Picking up a dropped bike

I was down at one of the local bike shops yesterday and as we were leaving, a woman dropped her bike in the parking lot. My wife and I ran over to assist her and make sure she was ok. She was fine but embarrassed. She was riding a HD Low Rider and she was alone. She could not pick the bike back up without help. Well, I picked it up and she checked everything and eventually went on her way. But I got to thinking, she probably never had been shown how to pick up a dropped bike. I know when I took the riders course, they never showed us how to do it. Fortunately I have a friend who showed me right after I bought my Maxim X. It isn't that hard, just leverage and practice. We should all know how to do this.

Comments?

 

My experience in picking up a dropped bike came when i had an XS750 i actually dropped it a couple of times mainly due to it being my first bike and even though im tall i was still on my toes when i was on it i found that by standing opposite of the seat and using the tires it was easier for me to pick it up by throwing my body weight away from the bike. if there is an easier way i would like to hear it.

 

I've now had to pick up 2 bikes for people, and I read in one of the mag's about a way to pick up a bike and it showed lil tiny girls picking up full bag hd's. Basically whatever side it's on, pull the ground side handlebar, ((not the one pointing into the air but the one on the ground)) towards the gas tank as far as you can get it. Lean your butt into the seat and your trying to get your belt line in the middle of the seat basically. Lean back into the seat while pulling up on the handlebar and the bike lift's right up when done properly. It takes a time or two when you first try to get the butt position right but once you figure that out it's a leverage point vs strength. The two i've picked up have been cake once I got my spot down

 

My lady is still learning how to ride a bike (the Savage in my sig is actually hers) and the only thing she's concerned about is if she can pick up the bike if it were to drop.

Now she's 5'1" and 110 lbs -- needless to say if the bike drops she would have a heck of a time getting it back up. So I put down a shop blanket in the garage, gently laid her bike over, and good golly she did it.

I asked her how she knew, and she told me she just watched a video or two on Youtube, similar to this one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y94741LeBks

It's the same method as Koi described. But big and small, young and old, it works for everyone. Thankfully my precious Seca has never been on it's side since I've owned it, and I hope it stays that way.

 

That's cool that you helped her out and I'm guessing that you picked it up the way most men would. I'm just curious if you took the time to SHOW her the proper way for HER to be able to pick up her own bike? If not, hopefully she will check out a vid or two after suffering that embarrasment.

I guess I owe my older sister, who got me into riding many, many years ago but she always told me to never buy a bike that I could not pick up by myself. Fortunately, other then the racetrack, I haven't had to pick up one of my own more then once (Vstrom rolled of sidestand).

Kudos' to Andrew who didn't forget to teach his sweetheart how.

jeff

 

Well, no Jeff, I didn't actually show her how to do it herself. One, she was in panic mode and my wife was trying to calm her down. Two, it was a right-side drop and gas was spewing out of the tank filler. She told me she wasn't strong enough to pick it up and I told her she was, it's all about leverage and she could do it, she just needed to have someone teach her the proper way. Hopefully she will take that advise and at least go on the net and watch a video or two. Like Andrew mentioned a blanket to lay the bike on is a good way to practice and I don't think she had lessons on her mind. She just wanted to get out of there as fast as possible!

This experience also got me to thinking that I need to teach the wife how to pick one up. She will probably never ride except as a passenger but this is a skill she needs to know.

 

I was stopped at a four way intersection and when my turn came up to go I noticed an elderly man riding a goldwing with a passenger on the back so I waved him on. He was about to get going and the bike just started to tilt to the side and everybody watching knew he wasn't going to be able to save it from going over. Me and two other people jump out of our cars to save it, luckilly the person right behind him was able to get two good hands on it before it went all the way on its side. We helped him get it off the road so he could rest.

It was nice to see so many helpful people react so quickly, it really made the guy and his wife feel better that so many people came to help them.

 

Good video. Thanks! Never seen it done that way. I'll have to put a blanket down and try it.

 

the only problem with practicing picking one up is you have to keep dropping it

 

Well, it's funny this topic was brought up... I dropped my bike today.

I was gearing up for a ride, had it warming up in the driveway, flat spot no lean either way on it's side stand --- no center stand on the seca's

Turned around to grab my helmet, turned back around bike was on it's side....

bent my handlebar break lever in like a question mark.....

But I got to practice the move I talked about, pulled the ground side bar to the tank, ass into the seat and lift... worked excellent for a leverage point. When you turn the bar into the tank the bike will shift and you can kinda check to make sure your getting a good grip/leverage point, turn around, use your knee's and lift, boom bike comes right up.

No idea how or why, just one second up, turn around and it's down....