Mike Armitage shares tips on moving bikes | MCN | Motorcyclenews.com 

This video is very justified, as I myself feel awkward about moving my bike around at times. I like to ride it, but when it's stationary, I can get into a wrestle with it.

Been riding for 37 years and found this very interesting. I have very rarely had to push and pull a bike around, so I suppose the more you do it the better you are. Although I regularly do the side stand swivel. Always admired when motorcycle salesmen maneuver bikes around in small spaces. Thanks

While a schoolboy in Texas in 1959 I read a book by a British motorcyclist, Come Motorcycling With Me. Two years later I got my first, a Zundapp KS 600, while stationed in Germany. Here we are a few years later, and I am still learning from the Brits. Thanks for the help.

I am always tilting the bike to the side I am standing because I fear that If I keep it perfectly vertical but make mistake and tilt it just tiny bit to the other side I may not be able to prevent it from dropping.

Thank you, thank you, thank you! I ride a sports bike which I've found soooo.. difficult to manoeuvre in to the space where I keep it, because it's so heavy. I tried one of the methods that you mentioned, standing over the front wheel and holding the handle bars, and it works a treat!!! No more struggles! Love it! Thanks again, great video.

Oh my gosh! The last one u made it look way so EASY!! I’m gona try that when i get home! BIG THANKS for all these informational techniques Sir!

Brilliant this is by far the best bike maneuver I have seen. I picked up the front controller form the dealer as well. Thanks🇦🇺

Thanks for all the tips. Just bought my first bike.Before watching your video, been using half an hour to try adjusting the tail to getting out of the shed. Really difficult, also drop the bike to the shed wall. Good job it is only wood. After watching your video, now I can manoeuvres the bike with easy. Thanks

Never saw most of this before. Just spent considerable time this morning moving bikes around in my crowded garage. Wish I had watched this first! Thanks, man!

Very helpful, I tried the standing over the front wheel today and this works great for tight spaces both going forwards and backwards. I tried it with a bicycle first and felt comfortable, then did the motor bike. Thank you.

Class, thank you for your advice. I've been riding for years and didn't know these tips👍🏻

This is the most useful information, regarding motorcycles, I've gotten from a youtube video, thanks.

Great tips there, thanks for posting. I was told by a dealer as regards spinning the bike around on the spot to be cautious with bikes that have cast side stands. He said in all the decades of trading the only side stands that he has ever had fail on him doing this were cast and that he had never had a welded pipe side stand fail.

The tip with the clutch was a great tip. Thanks!

Some great tips there, however I have to spin my Versys 1000 thru 180 degrees in a tight area whenever I want to enjoy a ride on it so I purchased a Motorbike Turntable. One of the best investments I've made and turning my bike is not only a breeze now but safe too. If you don't like the idea of pivoting yours on the sidestand I'd thoroughly recommend researching turntables as they come in a variety of styles and costs (Centre Stand and Side Stand types)... well worth it and no fear of dropping your bike whilst performing the manouvre, ever!

Saw the tip of using the side stand to spin the bike some years ago and do it almost every ride. Back it out of the garage and spin it round every time. Great tips.

Not your usual motorcycle tips video but I’m glad I stumbled upon this!

Thank you for your advice! 👍 Keep up the good work 👏👏

Great tips, I have been riding for sixty nine years and this goes to prove that you can always learn something !

Hi there, thank you for your great tips & advice for moving motorbikes around, thank you .

very helpful, thank you

Thank you for sharing those tips. For sure, they will help me a lot.

Never expected Liam Neeson will give a motorcycle lecture to me.

I've done the last one on yzf125 never had a problem always been very easy to do

Thank you for the tips.

Thanks mate!

Excellent gem of tips, thank you.

Great tips thanks. I'd love to see you spinning a Guzzi Sport around with its crazy forward stand.

Great Video! It will save people dropping their bikes and possible injuries. 👍 I would like to also see you do all of these maneuvering techniques, with heavier, and different types of bikes.

Great use of this downtime. Lots of valuable tips, all appreciated.

Very interesting and helpful. Especially the spin on the side stand.

Excellent video, Well done.

Great Video!

Great video, lots of good tips, think I may skip the side stand pivot one though!

i don't know why i'm watching this, i don't even have a bike. anyway thank you for making this video and sharing this tips with us.

yeah, great video!!!! cheers!!!!

Great info!👌👏

Great tips, as I too have a sloping drive, And the spin around looks so easy, Hold in it on full lock. I’ll have to try that one.

Quite useful tips, thanks!

so many great tips.. my garage is similar. Thanks

Excellent video.. have ridden bikes for 32 years, and my 4 bikes are on paddock stands.. I still get a little tense when I take them off..

Nicely done sir! 🏍

Used my Paddock stand first time today. Absolutely, the bike wanted to stay up during setup and lift. The whole process was much easier than I expected.

Thanks!

Super tips - thanks 👍

Hey this just the video I was looking for. Thankyou, I just bought a bike being delivered. Not much room to move it around to the back of the house.

That looks crazy, spinning the bike round

My brother loves to leave his bikes lying around the back of my parents property. Quite frustrating as he lives a long way away and my parents aren't exactly fit. Now I can move them safely without fear of damaging anything. Much appreciated!

Stand down is a great tip. I’d be cautious making a habit of pivoting your bike on it’s stand. Though I concede motorcycle traders and mechanics do this all the time. A mate used to do this on this on his Triumph Scrambler, manoeuvring the bike and to oil the chain maybe he was unlucky but his stand did break after only a couple of years.

