I actually rode it two weeks ago but in the opposite direction. It was early morning, wet, foggy and I was gloveless because they had got soaked the day before. I loved it haha! The trick to any steep riding, road or off road is selecting a low gear early and staying in it, keeping your eyes going up the hill and not focused on the apex and keep momentum! Great video !

A brave man that shows his tumbles . Luckily you didnt hurt yourself and only slight damage to the bike. I have been over Hardknott many times in the last 50 years on many types of British bikes including a 3 speed LEVelocetteand the best advice I would give would be to engage first gear at the bottom and leave it in till you get to the top.Another tip is dont follow closely behind anybody else.If they stall you will also.I always observe the vehicle in front and make sure they have got a fair way up before I set off.Having said all this I like you managed to drop my C10l BSA the other week on the steepest section of your descent and I was in first gear.The engine lost power and stalled and I tried to put my feet down to find nothing there and over I went. It shook me up for a moment but luckily only my pride and headlight rim were dented. I throughly enjoyed the video by the way it was very well filmed and documented.Keep up the good work.

Great video , it felt like I was riding it again. Loads of tense moments but very satisfying on completion. Well done for your honesty.

Respect to you mate for ‘baring all’. Also I’ve watched many of these Hardknott Pass vids, yours is the first to really show to me the severity of the drop on ‘other side’. Cheers.

Felt it for you there, that horrible feeling you get just before you drop it knowing its going to happen and no matter what you do you ain't gonna stop it, think we've all been there and got the t-shirt. Very lucky to have so little damage, good video 👍

Hello! Just checking did you submit this video?

Those narrow roads, tall hedges either side, blind corners and steep climbs mean you need a big pair to take a H-D up through there. It was nice how the people joined in to help you get it back on the road. Good video, thanks for taking us along. Here in America I'd call that a game trail or maybe a farmer's lane. Two way traffic- not good. You guys have to deal with some wee tiny roads, man.

In 1978 I bought a brand new Ford Capri 3.0S and when it was two days old a valve spring snapped right on the top of a deserted Hardknott pass. I had to walk four miles to the nearest phone box to ring the AA breakdown truck, (No mobile phones in those days) Lol! Glad you were not hurt anyway.

I did it on a Yamaha 1100 Dragstar Cruiser towing a trailer with all my camping gear in, to say it was challenging is an understatement, I won't ever do it again towing a trailer that's for sure.

Kudos for having the balls to show the video and for carrying on. It's rare to see many bikes so there's not that many of you willing to even try, and I wouldn't blame them. Done it a few times in a car with ease, scrapes the underside on the switchback though, but never on a bike, it looks tough. Beautiful machine, I hope the damage wasn't too expensive. Totally agree about the engine bars, never understood why more bikers don't use them.

Did this route again last year, 5’4 on a gsx1400. Was so glad and lucky not to meet any cars, my two mates who had never been over it on bikes were loving it. Always a slight relief once the ‘ordeal’ is over 😀

I did this route a couple of months ago, you picked a gorgeous day for it. An outstanding part of the world. It was perfect for my adventure bike, cudos for doing it on a Harley!

Anyone who attempts Hardknott on a bike has my respect. I did it in my Astra a couple of weeks ago, and it was bloody scary

Great video and unlucky with the fall,have an 09 fatboy and the first couple of gear are quite long,very easy to get caught out.Luckily you didn’t suffer much damage and the engine bars are definitely well worth fitting.Keep the videos coming,they are great 👍

What camer do yo use on your steering wheel?

Thanks for sending this to me, luckily it seems nothing major was damaged.

Great video mate, sorry to see the drop… I’ll have to check out this route not been there before certainly a point of interest for my channel thanks for showing us!

Hello! May I feature this one for my youtube edit? I'll credit you with watermark on screen of course. Thanks in advance!

Thanks so much for your comments... you might be right!

Hi, can I use this video for my next video? THANKS.

