Author Topic: Best way to support the bike with both wheels off? (Read 5791 times)

Borkunit · « **on:** June 23, 2006, 12:53:03 PM »

I have to take the wheels in next week for new tires/mount and balance/truing. I don't have the center stand installed and I can't figure out how to install it without dropping one of the exhaust pipes. Any ideas as to the best way to support it with a couple of jackstands and a hydraulic floor jack? I'm a little worried about it tipping over in a stout wind or something.

Thanks,
Zak

ProTeal55 · « **Reply #1 on:** June 23, 2006, 01:00:55 PM »

Buy yourself a motorcycle lift/jack and do it the right way.
You can get one for under $100 bucks , that will SAFELY support your bike
while the wheels are offa it.

Duck · « **Reply #2 on:** June 23, 2006, 01:36:28 PM »

Quote from: Borkunit on June 23, 2006, 12:53:03 PM

I have to take the wheels in next week for new tires/mount and balance/truing. I don't have the center stand installed and I can't figure out how to install it without dropping one of the exhaust pipes. Any ideas as to the best way to support it with a couple of jackstands and a hydraulic floor jack? I'm a little worried about it tipping over in a stout wind or something.

Thanks,
Zak

I have the kerker pipes and can not use a lift so...
I put on some junk wheels, one at a time. Lets me move the bike around until I get the 'good' wheels back on.
Guess I could take the tank off and use an engine hoist but it's always seemed like it would be more work.
-Duck

dusterdude · « **Reply #3 on:** June 23, 2006, 01:48:26 PM »

if you are in an exposed rafter garage,wrap a strap around the bike and throw it over the rafter and tie it off.

Terry in Australia · « **Reply #4 on:** June 23, 2006, 02:30:47 PM »

Jackstands under the rear peg hangers and a wooden block or box under the front forks works for me. Cheers, Terry.

Borkunit · « **Reply #5 on:** June 23, 2006, 08:09:43 PM »

Thanks for the advice, gents. I'm on a budget, so I am going to have to go the thrifty route.

Thanks,
Zak

Terry in Australia · « **Reply #6 on:** June 23, 2006, 08:18:07 PM »

Nothing wrong with that mate, put your cash where you need it most! Cheers, Terry.

ofreen · « **Reply #7 on:** June 23, 2006, 09:19:28 PM »

Besides that, a motorcycle lift just takes up valuable space when not in use (which is most of the time).

Terry in Australia · « **Reply #8 on:** June 23, 2006, 09:26:17 PM »

Quote from: ofreen on June 23, 2006, 09:19:28 PM

Besides that, a motorcycle lift just takes up valuable space when not in use (which is most of the time).

True, but I'd really like to have one. I just bought an electric hoist though, so if I can mount it in my garage roof I might see if I can safely haul a bike up and place it on a steel bench that normally lives out in the weather, then lower it down again after I finish working on it. Cheers, Terry.

ofreen · « **Reply #9 on:** June 24, 2006, 03:37:23 AM »

Quote from: Terry in Australia on June 23, 2006, 09:26:17 PM

True, but I'd really like to have one. I just bought an electric hoist though, so if I can mount it in my garage roof I might see if I can safely haul a bike up and place it on a steel bench that normally lives out in the weather, then lower it down again after I finish working on it. Cheers, Terry.

A folding shop crane works pretty well using nylon straps around frame members to hold a bike up. I use my motorcycle lift as a lift table more often than I do for picking up a motorcycle.

bryanj · « **Reply #10 on:** June 24, 2006, 03:48:10 AM »

Oh you wimps, back in the good old days two of us used to lift any bike up onto a knee high wooden bench to work on it!

bill440cars · « **Reply #11 on:** June 24, 2006, 09:58:12 AM »

Quote from: bryanj on June 24, 2006, 03:48:10 AM

Oh you wimps, back in the good old days two of us used to lift any bike up onto a knee high wooden bench to work on it!

What about going back further into the good old days when you got down to the
bike and worked on it, instead of raising it up to do the work.

Zak, Over the last 2 years, I have managed to get a couple of jacks and a lift (None of
which are the high dollar fancy ones) The jacks are all right but, the lift is so much better. As
I'm getting older, it's not as easy to get down to the bike to work on it. If you decided to
build a wooden table to put it on, you could use a ramp to get the bike on it also. So, you've
got several ideas here. Maybe one of the is the answer to your question.

Terry in Australia · « **Reply #12 on:** June 24, 2006, 02:26:48 PM »

Quote from: bryanj on June 24, 2006, 03:48:10 AM

Oh you wimps, back in the good old days two of us used to lift any bike up onto a knee high wooden bench to work on it!

Ha ha! Bill beat me to the punch Bryan, if you were really tough "in the good old days" (when were they again grandpa?) you wouldn't need no fancy-schmancy bench! Sadly after 37 years of tinkering I'm still grovelling around on a cold concrete floor when I work on my bikes, but either a bike lift or a low bench are in my near future, my knees are killing me! (not to mention my hardened arteries, but that's another story.........) Cheers, "Tough Guy" Terry.

mcpuffett · « **Reply #13 on:** June 24, 2006, 02:38:50 PM »

did'nt know you had cold concrete floors in your country terry, thought the only cold thing was your amber nectar

mick.

