The Palm Beach Knights Newsletter
The Knights Table
Monthly Newsletter August 2013
Greetings from your President Will
How to lift a fallen motorcycle
(Or oh @$%$& I dropped my bike!!!)
By Will
There are few things more stressful than the sight of
your motorcycle lying on the ground. Although I can't help with that sick
feeling in the bottom of your stomach, I can guide you through getting the bike
back up on two wheels.
One day at
our regular meet up spot, we watch from the window as another rider( an older guy from the American Legion) came into
the gas station and promptly dropped his bike.
After we got him upright, it got
me thinking, and writing
" what if we weren't there?".
It’s a gut-wrenching sight for a motorcycle owner;
you’re pride and joy lying on its side. I remember when it was me! I was
following as Tail-gunner, when the ride leader took a turn down a road he didn't know (just went where that GPS told him to). The first 50 feet or so was black top, so no
problem. Then the road unexpectedly turns into a soft sandy Hell hole. Even
though I was only doing about 20MPH, the road grabbed me and pulled me down. I remember lying there on my back about 10
feet from the bike thing “OK, this is a bad view of Helga”. My head did hit a rock (insert your own
personal joke here), but what hurt most was my pride. After the rest of the
group finally noticed I was horizontal, the job of getting the Valkyrie upright
began.
Now the
first thing on your mind is getting the bike upright and checking for damage.
Between the bike’s weight (about 850 lbs.), soft or hot surfaces and sheer
awkwardness, picking up a motorcycle can be dangerous and cause serious injury (especially at my age) if done incorrectly or under poor footing.
The first
rule of picking up a fallen motorcycle is to find a few people to help. The
second rule, if you don’t find any help the first time, keep looking or ask for
assistance again! It’s one of the reason’s we are better off being part of The
Palm Beach Knights MRC, we always have a fellow Knight around to help. (And
make fun of you)
Ideally, the
people offering to help should be riders themselves. Obviously, you don’t want
anyone else to get hurt, but with the motorcycle already lying on the ground God
knows you certainly don’t need any more damage.
OK, now before
any attempt is made to lift the bike some personal preparation and
understanding of the steps are needed;
1)
(this may be the hardest) Make sure you've calmed
down, thinking clearly, understand what needs to be done and physically able to
lift the bike. Make sure that the bike is OFF!! STOP %$#$ cursing!!
2) Always follow the golden rule: keep your body and back
straight, and lift only with your legs. WARNING DON"T DO IT THAT WAY AND YOU WILL MISS A FEW RIDES!!! Just ask Greenies.
3) Maintain control of the motorcycle and never twist
your body while lifting.
4) Check the motorcycle for damage before riding it
again. A lot of little thing can be fixed right there to get you home.
5) Be aware not only are motorcycles heavy, but have
awkward shapes with pieces that move and parts that can be really freaking hot.
In an ideal world, you should practice lifting
your bike under the training and supervision of a qualified professional who
evaluates and coaches your lifting technique(no not me). You'd be hard-pressed to
find many riders who have taken the time to learn this little used technique.
Indeed most bikers with any type of experience with this come from either
lifting their own motorcycle or friends after some sort of mishap.
I learned
from a demonstration at Run to the Heartland in Sebring.
So there you
are, far from home maybe a little banged up and not in the best moods looking
at your motorcycle lying on its side and exercising your new found vocabulary. Here are some detailed step by step hints
to help you through the daunting task of lifting your motorcycle.
Don’t Panic!
(stole that from )
The very
first step as you’re looking at your baby on its side is to breathe. Breathe
again. Take a few minutes to calm down. Tell yourself that this happens to
everyone at some point in their years of riding. There is an old saying that
there are 2 kinds of bikers those that have gone down, and those that are going
to. Remember that your motorcycle isn't going anywhere and unless you and your
bike are located in a dangerous area there’s plenty of time to pick it up. Seeing
your bike lying on its side can be a traumatic experience, but as mentioned
earlier, it happens to everyone at one time or another.
Take a good look around
I realize
that your attention is focused on the motorcycle lying helplessly on the
ground, but take a moment to understand where you are and what’s going on. Are
you and the bike in danger from other traffic? If there was someone else
involved in the accident make sure they’re busy looking for insurance
information and not the quickest way to escape.( I would take a lot of pictures with my phone...just sayin)
If the motorcycle isn't in the
flow of traffic and you've been involved in an accident it may help to leave it
on the ground until law enforcement arrives on the scene.
If the
motorcycle ended up on its side from a series of unfortunate events involving
only yourself; (or a #@$% GPS) Think about the surface your lifting from? Is
there gravel? Is the pavement wet? Are you right next to a ditch? Are standing
in dog shit? (Just seeing if you’re paying attention) You've just dumped your
pride and joy, the last thing you need is to end up slipping and getting pinned
under your bike. That would just be a cherry on an embarrassment sundae, and
people always have a camera these days!
Check out the motorcycle
If you smell
gasoline, put out the cigarette Einstein and work with caution around the
motorcycle.
