How to pick up your dropped bike? [Archive]

MsKABC

11th January 2011, 19:28

Yes, that is a good technique - thank you Hitcher. It would not work quite so well if the bike was dropped on the same side as the stand, but you will have that problem with any technique.

An alternative method is to stand approximately in line with the front forks, pull the underside handlebar forward and use it as a lever to pull the bike up. I have used this method successfully on my GSXR-750, standing in gravel, and I weigh a whopping 58kg. I won't tell you how I am in a position to know this... :o :facepalm:

Hitcher

11th January 2011, 19:41

Yes, that is a good technique - thank you Hitcher. It would not work quite so well if the bike was dropped on the same side as the stand, but you will have that problem with any technique.

It should work just as well on the stand side. Once you've got the bike up and balanced, reach back with your right heel and fold the stand down, then lean the bike on it.

HenryDorsetCase

11th January 2011, 19:45

Piece of piss. Even girls can do it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4MPyX0QCYw

That is fantastic! Thats a Harley Sportster too, so its a 200+ kg bike!

excellent. Tempted to go give it a whirl right now.

SMOKEU

11th January 2011, 19:57

If you can't pick the bike up yourself, then it's probably too heavy for you to be riding it in the first place, or so 'they' say.

Just see whatever works best for you, last time I had to pick a bike up I just grabbed the handlebar and pulled it up.

There is no 'one size fits all' approach for picking up a dropped bike, it all depends on the angle it has fallen on and the terrain it has fallen on.

oracle

11th January 2011, 20:01

Thanks for that link. Thinking of getting a bigger bike now and I struggled to get my little FXR back up (being a learner I'm realistic that I may have to pick up a dropped bike again)

MsKABC

11th January 2011, 20:02

If you can't pick the bike up yourself, then it's probably too heavy for you to be riding it in the first place, or so 'they' say.

What a load of crap - explain that reasoning... if you can? There is no correlation between the ability to ride a bike fast or slow and the ability to pick it up. There are people everywhere riding bikes they wouldn't be able to pick up, and they ride them really well....at least until they...er... "fall" over.

steve_t

11th January 2011, 20:02

LOL. Where's crasher?:msn-wink:

SMOKEU

11th January 2011, 20:05

What a load of crap - explain that reasoning... if you can? There is no correlation between the ability to ride a bike fast or slow and the ability to pick it up. There are people everywhere riding bikes they wouldn't be able to pick up, and they ride them really well....at least until they...er... "fall" over.

Well, if you've binned your bike in the middle of nowhere then you have to 'get it up' again somehow.

MsKABC

11th January 2011, 20:06

Thanks for that link. Thinking of getting a bigger bike now and I struggled to get my little FXR back up (being a learner I'm realistic that I may have to pick up a dropped bike again)

It's very unusual for a bike to...er..."fall" over somewhere where there isn't someone nearby to help you pick it up. In my situation, it was isolated, I was riding by myself and my bike was partly on the road just around a blind corner. It was essential that I pick it up by myself to prevent hazard to other road users. The adrenalin pumping through my arteries at the time probably didn't hurt! :laugh:

MsKABC

11th January 2011, 20:08

Well, if you've binned your bike in the middle of nowhere then you have to 'get it up' again somehow.

That's no different from saying if you crash your car in the middle of nowhere then you should be able to push it out of the way or push it home - WTF?

But on that note, read my previous post.

Crisis management

11th January 2011, 20:13

If you can't pick the bike up yourself, then it's probably too heavy for you to be riding it in the first place, or so 'they' say.

I have lost count of the number of people I have helped pick up bikes for, anything from 250kg BMWs to 100kg trail bikes, if being able to pick up your own bike in 'normal" riding conditions was a prerequisite to ownership then we would all be riding postie bikes and even they are heavy when you're underneath one.

