New Bike

[madmike2]

Eye jist put that dang ol' sucker agin my rite nee, reech acrosst wit my rite han en pickitup. Then Eye reech don wit my lef han end flick thet dang ol' sinterstan don. No prollum!

Sum thymes iffin Eye be reely lazie, ah jist stan on the pedal part uh thuh sinterstan en pull bak on them dang ol' hanly bars wit my leff han en be puttin mye rite han unner the grabbing spot unner the seet. Thet dang ol' byke jist sprangs rite up onta the stan.

 

[MikeYork5]

<this topic needs to be added to the newbie FAQs, it is one of the most commonly asked questions and has almost as many threads as oil>

+1

 

[Jon T]

This is all very helpful. The first bike I had with a center stand was an 84 V65 Magna. I didn't know the long part connected to the center stand was actually a lever that would lift the bike if stomped on. I thought it was used to hold the stand against the ground as I HEAVED the bike backward. My roommate at the time said, "no problem. as you come to a stop in your parking spot, use the front brake to load up the front fork. keep your foot on the center stand lever, and as the bike rebound from the stop, the bike will pop up on the stand." yeah. right. I was able to do that a few times after lots of practice (and more failures). Only later did my friend tell me about the lever.

I've had my FJR since October. I keep the side stand out just in case things don't go well in the hopes it will stop the bike from falling (assuming it chooses to fall toward me). As already mentioned, I do make sure both legs of the stand are touching the ground before standing on the lever. I'm frequently surprised that my definition of level does not match that of the center stand.

If this doesn't work, see the thread about how to lift a bike from the ground.

 

[LAGO RUNNER]

I use all thoes fast food bergers to my advantage and stand with all my fast food nation weight..goes right up

 

[artistonFJR]

Lotta good advice, and alotta bad backs giving it. I too have a bum back at times. The learning curve was not to bad, as I got it set on the third try and used my weight as well.

HINT: Yes, be seated ON the bike when you move it off the centerstand, BUT REMEMBER to raise the side stand (kickstand in the UP position... not extended... up like it is when you ride, against the bike, capeche!?) because when you roll this half-ton machine off the center stand and you are even slightly tilted to the left you can stab that sidestand into the ground and before you can pucker and release you will be laying right side on the garage floor in the riding position still stradling the bike. I know this from an older Yammie I had in the past, and there are still people in SoCal beach bars that tell that story over beers.

C

 

[feejer222]

This probably sounds like a dumb question, but I'm having trouble putting my bike on its centerstand. Can anyone tell me how to do it. I guess I'm not use to the weight of the bike yet.

All your weight on the stand lever. Hardly any lifting needed.

 

[HaulinAshe]

I may have missed it, but didn't see the obligatory "take the side bags off first" suggestion. It helps to remove the side bags for your first practice sessions with the center stand. Having a "spotter" on the right side of the bike is my STRONG recommendation too. Otherwise a tree and paint will do.

In my mind it's way more about pressing down hard on the stand than lifting the bike. There's a definite pop involved to the motion. Don't try to be gentle, just Git-R-Done.

I also find that helping the rear suspension "unload" by giving it a preliminary lift and gentle release helps. The higher the back end of the bike is sitting the easier it pops up on the center stand.

One more piece of advice from someone who lives around a lot of sand. It's easy to be tempted to use the center stand instead of the side stand when parking on sandy or soft soil. Don't make that mistake. If the ground will not support the side stand it won't work any better on the center stand. What it will do is sink both sides of the center stand and be nearly impossible for a single person to remove from position. Last time it happened to me, it took three of us to push the bike off the center stand.

And BTW, it's not a dumb question, but we will do our best to give you a dumb answer.