Low speed / parking lot maneuvering..

cycleman2 said:

Both hands on the bars, use the front brake to control your speed when moving the bike around.

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Question: Could you leave the bike in 1st gear and squeeze the clutch so you can move the bike, then feather the clutch to control the speed?

WalterK75 said:

Question: Could you leave the bike in 1st gear and squeeze the clutch so you can move the bike, then feather the clutch to control the speed?

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That will work as well I have done both

low speed/parking lot maneuvering

Lots of discussion so far of ways to move the bike around, ie: right side vs. left side; gravity and brakes; clutch control suggestions; foot placement; etc. All good, most workable ( except the right side stuff imho ), but all mechanical.

So far nobody has brought up the most important consideration (again imho ).....adjusting the loose nut at the handlebar.

The Motorcycle Safety Foundation offers a one day class entitled "Ultimate Bike Bonding Class" that stresses low speed maneuvers and techniques similar to those taught in LEO riding courses. It is done on YOUR bike and is very enlightening and empowering to find out what is indeed possible with that big bike at slow walking speeds. Rider Coaches need to be certified to conduct the course, not many are, and not all sites offer the course. Check out your local offerings. It is the current most difficult the MSF offers.

It is still okay to get off and walk the bike to park it if necessary.


Friedle
MSF 27713

lkchris said:

It's just a rumor about the reverse gear. The K1200LT had that, but we hope BMW never embarrasses itself like that again.

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Hey, I'd love to have that reverse gear in my sidecar rig! But, it would just lead to bad parking habits on my part.

One word: Gravity. Piloting a sidecar rig teaches you to use gravity each and every time you park on a slope and that the nose of the parked bike should always be opposite of where gravity wants to take you in a sloped and captive parking space--in or out. It works the same for a solo bike but while you almost never see a hack pilot fail to take advantage of gravity, it is all too common amongst solo riders. For a while, anyway--then they catch on. Pushing 1.5 motorcycles uphill (hack rig) can be a lasting learning experience...

Best,
DG

One other mention- Strength conditioning. Just how many old guys are here complaining about the weight of a RT, GT, whatever. Maybe you need to work out a little bit, lose some weight and make some muscle. Just "I'm getting older and can't handle a [----] anymore" is sometimes not a valid excuse.

obviously you haven't watched

my wife drive her rig... even though she is quite experienced. When she get it backwards, she just looks to me to be her 'reverse gear'.

GTRider said:

Hey, I'd love to have that reverse gear in my sidecar rig! But, it would just lead to bad parking habits on my part.

One word: Gravity. Piloting a sidecar rig teaches you to use gravity each and every time you park on a slope and that the nose of the parked bike should always be opposite of where gravity wants to take you in a sloped and captive parking space--in or out. It works the same for a solo bike but while you almost never see a hack pilot fail to take advantage of gravity, it is all too common amongst solo riders. For a while, anyway--then they catch on. Pushing 1.5 motorcycles uphill (hack rig) can be a lasting learning experience...

Best,
DG

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WalterK75 said:

Question: Could you leave the bike in 1st gear and squeeze the clutch so you can move the bike, then feather the clutch to control the speed?

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Yes you could do this but much easier and smoother to use the front brake.

Being an former MSF coach, this is the way ( front brake, stand on left side etc ) that we taught new riders to move the bike around when not under power or not moving. My GL1500 has reverse and I don't have the longest legs so reverse was rarely used as I would get off the bike and use the technique as described to move it around in the garage etc.

I still do the same with my R1100S, a much lighter bike. So think safety first, and also less wallet damage to move the bike with you off it.

ClassicVW said:

One other mention- Strength conditioning. Just how many old guys are here complaining about the weight of a RT, GT, whatever. Maybe you need to work out a little bit, lose some weight and make some muscle. Just "I'm getting older and can't handle a [----] anymore" is sometimes not a valid excuse.

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I'm 6'0, 186lbs and work out just about every day at the gym.. 46 years old. The problem wasn't my strength as it was my technique.

+1 on technique...I am 6 ft and 146 pounds. When I move my RT and FJR, I am on the left side and using front brake, as cycleman2 describes in his post. Once you get use to it, its not so bad.

I sold my R1200RT for a R1200RS. What a difference in maneuverability! Chalk and cheese - I guess it's the combination of weight, height, lower C of G and slimness where it counts. The perfect bike for 70-year-olds like me. Plus it's a blast to ride.

Ding !

Friedle said:

Lots of discussion so far of ways to move the bike around, ie: right side vs. left side; gravity and brakes; clutch control suggestions; foot placement; etc. All good, most workable ( except the right side stuff imho ), but all mechanical.

So far nobody has brought up the most important consideration (again imho ).....adjusting the loose nut at the handlebar.

The Motorcycle Safety Foundation offers a one day class entitled "Ultimate Bike Bonding Class" that stresses low speed maneuvers and techniques similar to those taught in LEO riding courses. It is done on YOUR bike and is very enlightening and empowering to find out what is indeed possible with that big bike at slow walking speeds. Rider Coaches need to be certified to conduct the course, not many are, and not all sites offer the course. Check out your local offerings. It is the current most difficult the MSF offers.

It is still okay to get off and walk the bike to park it if necessary.


Friedle
MSF 27713

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the words from my mouth, PLUS the classes are fun, whether it's MSF or almost any others. I took Total Rider a couple years ago, and the second, practice day was open to anyone who'd taken the class previously. A guy showed up on an HD bagger w floorboards and the whole 9 metres...absolutely made it dance around those cones. Try it you'll like it.

I have one trick to share

+1 on the MSF ultimate bike bonding course. It is excellent and will really improve your confidence and skills in low speed maneuvers. I think every rider could benefit from taking this.