Well done my friend for uploading it, many wouldn't have, all respect, don't be hard on yourself, as Wrynose & Hard Knott catches out hundreds of very capable riders every year going up and down both ways.

Thanks so much for watching and for your comments. I have taken quite a lot of hate for that video... so it's great to get a positive comment. I do go back in a later video and stay upright. Please check out the rest of the channel for loads of great roads and rides.

What is going on? Would it be ok if I share this video for an edit that I'm working on? I'll credit you and drop a link in description as well. Thanks in advance mate

Hey, thanks for sending me this clip. I'll use it soon.

Me and my partner rode this on sport bikes over the summer, we came so close to disaster. I posted a couple of videos of it. Including our big moment on that tight switchback on the way down (we did it the other way). It's great to see how many people where willing to help you out.

Went over that bugger in the 70's, on my way to Windscale. IN A ( Reliant) 3 WHEELER. Had to stop at the top for an hour, as the old fibreglass bonnet was in danger of catching fire !!. Happy days.

Handy having those van drivers nearby to help get you vertical even if they bust your indicator! Great video. Must try it soon.

Nice ride Would you do it the other way round and on the same bike or a lighter one [in case you find wrong gear again]?

great vid, and respect to you for posting it, a lot of people would have deleted the footage after dropping their pride and joy, I had a mexican standoff just below the summit with a couple of japanese tourists who were in a bmw x5, they suddenly appeared at the top of the brow and STOPPED, just as I had about 20 feet left to climb, handbrake on (we were in a car) , foot break pressed hard, wife screaming at me that we are about to die, I was defo not reversing back down that section to find a passing place, I hand signalled to the bmw driver, that I was going forward only, after what seemed ages (about 5 minutes) my hand signals were getting a lot more animated, the driver decided to reverse, after sitting there like a lemon wondering what to do. Once at the top I told the wife it was her turn to drive, I then got into a lot trouble cause she refused (it was her idea to venture up there and she had been crapping herself all the way up) would luv to try it on two wheels at some point, first gear for the win, whether on 2 wheels / 3 wheels / or 4 wheels / or a tank

Hey mate, is it OK to feature your clip in a moto edit some time soon? It will be credited in the description & comments section with your name watermarked on the clip. Thanks, MM

Without being holier than thou, the Hardknott is definitely not for Harleys. As a tour guide I have driven it loads of times in both directions and had some hairy moments. I intend to do it on two wheels but not on my Bonneville.....the little XSR125 is perfect for the job !! Great vid though well done for recovering and getting through it !!

I had an incident once on the far side driving in the opposite direction just about where you met the cyclist with the red top. Even though I have ridden and driven it several times including on a combo (it’s a real test negotiating the steep right handers with a chair on)it caught me out. It was a blistering hot day and some patch roadworks had been done right in the apex of the bend (much narrower at that time) which had a 1 in 2 gradient at that point, the new gravel was just lying in a pool of molten tar. The car was fwd and as it came to the apex the n/s wheel just ripped the gravel out and the wheel dropped into the hole it had dug. 🤢 .It took several bouts of to-ing and fro-ing before I could get it out. Not helped by a moron in a Landcruiser coming right up my a### limiting my movements and sounding his horn. He was fortunate I didn’t lamp,him. Meanwhile a querulous passenger had bailed out and walked to the top.😆

It's not just the right bends and road incline that makes Hardknott a bugger - it's that the tarmac is rough as crap and really rippled in places which means it's hard to get the power down when you need it. I did it in a Peugeot Expert van.

I bet that guy in the blue van you were aggressively revving at on a tight mountain pass, pissed himself laughing when you went down.

I did exactly the same as you the last time I rode it few year ago on my ol lambretta, exactly the same sot too. The problem is its so steep that if you are in the wrong gear you loose all forward momentum as soon as you pull the clutch. I have the additional problem of lack of torque and needing to keep the revs up.

