When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Whatever works for you will be ok for the bike. My wife prefers climbing on with me holding the bike upright. She always asks "got it?" before she puts any weight on. I weigh 80 lbs more than her, so it's no big deal to me either way.
One time she slipped while getting off. I wasn't expecting her to wrap her arms around my neck and hang her entire body weight off the left side while I was holding her and the bike up. To make things worse we were on an incline with her hanging on the downhill side. That was the closest I ever came to dropping my bike. Her and about fifty of our friends thought it was the funniest thing they ever saw. I wasn't laughing, but it all turned out ok. I have made it a habit to put the stand down before she bails ever since.
I've tried both ways, finally decided I get on first, balance the bike upright, then she gets on. I also leave the jiffy stand down as a safety measure. We tried having her get on first, but her balance is a little iffy, and when she gets on first I have to lean way back and put my leg high in the air like a friggin' sumo wrestler in order to get me leg over the seat and down the other side (hey I'm an old geezer and ain't as limber as I used to be!)
I'm sure the jiffy stand can take it but I prefer to be on the bike, stand up, engine running, squeeze front brake, then I stand up with legs and knees holding the bike steady. This gives her the most room and the most solid platform as she gets on - bike doesn't budge while she gets comfy, then gives me the pat and a verbal OK to go.
I'm sure the jiffy stand can take it but I prefer to be on the bike, stand up, engine running, squeeze front brake, then I stand up with legs and knees holding the bike steady. This gives her the most room and the most solid platform as she gets on - bike doesn't budge while she gets comfy, then gives me the pat and a verbal OK to go.
Exactly how we do it and we're not little folks either.
I swing a leg over the bike, take it off the stand, start it, and then haul azz out of there before she can get on. Makes for a nice solo ride every time.
7 Surprising Harley-Davidson Products that Are Not Motorcycles
Slideshow: The bar-and-shield logo shows up on far more than motorcycles, some of the company's most unexpected products have nothing to do with riding.
Slideshow: From the troubled AMF years to modern misfires, these bikes earned reputations for reliability issues, questionable engineering, or disappointing performance.
Crazy Bunderbike Build Looks Amazing, But Is It Impossible to Ride?
Slideshow: The Swiss custom shop has taken a Harley Softail and stretched it into something so long and low that it looks closer to a rolling sculpture than a conventional motorcycle.
Engraved Rebellion: Inside Bundnerbike's Glam Rock II
Slideshow: A standard cruiser becomes an intricate metal canvas in the hands of a Swiss custom house known for pushing Harley-Davidson platforms far beyond their factory brief.
Slideshow: Harley-Davidson's challenges aren't abstract; they show up in dropping shipments, shrinking dealer traffic, and strategic decisions that aren't yet translating into growth.