How To: Walk Your Bike

It’s one of the easiest ways to damage your bike, so what are the best methods for ensuring you don’t drop your bike while walking it out of the shed?

It was a video that had half the office in stitches. Some poor bloke without a clue – yet somehow a brand-new Ducati Multistrada – going through the motions of trying to move his bike, yet with the resulting chaos more akin to something the Three Stooges would’ve come up with during the golden days of slapstick comedy. 

The bike falls, he picks it up, it falls on the other side, he wanders inside, then repeats his bike dropping antics until he eventually gets the now beaten and bruised Ducati into the garage. It was comedy gold to watch, yet the poor bloke probably had a bit of explaining to do to the Mrs when she got home…

Our tears of laughter aside, the situation is something that many of us do find ourselves in at some point in our riding career. Be it from not knowing any better or pure negligence, we eventually work out there is a right and a wrong way to manoeuvre our bike while not sitting astride it. So, to help cement the practice into your mind, here’s BRM’s ‘how to‘ guide to walk your bike without dropping it like a wet fish.

GEAR DOWN

Yep, you read that correctly, we’re suggesting you remove some of your riding gear before you start to manoeuvre your bike around without being on top of it. Taking your helmet off will give you a better field of view to see where you’re going without acting like your head is on a stick; while pulling your gloves off will give you a more direct connection with the bike. Just ensure you don’t have grease all over your hands before you do…

WALKING THE WALK

Think about how you push your old pedal bike out of the shed. You stand next to it and push it via the ‘bars don’t you? The same goes for your motorcycle, with a few caveats…

Firstly, standing on the left-hand side of the bike is always a good place to start. It’s the universal location of the sidestand, meaning if you need to walk away from the bike, you can ensure the stand is down before you go to walk away. However, don’t leave the sidestand down when pushing your bike around the driveway, as it often has a funny knack of getting under your feet and whacking into your shins – which could lead to a tumble.

WATCH OUT

Just like on the road, there can often be hazards ready to pounce when we are giving our bike a bit of a push. It’s no surprise that we often see other unfortunate riders at the servo picking their bike up after slipping on a diesel spill unawares, so in the interests of your own safety, watch where you’re going to prevent your bike parking itself on top of you.

AVOID THE BRAKE

Yep, here’s another ‘say what?’ tip. The brake is very good at stopping your bike while it is running with your weight on it, but it can destabilise the bike, and yourself, when you’re taking it for a walk. If you must use the brake (and it’ll be the front, because, hands on the ‘bars) ease it on slowly, and only when your front wheel is straight and upright, which is where you have the best stability.

DON’T PIVOT

The sidestand is a handy tool, but it is only designed to take so much weight. While it looks cool, pivoting your bike on the sidestand to quickly change its direction in a tight spot isn’t best practice. Not only can you put a not-so-nice scrape in your garage floor or driveway, the point at which the stand meets the frame can bend, meaning your sidestand won’t function as intended anymore.

DON’T SCOOT SCOOT

You’re not nine, you’re an adult. While scooting along with your right foot on the left footpeg (or sitting side-saddle) might be a quick way to roll your bike down a small incline, you won’t have the balance or manoeuvrability to make any emergency changes.

TAKE IT SLOW

Only fools rush in, and it’s when we rush that we normally make a complete arse of ourselves. Take it slow and remember, there’s no rush. You’re not in the pits of the MotoGP paddock after all!