Hello, Rider! How are you doing? Love this clip! Would it be OK if we used it in a youtube video we're making and maybe share it on our social media? We'll credit you in the video and all descriptions. Thank you! :)

I rolled like tumbleweed this afternoon mate..🤦😂 dropped the Aprilia 1k on the killer bend with big killer pothole.. definitely a road that needs some respect. 👍🍻

It's a tough rd to ride, I'm.doing the lakes next month, been told to leave it in first gear for the sections that are steep. Great video

Enjoyed watching the video. Easier on a Sportster a you say. It’s a challenge. Had trouble in a van in winter - insufficient traction on the hairpins. Van slid back 😬

Drag rear brake, first gear, some revs, feather the clutch, turn head and look where you want to go.

Hey mate, would it be nice to feature your clip in my next episode? Credited of course (watermark and link to your channel).

Cheers Phil great video, I now know I WILL NOT be doing that on the Harley lol.

Respect to you, I have done it half a dozen times now on my GS, but that looked just scary in your bike.

That Harley sounds just like a garden rotavator I used in the 1980's!! Hell that thing is really agricultural! Ive always heard how torquey Harley were supposed to be!

Not the ideal bike to do that on but you see just about every other type of bike up there so it's worth a try ! I think I spotted a Honda Monkey bike in your vid coming the other way too, at least it's small and lightweight though ! I rode all over the Lakes on my SV650 a few years ago and really enjoyed it, plenty of low down torque, great handling and fairly low seat height gave me plenty of confidence, it was pretty much perfect for those type of roads, it just wasn't comfortable on long rides though. Then I bought a CB900f and rode that up there, again plenty of torque and good handling, this time with more comfort but the seat was higher and the bike is heavier so inevitably I dropped it but not on a mountain road, this was in a town ! Approaching a junction on the side of a steep hill and I got wrong footed so the bike went over ! Just snapped the end off front brake lever and bent the rear lever so was still rideable luckily but it put me off tackling anything more ambitious ! The thing that really irritates me the most in the Lakes is the number of people you see with poor driving skills and overloaded cars ! They always seem to be in the most unsuitable cars for those roads too and get themselves into ridiculous situations, it must be a nightmare for recovery services !

Nice vid, cracking ride... My advice would be NEVER attempt it in the wet, NEVER stop on the big climbs and be very aware when the bend falls away from you cos if you need to put your foot down you're a gonner - oh and the first gear thing!

Great honest video .... i rode it on a pushbike, got up ok but crashed on a wet hairpin descent and didn't stop rolling until about 50m away from the bike, long walk of shame in ballet shoes lol, never been back

Magic ride mate.... I ended up on the coffee table.. 😂👍

Not sure if anyone else has noticed or even yourself, but it looks like when you fell-off, your right foot connected with the right hand indicator. Time stamp around 25:00 min mark. Can just see your foot get close to that indicator. So possibly a little room for "Benefit of the Doubt" as far as damage is concerned. But love the ride and your Harley looks and sounds awesome and you have a new subscriber to your channel, watching in Byron Bay, Australia.

Glad you're ok, looks like your right heel kicked the indicator off as you went down, not the guy that helped you stand it up. Hardknott pass is a notorious pass, I've 2 wheeled & 4 wheeled it, nice bike, sounds like my Heritage Softail classic I had back in 2000.

Looks like the Runcorn Bridge opening shot.....you from that neck of the woods like me. Love the low revving grunt of your bikes motor....sounds like its almost at idle speed.

I have some great memories of Hardnott pass as a nipper. We lived in Barrow-in-Furness and my late father collected old motorbikes, mostly Douglas, but also AJS & Matchless, Rudge. I remember his 1956 Douglas Dragonfly gave problems as we were passing over the pass…and the engine began to lose power, so as the kid on the pillion was easiest to move, I jumped off to ride pillion on his friend’s 1930’s Douglas Bulldog…the only problem was that the Bulldog didn’t have a pillion seat, so I completed the trip, over the pass and back to Barrow on a bloody luggage rack. And those bikes had rigid rear ends! I don’t think I have walked the same since! That was 40 + years ago. 20 years ago I emigrated to South Africa, where were have some blistering passes. Used to enjoy them on a Honda VFR, but now I can no longer ride, I have a Porsche 911 which provides different fun.

