OK, so this is a thing that's bugged me for a long time. Ever since the first time it happened. I've managed to drop it once more and both times people have hurried to help me get the machine upright.
But I keep thinking what would happen if I couped the bike and was completely on my own in the wilderness ? There is actually a lot of it in France !
People on this forum have kindly sent me to several YouTube videos of people righting machines even bigger than my TDM....and making it look bloody easy.
So I decided to stop putting it off and lay the bike down on it's side and learn how to pick it up....... but what if I couldn't ? I am, after all, a feeble old septuagenarian. I couldn't ask Madam, she would just tell me I was an idiot to drop it in the first place. And we live right out in the sticks here, sometimes not seeing anyone for days.
If the worst came to the worst I would have to have some means of getting the machine to at least an angle of 45 degrees. An evening of scouring YouTube gave me some interesting ideas and I devised this sort of arrangement.....many thanks to the guys who inspired me.
[attachment=14530:Bike Lift.JPG]
So I duly lined the garage floor with padding to protect my TDM and reduce the chances of damage if it actually came crashing down while I was lowering it. I was pretty much shitting bricks until I got the bike to about 45 degrees and then lowered it to the floor in a surprisingly controlled fashion.
Alright, so here goes. I remembered all the lessons, lock the front brake, get two sound grips, have your back to the bike and use your leg muscles, not your arms or back.
[attachment=14531:IMG_0223.JPG]
I wish I'd coaxed Madam into filming the next few seconds, it was so much easier than I was dreading. Using the technique above it was an absolute scoop to get the bike upright, no need to put the lifting mechanism into use at all ! Was that a total waste of time and money ? Not really, it meant that if I couldn't at least lift it part of the way I would have the means to get the lift started... a good sound plan B.
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So there you are, hope this takes some of the anxiety away about couping your TDM. If I can do it,even delicate maidens could !
Again many thanks to all the people on this forum who helped me over a bit of a panic point. All I need to do now is to practice doing it with perhaps a broken collar bone or even a leg ?