Beware the adrenaline rush too, lots of muscle injuries that way, either learn a way to do it yourself or lie down and pretend to be injured, you get a good response that way.

kilgh

11th January 2011, 20:13

Piece of piss. Even girls can do it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4MPyX0QCYw

Wow! Thanks! That's awesome. I'm gonna try that!

Last time I just grabbed the bars and hauled it up. But I was thinking surely someone must have a better way...and they do!

Thank you Hitcher!

kilgh

11th January 2011, 20:14

Beware the adrenaline rush too, lots of muscle injuries that way, either learn a way to do it yourself or lie down and pretend to be injured, you get a good response that way.

Excellent! :niceone:

SMOKEU

11th January 2011, 20:20

I have lost count of the number of people I have helped pick up bikes for, anything from 250kg BMWs to 100kg trail bikes, if being able to pick up your own bike in 'normal" riding conditions was a prerequisite to ownership then we would all be riding postie bikes and even they are heavy when you're underneath one.

Beware the adrenaline rush too, lots of muscle injuries that way, either learn a way to do it yourself or lie down and pretend to be injured, you get a good response that way.

Well, I'm pretty weak and I managed to pick up a 100kg bike with a broken hand after I had a crash.

MsKABC

11th January 2011, 20:24

Well, I'm pretty weak and I managed to pick up a 100kg bike with a broken hand after I had a crash.

So you're riding a postie bike then? 100kg is nothing. I could pick that up with one hand. Most sprots bikes are 150kg+, and they are the lightest type of bike.

PrincessBandit

11th January 2011, 20:25

If you can't pick the bike up yourself, then it's probably too heavy for you to be riding it in the first place, or so 'they' say.

mmm, remember overhearing a conversation between some Goldwing owners I happened to be parked next to at a Pink Ribbon ride - the bloke was saying that when his goes over it takes 3 people to get it up.

Shit I need to not drink before typing as it's taken me mutip[lw goes to write this

PrincessBandit

11th January 2011, 20:26

So you're riding a postie bike then? 100kg is nothing. I could pick that up with one hand. Most sprots bikes are 150kg+, and they are the lightest type of bike.

hell yeah myu bandit is 215kg drhy.

faaaahk - i mean my bandit is 215 dary

bogan

11th January 2011, 20:27

it varies person to person, heres a list I have compiled
Most blokes can just grab the bars and lift it up.
Some smaller and feebler people can huck it up with the adrenaline burst that comes from crashing.
Hot wimmins can just remove some clothes and wait for roadside assistance (wait is proportional to; level of hotness, traffic density, amount of clothes removed, and level of hotness).
Another option is to remove the bike toolkit, find the nearest roadsign and uproot it to use as a lever (those corner arrow ones work best as it shows you the direction to lift).
Or you could get it running, rock it up and down while digging a rut with the back wheel, thus moving the pivot point slightly higher on the bike.
Another one for the toolkit, disassemble bike, and reassemble in an upright position.

MsKABC

11th January 2011, 20:32

Hot wimmins can just remove some clothes and wait for roadside assistance (wait is proportional to; level of hotness, traffic density, amount of clothes removed, and level of hotness).

You said "level of hotness" twice :whistle: Some hot wimmins don't need to wait for passersby... :msn-wink:

Another option is to remove the bike toolkit, find the nearest roadsign and uproot it to use as a lever (those corner arrow ones work best as it shows you the direction to lift).

Another one for the toolkit, disassemble bike, and reassemble in an upright position.

Gold!

Sis

11th January 2011, 20:33

I don't have to remove anything apart from my helmet.

Then I get these big strong guys (two of them) getting out of their trucks (almost as good as firemen) and coming over to lift my bike up.:niceone:

MadDuck

11th January 2011, 20:33

porky

11th January 2011, 20:38

330 dry weight. Ill be ringin for Macintoshs crane. But yeah that technique works well as long as you can get good traction and dont arse it right over the other side. Was taught once apon a time when people did advanced rider training, as well as all the other good shit, like not dropping it in the first place. :bleh:

YellowDog

11th January 2011, 20:39

I thought I'd seen much better bike lifting techniques however the one shown wins in terms of using minimal effort and avoiding a lifting related injury.

