Does anyone have any ideas about the best way to lift a bike? I ask because in one of the previous threads someone mentioned hurting their back while picking up their bike. I know that there are ways that work better than others and when you run into that situation you usually have very little experience and are in an 'altered state of mind' so to speak. I can't really remember how i've lifted my bikes in the past, but maybe some of you do and it will wind up helping someone somewhere down the road.

The one thing i do remember is that, most importantly, always lift with your legs. You also usually need to have one hand on the handlebar grip on the downed side to keep the front wheel straight while you're lifting. The other hand should find a sturdy handhold on part of the frame or gripbar...preferably not bodywork, although you probably won't hurt anything. So get a grip, squat down, and pull both you and the bike up with your legs. I've always been paranoid of lifting too hard and pushing it over the other way, but unless you're He-Man, that's not gonna happen...believe me. :wink:



*Alex, feel free to move this thread if it needs to be in another section.*

There's a little 118 pound lady out there that regularly picks up her 600 pound BMW and other larger bikes. She tells how to do it here.

http://www.pinkribbonrides.com/dropped.html

Just slip the clutch :lol:

Just slip the clutch :lol:

Not so easy to do when the bike's sitting on your left foot! :lol:

Seriously, though, I know I did it the wrong way. I was in that "altered mind state" at the time, and my thoughts were mainly on just getting my gal upright again. Left hand on left handlebar, right hand on grab rail... pull. Ow, why's my back feel this way. :oops:

The Gold Wing guys have a good method for lifting theirs... I'll see if I can find a link to a vid or something. If not, I think I can scan a couple of pages from the Gold Book for some pics. Lemme go look....

Good link, sloan. I like her method...even if it looks manlier to haul it up with your massive arm muscles...just like curling...but with a 400lb bike...yeah, that's way cooler. :twisted: 8)

There's a little 118 pound lady out there that regularly picks up her 600 pound BMW and other larger bikes. She tells how to do it here.

http://www.pinkribbonrides.com/dropped.html

that sort of how I do it too, since our bikes are more layed over then them boxer engines that make it even harder to lift up

What I do is grab the grips and front brake which gives you max leverage (farthest point from the tire/road pivot point) and have my butt/lower back against the tank and basically do a squat while leaning into the bike to help push it up....my butt/lower back is not flat against the tank but am touching at about a 4-5 O'clock position (if my nose was 12 O'clock)

1 - How often do y'all drop yer bikes? :oops:
2- she is cheating because BMW is a boxer and is already sitting on the head up 30 degrees... :evil:

The Gold Wing guys have a good method for lifting theirs... I'll see if I can find a link to a vid or something. If not, I think I can scan a couple of pages from the Gold Book for some pics. Lemme go look....
The best way is skewed because you often try to pick the bike up as fast as you can. I suscribe to that method.

he best way after that is to have help. If you lift the bike by the method in the link above, it's a good idea to have a buddy on the opposite side to catch it and keep it from toppling to the other side. The proper method of lifting a Goldwing is important bacause of the weight. Our bikes are lighter and are a bit eaiser to pick up.

The best way after that is to have help. If you lift the bike by the method in the link above, it's a good idea to have a buddy on the opposite side to catch it and keep it from toppling to the other side.

That was my fear after I read the Gold Wing method -- how frickin' embarrassing would that have been! Drop it with an audience, and then knock it over to the other side. Sheesh. I'd have probably just left for the day.... :oops:

How often do y'all drop yer bikes?

Just once, but i wish someone had told me the best way to get it back up so i wouldn't have to spend all the time trying to figure it out on my own. I got it back up pretty fast...but a little thought ahead of time would have made me much more confident. Just trying to help a brother out. I mean, you don't really think about dropping it until you already have, and then it becomes important real fast! Hope this thread is helpful to someone, somewhere, sometime... :wink:

A friend of mine, who has been riding bikes for decades, gave me a DVD called "Ride Like a Pro III". It covers slow riding skills but it also shows a fabulous method for lifting a bike. I dare not even try to describe it here lest I mislead someone into doing it the wrong way and hurting themselves. On the DVD, you watch a woman lifting a cruiser (looks like a pretty damn heavy bike to me!) all by herself. The DVD can be obtained at www.ridelikeapro.com and has been very informative for me. Hopefully, others of you will find it as informative.

"Ride Like a Pro III"


Old Chinese proverb or at least the punchline of the proverb,

"If you cut wood like a master carpenter, you'll only cut your finger."

a video explanation on the lady's method:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPjYweKeiLk

a video explanation on the lady's method:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPjYweKeiLk

but not all bikes have handles in the rear side

When I dropped my old CB750, I lifted it the good 'ol fashioned way - raw adrenaline. Now I'm about 5'8" and 140 pounds and that bike is pushing 500 pounds with gas in it. It can be done, but my back and hamstrings were killing me for days afterward.

You know, the "altered state" thing really applies because you're ebarrassed and the only thing you want to do is get the bike back upright asap. So I did it the hard way, but the quickest, and then paid for it.

My brother says his Harley dresser weighs about 850 lbs. Seems like a two man deal. The weight of the 599 was a big reason I bought it.