Everyone has their ideas of strapping a bike, so i will tell you what has worked for me over 40+ years. I have never had damage from properly-strapping a bike down, never had one 'come-loose,' but there is always a first.
To load your bike, 'wider is better,' the wider the platform or ramp, the better-off you are going to be. If you only have one ramp, buy another! One is for the bike, the other is for you to walk-up. Some people use a two or three step stool behind the bumper which is alright for a 220 lb dirt bike, but for a 600 lb cruiser, 'no-way!' Get another ramp for you to ascend as you walk the bike into the the bed of the pickup or trailer. A straight ramp is OK for a trailer, as these are usually low, but for a 24" + height into the bed of a full-size pickup, or a mid-size, even, use one w/an arch in it to save you the unsteadying point when you bottom-out the engine or frame rails on the edge of the pickup bed. Also, I had a Yamaha mechanic tell me about how one of his customers caught the lowest leading-edge of the oil filter/case by using a too-short ramp and broke-off the front of the case!
You got some good advice about tying the ramp to the truck to prevent it from shifting while you are on the ramp. Instead of just using one strap, use two and cross them from the right side of the ramp to the left side of the undercarriage of your truck, and also the other way. This will keep the ramp from sliding laterally as you ascend far-better than if you only use one. And if you don't use any strap to connect the ramp and truck, ask yourself, "am I willing to spend $1000+ to repair my bike's broken/dented/perforated handlebar controls/gas tank (faux gas tank cover for us)/ shift lever/brake lever/engine side covers/(or fairing pieces for sportbikes) for not using sufficient straps?" Believe me, you need to take the extra two minutes to protect your investment. You may need to bolt or weld rings to the sides of your ramp, drill a pair of holes, or whatever you need to do to make this work for your ramp, if it's a 'ladder-style,' you can just grab a rung w/your tie-down and fasten the other end. Repeat for the opposite side.
I use a front wheel bracket, I have used Moose Racing and Pingel, there are others which will immobilize the wheel even better. I use the handlebars & covered 'S' hooks to well-secured points of attachment on my trailer, or the welded cargo loops if I am using the p-u truck bed. For my sportbike, I use the nylon straps looped around the top triple tree, and then the 'S' hook attaches to that, providing plenty of clearance for the straps to the bodywork. I tension the front end about 1/3 of its travel when I tighten the straps. I leave the bike in 1st gear. For the back of my VMax, I use the insulated 'S' hooks on the top of the rear shock shaft below where the shaft mounts to the frame. If your 'S' hooks don't have a big-enough eye opening, use the nylon straps which have two loops sewn into-them around the frame rail & capture the tie-down 'S' hook thru that.
If you really want to make-sure of no movement, do like sailors do, and use 'spring-lines' cross-tensioning the rear of your bike. On one side, one line pulls forward from a rearward point on the bike to an anchor point even w/the middle of the bike (on the trailer) or thereabouts, and do the same on the other side of the bike.
The next strap will fasten from roughly the same point of the bike frame but will run to an anchor point behind the bike. If you were directly-above the bike, the two rear straps on each side would form a 'V' w/the point of the 'V' being the side attachment point to the bike, and the open ends of the 'V' the widely-spaced points of strapping to the trailer or p-u bed body. Using a front wheel chock and this 'spring-line' strapping, you could keep your bike in-place safely for any emergency maneuver short of an inverted trailer. If you added a strap for the rear wheel to hold it in-place (an open-wheel design would be much easier here unless you used some-sort of a wheel/tire 'bra') you probably could invert it and not lose the bike's positioning! And, seeing some pictures/videos of trailers, both open and enclosed, crossing the Straits of Mackinac MI Bridge, and having them levitate off the roadway, this might be a consideration!
As to the comment about the cam buckle vs. ratchet designs, I have used the cam buckle designs for 40+ years for my bike hauling needs and never yet have had one fail. I do buy good-quality ones, not the '4 for $18' Big Box store brands. I buy the thicker material ones w/the bigger cam buckles, w/vinyl-covered 'S' hooks having wide eyes. I buy them at the bike shops from name-brand companies. Before I use them, I always take a look at the box stitching for the hooks to make sure they are intact. If you want to use the ratcheting ones, go-for-it.
Once the bike is loaded, I drive about a 1/2 mile & pull-over to check the tightness of the straps, the trailer connection for the ball, electric, (I check the signals before I begin any loading) and safety chains. I also carry a pair of trailer tires, a jack capable of lifting the trailer if there is only a wheel left (tire has disintegrated and been thrown-off), a 4-way wheel nut wrench, and that the Bearing Buddies are grease-filled. Even if I am only going < 10 miles round-trip I carry at least 1 spare trailer tire, anything > that it's two. I can't leave a tire/wheel on the trailer as it would disappear, and I don't want to use a lock, so I just store them inside and load that stuff when I have to haul something. I have a solid rigid tonneau cover which locks on both sides, out of sight, out of mind.
About the only other thingsI make sure to check are that the tag is still there on the trailer, the registration for the trailer is in the glovebox next-to the truck's, and that I have a up-to-date insurance card. Little things like that can help to buy some goodwill if you happen to be stopped by a vigilant member of the gendarmes.:biglaugh:
I like the arched, folding ramps, easier to store, and they even come in super-wide styles, I prefer as close-to an 8 ft. reach as I can get.