I had to learn the hard way not to park facing downhill toward a curb. It's so hard to back up even a smaller motorcycle on an incline. I did recently pick up one trick that helps in situations where it's hard to back the bike up with leg power alone:

1. Clutch in or transmission in neutral

2. Squeeze the front brake and sharply compress the front forks by pressing forward and down on the handlebars using your body weight.

3. As the forks rebound release the brake and the bike will scoot back a few inches. This can give you enough momentum that you can keep it going with your legs. Otherwise you can just repeat this procedure inching the bike back a little bit at a time. This works on a 900 pound Harley and a 600 pound RT from personal experience.

I hope I'm describing this well. It would be easier to show you but it's pretty straightforward and I think you can accomplish it was very little practice.

justkrusen said:

If in a situation where it's hard to back up I just stand next to the bike and walk it out. I find it much easier to not lose my footing that way.

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I'm always amazed at the 5'7" 27 y/o at the local shop who is able to move these beasts by himself--what I noticed is he stands on the left side of the bike and the bike's weight leans slightly against his whole body and that's where he keeps it--he's never holding its position w/ his arms which are being used primarily for steering. He's quite thin tool. I'm 6'3" and very weak in the upper body but always straddle RT when I move it. One of these days I will try to do what the lil guy does!

I dropped a 470lb bike due to a bonehead maneuver: coasted downhill into my garage, put it in neutral and didn't have the clutch lever pulled, when I accidentally put the bike in 1st gear w/ a heavy left foot right when the bike was turned to where I park it and down she went. No damage except to my back and it still hurts if I don't move correctly. I tried to do the 'put your butt up against the seat the push it up w/ your legs' trick, but unfortunately the bike was quite flat to the ground so I had no leverage and tried to lift too much while pushing w/ my legs and POP! hurt the low back real bad and went to the ground. The neighbor came over while I was stuck laying in pain on the garage floor and promptly lifted it straight up no problem. I tried that first and couldn't do it myself so trie the other trick I got from a video done by a short gal no prob on a HD. Difference was the HD was not down fully on the ground I guess, plus I'm real weak despite my exercise routine. It's called sarcopenia and this past year has made me amp up my exercise routine, though it doesn't seem to help much! Oy!

My BMWs are way easier to roll about in neutral than they are when in gear with the clutch pulled in. '08 K1200s (sold it), '10 RT(also sold) '15 R1200R (easy to move but way easier in neutral) and K1600GT WAY WAY easier to move in neutral than when in gear with clutch pulled in. The guys that work in shops do make moving bikes look easy that's for sure. The 1600 does make them work a bit more than the others for sure from what I see. Gravity is laughing at us.

Yup, carefully evaluate the situation and always park with the front wheel uphill. Even better if you can ride it out directly rather rolling downhill out of the parking place. Pullthrough parking places are great, they can even be offset because you can ride through the gap. Park close to the traffic end of the space so drivers see your bike early, that way no one will think the space is empty and whip in only to find your bike in the way and be unable to stop in time. The thing about backing out is that you have to make like an owl to see oncoming traffic, plus you're stopped for a moment while you change direction from going backwards to going forwards. That means you need a bigger gap and/or need to rely on the observational prowess (if any!) of the cagers.

I once had a discussion with a Friend In Blue about why I was circling, doing U-turns in the street, stopping in traffic, etc. It was a small town with a heavily crowned road and angle parking on both sides of the street, When I explained I was looking for a place to park where I wouldn't have to push the bike uphill backwards to get out, or turn 120 degrees to back into an angled space, he understood immediately (he was a rider himself).

My usual riding buddies and I have a standard rule: If you have a brain fart and manage to park your bike downhill and nose-in and require assistance to back your bike out, you get to buy lunch/dinner/snacks for the group. That tends to limit brain farts

ka5ysy said:

My usual riding buddies and I have a standard rule: If you have a brain fart and manage to park your bike downhill and nose-in and require assistance to back your bike out, you get to buy lunch/dinner/snacks for the group. That tends to limit brain farts

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I like that policy - not too harsh and probably effective. I bet we could come up with a small list of other "mistakes" that could be subject to the same penalty.

ka5ysy said:

My usual riding buddies and I have a standard rule: If you have a brain fart and manage to park your bike downhill and nose-in and require assistance to back your bike out, you get to buy lunch/dinner/snacks for the group. That tends to limit brain farts

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We have a similar deal at work, we call it "curb tax". Anyone who hits a curb driving one of the rigs gets to buy the crew ice cream (we have an tight intersection near the station we call "ice cream corner" which we use as a secret test for new drivers). We firefighters do like our ice cream. There are several other infractions that also require a tax be paid, and coffee and donuts is an accepted substitute for ice cream.

Maybe Some Day . . .

I always push around while on the bike with my feet.
5'10.5", 148lbs.
Ride with a buddy who used to work in a shop. Gets off bikes and pushes them around like they are weightless. Sometimes on the left (kickstand) side, sometimes from in front of the bike over the windshield. Always amazed at how he does this. Maybe some day . . .

+1 on the Ultimate Bike Bonding, but really, you should be able to turn the bike around in 2 side-by-side parking spaces. I too have a K1600, and it is lighter than any Harley I've had in our stable since 2008. I am barely 5'8, 185lbs, and have a really messed up left leg. I do drop the bike, but mostly because of the left (always on that side) leg. At first, I had to get used to the foot pegs, but I don't notice them now when 'walking the bike'. The K1600 is smoooooth and quick at slow speed maneuvers, once you get the practice in doing so. I could easily ride the K16 in tighter/slower situations than I could any of our HDs. Personally I find our much lighter S1000XR harder to handle at walking speeds, but that has a lot to do with seat height, I'll typically move it from off the bike when needed, where I would do it in the saddle of the K16 in the same situation.