Picking up a dropped bike!
 

Just wondering: Are you able to pick up your fully-loaded dropped bike by yourself (in the middle of nowhere)?

Seems important enough when traveling far from the beaten path but my bad back just doesn't allow it. Unsure how much of an issue that could be when overlanding. (Kawaski W650, 195 kg (429 lb) (dry))

My BMW R80GS is around 200kg with some petrol but no luggage and I can pick that up but add loaded panniers and the other luggage carried when travelling and I need to unpack it.

Welcome for the forum BTW!

With hard panniers neither of my bikes falls flat on the ground—not difficult to yank them upright, especially adrenaline-fueled from embarrassment from dropping in a public place. I’ve added short loops of climbing webbing, one on each side, which serve as handles at just the right height so that I don’t have to bend my knees or back too far.

On the other hand, I once dropped my bike into a ditch consisting of bottomless silty mud, and had to unload it, find large branches for levers, weep and moan and curse the unforgiving universe, make deals with both god and the devil, and do a bunch of other crazy stuff to get the bike back to vertical on a (muddy) driving surface. I was a scary sight headed down the highway after that.

I like the idea of the webbing loops - you use the height of the vehicle as a lever. There are also demonstrations available on You Tube (?) that show how to lift the bike most easily. I will disappear off for a while to see if I can find links to them. Back soon with a little luck.

Also, I can imagine myself with my bike in the ditch with similar language etc.

Here you go. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=KvlUMiiuKag

DustRiders makes a portable ratchet strap type hoist for lifting bikes. I carry one on solo off-pavement rides in the backcountry just in case I drop the bike in an awkward position or slippery ground with poor footing.

Just googled that - looks good!

Yes I can imagine. I was running in a 10km race a few years ago when the (gale force) wind tore my glasses off and threw them into a goop filled drainage ditch. In the time it took me (not) to find them I ended up covered in black mud and had to finish the race like that. My wife wouldn't let me into the car so I had to walk the 2 miles back to where we were staying. I did get some very strange looks during that walk.

Re picking the bike up solo, I think you have to have thought this through beforehand. It's an important part of forward planning. Having a perfectly functional bike that you can't use because your foot slipped when you came to a halt and you can't pick it up is as daft a situation to find yourself in a running out of fuel in the desert. I travel on a whole range of bikes, one of which I can pick up and carry (just about), one of which I don't have a hope in hell of picking up on my own and others that are somewhere in between - at a push I can pick them up if I take them to bits (remove panniers / fuel tank / other heavy bits first). Pick up-ability is one of the factors I'll consider when deciding which one to use. It's not the only one but it is in there.

I'm not IT enough to copy the actual link but put this into YouTube :clap:

https://youtu.be/OOCTsna2jiI

Its one of the main reasons I'm taking a crf250l to Africa. I had a gs800 but it wasn't suited for me for the trip. I dropped it in my front(very sandy) garden once and had to get a friends daughter to help me pick it up. I asked her not to say anything to anyone:wink3:

usually yes, but all depends where and how you drop - on sand, mud can be a bigger problem or on the hill. Last time I dropped my tenere during log crossing took me 30 minutes to unload and push it over...

https://i.imgur.com/xQvbc85.jpg

There was a time in my undamaged youth when I did a lot of lifting a 600 pound bike by myself. Lift with back etc. These days I have trouble lifting myself off the floor, even when sober--hip and back issues. Ride with others, or maybe ride a side car--no promise you won't fall, but its less likely.

Never had a problem (3 years on a KLR650), even when I had injuries (including a broken rib). First off, it is somewhat rare in travel that there is truly nobody around to help. Also remember that with panniers, even soft, the bike isn't flat on the ground. Beyond that, be certain you use good technique: lift with your legs, never your back.

Enjoy the ride!

I have to unload first.

Weight distribution is a big deal. Once upon a time I had a 261kg (wet) Yamaha Super Tenere. It was surprisingly easy to lift, even fully loaded.

Now I have a KTM 1090 that weighs 228kg (wet). I just assumed it would be easier to lift that the Yamaha because it's 30kg lighter, but it's REALLY difficult, even without luggage.

The weight seems to be very high up compared to the Super Tenere, and the bike lies a lot flatter when it falls. I got stuck in a ditch about 2 months ago but the bike was only leaned over about 45 degrees. Both me and another biker struggled to get it upright together.

So I can lift the bike, but life it a lot easier if it's not loaded.

I don't think it is essential that one is able to pick up their flopped-over motorcycle by themselves.

Yesterday, whilst riding in southern Italy, my ST 1100 tipped over on its side while I was trying to make a tight U-turn on a secondary road. 20 years ago, when I was 45, I would have been able to pick it up by myself, but I know from unpleasant experience (an attempt to pick it up 4 years ago that injured my hip and back) that I can't pick it up by myself anymore. For what it's worth, the ST 1100 doesn't fall over flat, it just leans at about a 45° angle.

Anyway - the bike was lying in the middle of the road, exactly on the centerline stripe, so I just stood in front of it and waved down the first car to come along. The driver was more than willing to help, and a few moments later, another driver stopped and got out. The three of us then set the bike upright, and I got on it and rode on.

So, as long as you plan to travel on roadways (and not way off in the forest like the picture in the post above), I wouldn't worry about not being able to pick the bike up if it tips over. There will always be helpful and friendly people around to assist you in righting it.

Michael

If you're going to be riding in the middle of nowhere, rather than everywhere on public highways, it's a good idea to know how you'd cope when (not if) you have to pick the bike up. There are various techniques, and it's a good idea to research them before you need to use them. You should also bear in mind that you may end up having to pick the bike up alone on a slope, in deep sand or slippery mud. Could you do it?

FWIW, this is one of many reasons I bought a 790, the weight is low down and the pannier fuel tank tends to prevent the bike lying fully flat on its side.