Harley Rider Down

[Monty]

I just happened to drive up to an intersection off I35 yesterday and a Harley rider had taken a spill. Seems like he tried to turn too sharp and high sided. He was an old fart like me but, between the two of us, we managed to upright the bike. It was a large Harley dresser. Heavy mother. He wasn't injured (just pride). Thanked me and went on his way.

It got me to thinking what I would do if I dropped Miss Piggy and no one there to help me get her upright. I've seen all the videos of small women raising bikes by standing backwards and using their legs to get leverage. Still don't think I could manage to do that as I can't even get her on the sidestand by myself. Too damn old and weak. I just hope it doesn't happen. :lol:

 

[ionbeam]

Don't discount the effectiveness of adrenalin If you are young, big and strong brute force works. If you are not like that then style counts. Some of the videos are good about showing you how to use the left handlebar to lever the side of the bike up a little, then use your legs to get the bike up. There is no substitute for someone to help you. I can lift my FJR up DAMHIK. I have see other FJR owners lift their FJRs up before they even fully realized that it had tipped over -- that adrenalin thing.

 

[Top_Speed1]

I had a drunk guy jump on mine when it was parked just last weekend at a fireworks Italian festival. I kinda knew him (through friends) and the skinny little dude basically was 'jumping' on my bike and his momentum took him over to the right side, he tried to keep it up but failed, later said "holy ship, that is one heavy motorcycle!". I rushed over as he was now pinned under the 650lb FJR and picked the bike off him. It was heavy but adrenalin probably kicked in and I up-righted the bike. He had a ****oo on his elbo (big freeqn deal) I now have a new mirror on order and minus $115 bucks with shipping (the sliders really saved the rest of the bike as well and his body!. I asked him what he was thinking and he slurred words and said he would pay for damages blah blah. It was still an expensive fireworks stop.

So me being (I guess younger) hitting the 40's now but my 6-4 240lbs (ex-football n basketball player) body with adrenalin was no problem getting the bike up. I did a dead lift jerk with one hand in the hole where the passenger would lower his hand into plus the throttle handlebar. My biggest obstacle was the dude on the ground wHining "I'm crushed, it hurts! help me!"

 

[Bugnatr]

I think I would have left it on the drunk for 5 minutes just to teach him a lesson.

I had a drunk guy jump on mine when it was parked just last weekend at a fireworks Italian festival. I kinda knew him (through friends) and the skinny little dude basically was 'jumping' on my bike and his momentum took him over to the right side, he tried to keep it up but failed, later said "holy ship, that is one heavy motorcycle!". I rushed over as he was now pinned under the 650lb FJR and picked the bike off him. It was heavy but adrenalin probably kicked in and I up-righted the bike. He had a ****oo on his elbo (big freeqn deal) I now have a new mirror on order and minus $115 bucks with shipping (the sliders really saved the rest of the bike as well and his body!. I asked him what he was thinking and he slurred words and said he would pay for damages blah blah. It was still an expensive fireworks stop.

So me being (I guess younger) hitting the 40's now but my 6-4 240lbs (ex-football n basketball player) body with adrenalin was no problem getting the bike up. I did a dead lift jerk with one hand in the hole where the passenger would lower his hand into plus the throttle handlebar. My biggest obstacle was the dude on the ground winning "I'm crushed, it hurts! help me!"

 

[Top_Speed1]

I think I would have left it on the drunk for 5 minutes just to teach him a lesson.

Believe it or not I was actually worried the dude was really hurt. I was thinking "great, probably fractured a bone". I was actually relieved it was only a scrap especially the way he was wHining his *** off. He called me yesterday (surprised the ship out of me!) to get my address to send me a check for the mirror (ck better be good!)

 

[Rheal]

I love your attitude! That dud did something really stupid ... bit it looks like he is doing his part to make amends. And that you worried about him being injured .. well that is the right reaction! Bravo man!

As for adrenaline! Yes it can make you do amazing things. But if we do not keep our adrenaline in check in a time of crisis, we can also react badly, make the wrong decisions and get into a bunch more trouble. It is best to force ourselves to assess the situation first, before we haul the bike up, or drag the dud from under it ... or whatever!

Cheers!

I think I would have left it on the drunk for 5 minutes just to teach him a lesson.