Ohh mate felt for ya on that one what a ride and some fantastic scenery too , I was a little surprised when you actually had to ask for a lift what was that about . She's a big old girl ta lift I reckon, now a subscriber take care out there. cheers !!! : )

Fair play to you doing it on the Harley Ferguson. Not ideal on any cruiser or big tourer. Done it numerous times on different bikes but last time I struggled on my tenere 700 thanks to many numpties in cars blocking the road in difficult sections. Not helped by my suffering with long covid which has screwed up my balance😕. Great roads and hope to do them again soon but without the cars getting in the way.

Was up there last year & one of my mates came off just after where you said “switch back”. broken pannier & a bruised ego. Pannier rolled about 100 yards down the road. Anybody watching that hasn’t ridden it will think it’s not that steep because the camera doesn’t do it justice at all.👍👍👍

Rode it many yrs ago, two up on BMW k100.Very challenging ,had to concentrate on some turns and found it essential to keep momentum going. Oh yes,I`m only 5Ft 6 ins which didn`t help.I recon the ideal bike would be a 250 super moto or KTM 390,certainly nothing big.

Have done that ride and agree it can be a bit hairy in places. I now have a DCT bike so always in the right gear, thankfully, haha!!

Great video. Looking forward to ride it in July when I'm over from Norway on my bikeholiday.

That was a nice ride Phill I did it myself two up with camping gear on a Honda 400/4 but that was in the early 80s. Just like you I fried the clutch and boiled the brakes but I wouldn’t mind doing it again on my Moto Guzzi

'Fitzcarraldo '21- A man with a dream takes his Wurlitzer over a mountain' - ewe & I both enjoyed the opera, thanks : )

The camera flattens the road out a lot, you need first gear early on and stay in it, watch your line and take it easy, you may need to use your clutch as well and you need torque.I rode it in the mid '50s and it hasn't changed from what I remember. There is more traffic now The road was first made by the Romans in about 110AD

have you not been riding for long?

Lovely video in beautiful countryside

I am putting together a new video on Hardknott. Would you mind if i use a small section of your video from 24:54?

Great vid, was the ‘hard nose and wrynot pass’ at the end on purpose or accidental? I went over the honister and hardknott when my bike was brand new and dropped it as I was getting off to take pictures, I forgot to leave it in gear on the decent side having to replace panels was a bit shit. We all have accidents from time to time, I’m yet to make videos but will in time. Probably change my bike first

bless ya bud.. anyone who says they've never dropped a bike is either lying or very lucky, and most drop them in way more mundane places.. btw, just past that pub at the end is the Boot National trust campsite. Its an absolute Beauty, i recommend.

Imagine being a pillion going over that , Squeaky bum time 😂

A couple of us did this last weekend. I was on a little Cb500x. Perfect for those type of roads

Was up there a couple of years ago on a VSTAR 1300 bloody hard work on a big heavy cruiser

Top marks for getting back on and giving it a go. Most would have turned back. The gopro doesn't do the steepness of the climb justice. After watching this,I'll take spare underwear just ìncase...😆 Top stuff. Well done.

I’ve seen several videos where riders think they can ride in 2nd gear & always come a cropper. If in doubt, leave the bike in first.

I'm driving the pass in September this year with some friends. I hope none of us fall down. But it will be a big adventure for us who live in a flat area.

Enjoyed the video, bad luck just wrong gear and slightly off line. Honister is another slightly-less-scary alternative fun route. Don't think you can blame the guys who helped you for the indicator though, you caught it with your right foot when you dropped it. Craziest thing in this video is the guy at about 35' trying to ride up the other way on a Brompton! Thats the definition of optimism.

