Help, my bike has fallen and I can’t pick it up! There an app for that… No not really but there is a helpful trick.
There are two kinds of people who say they have never dropped their bike. 1) They haven’t been riding long or 2) THEY ARE LYING. Ride long enough and you will drop your bike. It happens to the best of riders. With the weight of the big bikes these days you will eventually lean the bike past the point of no return and it is going down. There are two bad things that happens whenever you do drop your bike… 1) You have to pick it up and… 2) IT IS EMARRASSING. It just doesn’t look cool and all bikers are cool… why else would they ride?
Sometimes there isn’t anyone around so it isn’t embarrassing but it does make you mad at yourself. NOW, how do I get this many hundred pound (900+ pounds for the Goldwing I ride now) beast back upright by myself? Fortunately you are not picking up the full weight of the bike. Hopefully your bike has a low center of gravity (my Goldwing does). One of the problems is finding places to grab hold of on the bike to pick it up. You need someplace strong enough to hold the weight. I usually grab the handlebar and the pillion grab rails. Hopefully you can get a good hold with your back to the bike. You can do it facing the bike but its easier with your back to the bike…With your back to the bike you can do the lifting with your legs. Most people can get her up… especially if the adrenaline has kicked in.
I mention a trick earlier. Here it is… This makes a world of difference. Rather than explain… Here is a good video demonstrating the technique.
As you can tell I HAVE dropped my bike… I have lost count the number of times and on several occasions I did have to pick it up by myself. I’m 5’6” and weight 145 pounds and older than dirt, so if I can do it I’m sure you can too.
I have had one person tell me that when he gets a new bike he lays it down in the grass and practices picking it up by himself so… when it does happen he will know what works best on that bike.
Well I hope this helps when the inevitable does happen and it WILL happen!
Ride safe…
P.S. For a laugh… Things can go wrong. How not to do it… Practice makes perfect.