PrincessBandit

11th January 2011, 20:44

I've never had the opportunity to practice lfiting my bike as there has always been a nice chap in the vicinity to assist me. Because mine always has $ damage when it goes over I try to avoid as much as possible. Howecver, I'm sure there will be a day somteime when I'll remember the technique and test it for muyself.

Virago

11th January 2011, 20:44

Cheers for the link Hitcher. Very good method.

Mine is 250kg dry and I can lift it. Problem is where I tend to drop it is on a hell of a steep upward slope of a driveway. My favourite technique in these circumstances is knocking on the lovely neighbours door and saying ....please!

Very good point - most such bike drops are as the result of parking manouevers, and are not often dropped in an easily lifted position.

I've drop the Virago twice. The first was a victim of wet grass, I dropped it neatly alongside a stone wall - no way to get a good position for a lift.

The second - I managed to drop it on top of myself when cleaning it - don't ask me how. I used to do a spot of pumping iron, but a 250Kg bench press lift was a bit much...

bogan

11th January 2011, 20:52

You said "level of hotness" twice :whistle:

Of course, it counts double.

Some hot wimmins don't need to wait for passersby... :msn-wink:

well yeh, they don't have to, but keep it under your hat, my way is better :msn-wink:

SMOKEU

12th January 2011, 00:15

So you're riding a postie bike then? 100kg is nothing. I could pick that up with one hand. Most sprots bikes are 150kg+, and they are the lightest type of bike.

Sports bikes are not that light. Dirt bikes and motards tend to have a lot less weight.

awayatc

12th January 2011, 01:07

If you can't pick the bike up yourself, then it's probably too heavy for you to be riding it in the first place, or so 'they' say.

330 kg.....dry.
Have to admit though...
need both hands.

Not that I dropped it.....:wait:

Gremlin

12th January 2011, 01:13

An alternative method is to ...
Stand there looking at it, dejectedly, and wait for the owner plus others on the ride to come and assist? :whistle:

shellfish

12th January 2011, 06:31

My first drop and pick up was outside of a motorcycle shop in the UK. I was on a HD Sporster, u-turned on gravel and over it goes.

I'm 60 kg dripping wet, and trust me, adrenelin does kick in - so does the shame of a brand new bike being dropped in front of the 6 members of the local patched bikie gang who were parked up watching.....:brick:

I used the technique in the youtube video, which they teach at the harley riding school in the uk.

MsKABC

12th January 2011, 07:41

Sports bikes are not that light. Dirt bikes and motards tend to have a lot less weight.

I said 150kg PLUS, and I was referring to bikes we ride on the road. Not a lot of dirt bikes and motards being ridden on the road. Sure are a lot of REtards riding on the road though...

MsKABC

12th January 2011, 07:43

Stand there looking at it, dejectedly, and wait for the owner plus others on the ride to come and assist? :whistle:

Yes...well....there is THAT method. I wouldn't recommend it however. :bleh:

Genie

12th January 2011, 08:02

Have lain my bike twice ... boo hoo, scratched the second time too. Anyway, first time was an easy pick up, flat surface, the second time...hell, downward slope, was no way I could get it up, that was kinda hard on me, felt like a failure. Like, I should be able to pickup my own bike, what if I do it in the middle of nowhere, which could happen, I ride allover and alone.

Thanks Hitcher for that link...now to find a way to do it on my own when on a slope.

Rosie

12th January 2011, 08:02

Wow! Thanks! That's awesome. I'm gonna try that!

Last time I just grabbed the bars and hauled it up. But I was thinking surely someone must have a better way...and they do!

Thank you Hitcher!

