No Center stand!!!

[rbert16000]

How do you folks get the bike safely up on a stand to remove the rear tire?

I am not hip to the trick I see here so far, as they dont sound safe... I am not a mechanic... So..
1) are there any makes or types of MC stands or Jacks i can buy?
2) please help! Got my first flat in 400 miles.
Rick

[Easy Rider]

I am not a mechanic... So..


Yes, stands are available. Alas, because of the placement of the pipes, it doesn't work very good on the GZ..........and rear axle stands aren't worth a crap for removing the rear wheel! :cry:


If you have never changed a MC tire with a tube before...........you should think long and hard before you attempt it.

Yes, it is not really THAT hard.......for someone who has a little mechanical savy AND a lot of patience.
Lacking either of those, you probably should let someone else do it. :tup:

I've about decided to get a heavy tow strap and pick it up with the bucket on my tractor...........but not everybody has that option.

[turbo chicken]

i just put it on the kick stand and used my car jack on the little tabs on the underneath back of the frame... there's a pic somwhere on the board that show this tab...

[Water Warrior 2]

i just put it on the kick stand and used my car jack on the little tabs on the underneath back of the frame... there's a pic somwhere on the board that show this tab...

Good idea with the car jack. While on the recent road trip we used a 9.5 inch piece of 2x2 under the frame tabs to get the rear wheel up for lubing the chain. Did it as follows:

#1 wrap velcro around front brake lever.
#2 lean bike over and place 2x2 in place.
#3 From right side of bike, kneel down and wrap strong elastic band around kill switch on side stand.
#4 Start bike and put in 1st gear. Ease out clutch and spray chain to your heart's content.
#5 Reverse procedure and you are done.

I will add this. The elastic band was actually a drive belt for a carpet sweeper but anything the right size is gonna do the job. Even a fat zip tie will work. In my opinion anything with the exception of a race bike should have a center stand. Maintenance and mods would be so much easier.

[2FIDY]

I would suggest this stand first of all: http://www.fjr1300.info/howto/pipestand.html
It is super useful and easily flattens for wall storage. It will support the weight of the whole bike, and is VERY stable. Use your imagination, and there are many possibilities with this. Leave the bike on the side-stand and lift the rear with this stand and some ratchet straps[[/url]

[2FIDY]

tryhttp://www.fjr1300.info/howto/pipestand.html This may work well for you by leaving the bike on the side-stand and lifting the rear w/ ratchet straps. Will support the weight of this whole bike easily.


BTW, This is not SPAM!! WT>>>>?

[bonehead]

I just figured this out the last week as I had a flat on the rear and the shop wanted 56$ just to pull the rear wheel. If you have access to a small trailer, load the bike on the trailer and tie down the handle bars as if you were going to transport it. Now put a jack under the swing arm where it attaches to the frame and jack the bike up. I got it up high enough with space to spare. fixed my flat and was back on the road same day.

[Easy Rider]

fixed my flat

That might merit some additional discussion.
How/what actually got fixed ??

[bonehead]

It was just an easy way to get the rear wheel off the ground and remove it. Of course It all depends if you have access to a small trailer/floor jack. By the way, the bike was very sturdy, had no fears of it tipping over.

[Easy Rider]

fixed my flat

That might merit some additional discussion.
How/what actually got fixed ??

Rephrase alert !!! :roll:

The tire man, the TIRE.
What was wrong with the tire and what was done to the tire to fix it ?
Plug, tube, boot, new tire .....?????

[bonehead]

Two 16 penny duplex nails/ loss of air pressure/new tube.

[Easy Rider]

Two 16 penny duplex nails/ loss of air pressure/new tube.

New tube ONLY ??
If so, that's NOT good.
Should at least have a vulcanized boot (patch) between the hole(s) and the new tube.

Many would advise not ever riding on a patched tire.......but given the performance characteristics of the GZ......I don't see a problem, if it is done right.

[bonehead]

Yes they patched the holes in the tires to protect the tube. The purpose of my original post was to lend a litte knowledge about a safe way to raise the rear of the motorcycle to be able to remove the rear wheel, whether it be to replace a tire, sprocket, etc.

[Easy Rider]

The purpose of my original post was to lend a litte knowledge about a safe way to raise the rear of the motorcycle to be able to remove the rear wheel,

I got a sissor jack from the junk yard for a couple of bucks. On a solid surface, it worked well enough for chain oiling and adjustment but wasn't stable enough to actually remove a wheel.
I thought that a notched out 2X4 would have made it much more stable.......bit I didn't get around to doing that before the bike left.

I think the Shadow will fit on the ATV jack; should be much more stable.

[davedrave]

Had to do the back brakes recenty (albeit on m 125)

I just put it on the side stand and then slowly jacked it up with a car stand towards the rear, eventualy you'll get clearence for the back wheel (without snapping the side stand like a twig :neener: )

[Water Warrior 2]

Had to do the back brakes recenty (albeit on m 125)

I just put it on the side stand and then slowly jacked it up with a car stand towards the rear, eventualy you'll get clearence for the back wheel (without snapping the side stand like a twig :neener: )

A good practice is wrapping something around the front brake lever to lock the wheel. That way the bike will not try to roll as you lift it. With the brake on you can just push the bike over on the side stand a bit and use a piece or wood(2x2)to prop up the right hand side of the swing arm.

[dhgeyer]

I've always done the scissors jack trick if the bike had no centerstand. Only things I'll add are:

1. In order to avoid scratches, it's a good idea to put a wood pad of some sort between the jack and the frame.

2. If you're raising the bike high enough to pull a wheel, you will need to progressively put boards or whatever under the sidestand so that the bike doesn't lean so far to the left as to become unstable.

3. I have had some luck using a second jack under something on the right side in order to balance the support of the sidestand on the left side. If you can do this (I haven't had occasion to try this on the GZ) the bike becomes quite stable, even if it's fairly elevated.

4. Rather than clamp the brake, I chock whichever wheel is still on the ground. Either approach will work, and both is probably best.

Here's another idea I just had, Run a 4 by 4 about four feet long under the bike, and jack up both ends of it simultaneously. Tie the bike with straps to either end of the 4 by 4. Just an idea. Haven't tried it, but it should work.

[alantf]

4. Rather than clamp the brake, I chock whichever wheel is still on the ground.

I ALWAYS carry a length of velcro (I have it wrapped round the mirror arm) to use if I park on a hill. I hadn't had the bike long, When I found that leaving it in gear DOESN'T stop it running forward off the stand! :whistle:

[dhgeyer]

4. Rather than clamp the brake, I chock whichever wheel is still on the ground.

I ALWAYS carry a length of velcro (I have it wrapped round the mirror arm) to use if I park on a hill. I hadn't had the bike long, When I found that leaving it in gear DOESN'T stop it running forward off the stand! :whistle:


That's a good idea if you are going to park facing downhill. I've learned never to do that. For one thing, if it's a blind space, or if someone blocks me, I have to go beg for help getting my 600 or 700 pound bike free. Also, of course, if it's on the sidestand and slides back a little, it doesn't matter. If it slides forward it'll fall over. I'll do whatever I have to - back into a space or find another space - to park either on level ground or facing uphill.

[Water Warrior 2]

4. Rather than clamp the brake, I chock whichever wheel is still on the ground.

I ALWAYS carry a length of velcro (I have it wrapped round the mirror arm) to use if I park on a hill. I hadn't had the bike long, When I found that leaving it in gear DOESN'T stop it running forward off the stand! :whistle:


That is where I keep my Velcro too. Handy as can be.