Very nearly almost dropped the bike

Yup and as you switch bikes you can definitely get a rude awakening as what you got away with before suddenly doesn't work in the moment.....

I’m an advocate for getting off the bike and walking it backwards.

Too much risk in paddling.

Loose gravel under foot, adverse camber, dip in the ground just at the wrong moment. Just a few things that conspire against you. That and the fact that I only have an inseam of 29”

I dropped my first bike a couple of times while paddling so went back to how I was taught to manoeuvre the bike on my lessons and have not dropped one since.

That was back in 2006.

The bike falling off the side stand is a different matter

Glad you saved it. Hope the injury is not too bad the next day.

I'm dubious about this, I mean I understand the logic but I don't think it would stand testing i can see that in many cases paddling would be, and does feel safer. Having owned 2 litre bikes that were ridiculously top heavy, I would choose to paddle both of these backwards any time, rather than push from one side. I'd be bloody careful, but there's no way I am not having a foot on both sides of a 260kg top heavy unstable weight on wheels. There's no otherway of saving it if you go a few degrees over to the other side.

I've also owned a zzr1400 and that whilst being a heavy beast, had the lowest centre of mass possible, incredible really and plainly designed that way. Manual handling was a dream and I would generally be happy pushing it around. Same for smaller lighter bikes where you can pull it back to vertical.

I’m 5’ 7” and own a Versys 1K that weighs 250 kilos.

I don’t walk the bike vertically. I have one hand on the left grip and my right hand on the pillion grab rail. I then lean into the bike and have have the bike lean into my hip. There is no way the bike is going to fall. The max the bike leans must be 2 degrees.

I’ve done this with all my bikes and have never dropped them using this technique. I basically wedge myself against it.

I’m 5’ 7” and own a Versys 1K that weighs 250 kilos.

I don’t walk the bike vertically. I have one hand on the left grip and my right hand on the pillion grab rail. I then lean into the bike and have have the bike lean into my hip. There is no way the bike is going to fall. The max the bike leans must be 2 degrees.

I’ve done this with all my bikes and have never dropped them using this technique. I basically wedge myself against it.

I've generally used this technique too, but did struggle with Magpie84's new Tiger which also has bar risers, so the bars are quite high. Once I realised this (alongside the top heavy weight of the bike) was why the bike felt so clumsy and awkward for me to move around and stood further out it was a lot easier to manually handle.