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I've dropped my bike soooo many times, I've gotten pretty good at picking it up! LOL! I was going to recommend some sites, but they have been listed below for reference by Walt. Once you get the technique down, I think most people can pick up most bikes. The trick is, if it falls on the left side, not to push it all the way over on the OTHER side!
So, since the posted sites give better picking up instructions than I would, I'll give you some OTHER pointers I've found helpful. (Most people don't drop their bikes as often as I do - but I figure, how will I know my limits unless I exceed them?)
Your bike is down:
- Turn it off
- Take a deep breath. Hold it briefly. Let it out. Force yourself to relax.
- Don't worry about a little gas and/or coolant leak. That is normal. Just make sure that anyone who runs over to help you leaves his/her cigarettes behind.
- If you have a bunch of stuff loaded on your bike and you have to pick it up alone, unload the bike. (I often have around 70 lbs of gear. With a full tank, that puts my bike around 500 lbs. I take off the load.)
- Pick the bike up as per instructions below
- Push it to the safest possible spot. Drag your gear over to it if necessary.
- STOP. Take a few deep breaths. You need to wait and let the carbs drain anyway, cuz they are probably flooded. So use the time to take stock of yourself. You're OK? Now check out your bike. Levers intact? Shifter OK? Rocks, branches, aluminum can stuck in chain? (you wouldn't BELIEVE what a bike picks up as it slides down an embankment!) Be methodical. Start at the front tire, forks, headlamp, bars, etc - work your way back. Being methodical is more than a good way to check out the bike - it settles YOU down.
- Fire it up. If it won't start, check the battery connections and fuses. They can be knocked loose if you went down hard. If you went down in a higher gear, it may be difficult to get it down into neutral. If you can't get to neutral, on a lot of bikes, you can't start it. If you have a centerstand, put the bike on it, pull in the clutch, and give the back tire a kick to spin it, then downshift to neutral. If you don't have a centerstand, you may need to walk the bike forward a little, drop down a gear, walk forward, and repeat until you reach neutral.
- When you get home, give the bike a thorough going over - check all fluids, including battery, all connections, double check the tires for cuts in the sidewall.
I know this seems complicated in print, but it's really not, when in use. Anyway, hope you never need to practice any of this, but just in case!
From Walter Kern:
Here are two great links that give detailed procedures on how to lift a bike:
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