Trick to get Bike on Center Stand

[officerbill]

Lifting

I asked the guys at the shop how they got the bike up on the center stand so easy. It took two of them to do it. Then again it is one of those dreaded 850Gs that so many of you have complained about lifting. I showed them the technique in the YouTube video with the little BMW. They were amazed.
I also taught my son how to get his '82 SilverWing on it's center stand. The baby wing is much lighter and really pops up.
A buddy has an '84 Kaw V'ger. The center stand is hydrolic. Cheater. But the simplest center stand activation has to be the BMW K1200. Push a button and it does all the work. Lazy Germans.
I've also tried the righting the bike techniques the BMW fellows advocate. I wasn't as lucky getting the Dragon back on her feet as I was in getting her to sit on her center stand.
Bill

[gearhead13]

Well, with my bike you move it forward to put it on the stand, but the key is that you push down on the centerstand so that it digs or catches the ground then push or pull the bike forward or back ward, with very little lifting involved, you are using the centerstand as a lever.
I had a bike with no sidestand and had to put it up everytime I parked it.

[979roadrunner]

^^ So did I. Don't ever leave it that way in serious wind. Plastics ain't cheap.

[SerTorm]

I've only had to deal with two bikes with centerstands, my 1100GK and a freinds goldwing. The goldwing was more comfortable by far and maybe 150 pounds heavier.

Dpep has the right of it. Suspension and stand geometry are paramount, technique will only get you there if the setup is within specs.

In other words, if proper (or even mildly flawed) technique isn't doing it, check into your setup. Maybe an adjustment would do the bike good overall?

[OldSchoolCruiser]

This is a great little trick; I feel like an idiot for all of my prior failed attempts!

[purplemotoman]

My 79 GS850 had a grab handle on the side under the seat. It was very easy to lift up and rest on the centerstand.

[mcycle-nut]

I just about always park my motorcycles on their centrestands, so putting an 1100 on the stand is a non-issue. I was talking to a little waif of a girl who was afraid of putting her "new" Honda 919 on the centrestand. I proceeded to give her a lesson, explaining how to hold the bike, make sure the both feet of the stand touch down at the same time, and just step on the stand and the bike will come up naturally. WELL, when I did that, something in the back of my calf went SNAP, and I had to put the bike on the sidestand! I could barely walk for 3 days! I couldn't believe it! Oh well, must have been Karma biting me in the ass for the fact that I got only a verbal warning for doing a wheelie RIGHT IN FRONT of a cop only a few weeks earlier, but that's another story....

I remember one bike that was a BITCH to put on the centrestand was my wife's '83 XS650. I couldn't believe what muscle I had to put into it. Not well designed at all.

[Sparky]

Now if i can get a 78 goldwing 1000 with a half flat back tire up on the stand then surely the GS's should be no problem.

I find it easier to point the toe of my right foot towards the rear tire and push down on the stand and just stabilize the bike with my hands, no need to pull on the bike itself really. But I guess everybody has there own method.

[dcil]

try a gs750 lowered 4inches or so with struts. takes 2 strong people and a lot of cursing. Gonna take it off anyway.

[wacky941]

try a gs750 lowered 4inches or so with struts. takes 2 strong people and a lot of cursing. Gonna take it off anyway.

Amen to that! I made the same mistake with my 1100EZ but like an idiot I loved the way it looked and kept on doing it, now I'm older and wiser.

Another problem with lowering the suspension is you need to shorten the side stand for it to lean properly but when you put it back to factory height then the side stand is too short. Dilema!

[Dodik]

good trick works for me but when bike is on the stand for some reason both of the wheels are on the ground and i dont think its suppose to be that way. my forks are a bit bent would that be it?

[Dogma]

good trick works for me but when bike is on the stand for some reason both of the wheels are on the ground and i dont think its suppose to be that way. my forks are a bit bent would that be it?

The forks would have to be a lot more than a bit bent. Possibly a PO had the bike lowered, and the center stand shortened to match. A later PO un-lowered it, but kept the center stand. Or maybe a PO put longer shocks on the rear to quicken the steering a bit. The rear wheel should be an inch or two off the ground when on the center stand.

[Haadkoe]

I realize that this thread is quite old, but I'm so glad that I discovered it. I'm 6'4" and 240Lbs or so and trying to get my GS650GL onto the center stand made me feel like an inept weakling every time. Formerly, my technique involved standing to the left of the bike while facing forward, grabbing both hand grips, and yanking backwards while keeping my right foot on the center stand. After nearly running myself over and/or nearly dropping the bike multiple times, I'd finally get it on the stand... frustrated and exhausted. I could never imagine doing that in public, nor could I figure out how guys who are presumably half my size managed to get their bikes up there.

I watched those Youtube videos, ran out to the garage, and I'll be darned... easy as pie for me now.

I love this site.

[trevor]

Steve gave a great discription on how to do this in the first page here. It really is easy, I can put my 530lbs bike on the centre stand in my bare feet!

[Haadkoe]

Indeed, I should have given credit to Steve as well as his explanation was excellent.