Great video 👍...... Especially loved the tip of pulling and pushing the bike from the front..... Might as well try it...... The side stand pivot I have seen most of the garage technicians do it...... No complains of side stand damage.......

I've just tried this and my Tracer 900 is currently lying on top of me. I can't move. PLEASE CALL FOR HELP!!!!

The side stand pivot is genius. I was about to give up parking at my apartment because it's so tight that I couldn't get my bike in even after doing a 15-point turn - every day I end up having to use my arms to lift the rear of bike to get it in place. I'm gonna go to an empty parking lot and practice the pivot trick tomorrow.

Great job. Txs

This was actually super helpful

Some accurate and useful info from MCN...

Thankfully at this point in time I won't have to use any of your techniques. But I still enjoyed watching this video. 👍

Been pushing mine from the front for years . Never seen anyone do it before. Also you have the same outside chairs as me

Thanks

Great mate thanks 🇳🇿

Useful video. One question on the final method-spin method. Ducati Panigale and SF have their side stand attached to engine cases by means of the rear sets. Would this not put undue stress on engine cases possibly causing a crack?

Great tips I will have a practice

Thank you Mike for the tips. I will try to use the handlebar from the front of the bike and try to move it backwards. Wish me luck. :-)

This is gold!

Any ideas on how to get a BMW with boxer engine through a gap which is slightly too narrow for it? Glad I watched your video..many thanks for making it.

Thank you for sharing sire

I've done it all and it works.

All good stuff. Although I don't think I'll ever do the side stand turn. As the chap mentions, and exactly as I thought when I saw a dealer do this manoeuvre last year, the side stand isn't designed to take that kind of weight. The Exeter Rider (youtuber) did make a turntable contraption that looked like it is a lot better for turning a bike on the spot. Although you have to wheel it onto the turntable ( basically a plank of wood with a pivot in the middle ) Pulling or pushing the bike from the front, I might be doing that one. Looks good for tight spots.

Works perfect, I use it all the time

Looks so easy. Okay i try it tomorrow

good review 👍🏾

Very useful video

Really interesting advice. Worst injuries I ever got was falling off a stationary 1200 Bandit.

Nice, got to practice the front maneuvers

I saw a dealer move a full size Harley Davidson on the stand like that, scared me but it worked great for him......I’d say you need to practice it.

Walking it backwards would have helped when my electric motorcycle ran out of power. Going to use that if I ever have that issue again.

very good, now can we have a video on the TDR please

i've been doing a 10 point turn every time to get the bike out, didn't think the side stand would take it but i'll be trying that one!

Other than PG those are some of the best tips I've had!

The one thing which is impressive is.. Pushing the bike by holding the handles from front.. This is so good when u have heavy bikes and to push it upwards in a slope. Thanks for that tip..

Useful stuff

Can you use the technique of pushing the bike from the front if it is a very heavy cruiser?

Very useful during the lockdown period

Spinning on the side is something I've done for many years also. Big disclaimer, if your kickstand starts to get loose, its ready to give out. I stopped doing it after having two bikes loose the stand, except for emergencies. To my fault, i used to do it all the time, but as a machinist put it, the metal bolts and aluminum frame are not designed for repeated heavy loads. Holding the weight (upright) is one thing, rotating it on the stand puts a lot of torque and pressure on the smaller bolts that support the large bolt.

Great content and very helpful, some techniques won't work with bigger and heavier bikes though 👍

I always used side stand swivel. Had so tight place and was a great way to get bike in position

Leaning over the front is a fantastic bit of advice

Good tips

Mike - Honestly, when I read the comments from the guys below I was devastated for you mate. I did not see the excitement I expected. I am a biker to my soul - BUTTTTTT - after 40 years without a bike ( but having ridden a few in between), I have NEVER - and I mean - NEVER seen a more valuable 7 minutes of God-Like wisdom, "Bikerly" speaking. Mike - that video was utterly awesome. Arise Sir Mike of TOP tips. Owning some heavy chaps in my stable (Early Goldwing for one) but also some later fire crackers (a 916SPS for one - just before your followers tell me I am an old, and useless tosser) - I was one of the first lads I know that understood counter steering back in 1978. My mates thought I was certifiable. We are (it seems) Unicorns Mike - but I am only here to pay homage to you - superb mate . Luvvit . Please don't hate me guys for being a normal, proper, non-whinging biker - for being too positive. Ride safe boys. Cheers

please do a video about that TDR you got to your left

You have a V2! Could you please share some thoughts?

Super useful! Ignore the haters.

Quaiity! This will probably prevent a drop in the future! :)

I want that TDR ! I had a black & yellow 1 around 89 / 90 sold it for a rgv250 m .

Wish this was possible to do on my hatley

Thank you mate some really good advise here. Definitely going to try moving around from the front. Its strange to think part of being a proficient motorcyclist starts without even getting on the bike. Ha Ha. Cheers.

I spin my Tiger 800 around on its stand. But on tarmac, the stand becomes a corkscrew. Now need to patch my drive!

These tricks are useful but I really feel wary of trying tricks with my Triumph Rocket. Thy guys at the bike shop where I bought it were amazing scooting it to me from the workshop like it was a toy.

i love this

I realize this video been out but it's new to me lol

thumbs up just for seen the TDR 250