Take the bike onto some grass, lay it over gently, and have a practise lifting it up, to see what technique works best for you.

I know that the back-to-the-bike technique that Hitcher showed works really well for a lot of people, but I've never had a lot of luck with it, especially on rough terrain, so I lift my bike using the handlebar closest to the ground (carefully! bend your knees, not your back). Obviously this requires a fairly light bike, and more upper body strength, so it isn't going to work for a lot of people/bikes. Thus the need for a bit of practise, to see what works for you. :niceone:

Gone Burger

12th January 2011, 08:46

That is fantastic! Thats a Harley Sportster too, so its a 200+ kg bike!

excellent. Tempted to go give it a whirl right now.

Gees they make it look so easy. I have tried that technique myself on my 270kg Boulevard - laid her day on the grass with a friend assistance to try and pick it up again. I found that I could get the bike moving from ground level, no matter how hard I tried. Friend help me to lift of the ground a little, then I could get it from there.

Guess I had better give it another go.

Gremlin

12th January 2011, 09:34

It also depends how the bike holds its weight and how flat the bike is. My hornet and KTM weigh about the same, but hornet is much heavier to pick up.

New bike will never lie flat because of the large motor, so that would help... :D

ukusa

12th January 2011, 11:56

The earthquake dropped mine in the shed. The missus had to help me get her upright, all 330 + kgs :apumpin:.
Mind you, it did take 648 kilo tons of force to knock it over

Usarka

12th January 2011, 12:00

I got the mechanic to pick mine up. Fair enough, he fucking dropped it.

kilgh

12th January 2011, 18:16

Take the bike onto some grass, lay it over gently, and have a practise lifting it up, to see what technique works best for you.

I know that the back-to-the-bike technique that Hitcher showed works really well for a lot of people, but I've never had a lot of luck with it, especially on rough terrain, so I lift my bike using the handlebar closest to the ground (carefully! bend your knees, not your back). Obviously this requires a fairly light bike, and more upper body strength, so it isn't going to work for a lot of people/bikes. Thus the need for a bit of practise, to see what works for you. :niceone:

Practicing is a good idea...could be an interesting new way to workout!

pritch

14th January 2011, 06:28

they are heavy when you're underneath one.

That's the truth. (There speaks the sad voice of experience)

Beware the adrenaline rush too, lots of muscle injuries that way,

So is that.

Kookie

17th January 2011, 08:43

Piece of piss. Even girls can do it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4MPyX0QCYw

WOW, that's just awesome. Definitely one of those tricks you tuck away for a later date. :niceone:

Crasherfromwayback

17th January 2011, 09:22

Piece of piss. Even girls can do it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4MPyX0QCYw

good technique - thanks for that.

LOL. Where's crasher?:msn-wink:

Right here!

Do not use that 'technique'...it's a load of crap. Pick the thing up by the end of the handle bars. End of story. Have you never seen moto gp and super bike racers get it wrong all the time? Sheesh...they're really fit and strong, but trying to 'right' a bike by any other way than the h/bars = FAIL.

bogan

17th January 2011, 09:32

The earthquake dropped mine in the shed. The missus had to help me get her upright, all 330 + kgs :apumpin:.

:gob: so how much does the bike weigh though? :dodge:

angelindisguise

17th January 2011, 11:04

Or you could do what i did. im a learner and i dropped my bike at home, nobody home so i started to panic a little when i couldnt pick up my bike... (happened to drop it on a hill :( ) so i ran next door to the neighbours and asked for help. poor lady was still in her jammies, so it was quite hillarious with two females - one in full motorbike gear and one in pj's trying to pick up a bike. we got there in the end thankfully. just had to sort out what sort of damage was done :weep:

awayatc

17th January 2011, 11:14

Or you could do what i did. . ran next door to the neighbours and asked for help. poor lady was still in her jammies

Ok.... I may do just that...
Give me her number please.....:weird:

kilgh

17th January 2011, 11:17