View Full Version : Tow ropes for bikes - had to push a bike lately?
rocketman1
11th February 2015, 19:21
Had to push my bike GSXR for a couple of hundred metres, when it ran out of petrol just short of civilisation.
Fark... is that hard work or what, especially in full riding gear on a hot day, and that was on the flat.
200m would have been my limit I think.
Got me thinking has anyone ever tried to tow a bike with another bike, and or carry a rope / strop for that purpose?
Must be easier than pushing.
nzspokes
11th February 2015, 19:23
I believe it is best done by towing from peg to peg. Read that somewhere ages ago.
Akzle
11th February 2015, 19:42
get fit you fucken pussy.
followed by: don't run out of fuel like a douche.
followed by: i always have rope.
followed by: peg to peg isn't a bad idea.
you want your shit unslung on the front bike, and preferably the fuckwit bike.
have towed a 'froady with a ute on a rope, but that was more like drunken fuckwits than saving-some-dumb-cunt-from-himself.
bogan
11th February 2015, 19:44
Don't need a rope, guy with the running bike just pushes his foot on your peg.
mossy1200
11th February 2015, 19:53
Had to push my bike GSXR for a couple of hundred metres, when it ran out of petrol just short of civilisation.
Fark... is that hard work or what, especially in full riding gear on a hot day, and that was on the flat.
200m would have been my limit I think.
Got me thinking has anyone ever tried to tow a bike with another bike, and or carry a rope / strop for that purpose?
Must be easier than pushing.
You need harden up.
I managed about 3/4 of a km with this set up in Oamaru. Ran out in the old town area and pushed it to the servo near the cop shop over the bridge beside smash palace and through the park. Maybe it was even more than a km. What is worse I did it while the wife reminded me we should have stopped asap after reserve.
JimO
11th February 2015, 19:56
I did it while the wife reminded me we should have stopped asap after reserve.
was she still sitting on the bike
Akzle
11th February 2015, 20:04
What is worse I did it while the wife reminded me we should have stopped asap after reserve.
you've never been allowed to forget it since....
mossy1200
11th February 2015, 20:07
was she still sitting on the bike
Nope she was carrying a coffee and emasculating me verbally. She still thinks that works but I have the 120sec tone out self defence system that men develop.
swarfie
11th February 2015, 21:09
I've towed hundreds of bikes out of the forest when I was running trail rides (dirt bikes of coarse). Tow rope up between the fork leg and the bottom triple clamp, couple of laps around the handlebar just inboard of the left grip and then a lap around the grip. Tow-ee then hangs onto the grip with the rope under their hand so that if they fall off while being towed the rope is released and their bike doesn't get dragged down the track/road on its side. The tow-ee has to keep tension on the rope while being towed otherwise it can wrap around the front disc or get caught by the tyre knobs. I had a bit of a reputation for hooking people on and going like fark...hahaha....they didn't often come back for seconds:innocent::woohoo:
AllanB
11th February 2015, 21:17
Decades ago when young I towed a mates bike far to often as the shit had no money for petrol and always ran out.
Why push it?
Park the bike and walk to the station
george formby
11th February 2015, 22:10
I've towed hundreds of bikes out of the forest when I was running trail rides (dirt bikes of coarse). Tow rope up between the fork leg and the bottom triple clamp, couple of laps around the handlebar just inboard of the left grip and then a lap around the grip. Tow-ee then hangs onto the grip with the rope under their hand so that if they fall off while being towed the rope is released and their bike doesn't get dragged down the track/road on its side. The tow-ee has to keep tension on the rope while being towed otherwise it can wrap around the front disc or get caught by the tyre knobs. I had a bit of a reputation for hooking people on and going like fark...hahaha....they didn't often come back for seconds:innocent::woohoo:
+1. More or less how I was towed along a trail and then eventually on a long paddock to get the bike started, which was full of water because I was a knobber.
The strop was just wrapped around the bars a couple of times from the center. I held the end on the left hand grip. Works a treat. Just let go when you get the wobbles.
James Deuce
12th February 2015, 08:43
When they break down, you just set fire to them and claim insurance.
husaberg
12th February 2015, 19:32
Tow onto the hole in the steering head with a tie down hook, I have been towed off the handlebars but its bloody problematic. used to be one of the few reliable ways of hot starting a Cr500 I had.
