CENTER STAND

[dritt28]

:huh: THIS IS MY FIRST BIKE OVER 250LBS., SO WHAT IS THE TRICK FOR GETTING MY BIKE UP ON ITS CENTER STAND? I MUST BE A WHIMP, BECAUSE I CAN'T COME CLOSE TO GETTING IT TO GO UP. I MIGHT HAVE TO RESORT TO A FLOOR JACK. DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY GOOD HINTS?

 

[JimLor]

Face the bike - one hand (right) in the hand hold under the left bag mount (yup, underneath and a little forward is a hand-hold) - right foot on centerstand tang - I put left hand on left handgrip - step down on the centerstand and kinda help it move backwards - don't have to give it a lot of help. Honest, it's not hard once you get the hang of it.

Note - put a little pressure on the centerstand tang and make sure the bike is resting on both feet - centered and level.

 

[C&C]

Good procedure, and one more thing to remember, keep the front wheel pointing straight ahead.

 

[mjacks]

Face the bike - one hand (right) in the hand hold under the left bag mount (yup, underneath and a little forward is a hand-hold) - right foot on centerstand tang - I put left hand on left handgrip - step down on the centerstand and kinda help it move backwards - don't have to give it a lot of help. Honest, it's not hard once you get the hang of it.
Note - put a little pressure on the centerstand tang and make sure the bike is resting on both feet - centered and level.

That is what I do. Just curious, dritt28, how much do you weigh? I have never had any problems getting any bike on the centerstand but I weigh in around 250lbs so that could have something to do with it.

 

[floridafeeger]

I weigh 156 lbs. and I have no problem putting my FjR on the middle stand...it is all in the smooth movement as you push your foot down and roll bike backwards at the same time... :huh:

 

[Timbo2015]

JimLor's procedure is basically how I do it, but after getting the two feet of the centerstand flat on the ground, I pick my left foot completely off the ground, so as I pull up on the handhold, all the force is going to the centerstand. Weight does not have much to do with it; I weigh about 140 pounds and don't any problems.

 

[AJ_MN]

Good description. When I got home from my first ride on the new bike, my husband made me try to put it up on the centerstand. After 3 attempts I finally got it, and now it's much easier. I think it was a huge challenge to try, but once you feel how to push down it's difficult. Now I can do my own maintenance before my husband gets home from work, since I could never get my old bike on the stand.

Aimee

 

[Toynut]

You can give yourself a significant edge on lifting the bike by "cheating " a little bit.

Get a short piece of 2x4 or 2x6 lumber, 2-3 feet long. Ride the bike on it so that the rear tire sits on it lengthwise. That 1 1/2" rise in the rear tire will allow the center stand to "cam over" quite a bit and minimize your initial efforts. I taught my brother this trick after I lowered my VStrom for him to ride. The lowered stance made it much harder for him to "cam it over" the centerstand as a result. The 2x4 really did the trick for him. I however, with my 250 lb frame, have no trouble stepping on the lift pedal! :bb:

 

[donaldb]

dritt28, it's a dance! you'll get it after a couple try's, once you've found the sweet spot your bike will love ya for it!!! Have someone (one or two) spotters there until you get the hang of it.

 

[MikeYork5]

Yes - good discriptions. Key again is to step down with your full weight on the center stand tang - with a slight (guiding) pull up motion on the hand hold and BINGO!

 

[XLR8]

It's like breaking a board with a karate chop. It's all about technique and commitment. If it doesn't pop right up there somewhat easily you aren't doing it correctly.

So having said that, after having the FJR for 2 years now, sometimes it pops right up there and sometimes it doesn't.

-r

 

[Yamahammer]

Just one thing to add. It is much easier to learn the centerstand technique if you start off with a near empty gas tank. An extra 5 gal. of gas adds a lot of weight, and gives the bike a more top heavy feel.

 

[FJRocket]

I have my bike lowered and it's a bitch to get it up.... er.... get the bike on the centerstand. Fortunately (?) I weigh 2 bills, so I can pretty much stand all over it and the bike comes up.

MODS: Move this one to the FAQS!

 

[Feejer/Weejer man]

Put it in neutral. Some use the clutch and pull, much more efficient if in nuetral, no resistance. I can do mine wearing socks.

 

[dritt28]

THANK YOU FOR ALL THE GOOD SUGESTIONS, I'LL GIVE THEM A TRY.

 

[SkooterG]

Technique!!!!! Not force. Once you learn the proper technique, this will be a non-issue. If you don't have the proper technique, it can be a fight.

The FJR is a relatively easy bike to get on its centerstand. I learned to centerstand a bike on a Concours, which is a hell of a lot harder. Here's my suggestion for getting it up on the centerstand from when I learned on the Connie: While using the instructions from the people above, in your mind imagine the bike going backwards, not up. In other words, imagine you are trying to move the bike backwards and NOT lifting it. This made things much easier for me.

Good luck!

Oh yeah, fyi: in internet lingo, WRITING USING ALL CAPS is the equivalent of SHOUTING.

 

[mbottoms]

Another thought might be to remove the side bags first to reduce the weight.

The bike should come up easier that way.

Once you get the hang of it, put them back on and try again.

Mark

 

[motorgod]

I posted this before and I'll share this again.

You'll need these:

Admin...this really needs to be moved to [SIZE=21pt]POINTLESS THREADS[/SIZE]

 

[dritt28]

Sorry about the caps, I wrote that for the hard of hearing! :lol: