• Required reading for all forum users!!!

    Welcome!
    Register to access the full functionality of the GSResources forum. Until you register and activate your account you will not have full forum access, nor will you be able to post or reply to messages.

    A note to new registrants...
    All new forum registrations must be activated via email before you have full access to the forum.

    A Special Note about Email accounts!
    DO NOT SIGN UP USING hotmail, outlook, gmx, sbcglobal, att, bellsouth or email.com. They delete our forum signup emails.

    A note to old forum members...
    I receive numerous requests from people who can no longer log in because their accounts were deleted. As mentioned in the forum FAQ, user accounts are deleted if you haven't logged in for the past 6 months. If you can't log in, then create a new forum account. If you don't get an error message, then check your email account for an activation message. If you get a message stating that the email address is already in use, then your account still exists so follow the instructions in the forum FAQ for resetting your password.

    Have you forgotten your password or have a new email address? Then read the forum FAQ for details on how to reset it.

    Any email requests for "can't log in anymore" problems or "lost my password" problems will be deleted. Read the forum FAQ and follow the instructions there - that's what we have one for...

  • Returning Visitors

    If you are a returning visitor who never received your confirmation email, then odds are your email provider is blockinig emails from our server. The only thing that can be done to get around this is you will have to try creating another forum account using an email address from another domain.

    If you are a returning visitor to the forum and can't log in using your old forum name and password but used to be able to then chances are your account is deleted. Purges of the databases are done regularly. You will have to create a new forum account and you should be all set.

Speaking of center stands

  • Thread starter Thread starter Hinermad
  • Start date Start date
GSXR7ED said:
I definitely will try the rear tire trick...considering the front tire recommendation worked.


Ed
Click to expand...
The rear tire is closer to the stand than the front tire. That means when you place the same piece of wood at the rear tire, the stand will travel further down before contacting the floor. That means you have less remaining travel to overcome as you lift the bike back.
 
KEITH KRAUSE said:
Yes, having the grab rail is important. Everyone has a different way to describe the procedure to get the bike on the center stand. I used to just stand close to the bike, hold the bar and grab rail, push the stand to contact the ground, and simultaneously push to keep pressure on the stand as I lifted the rail up and the bike just pops back. I think many people make it harder on themselves because they lean away from the bike, thinking the bike could fall and they want to use their weight to stop the bike from falling away. In that posture, it's much more difficult.
I still use the same procedure but I use a 2X6 under the rear tire now. The bike practically jumps on to the stand now. I can see where using the wood under the front tire would work but I think using the wood under the rear tire is more effective. Try the rear and see what you think.
Click to expand...

Thanks! I learned my lesson about trying to keep the bike off the ground. Keeping it upright and balanced over its center of gravity is much easier than wrestling with it.

Come Spring I'll remove the sissy bar and start using the grab rail. That sissy bar makes it pretty much impossible to hold onto the back end without twisting your arm or wrist into an unnatural angle.

Hopefully I can get to where I can use the center stand without elevating a tire, but if not I'll start parking with the rear tire on a paver.
 
you should post a pic of your sissybar. When I got my bike it to was equipped with a sissy bar. The sissy bar was mounted to a bracket at the rear but it was also mounted via an expandable rod to the upper shock mount. The factory grab rail was behind it and inaccessible but it was easy enough to just use the rod from the sissy bar that attached to the upper mount instead.
 
That's how my sissy bar mounts too, but that expanding rod is too close to the seat for me to get a good grip on it. I linked to a couple photos of it in a previous message in this thread.
 
Andif ure struggling maybe ure shocks too short/compressed. tyres low profile
Click to expand...
sharpy's tip is a good one to look twice at...old bikes, sagging springs...the "taller" the bike rests on its shocks, the easier it will be to boost up....again-for same reason KEITH KRAUSE's tip works-ie:room for the center stand to swing down.

and ... 13" versus 12" shocks make a big difference too ...
 
I am not seeing any links to your bike but here is mine before i removed the backrest. It was certainly close to the bodywork but I was still able to use it instead of the grab rail.

Suzi%20apache%20trail.jpg
 
Boriqua said:
I am not seeing any links to your bike but here is mine before i removed the backrest. It was certainly close to the bodywork but I was still able to use it instead of the grab rail.
Click to expand...

Here's a couple shots of mine, one looking down between the sissy bar rail and the seat, the other looking under it at the grab rail.

https://app.box.com/s/heqp0bnpvq8u2ts5tmzgbvq32qsnfxb0

https://app.box.com/s/dxhgk0x17czaopmvo065vwbhhjg1poff

I can't get my fingers between the sissy bar rail and seat past about the second knuckle, so I can't get a good enough grip to do much lifting.
 
That is pretty much how mine was .. you dont really need to "grab" the rail. Since most of your effort is coming from your downward pressure on the center stand all you need do is hook your hand under the rail and hoist. I did it for months like that. It is though easier and nicer with the sissy bar rail removed but easy enough even when it was there.
 