Terry in Australia · « **Reply #14 on:** June 24, 2006, 02:48:00 PM »

You're right Mick, we import our cold concrete floors from England, ha ha!

bill440cars · « **Reply #15 on:** June 24, 2006, 04:15:57 PM »

Hey Terry, "Grandpa!!!" That's all right, your day is coming dude! Ha!

Ha!

Yeah, Your day is coming. and I'll emphasize with you. By the way, what are the shipping charges on that "Cold Concrete" anyway? Ha! Ha! Catch you later on, Bill

78 k550 · « **Reply #16 on:** June 24, 2006, 06:57:09 PM »

Quote from: Terry in Australia on June 23, 2006, 08:18:07 PM

Nothing wrong with that mate, put your cash where you need it most! Cheers, Terry.

Your Beer

Bodi · « **Reply #17 on:** June 25, 2006, 07:07:35 AM »

I have a chain hoist in the rafters and a few milk crates.
If you don't have such things, milk crates are industrial strength plastic boxes used by dairies to ship stuff to stores in. They're about a one foot cube.
With 2 inverted crates ready - with squares of plywood to reinforce the bottoms (the plastic grid bottom won't take a lot of weight but they are made to stack about 10 high and 9 cubic feet of milk is pretty damn heavy, I've never seen one fail this way) - I winch the bike up and set it on 2, one under the centrestand and one under the front wheel. Then the winch gets reset onto the handlebars or the frame behind the triple tree, depending on the work to be done. Hoist the front wheel off and it's easy to remove the wheels (rear first, the bike is unstable against rocking over backwards)

Cowboy48 · « **Reply #18 on:** June 25, 2006, 07:37:51 AM »

This is how I did mine but i did have the center stand to help. Kinda freaked my wife out when she saw it hanging there but I was pretty proud of my self (enough so to take a picture). It stayed like this for 4 days while I got new tires put on.

bill440cars · « **Reply #19 on:** June 25, 2006, 07:53:16 AM »

The Most Important thing, no matter how you raise the bike, is the you keep the bike
as stable as possible. No one needs to take chance of the bike falling on him or anyone else.
Be VERY sure that the bike will not fall over and hurt anybody. You do what you have to to
accomplish a task but, do it as safely as possible.

Personally speaking, I'd save my money for an ATV/Motorcycle Jack (that goes up
under the middle of the bike) from Harbor Freight. I haven't checked recently but SAM'S Club
used to have an adapter, for those kind of Jacks, that had 4 adjustable feet (these would
actually make contact with the frame) that should allow exhaust systems or what ever might
hang below the frame. Good Luck with whatever route you take. Later on, Bill

jph550 · « **Reply #20 on:** June 25, 2006, 07:31:49 PM »

Sam's does have an adapter for the motorcycle atv jack.

http://www.samsclub.com/shopping/search.do?searchtype=simple&catg=535&simplesearchfor=atv+jack&simpleitemtype=0&x=0&y=0

bill440cars · « **Reply #21 on:** June 25, 2006, 09:21:09 PM »

Quote from: jph550 on June 25, 2006, 07:31:49 PM

Sam's does have an adapter for the motorcycle atv jack.

http://www.samsclub.com/shopping/search.do?searchtype=simple&catg=535&simplesearchfor=atv+jack&simpleitemtype=0&x=0&y=0

Thanks for posting that link jph, that's the one I was talking about. I got off on something else and didn't get back on this, It does help to actually see it. It's a bit of added expense but, I think it would be well worth it myself. Later on, Bill

Jerry Rxman Griffin aka MuthaF'er · « **Reply #22 on:** June 25, 2006, 09:23:08 PM »

Harbor Freight sent me an email for their current sale. A full motocycle lift 1000lb capacity (not a jack) reg $399 for $299 with an additional coupon for 10% off. $270. Now is the time !! Now, I know this isn't going to help with getting both wheels off at the same time but it's a sweet deal plus it will look real nice in your garage. Just think, an oil change with class for only $270 + oil & filter. That makes the second oil change $135 + oil & filter. I relegated myself to doing one end of the bike at a time. My Kerkers prevent me from fully utilizing my motorcycle jack. I can catch 1 frame tube on 1 side only then support the other side with my tool box and some 2 X 4 wedges while using my center stand.
Jerry

Steve F · « **Reply #23 on:** June 26, 2006, 04:02:53 AM »

I know this doesn't help with lifting the front wheel, but I made a rear lift out of some steel tubing. Went to a local exhaust shop, and bought some pre-bent tubing they had in the scrap box. Welded up the lift you see in the photo, and installed a couple of lift nubs to the shock mounts. Works as long as you don't need to work on the swingarm or the shocks.

Boomologist · « **Reply #24 on:** June 27, 2006, 10:10:56 AM »

>>>I just bought an electric hoist though, so if I can mount it in my garage roof I might see if I can safely haul a bike up and place it on a steel bench that normally lives out in the weather, then lower it down again after I finish working on it.<<<

Terry,
I did what you are speaking of but I ran some 1 1/2 inch angle iron along the top of the truss. Then made a bracket with a solid pulley that ran on the angle iron and the hoist on the other end. Worked great for many years.
Now i use a lift table that is recessed into the shop floor.

News:

Author Topic: Best way to support the bike with both wheels off? (Read 5791 times)

Duck

Cowboy48

Boomologist