Best Tips When Picking Up A Dropped Bike

Something most riders dread is when their bike is dropped, it’s going to happen at some point but it’s the not knowing when that's the killer. Especially when you’re a new rider, it can be scary going out on your own. Thinking that if the bike does drops, you aren’t with anyone who could help. This fear is easily overcome though; all it takes is knowing that you can, without a doubt, pick up your bike by yourself. Suddenly dropping it in the first places doesn’t seem quite as terrible. The main fear about dropping your bike comes from the anxiety of thinking you can’t pick it up again. The thought of onlookers staring as you heave and pull hopelessly at a massive machine, is extremely unnerving. Or the other side of things is your out in the middle of nowhere when you drop your bike, with no one around to help with lifting. Either way, knowing you can take care of the situation is a comfort and reassurance all bikers want. So that being said, how do we pick up a bike safely and without busting something? There are a few techniques which can be used. In this article We Buy Any Bike go through picking your bike up, step by step. We’ll be explaining as if you were sat on the bike and it fell on the left.

Squat Pick Up:

1. First things first. Hit the kill switch. 2. If you have a carbureted bike, ensure it’s not pushing fuel. 3. You should try and get the bike in gear if you can, so it doesn’t roll as you’re standing it up and applying pressure . As this bike has dropped on its left you cant get to the gear selector, so try and pull your brake as you lift..which can be quite a task! 4. Stand facing away from your bike, squat and rest your butt in the centre. Put your left hand under the bike and take hold of the pillion grab handle or something similar, like the frame. Not the seat though, its too spongy to lever the bike up with. 5. Put your right hand on the handlebars, getting a hold of the grip closest to the ground. Pull the grip closer towards the tank. 6. It’s your legs that are doing the work with this technique, as you push and begin to walk backwards the bike will start to lift. 7. Keep taking steps and pushing backwards with your legs, leaning the bike further over 8. Once your bike is upright, get the kickstand down..and take a breather! As mentioned this has been described when falling to the left, if you topple to the other side, it works vise versa.

Handlebar Lift:

1. Bend down in a squatted position facing the front of your bike, holding the grip of the handlebar (the downed side of the bike). 2. Make sure you point the wheel towards the ground, by pulling on the downed grip 3. From the squatted position, place both hands on the down grip and pull upwards using your legs (not your back!). 4. You must keep your back straight and head up, this is way too much weight to put on your spine alone, so make your legs do the work. 5. Keep the bike close to you as you begin to push and start shifting the weight over to the centre, using your hips and legs to drive upwards and over. 6. Again, once the bike is upright, put the kickstand down and have a rest. The above are two different ways of lifting your motorcycle off the ground, you should try both of them out, one will make sense and feel more comfortable. As most things, it’ll take practice to start feeling confident with the technique. We’d suggest putting some padding down for a trial run, have help laying your bike down and let the games begin! Don’t overdo yourself, if something doesn’t feel right the chances are it's not, you might be in the wrong position or not holding something correctly. Saying that, you are lifting a motorcycle up..so resistance and weight are to be expected. We hope these step by step points are useful, and if you have another technique to share please do so in the comments!