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How heavy?

Don't worry about the weight...

I went more than a decade without riding.... went from a little kawasaki 400/440 to a RK... about 2 or 2.5 times the weight. Was scared to death when i got the RK (actually mumbled to myself that "this BLAH BLAH bike is too big for me" when I actually took delivery).

150 miles later, I was fine!

Oh, and lifting it from on its side? remember, you are NOT lifting 700 to 800 lbs OVER your head... you are just moving it back upright. Just guessing, the diff between a small bike and a big one, when lifting it PROPERLY, is about 80 to 110 lbs more force needed... easy enough when you are really only using your legs!
 
Way back in my early riding days a touring rider said there was a technique to turn "walk" the bike around using the side stand as a pivot, under power, or if you happen to be down on the left side, to get it up without dropping it on the opposite side. Or in say a 2nd scenario if you have a bagger, how would you use your center stand (I have used it on my metric, but my Sporty does not have one). :(

I think it was FifthGear who knows this one from his post on CENTERSTANDS, if you end up at a dead end road and no room for you to turn and backing up is useless because it is uphill. :small3d031:

Has anyone ever had to do the deed(s) with a heavy HD or bagger? Yeah, I know I would probaby take my prized jacket off put it on the likely side my tricked up ride would tip over on, but still I have to ask if the unthinkable happens, are there..."possibilities?" :newsmile071:
 
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NEWHD74FAN said:
Way back in my early riding days a touring rider said there was also a technique to turn "walk" the bike around using the side stand as a pivot, if you happen to be down on the left side. Or in say a 2nd scenario if you have a bagger, how you could use your center stand if you end up at a dead end road and no room to you turn and backing up is useless because it is uphill.

Has anyone ever have to do the deed(s) with a heavy HD or bagger? Yeah, I know I would probaby take my prized jacket off put it on the likely side my tricked up ride would tip over on, but still I have to ask if the unthinkable happens, are there..."possibilities?"
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The unthinkable did happen. I forgot to use the safety mechanism on the jack and found the bike in the garage floor. At the time I thought how in the gosh garn world am I going to pick up this poor bike. Thats not what I really thought, but you know what I mean. I put the bike in first gear , made sure the jiffey stand was out, went to the other side and just pulled it up. I surprised how easy it was.
 
Correct me if I'm wrong :58:but I don't thinkHD makes a bike that weighs less than 550 lbs( the Sportster family) At 5 feet tall,120 lb,i my Sporty goes down, no way on this green planet am I getting it back up by myself. I try to not lay it down unless there are men around.:lolrolling
 
My wife rides a Fatboy ( edit ) and she isn't very big. It's all about learning how to handle it.
 
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I with the other guys that a heavy touring bike handles well, If you would happen to drop it there is a trick to picking them up. Have picked my own up onece and helped another guy one time also. If you like the ride then you will need to spend a little bit of time getting used to it but it is time on the bike. How bad can that be.
 
i'm a little dude, 150 and 5'9". I have a ultra and as much as it weighs, it feels lighter than the 06 Yamaha FJR that i had before I bought the harley. It's all in the balance and if you can flat foot both sides, your boots don't slip or you don't let it get to far over on each side it's all good. I went over a scale loaded with my stuff for a short trip and a tank of gas as she weighed 1100 lbs! I did let it get away from me early this last spring, wet leaf on slick concrete, and she went over. Just a little scuff on the engine guard and a slight owee on the fairing, no biggie...I put her in gear, straightened up the bars, backed up to the seat and got her back on her feet, really wasn't that tough for an old 55 year old man. I would be intimidated by the weight, she feels so light when yer runnin', low speed manuvers are easy and at the end of the day, this is the coolest bike i've ever had...
 
dynamike said:
Once the bike is upright, you have to make a big mistake to be in a situation where you have to pick it up. Yeah, they're heavy, but I wouldn't let it keep you from getting one.
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My rule of thumb is to never ride a bike that you can not pick up solo.... Yes, you can pickup the touring bikes solo if you are large enough and know the correct method.
 
Again: Test ride, test ride, test ride. Most Harley dealers allow test rides...

Again, I've seen 5' 2" 120 lb women lift up full tourers...you place back/bum against the seat, reach under and grab some frame or other non-breakable part of the bike, and push up with your legs.

It works.

All the riding skill in the world won't stop your bike from going down if you're inside at work and some life form knocks it over in the parking lot. It's happened to me more than once...that's why I always get hiway bars.


I had 1987 Heritage...didn't like riding solo 'cause I felt I was driving a Cadillac on two wheels. I prefer small sporty cars to luxo barges, hence I prefer the Sportster for solo riding.

I highly recommended a big bike for two up long distance riding, though.

Moe.
 
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