Note which
side the bike fell on. If the motorcycle is lying on its right side, put the kickstand
down and put the motorcycle in gear. Be careful you don't lift the motorcycle
up and then flip it onto its other side. At the demo in Sebring some little gal flipped right over...Now that’s funny!!
Time to
lift!
Facing Away
from the bike turn the handlebars to full-lock position with front of tire
pointed downward. Find the "balance point" of the two tires and the
engine, engine guard, or footpeg The motorcycle will be fairly easy to lift
until it reaches this point because it's resting on its side. Once you start
lifting from there, you are responsible for the most of the weight of the bike.
"Sit"
down with your butt/lower back against the motorcycle seat. Be very careful to
keep your back straight and your head up. Put your feet solidly on the ground
about 12 inches apart, with your knees bent slightly.
With one
hand, grasp the handgrip (underhand, preferably), keeping your wrist straight.
With your
other hand, grip the motorcycle framework (or any solid part of the motorcycle)
being careful to avoid the hot exhaust pipe, turn signals, etc. Lift with your
legs by taking small steps backwards, pressing against the seat with your butt
and keeping your back straight. On slippery or gravelly surfaces this technique
probably won't work. On inclined surfaces this can be very dangerous. Set the
motorcycle on its side stand and park it safely.
Take a deep
breath, go have a beer and be happy you still can.
______________________________________________________
On a personal note:
I wanted to take a moment to thank everyone who has expressed concern and sent their thoughts and prayers for my wife. We are lucky to have friends like you and deeply appreciate it. While it will be a hard road, I know that my family will come through this and she will be healthy once again soon. FYI Sue's surgery is September 11th
________________________________________________________________________
Members, if you are interested in being part of the leadership team, see Will .
We need Tailgunners, and Road Capt.
Don’t forget that any member can make a suggestion about a ride or an event. We are always looking for more new places to ride to. So if you know of a place or an event, make sure to suggest it on our website.
While we try to mix up our rides as much as possible, it's highly unlikely that I'm going to please everyone all the time. I hope everyone has been enjoying the rides that I have been on our schedule so far. I am always looking for feedback and new ideas. Your participation is what makes this club great.
If you want to see a video of Roscoe's Chilli fest
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-a-aByHcng
Not too early to get your Hotel ..see ride details
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-a-aByHcng
Not too early to get your Hotel ..see ride details
New member may not know that:
We have a mileage program. The first members have already received their certificate and a decal for reaching 100k miles with the PB KNIGHTS! The next level is 5000K miles. Look on the detail of each ride to see how many miles are awarded. If you would like to see your miles, just go to the pages tab and open-
MEMBERS GETTING OLDER!!
Happy Birthday to:
Happy Birthday to:
| Devon “Viking” Driscoll | 8/6/1961 | ||
| Marc Simmons | 8/13/1966 |
We have been having some really awesome rides:
Ft Pierce Tiki Hut Sun Aug 04
Nice turn out for this ride. We had 9 bikes and about 13 people. Good to see lots if family join us including my daughter Kelsie. A bit hot , but a pleasant day. The route takes us along some very nice roads. We had a stop at a great spot along the way. As Paul Sachse said
"Great ride with great people again! Can't imagine a better group of people to ride with."
John Stretch Park @ Lake Okeechobee(kind of)
OK , so this was a really HOT ride. As we passed the Clewiston Inn, the clock read 1:38 and (95 F). First we changed the route a little and went up to Okkechobee and then down around the bottom of the lake. We had a short stop at JS fish camp for a drink. We started out with the idea of getting subs and eating at John Stretch Park. It was too hot ! so we decided to go to the Clewiston Inn...they were closed. We ended up at Branigan's Irish Grill & Pub. Food and service were real good. Nice ride home on 80.
An awesome ride!! While the weather is still kinda warm, the ride was perfect. The BBQ was some of the best around. As soon as we got there we were greeted by the very friendly people that run the place. First, the had plenty of room for us(including Echoes being able to stretch out that hurt leg). Then they gave us some free soup...some of the best I have ever had. Lunch was tasty and the free ice cream was just the perfect ending. The ride back was also very nice with just a moment of rain.
Tom "Echoes" Casella said "Best club out there members are great well organized and seasoned riders with such diverse backgrounds"
Pirates Cove Resort and Marina, Stuart
Sunday, August 25 (THE RIDE THAT ALMOST WASN'T)
Well we came close to calling this one because of weather. Man I'm glad we didn't. While we only had a small group, we had an awesome time. Originally we had a large RSVP for this, but for one reason or another people couldn't make it. We never got 1 drop of rain. it wasn't too hot, and the scenery was beautiful. Neal, Gunner and I had a blast.
Steven Cohen - Gunner said
"Best ride All summer"
I chose one of our newest members this month. Even though he is a new Knight, he is always positive. His attitude exemplifies what we all should be. He is also always out there promoting the club. So THANKS to our August MOTM
No comments:
Post a Comment