Hinermad said:
....I can't get my fingers between the sissy bar rail and seat past about the second knuckle, so I can't get a good enough grip to do much lifting.
Click to expand...

Try holding your hand so that your palm is cupped underneath the sissy bar rail close to shock mounting side, and then pull up, instead of trying to hold your hand with your palm facing downwards at the top of the rail.
 
Hinermad said:
Here's a couple shots of mine, one looking down between the sissy bar rail and the seat, the other looking under it at the grab rail.

https://app.box.com/s/heqp0bnpvq8u2ts5tmzgbvq32qsnfxb0

https://app.box.com/s/dxhgk0x17czaopmvo065vwbhhjg1poff

I can't get my fingers between the sissy bar rail and seat past about the second knuckle, so I can't get a good enough grip to do much lifting.
Click to expand...

Stick some packing pieces behind the handle to move it out a few mm then.. Maybe some oversized Square nuts as washers would be the easiest way to do it. It'll barely be visible but will let your knuckles pass... :)

Don't forget to check if the bolts are still long enough... If the front is on the shock bolt see if you can change the order of the spacers on that bolt to make it work (without throwing the shock out of line) or just pack out the back only.
 
KEITH KRAUSE said:
The rear tire is closer to the stand than the front tire. That means when you place the same piece of wood at the rear tire, the stand will travel further down before contacting the floor. That means you have less remaining travel to overcome as you lift the bike back.
Click to expand...

One thing that makes it super easy to put the bike on the center stand is when the bike is on the cenerstand, measure the distance from the floor to the center of the rear tire tread. (On my bike, when its on the centerstand, the rear tire is 2 3/8" off the floor.) I cut a 16" long piece of 2 x 8 and glued a same size piece of 1/2" ply wood on top of that resulting in a 2" thick board. Now when I run the rear tire up on the board, I only have to lift the bike 3/8" for it to be on the center stand. It's a two finger deal. heh
 
No, my wife can't do it either. She died 11 years ago this Friday.

I'll try 2BRacing's suggestion of holding the rail with my palm facing the seat. But in the long run I'm pretty much resolved to remove the sissy bar. Just not this week. It's COLD out there!
 
Hinermad said:
No, my wife can't do it either. She died 11 years ago this Friday.

I'll try 2BRacing's suggestion of holding the rail with my palm facing the seat. But in the long run I'm pretty much resolved to remove the sissy bar. Just not this week. It's COLD out there!
Click to expand...

I just put my right hand, palm up, under the seat frame while putting weight on the center stand ear with my left foot.
I had a 79 750E and it was not difficult to put on the center stand. My best guess is your shocks are worn out and the bike is sitting too low which could make it near impossible to get on the stand. Or, someone put shorty shocks on it.
 
Last edited:
earlfor said:
My best guess is your shocks are worn out and the bike is sitting too low which cold make it near impossible to get on the stand. Or, someone put shorty shocks on it.
Click to expand...

My money's on old shocks. They're already on my todo list.
 
Hinermad said:
No, my wife can't do it either. She died 11 years ago this Friday.

I'll try 2BRacing's suggestion of holding the rail with my palm facing the seat. But in the long run I'm pretty much resolved to remove the sissy bar. Just not this week. It's COLD out there!
Click to expand...

I'm sorry about your wife. I was just being a idiot with my comment. Please accept my apology.
 
storm 64 said:
I'm sorry about your wife. I was just being a idiot with my comment. Please accept my apology.
Click to expand...

No worries, and no apology necessary! I know you meant it as a friendly dig. I've said similar things myself. No harm done.

Call me morbid, but I make jokes about it if someone says they'd like to meet her. I tell them they're going to need a crystal ball or a shovel.
 
Eek .. I feel like a dork now too!! It was just friendly ribbing. I don't know what life without my wife would look like and I dont want to find out.

back to your issue.

I assumed you were doing it palm in from the beginning which is why I wasn't getting your dilemma. When my wife gets home I will try and get a couple of pix of my technique. bio mechanically its actually much easier if you treat it like a bicep curl instead of a shoulder shrug. Just palm in wrap your hand under the rail. You dont have to grab the rail .. just kind of hook it.

Still... I use very little upper body. So long as I can get both of the center stand feet on level ground, most of the reason to hold it at the bars and grab rail area, I can just lever it up mostly by pushing down with my foot. I am 200lbs though but I am not standing on it just pushing. If you are a lot lighter than I am .. then standing on it would work once you have both center stand feet planted. That is the most important part of the process for me. Get the two feet on the ground. The front and back hand are really just to keep it steady and start it moving.

Why am I so stuck on you doing it as designed .. because while wood blocks and such will certainly help .. when you have to look for tools and other aids get involved we just tend to "skip it this time"

If you get the technique down then you will do it whenever you think its relevant.
 
Last edited:
When you get your new shocks go 1/2" or so long (if you can take the extra standover). Makes the bike perform better & the centre stand will be super easy to deploy as a bonus.

As for technique the handhold really should only steady the bike, the foot does all the work. I weigh 160 ish & have not had a problem with either of the 1000's I've had once I got the technique down.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top