Toppled Silverwing

Some clumsy oaf (me) while attempting to park my Silverwing in my cluttered garage, lost balance and laid it gently on its right side. I say gently because it settled on several plastic storage boxes and a padded stool with no visible damage to the bike's Tupperware or muffler.
I rapidly discovered that I am unable to lift 551 pounds, 250 kg wet and, due to fear of damage to the bike by less gentle hands. It was necessary to resort to mechanical devices. A car towing line, a come-along and 50 foot of heavy nylon climbing rope looped 8 times (for weight distribution) over a roof beam at an appropriate angle above the bike.
I attached the towing rope between the steering head and the right side rear package rack with a loop in the middle for the come along snap. When I attempted this lift the only result was the front wheel slid sideways.
It took me two days of thought to realize how much of the weight of the bike is totally on the rear wheel. I moved the tow rope from the steering head and put it around the frame directly in front of the seat pedestal. I was then able to lift the bike back onto two wheels and regain access to my cluttered garage.
Lesson - clean the garage and think seriously about weight distribution.
Blain
p,s, hope this helps someone

That just might be helpful in the future. I do oaf like things sometimes myself. Thanks for the story and advice.

Time for a trike.

Your situation sounds like the conditions weren't quite right for a proper back to the bike small steps let the legs do the work lifting.

Glad you were able to right it.  A couple of young folk may have been able to pick it up for you, but I can understand not wanting to have to rely on somebody else for assistance.

You may want to consider one of the free standing front chocks to keep in the garage where you park it.  From what I understand, you just drive into the chock and then it will keep the bike upright.  

Oldwingguy.
It was too close to the floor to use my legs but, good suggestion.
Blain

EvilTwin
That chock looks very interesting. Might be just the ticket. Thanks
Blain

At soon to be 79 and 2 new Silverwings---and horrible real slow speed handling---at 50,000 miles, sold the second one as it became what I felt, too heavy for me...and some of the fun went away---solution buy lighter bike, my case 2017 Honda CB300F=much lighter and better balanced/loaded for trip.

I always park in garage, using center stand! Several years ago I dropped my Burgman 400, loaded for camping in gas station in MT---4 HD guys came to help...they had to get a 5th helper to get it up....picking scooter when front wheel not touching ground. Thanks for their help...I had foot slip on oil/diesel slick.

It's the SAD club, stopped and dropped, we've all done it at some moment in our biking career !

I've been lucky I guess . Owned 4 scooters and had all 4
on me. Nothing major on any of them.The 200 Aprilla got
me - sprained ankle, twisted knee & a cracked rib. In that
case I figured if I was gonna be stupid I'd best be tough.
200 aprilla
400 Majesty
and I'm on the second S/wing
Keep on riding

Don't worry about it. No real damage done. Ride as long as you can.

Only 2 kinds of bikers. Those that have gone down and those that will go down. So they say.

On lifting the bike, back when I watched a demo where a young lady lifted a GL1500 from the fallen position, she must have weighed all of 90 pounds. Lock the steering, kickstand down, back to bike position one hand on the grab handle one on the handle bar, small steps backward using the legs for lifting.

Yah so, I wuz in my previously noted "cluttered garage" putting storage boxes away and, otherwise tidying the area. Looking through sweat-stained eyeglasses at the newly uncovered concrete floor it dawned on me that, had my well loved Swing laid down today, I would most likely be doing a touch-up paint job for the next few days.
That's why I'm now sitting here with my feet up and slippers on, sipping a hot buttered rum.
I learn slow but, I do learn.
Blain

See Blain, there is a benefit to being cluttered.