This blooper video of a South African motorcycle officer trying to get on to their bike is one of the most frustrating things you will ever watch.
The combination of a heavy BMW R 1200 RT Police, a slope and a short – possibly female(?) – rider make to difficult to get on the bike, balance on one leg and flip up the side stand to start the bike.
The officer gets some help from a bystander, but doesn’t trust him to hold the bike and then, with some hesitation, drops it.
The R 1200 RT Police is not a light bike at more than 260kg, equipped with radar and communication gear.
One thing the officer could have done was to drop the tyre pressures to make the bike sit more upright.
It makes us wonder about the training program for South African motorcycle police.
However, we can understand the officer’s plight having been caught in a similar blooper with another BMW model.
Embarrassing blooper
BMW K 1600 GTLMy first motorcycle launch after a major crash in which I broke most of the bones in my torso, was the even bigger and heavier K 1600 GTL at 321kg.
I had parked the massive GTL in the main street of Murwillumbah which has a big camber, so the bike was leaning a fair way over.
Not only could I not muster the strength to push the bike off its sidestand, but there was also the concern that I would overbalance and drop the bike on its other side.
In fact, I had to seek the help of a female pedestrian to help me lift the bike off its stand.
I didn’t drop the bike like this officer, but I can understand how it happened.
It’s a great lesson in buying a bike that is not too big to handle.
Read our tips for handling a heavy motorcycle.
(Updated: Originally I thought the bike was the heavier six-cylinder K 1600, but it has been pointed out is the Boxer-twin.)