Believe it or not I was actually worried the dude was really hurt. I was thinking "great, probably fractured a bone". I was actually relieved it was only a scrap especially the way he was winning his *** off. He called me yesterday (surprised the ship out of me!) to get my address to send me a check for the mirror (ck better be good!)

 

[FarWestFastEddie]

Don't discount the effectiveness of adrenalin If you are young, big and strong brute force works. If you are not like that then style counts. Some of the videos are good about showing you how to use the left handlebar to lever the side of the bike up a little, then use your legs to get the bike up. There is no substitute for someone to help you. I can lift my FJR up DAMHIK. I have see other FJR owners lift their FJRs up before they even fully realized that it had tipped over -- that adrenalin thing.

What Alan said is correct, Adrenalin is a wonderful thing, I had two tipovers fully loaded on trips, and was so pissed off I turned into the Hulk and stood the bike right side up. Now the 3rd tipover, blew out my hamstring trying to keep it from falling over, that was painful, morphine helped me there.

FWFE

 

[Intech]

I had to pick mine up after a tipover in the driveway. It wasn't easy but I basically did a squat with the right handlebar in the crook of my right elbow and my left hand grasping just below the seat. I can't see doing it with your back to the bike, because once it is up balancing it might be tough. Mine fell on the right side. The only mistake I made was not putting the kickstand down before I lifted it. It left me standing there yelling for my wife to come help! I wasn't going to drop it again trying to get to the stand.

 

[Redfish Hunter]

I think I would have left it on the drunk for 5 minutes just to teach him a lesson.

Believe it or not I was actually worried the dude was really hurt. I was thinking "great, probably fractured a bone". I was actually relieved it was only a scrap especially the way he was wHining his *** off. He called me yesterday (surprised the ship out of me!) to get my address to send me a check for the mirror (ck better be good!)

While I applaud you for being super nice about the whole thing and I really hope the check is good, I could not have done it that way. Careful placement of your foot over his Adam's apple while lifting the bike would have stopped the whining and eliminated future deficiencies in the gene pool. This would also have allowed you to lift with more leverage because of the higher elevation of the foot.

Truly, lifting a fallen bike is alot like putting it on the centerstand. While there is certainly some physical work involved, the technique is the critical part. Good technique will assist tremendously. You can already imagine how I might know that.

 

[TomInPA]

I had to pick mine up after a tipover in the driveway. It wasn't easy but I basically did a squat with the right handlebar in the crook of my right elbow and my left hand grasping just below the seat. I can't see doing it with your back to the bike, because once it is up balancing it might be tough. Mine fell on the right side. The only mistake I made was not putting the kickstand down before I lifted it. It left me standing there yelling for my wife to come help! I wasn't going to drop it again trying to get to the stand.

I picked up my ride partner's FJR after a low-side on Mt Hamilton. Bike was on the left side and the top of the bike was downhill. I set up the lift not knowing if I could do it, but it came right up doing the lift backing up with my butt into the seat. Glad it wasn't my bike, and good to know I can do it if ever necessary. I have seen these bikes tip-over on dirt and that can be a whole different story as you don't have traction to push off.

 

[majicmaker]

I had to pick mine up after a tipover in the driveway. It wasn't easy but I basically did a squat with the right handlebar in the crook of my right elbow and my left hand grasping just below the seat. I can't see doing it with your back to the bike, because once it is up balancing it might be tough. Mine fell on the right side. The only mistake I made was not putting the kickstand down before I lifted it. It left me standing there yelling for my wife to come help! I wasn't going to drop it again trying to get to the stand.

I picked up my ride partner's FJR after a low-side on Mt Hamilton. Bike was on the left side and the top of the bike was downhill. I set up the lift not knowing if I could do it, but it came right up doing the lift backing up with my butt into the seat. Glad it wasn't my bike, and good to know I can do it if ever necessary. I have seen these bikes tip-over on dirt and that can be a whole different story as you don't have traction to push off.

I had to pick up my bike from the dirt one time. I did it but, it was a *****!!

 

[Niehart]

escapefjrtist and I watched a police motor patrol event in Everett, WA a couple of months ago. Those folks are damn quick but also have the correct method of picking up the bikes. They use the back to the bike method and have the bike up and moving within seconds.

The police from Vancouver, Canada only had their Victory's for a few weeks before the event and were picking them up two or three time during a practices round. Don't know if they got faster speed wise during the practices but they certainly got better at picking the bikes up.