FJRider
12th February 2015, 19:54
you've never been allowed to forget it since....
Who needs a memory if you have a wife ... <_<
Akzle
12th February 2015, 20:40
Who needs a memory if you have a wife ... <_<
murray. because his "wife" is a man.
and if he forgets me for even a day his wee brain will 'splode
T.W.R
12th February 2015, 20:48
:lol: couple of hundred meter push is just a warm-up.
Pushed my 1st road bike after dropping a plug through the piston close to 10kms from Prebbleton to the middle of Riccarton to avoid the wrath of the old man. Couple of years later pushed a XT yammy from Port levy back to Charteris Bay with a flat tire (probably close to 15kms or so). And last time I had push a bike was a XS750 & that was about 4kms.
Towed a few bikes...... a Commando towed from Little River back to ChCh using a leather belt looped around the grab rail whilst the guy the commando held on to the free end. Towed a Darmah from Dommett back to Greta Valley by same method. Towed started a YZ426 behind a ute after it refused to fire-up by any other method; an interesting moment or two when it did kick into life :rolleyes:
FJRider
12th February 2015, 21:25
Must be easier than pushing.
Keep petrol in the tank. Easier than towing ... :rolleyes:
awa355
14th February 2015, 21:03
Had to push my bike GSXR for a couple of hundred metres, when it ran out of petrol just short of civilisation.
Fark... is that hard work or what, especially in full riding gear on a hot day, and that was on the flat.
200m would have been my limit I think.
Got me thinking has anyone ever tried to tow a bike with another bike, and or carry a rope / strop for that purpose?
Must be easier than pushing.
Shuda asked the Harley riders how they get on. According to everyone that has never owned one, they either get towed, loaded or left behind. :bleh::bleh:
scumdog
14th February 2015, 21:23
Shuda asked the Harley riders how they get on. According to everyone that has never owned one, they either get towed, loaded or left behind. :bleh::bleh:
Haha, bling well blung for that one!!:lol:
Transalper
15th February 2015, 21:36
All the towing our lot have done has been front bike right foot peg to towed bike left footpeg.
This keeps the pull low and bikes very stable, also uses the staggered formation to avoid rear ending the front bike. Depending upon the terrain the towed bike needs to look ahead, drag the brakes lightly at the start and often more coming to bends to keep the tension in the rope and cut down on the big snatches as with car towing.
Only wrap the rope or strap around the foot peg once and hold it on with your foot, if you need to release the rope just lift your foot of it. One small point to realise is on dirt and adventure bikes you may need to wrap something around the peg first so that the serrations don't lock the rope in place. Street bikes generally don't seem to have serrated pegs. Much better than having the rope pulling up high and also trying to turn your handlebars.
I always carry a rope now having done it myself and been in groups where it's been done about 7 or 8 times, last time being about 20km a couple of weeks ago.
Banditbandit
18th February 2015, 11:22
. What is worse I did it while the wife reminded me we should have stopped asap after reserve.
You pushed while she nagged??? I'd fix that if I was you ...
vifferman
18th February 2015, 11:48
:lol: couple of hundred meter push is just a warm-up.
Reckon.
I've had to push a few bikes over the years - almost always due to running out of gas. The most memorable was when I borrowed my sister's boyfriend's CB350, which I frequently did when he visited. Didn't have a licence then, but that didn't matter much. I was a few miles from home when it spluttered to a halt. I knew about the 'reserve' function, but wasn't sure which way the lever went, and didn't crank it for long enough in any position to verify it was the right one. So, I mostly pushed it home. We lived near the top of a long hill, so I was buggered (and very late) when I got home.
Sister's bf was not impressed at me taking so long.
I was not impressed when he listened to me gasping out my sad tale of woe, opened the tank cap, shook the bike from side-to-side, turned the gas tap, pushed the starter, and rode off.
Reckless
18th February 2015, 13:47
Nope she was carrying a coffee and emasculating me verbally. She still thinks that works but I have the 120sec tone out self defence system that men develop.
The medical term is "Husbands Ear"
Very wide spread problem :first:
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