Did it in a Vauxhall Astra a few years back, (sorry), Brakes so hot by the end it melted the plastic wheel trims. Had to change too!!

As a past owner of a Road King so I can say from experience you tend to use a gear too high, it sounds good but you are at the bottom of the torque curve. It also does not allow engine braking to be used in addition to the brakes. You mentioned hot brakes, not something I have experienced. Speed wobble, yes. But the glides have panniers and top box ++,etc..

Great video Phil. To be honest the choice of bike to tackle this sort of terrain um um !!. At least you where OK. Funny when you have an off and i have had loads all you worry about is the Bike, and what the wife is going to say to you when you get home lol.

Thanks for letting me re-live the pass. I rode it over fifty years ago on a 650 BSA twin. What impressed was that every really steep part seemed to have a hairpin at the bottom of it. I would love to ride it again but sadly it is a long way from my home and I am not keen on riding long distance these days.

You are a braver man than me taking it on on a cruiser, but the bike seemed well fit for the job. ;).

The road over from Boot down to Greenhod was also a belter

I would ride in a lower gear coming down and let out the clutch rather than using only the brakes. Beautiful, scary road to ride. Great video.

Awesome video shame about the tumble, But you got back like a champ Sending best wishes

Did it on a little Z200 kawasaki before I passed my test, then my BSA starfire & HondaRs 250, it's easy on a small lightweight bike........

It happens. Make sure you take a video of your succesful rides over the passes! I've ridden these and other passes/ steep roads and they're a lot of fun but I've seen a few low speed lowsides and funnily enough they were all the humungous 'adventure' bikes.

Ouch ! Hope you and the bike OK. Very interesting road, I can see the steep sections are very steep but what a road 😲

It must have been tough going over there in the 1930's on a Brit single.

I've cycled that route after driving up from "down south", have driven over there too, but where you had to slip the clutch to get around the "f#ckin hell" corner, I just got stuck & hade to be towed up from there by a local farmer 😂 £££! Will try in on the motorbike, but will probably have to sort out a trailer for the van first

Great video Phil, shame about the drop. I rode it myself a few month back on a Yamaha Tracer as it was always on my bucket list, if there is any advice I can give anyone thinking of doing this ride, if you think you should be in second gear leave in first and so on. Keep the bike in a low gear, all the time.

The sheep were never bothered by the sound of your bike, I put it down to them being used to a John Deere or a Ferguson 👍

Oops. I’m a local and I’ve ridden it a few times. You didn’t even get to the hard bit. IMO West going up is biggest challenge. I’ve ridden a Road King over the Dolomites and into Eastern Europe where the hairpins are cobbled so it can be done. P

Love that road, first time I did it was 2 up with GF on the back, no problem but we were on a Street triple which, with bike & two riders, weighs about the same as the dry weight of a Harley & more power

If you ride a Harley Davidson which is just shiny American junk, you ask for trouble

Great video... Sorry for the drop.... Looking forward to trying this on my VN1600 👍🏻

I felt your pain brother

A mate from the area took us on it, he never told us the route. Queue 3 Scottish bikers constantly saying WTF. That and the Applecross roads are about the most technical in the UK

The first clip you used in the video is me, fact was that i was with a passenger and three full trunks on the back of my bike. If you are by yourself on a empy bike.. two fingers in the nose. Congratulations, i think you should try it as i did and then post it.

And you went 'up' the easy side! The two sharp bends you took going down are much harder coming up, especially if you meet a car coming down that does not want to stop for you. You downhill leg will not touch the ground, until your backside does, that is. At least you survived to tell the tale.

These little incidents are here to test us - raging and frustrated at the time - but hey onwards and upwards

Change down before corner and keep revs up

Gawd! The rear-pointing camera best reveals the angle and steepness of the road at 33:33

I found that road easyer on my honda c90 that my honda vt shadow! It is a challange on a big heavy bike.