I would like to ask, have any of you motorcycle women ever found yourself in a tough situation that you had no choice but to handle it by yourself? Well, I did.

I am talking about dropping your motorcycle with no one around to help you to pick it up.

I was new to being biker women, just learning to ride my new Harley Davidson Sportster 883 Low.

I only had my Harley for a month and had just started to get comfortable riding by my self up and down the road in front of our house.

I was doing great, so I got a little over confident and decided to take the next right at the corner. All was going well but I didn’t want to go to far away from my street, so I made a u-turn.

The u-turn went well and I was on my way back to the comfort of my deserted road.

The road made a slight incline as I approached intersection to turn left. There was also a stop sign at intersection. So as I came to a stop, concentrating on pulling in the clutch I pulled the front brake with the other hand. I tried to switch to the foot brake, but because I had the handle bars turned slightly to the right and I was off balance, that and by me using the front brake the bike pitched to the left and I dropped my brand new Harley Davidson.

That was the first time I had dropped it. I don’t know if I was mad or embarrassed, probably a combination of both. Of course, it stands to reason that no one was around to help me pick it up. Although, my husband Michael was just up the road in the garage, he didn’t hear me screaming every swear word I could think of.  I had two choices, I could leave the motorcycle in the middle of the road and go get my husband to help me, or I could pick the bike up my self.

I decided it was best not to just leave my new Harley lying there in street on her side. So I took a deep breath, said a prayer, I placed one hand on the handle bar and the other on the seat and kneeled down and then started pushing with all my might. Picking a 650-pound motorcycle up to a standing position is no easy task.

Phew, At first I thought I wasn’t going to be able to pick it up. It was not easy but I did finally get it in the upright position.

I road home and told Michael what had happened, that I had dropped my motorcycle and how I had picked it up all by my self.

Listing to all of the details of how I lifted the bike and after finding out if I was all right, he tells me of a much easier way to pick a fallen motorcycle. Sure wish I knew that before!

Here is what he told me to do if I ever found myself in the same circumstance again.

First turn off the motorcycle kill switch. Next if your motorcycle has a carburetor, turn the gas valve to off so it will not leak gas all over the place. If you can reach the gear shifter, shift the bike into first gear. This will keep your motorcycle from rolling away or falling on top of you. If the bike is lying on its right side pull the kickstand out. When you extend the kickstand, once you get your motorcycle up right it can rest safely with out toppling over.

Make sure your front tire and handlebars are pointing down towards the ground. Now turn around with your back to the motorcycle where the seat is, take hold of the handlebars and find a suitable place to grab hold of the rear of the bike. Words of caution biker girl, do not grab hold of the finder, saddlebags or plastic accessories. They were not manufactured to withstand the weight of a motorcycle. Some bikes come with a handle at the back, if not find a place on the frame to hold onto. Now squat down put you back up against the seat, plant your feet and lift with your legs. Remember to take little steps back as the bike lifts up.  The first part of the lift is the hardest and heaviest part. Once you get a little momentum and the bike is on its wheels it gets easer.

Just a note: If the bike has fallen on its left side and you can’t reach the kickstand, you will need to use a bit more caution when you pick your motorcycle upright so it won’t topple over the other way. Once the bike is up on two wheels, from the left side, carefully balance the bike and yourself and with your left foot reach back and extend the kickstand down. Now you can rest the motorcycle on the kickstand.

I have ridden my Sportster a lot of miles since then and I have dropped it a few times as well. One thing I can tell you, this motorcycle woman has become an expert at picking it up again.