrade to the reserved seats - unnecessary in my experience. While the top deck may seem nice in port (if it's sunny), it's windy as hell once under way.

Fyi - it broke down the other day stranding some friends (on foot) in Michigan. They had to rent a car 1 way to get home. Just sayin.

 

The lake express is down for repairs, should be back up on the 4th. Also I believe they will help with the tie down of the bike.

 

This was not my experience. They only provide the tie downs and it's your responsibility to tie your own bike down. I just used the engine guard (it was installed at the time) and the sissy bar. We had a pretty smooth but very foggy ride across the lake and I had no issues.