 

[MajBach]

I just happened to drive up to an intersection off I35 yesterday and a Harley rider had taken a spill. Seems like he tried to turn too sharp and high sided. He was an old fart like me but, between the two of us, we managed to upright the bike. It was a large Harley dresser. Heavy mother. He wasn't injured (just pride). Thanked me and went on his way.

It got me to thinking what I would do if I dropped Miss Piggy and no one there to help me get her upright. I've seen all the videos of small women raising bikes by standing backwards and using their legs to get leverage. Still don't think I could manage to do that as I can't even get her on the sidestand by myself. Too damn old and weak. I just hope it doesn't happen. :lol:

Ironic reading this thread after reading Fontanaman's thread about riding on Duffy Lake Rd. I dropped my bike for the first time on that route after narrowly missing a deer and finding myself in the ditch in a bunch of pea-gravel. The front tire drove in to the gravel and I quickly lost my balance and it slowly went down. Frame slider saved most of the plastic by resting on the high point of an exposed piece of limestone which made the bike kind of teeter on it such that the top part of the bike was past the horizontal. I had previously watched the same video you mention and was anxious to try this technique. Despite my adrenalin ( this was my first road trip after getting the bike back from being in the shop for 6 weeks to repair it from hitting a deer at 60 mph) and large stature (6' 4" and 250 lbs +), I didn't have a prayer of lifting this myself, which not only surprised me but dented my ego as well .

Fortunatelu , three guys in a pink Gremlin -X :blink: stopped and helped me with the bike.

 

[lonerider]

Last October, my GL1800 rolled off the side stand at Waterock Knob, lower end of the BRP. Luckily for me, it came to rest at a 45 (or so) degree angle on the engine guard. I got that pig back up by myself, but was still feeling it 2 weeks later. I won't repeat the "compliments" I gave it while uprighting it.

 

[wfooshee]

My bike's been on the side, oh, four or five times. I lose count. Anyway, 3 times by myself, no issues at all with the butt in the saddle walk backwards method. Dropped it in loose dirt (that I though was hard-packed) and a hopeless seizure trying to pick it up, with my feet digging a hole instead of pushing the bike up. I kept at it, thinking I'd eventually build a ledge I could push against, but no.

Passerby stopped and helped. He wouldn't take any money for a reward. I could tell that by looking at him, so I didn't offer any.

 

[rogdeb]

He wouldn't take any money for a reward. I could tell that by looking at him, so I didn't offer any.

:lol: :lol:

 

[Zorlac]

The only mistake I made was not putting the kickstand down before I lifted it. It left me standing there yelling for my wife to come help! I wasn't going to drop it again trying to get to the stand.

It's pretty easy to bend over the seat from the right side and get the sidestand down by pushing on the black tubing that covers its spring with your fingertips.

 

[MNFJR Pilot]

Don't discount the effectiveness of adrenalin If you are young, big and strong brute force works. If you are not like that then style counts. Some of the videos are good about showing you how to use the left handlebar to lever the side of the bike up a little, then use your legs to get the bike up. There is no substitute for someone to help you. I can lift my FJR up DAMHIK. I have see other FJR owners lift their FJRs up before they even fully realized that it had tipped over -- that adrenalin thing.

Or it's 530am and you drop the bike in the driveway knowing your neighbor is up having coffee and do not want him to see the bike lying on it's side, so to avoid the week long holy crap WTF stories on the block you muscle/adrenalin lift that bad boy up and get on your way pronto!

 

[majicmaker]

Don't discount the effectiveness of adrenalin If you are young, big and strong brute force works. If you are not like that then style counts. Some of the videos are good about showing you how to use the left handlebar to lever the side of the bike up a little, then use your legs to get the bike up. There is no substitute for someone to help you. I can lift my FJR up DAMHIK. I have see other FJR owners lift their FJRs up before they even fully realized that it had tipped over -- that adrenalin thing.

Or it's 530am and you drop the bike in the driveway knowing your neighbor is up having coffee and do not want him to see the bike lying on it's side, so to avoid the week long holy crap WTF stories on the block you muscle/adrenalin lift that bad boy up and get on your way pronto!

Yeah, I know!! The **** you have to do to keep those nosey *** neighbors from gossiping. They Suck! :lol: