Picking up your dropped bike

saphena

IBAUK Webmaster
Staff member
Premier Member
IBA Member
#1
Some while ago I discovered this video and mentally filed it away. This weekend my less than carefully parked bike was dumped by sudden high winds overnight and I decided to put the theory into practice.

I am an old man; I have had my share of back trouble and am consequently reluctant to risk even small strains. I had my, equally cautious, baby brother stand by just in case and

it worked perfectly, exactly as advertised, almost effortless.

 
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#3
The right way to do it.
Did it 2 times with my 400 kg Goldwing and it works well.
Crux of the matter isn't the back, if you keep it straight outstrecked, but the strength of your legs.
To say it with the athletic sportler: "Shut up and squat" - in case of the case :cool:
 

Ziggy

Just Another Rider
Premier Member
IBR Finisher
#4
It's also worthwhile putting the bike in gear to stop it rolling and holding the brake on with a strap if you have one.
Tape will do it Dave and should be in your tool kit also a rope/Spare Strap.

One problem I've found with this is it has to be on the a hard standing.. (Tested) ..When on loose gravel/Sand it's hard and it's best to unload the bike before you attempt it.

As a note... This is why my large 27lt Aux tank can be taken off quickly like taking the panniers off .. I've sunk twice on a FJR fully loaded and it's the only way to do it when your 100 mile from the nearest town/person to help and Early hours of the morning.
 

Hampe

Not Right Rider
Staff member
Premier Member
IBA Member
#5
Well, try that on an icy road when your feet just slides away... :D
BTDT


Stockholm Motorcycle Show this year where absoltely littered with lazy GSes lying flat on the ground.






This years theme seemed to be:
"Please don't use your free recovery service everytime you drop your bike, It is actually possible to raise it your self".
...so in every other stand or so, there was trained personell...



...trying to convey the right methods of getting bikes back on the wheels again - even bikes that has some 10 kilo or so of Touratech "necessities" mounted way up over the original point of gravity.

The old saying "never buy a bike bigger than you can lift it yourself" seems far gone these days...
 
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orestesdjc

Premier Member
#6
Tape will do it Dave and should be in your tool kit also a rope/Spare Strap.

One problem I've found with this is it has to be on the a hard standing.. (Tested) ..When on loose gravel/Sand it's hard and it's best to unload the bike before you attempt it.

As a note... This is why my large 27lt Aux tank can be taken off quickly like taking the panniers off .. I've sunk twice on a FJR fully loaded and it's the only way to do it when your 100 mile from the nearest town/person to help and Early hours of the morning.
And preferably not on a steep hairpin at midnight or a wet clay road in the north of France.
 

Ziggy

Just Another Rider
Premier Member
IBR Finisher
#7
And preferably not on a steep hairpin at midnight or a wet clay road in the north of France.
Yep That's True ...

You will notice that All of the demos are Unloaded bikes and will have no Fuel in them ...
The Top heavy angle makes your legs sink ...
When I was on gravel the front wheel Had gone down to the Break disc so had to be dragged out after unloading and even then I was ready to dump the Fuel from the main tank ... Managed it and continued the ride.
 

FJRPilot

Brit Butt Rallymaster RBLR1000 routemaster
Premier Member
IBA Member
#8
During the 2011 BBR I dropped my fully laden FJR with panniers and 18 litre auxiliary tank still full. I'd made the schoolboy error of stopping across a sloping side road (sloping from my left down to the right) as I'd sailed past a bonus location and needed to turn round. I turned the bars to the right and the bike went straight down. Luckily I was thrown off. The bike was now on it's right side as in the first video but on an incline. I removed the now upwards left pannier and thankfully I was in a small village so I knocked on a couple of doors and two guys came out and gave me help in lifting it back up.

If I'd been on my own the only way I think I'd have done it would have been to try and drag the bike around the other way and then lift it from the uphill side, trying not to flip it over once again. :eek: