Picking Up Your Bike

[r5705]

Maybe everyone else in the world already knows this, but I didn't until recently. I have failed at picking up a bike a lot smaller than my recently acquired FJR. I'm NOT eager to try picking up the FJR, but if it becomes absolutely necessary, maybe I can manage using this technique.

 

[rickysnickers]

I took the physical ability test for a motor officer job with my Department. They teach you to "push the bike up." Meaning, grab the grips on the handlebars, turn them the opposite direction you are standing on the bike (if standing on the right turn to the left and vice versa), then push forward. You'd be surprised at how easy it is.

Rick

 

[Bungie]

... and it's a whole lot easier when the bike has crashbars like the bike in the vid.

I'm not a big guy, (5'9"/170lbs). I've dropped my bike twice. Once my buddy grabbed the bike and hoisted it up because I was to busy laughing at myself. The second time I was alone and had to lift it myself.

Lets put it this way. If you're hurt in any way, shape, or form. Say, tweaked a knee or an ankle trying to stop the fall, I doubt I could lift it back up solo and that is using the technique in the vid.

It should be part of vehicle sale, if you can't lift it you can't buy it. It'd get a lot of old fat assed.... oh.. wait...

 

[Intech]

Adreniline from being totally pissed that you just dropped your freshly cleaned and detailed "cherry" bike helps to.

 

[ionbeam]

When something silly happens and the bike falls over, especially with a lot of people watching adrenaline makes a biological turbocharger for your muscles and the bike goes right back up. However, you may not be able to get out of bed the next morning.

Edit: I see Intech types faster than I do and posted the same idea.

 

[Geezer]

When you are a svelt handsome man like me you just wait for a couple of good looking women to stop and lift it for you.

 

[Fred W]

Unfortunately, I've had too many occasions to practice my lifting technique. But since I started practicing my lifting on the (incredibly top heavy) Concours 1000 (how did they get all that weight into just a 1 liter bike?) the Feejer is a relative piece of cake in comparison. It also helps to practice by dropping big adventure bikes in the mud, to really hone your skillz, yo!

My advice is to not wait too long after the droppage for the adrenaline to wear off. Get that lazy sum'bitch up instantly, 'cause, you know... it's bad for it to be sideways too long, right?

 

[Twinrivers]

I'd seen this done by girls half my size but when I dropped my 800 pound HD Electra Glide I couldn't pick it up. It had just rained and the parking lot was quite slippery (the reason I dropped it in the first place) which wasn't the case in the video I saw. I'd love to see some hot young chicky pick up a bike in real world conditions. Then again maybe not...

 

[someguy]

dropped one fully loaded, heavy bags and travel duffels strapped all over it...

i did not want to dump everything off and unstrap everything....

the above is the tech i used... but i have to think it was only the blood boiling in my brain and how pissed off i was that allowed me to pick that fat pig up first try... lucky she fell on her right, because without the kickstand extended i probably would have shot putted her across the parking lot onto her left side...

in a sane moment, probably never make it...

and if you are that lucky (to fall on the right, if that's lucky), don;t forget to extend your kickstand first. cant tell you the number of guys ive seen toss em over to the other side with all that adrenaline...

 

[Eric L]

dropped mine 4x (hangs head in shame), but learned how to pick it up. Back to the seat, right arm on bar, left arm on rear, walk backwards, use legs, not back.

 

[SacramentoMike]

I took the physical ability test for a motor officer job with my Department. They teach you to "push the bike up." Meaning, grab the grips on the handlebars, turn them the opposite direction you are standing on the bike (if standing on the right turn to the left and vice versa), then push forward. You'd be surprised at how easy it is.
Rick

I'd like to see a vid of this technique, if you know of one, Rick. In fact, I'd like to try it myself.

Um, anybody around here willing to push their FJR over so I can swing by and practice my "pushing it up" technique?

 

[Bustanut joker]

99% of the time I'm drunk when I tip over.. either the cops, or some helpful soul comes along to assist with extricating me from under it and putting it back on 2 wheels.

There was the one time 3 years ago when drunk, I tipped over in a driveway.. The son of a bitch I was drinking with came out with a garden hose and sprayed me down to keep me cool until a truckload of neighborhood drunks stopped by to help.

I love drunkards now..

 

[Bustanut joker]

I took the physical ability test for a motor officer job with my Department. They teach you to "push the bike up." Meaning, grab the grips on the handlebars, turn them the opposite direction you are standing on the bike (if standing on the right turn to the left and vice versa), then push forward. You'd be surprised at how easy it is.
Rick

I'd like to see a vid of this technique, if you know of one, Rick. In fact, I'd like to try it myself.

Um, anybody around here willing to push their FJR over so I can swing by and practice my "pushing it up" technique?

I just checked with Blassoff my old bikes new owner.. He was all for it until I told him it would be July before you came by to practice..

As he's picking it up next month, he didn't want to "pick it up" when he "picked it up"

Sorry Mike.

 

[majicmaker]

Dropped mine once in really soft sand. Sand like at the beach on a dry hot day. Real loose. 2am and me not wanting to leave it there and walk 7 miles to the house, the adrenalin kicked in and got it upright. It was a BITCH! Fell on the left side and it was torture trying to figure out how much was enough before I flipped it over on its right side with no grip from my boots in the loose sand. I made it though. Except you should have seen the mini Keystone Cop Movie of me trying to twist the throttle with the tires dug into the soft sand about 9 inches. Worst night of my Freakin' life! Glad the 6 o'clock news crew didn't stop by to film it. )

 

[Bustanut joker]

Dropped mine once in really soft sand. Sand like at the beach on a dry hot day. Real loose. 2am and me not wanting to leave it there and walk 7 miles to the house, the adrenalin kicked in and got it upright. It was a BITCH! Fell on the left side and it was torture trying to figure out how much was enough before I flipped it over on its right side with no grip from my boots in the loose sand. I made it though. Except you should have seen the mini Keystone Cop Movie of me trying to twist the throttle with the tires dug into the soft sand about 9 inches. Worst night of my Freakin' life! Glad the 6 o'clock news crew didn't stop by to film it. )

See Vic.. Had ya been drunk you'd have had plenty of help... Granted **** might have got busted you wouldn't have to "went it alone" Booze is a good thing I'm tellin ya!

 

[majicmaker]

Dropped mine once in really soft sand. Sand like at the beach on a dry hot day. Real loose. 2am and me not wanting to leave it there and walk 7 miles to the house, the adrenalin kicked in and got it upright. It was a BITCH! Fell on the left side and it was torture trying to figure out how much was enough before I flipped it over on its right side with no grip from my boots in the loose sand. I made it though. Except you should have seen the mini Keystone Cop Movie of me trying to twist the throttle with the tires dug into the soft sand about 9 inches. Worst night of my Freakin' life! Glad the 6 o'clock news crew didn't stop by to film it. )

See Vic.. Had ya been drunk you'd have had plenty of help... Granted **** might have got busted you wouldn't have to "went it alone" Booze is a good thing I'm tellin ya!

I wasn't drunk but... More like Slightly Happy after a few with some friends at our favorite neighborhood watering hole. The last thing I needed was a LEO to stop by and try to help! Don't know if I would have past any test he wanted to try out! )

 

[HotRodZilla]

I had a well built semi-hot chick help me pick up my FJR once. **** it I guess. My ego was already shot from dropping my bike. The girl help didn't add any more damage.

 

[wfooshee]

I've picked mine up 3 times using this technique. I needed help one other time, which was loose dirt/sand, where my feet just kept pushing it out and away, could not get any traction. Passerby assisted, we did it the old-fashioned way, just deadlifting at each end.

 

[majicmaker]

Zilla, wfooshee, I can imagine what that was like. In my case I had to do all that in total darkness! The closest street lamp was a mile away. It was a Freakin' nightmare. Zilla, my ego would have enjoyed a Babe helping me get it up!!! ) Just Sayin'