Folks, I have been trying to contact the staff at Keith Products in Pennsylvania, using all the available options including phoning from Australia where I live. I want a dirt napper motorcycle lifter made by them. I have had no success at all. Does anyone know if they are still operating and taking orders as, they are currently out of stock of that item apparently. Can anyone shed light on their circumstances currently? Perhaps they are slow to respond? Thanks Smoky.

Not sure what their status is, other than their website says out of stock, and add your name to be on the wait list.

BUT: I have the Eastbound motorcycle winch / jack, and I think it's excellent: https://eastbound.shop/product-info/...otowinch-info/
I also have their tire changing kit with bead breaker, which shares a couple components with the winch, and axle nut wrenches that integrate with the system, thus lightening the load. They've really designed the whole works well, and the quality is premium, made in the Netherlands.

I carry it on all my bikes now. Highly Recommended.


(Full disclosure: I was very interested in this when someone on the HUBB mentioned this a year or so ago, and contacted Noel, the owner of Eastbound, about the system. Turns out he's a big fan of the HUBB, and has been a member since 2005! I ultimately received a free set, with no strings attached, and am VERY impressed.)

__________________
Grant Johnson
Seek, and ye shall find.
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Inspiring, Informing and Connecting travellers since 1997!
www.HorizonsUnlimited.com

Grant, the info. posted about the motorcycle lifter from the Netherlands gives me another option. I’ve never heard of this brand. I’ll look it up. Thanks very much. A great help. Smoky.

Just been having a look at the videos of how to use both companies products and very ingenious / effective they are. It strikes me though that there's something off kilter somewhere when you need a winch to pick up your (nominally at least) off road motorcycle. I don't suppose any of us are snowflakes so it can only be the industry inflating their products to the point where they now weigh more than a small car from yesteryear.

Or it's handy for when you're tired / cold / sick to the point where you're one step from passing out and you just need to get to somewhere to stay ... which is when you're most likely to make stupid mistakes that result in dropping a bike.

The other solution, of course, is the Ed March route of having a bike that weighs nothing, but that's not everyone's cup of tea.

Yup, it’s always going to be the 2mph fall when you’re tired that’ll do it. I’ve been there many times. Everyone drops their bike from time to time - it’s in the nature of using an essentially unstable machine. It’s not so much that that I’m remarking on but that these things have become so big, so unwieldy and so heavy that a simple task like picking them up is becoming beyond human capacity. Each generation seems to get just that little bit heavier (although as that statement could equally apply to owners maybe it just all cancels out!).

I know why the manufacturers have done this - all road traffic has got bigger / faster / more powerful over the years and bikes have to keep up, but while your double size 4x4 has four (bigger) wheels to hold up the extra mass, motorcycles still only have two legs.

Even though I have a number of small bikes that I ride regularly I’d be the first to admit they are vulnerable on the roads (that’s U.K. roads, yours may vary). They’re underpowered for white van Amazon man / psycho Audi driver / Max Power in his Golf, or even tailgating Granny. 20bhp 15k rpm step throughs may be fun but they’re not practical everyday bikes, and the ones that are have weight as a by product. You can’t even chop lumps off them any more like in the past because of tampering rules.

Just a bit of a whinge really because the thought of having to take a winch along on a trip to pick the bike up would have seemed like a joke until recently. To pull it out of a bog or a ditch, yes I’d pack one for that, but not just to get it back on it’s wheels after you forgot to put the stand down at Starbucks.

The Motowinch is interesting - it reportedly weighs a little over 1.5kg and packs quite small. I had been wondering about the issues of falling off and picking the lump up (the bike, not me though now I think about it…) being a pain in the backside as well as tiring after the umpteenth occurrence that day so this may be the solution to the problem. Of course crass stupidity creates the problem so perhaps a little training may not be amiss as well.

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You will have to do without pocket handkerchiefs, and a great many other things, before we reach our journey's end, Bilbo Baggins. You were born to the rolling hills and little rivers of the Shire, but home is now behind you. The world is ahead.

Try picking a bike up when you're alone in the woods, and you've had a major crash, busted ribs, leg etc. Lie there and hope someone comes along, or "manage" with a winch. (That's not a what if, I know someone who was in that situation, with no winch - fortunately a friend was there. Of course a Rescue beacon would be a good thing but even then, it can take a while - for that person, it was over a day!)
Also last time I crashed my 1200GSA in the bush, it took two of us, and we REALLY struggled - it fell and jammed between two trees, downhill, wheels on the trail. No moving it or twisting etc - straight dead-lift. A winch would have been AWESOME.

I think if the weight / bulk isn't bad, and you're riding a big bike, or even a light dual sport bike solo, it's a good idea. Hey, I struggle with my DRZ400!
YMMV

__________________
Grant Johnson
Seek, and ye shall find.
------------------------
Inspiring, Informing and Connecting travellers since 1997!
www.HorizonsUnlimited.com

I carry a Dirtnapper on my DR650 (~350 pounds) when I ride alone in the backcountry.

Aarrrgh.......nothing but perfectly round softball sized rocks under there, bottomless.....



Falls in loose stuff, mud, or wheels up on a rocky track require you to lift the entire weight of the motorcycle. I can't lift 350 pounds.

Anyone can back their butt into a BMW lying halfway over on it's cylinder head and pannier, on a good ,high traction parking lot surface and push it up onto it's wheels. Out on a track it's a different story.

As Grant says, fallen bikes often have injured riders, who could ride out but can't lift their bikes up.

I don't know about the rest of you, but I've gotten older too, and lifting a bike is much more likely to hurt me than it used to.

I like the Dirt Napper btw, it's quite a bit smaller and lighter than the original one from South Africa (what was it called?). I had one of those but rarely carried it due to its size and weight (It was STRONG, though). I don't mind strapping on the DirtNapper, though.

...............shu

When I was younger I lifted a fully loaded 1000cc Honda. I’m 64 with the usual bodily wear and tear for my age. I need the winch! To do the RTW trip planned the AT is my choice after examining nearly every other dual-sport bike available. The Africa Twin is not for everyone of course, but a winch at my age is a necessary passenger! I agree with Grant!

Err ... you sure about that?

Well, if you know different please entertain us with your experiences

Hey Shu, I don’t suppose you have access to the guy selling the Dirtnapper. It’s one of the lightest units I’ve seen and seems to work well. As I indicated in a previous post there is no way of contacting them using all the options given on their website. On my trip (RTW) the estimated weight is very close to the limit of the bike’s capacity, so a lighter lift is more than handy. Cheers Smoky

smoky126, note that the MotoWinch is lighter than the Dirtnapper, and is part of a system that will be overall lighter than any other system, as part of the system is a bead breaker that works, and tire irons and wheel nut wrenches. It's also more compact - a shorter packed size.
The Dirtnapper is a good product, a friend has one and likes it a lot. So, whichever one you LIKE is the one to go for.

I don't know what's up with Keith, and that's a worry. I HAVE emailed him directly, and will post a response when I get it.

__________________
Grant Johnson
Seek, and ye shall find.
------------------------
Inspiring, Informing and Connecting travellers since 1997!
www.HorizonsUnlimited.com

Well, there's plenty of people using 125 scooters here (~12hp) as their sole mode of transport - shopping, work, etc - including longer distance non-motorway trips. A good one can rack up well over 100,000km without major problems if it's taken care of.

They have storage, nice big screens for winter, wind protection for the legs, etc. Given that they can get over 100mpg too I think they actually might be the MOST practical form of transportation.