Bike storage

bosco659

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I purchased a motorcycle stand yesterday and need to do a couple of things to it to make the bike more stable while in the air. One task is to bolt the front wheel chock to the platform as the supplied tire vise is useless. When the bike is on the platform, the wheel chock will keep it vertical but I feel safer strapping the front end down with a couple of ratchet straps. This obviously compresses the front suspension. Do you think it’s a bad idea to leave the forks partially compressed for long term storage? If the consensus is yes, I may try to strap it down on the swing arm.

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Yes, meaning I would recommend against storing the XS with the fork springs compressed at all.
Having a lift is very nice, wish I did but I would still have the bike on its centerstand. Straps to maybe the foot pegs?
 
Ok I’ll have a look at options this afternoon. I didn’t think this would be a good thing for storage. Maybe for the winter I can jack it up and get it on the center stand? 2 person job for sure. Thx!
 
When I'm working on mine I have the center stand down and attach my strap roughly over the stand. Lets me remove the wheel from either end with an additional strap or jack to ensure it stays up. Real careful with a second jack, don't want to unload the centerstand....
In general it's nice to have the weight off the tires to avoid flat spotting and keep from adding to spring sag.
My harborfright lift is old, has seen a LOT of use and may not have been the tightest when it was new, bike/lift tends to lean right, I put a strap on the left and call it good. I also do this when bike is on the side stand, a strap on left so no chance of wrenching or other leverage causing bike to flop over away from the side stand.
A story: (natch) working on front brake, bike on lift, on side stand, no strap:rolleyes:.... ready to bleed, force fluid up through MC, turn bars full left angle up, when the bike starts tipping off the side stand, towards me, I get under bar and push up, instead of bike tipping back onto the side stand, the lift rolls away from me on it's front casters. JUST before the full ugly happens I manage to get one foot on lift and stop the side motion, achieve a fragile balance and slowly get things back to stabile Woosh. In a situation like this there's always a loop running Am I going to get hurt, crushed if this goes bad? If so I'll stand back and let the shlitz fly, motorcycle and shop stuff can be replaced. My body part rehab gets long, EXPENSIVE and extremely inconvenient.
 
I made low wooden platforms, about the height of the lift in the down position. Place one each side of the lift and walk the bike up onto the lift. Now I'm standing on the platform so my height relative to the bike is normal and it's easy to raise the bike onto its centre stand.

First few times I used to ask a Willing Assistant to stand on the other platform - just for reassurance really - but last time I didn't bother and did it meself.

I tend to put one or more tie-down straps for extra safety. Then it feels pretty secure to raise the lift.

Gary's story made me palms sweat, it's the kind of nightmare you fear with the bike up high. Make sure the little feet on the lift are wound down on the floor.
 
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The bikes going on my lift are non runners, so they get pushed up onto it. I endorse the idea of a low platform to stand on while you put it up on the centre stand.
A few years ago, I had an XS650 up on the lift. I was moving it around on the center stand when one of the feet of the stand pushed back the rear wheel cut out and fell through it. It ended up at a real angle undamaged but then I had to get it out and level again on my own. Quite a chore!
 
I made low wooden platforms, about the height of the lift in the down position. Place one each side of the lift and walk the bike up onto the lift. Now I'm standing on the platform so my height relative to the bike is normal and it's easy to raise the bike onto its centre stand.

First few times I used to ask a Willing Assistant to stand on the other platform - just for reassurance really - but last time I didn't bother and did it meself.

I tend to put one or more tie-down straps for extra safety. Then it feels pretty secure to raise the lift.

Gary's story made me palm's sweat, it's the kind of nightmare you fear with the bike up high. Make sure the little feet on the lift are would down on the floor.
I like your platform idea. For me though, I wouldn’t want to have to store it. Maybe in the raised position I could hang it under the platform? I’ll check it out. Thx
 
The bikes going on my lift are non runners, so they get pushed up onto it. I endorse the idea of a low platform to stand on while you put it up on the centre stand.
A few years ago, I had an XS650 up on the lift. I was moving it around on the center stand when one of the feet of the stand pushed back the rear wheel cut out and fell through it. It ended up at a real angle undamaged but then I had to get it out and level again on my own. Quite a chore!
What’s the rear wheel cut out for? Haven’t figured that out yet.
 
I have a HF lift as well. Like Gary, I always centerstand the bike on it, pretty easy to do with the lift down .....

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Yes, the front wheel vice isn't very substantial. It wouldn't hold a bike up on it's own, but I realize that and would never try it. I just snug it up after the bike is on the centerstand, and add a couple straps from the bars. I basically just make them snug. I don't compress the forks very much at all.

I like the small bent plate front wheel stop. It's slotted so has some adjustment. I have it set so with the bike against it, pulling it back up on the stand about centers the front wheel in the wheel vice .....

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The rear wheel cut-out is for removing the rear wheel. Remove the plate and you can drop the wheel down into the cut-out as you remove it.
 
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You might consider adding a Blackjack1000 (or similar knock-off) to your lifting arsenal. It is a compact screw jack specifically designed to be used on a lift table ......

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It can be used on the ground too, but like I said, it was specifically designed small enough for use on lift tables. A mechanical screw jack is so much better than those hydraulic units. It won't "settle" or sink if left for a long period of time, and it's infinitely and easily adjustable for just the height you need.
 
You might consider adding a Blackjack1000 (or similar knock-off) to your lifting arsenal. It is a compact screw jack specifically designed to be used on a lift table ...... A mechanical screw jack is so much better than those hydraulic units. It won't "settle" or sink if left for a long period of time, and it's infinitely and easily adjustable for just the height you need.

Being a paid-up cheapskate, I achieve the same benefits using a scissors jack retained from an old car we disposed of long ago. Plus a few blocks of wood.

Those Blackjacks or similar look bloody useful though.
 
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I bought the "real McCoy" and although it wasn't cheap (about $100), I think it was worth every penny. I use it all the time and it works great. It makes wheel and tire changes a breeze. My dealer has and uses a couple of them and that's where I first found out about them. I asked him what they were, then went and bought one, lol. It comes with a bunch of attachments but I rarely use any of them. Like my dealer does, I simply lay a short length of 2 x 6 on it to pad between it and the bike frame.

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Very nice. Need to look for one of those. With the frame being uneven on the bottom, do you put the 2x6 in a specific area to lift the bike? IIRC the side stand is in the way on the one corner.

I have car tie down straps over the bars similar to the ones you have suggested.

for the intel on rear tire removal. Thx!
 
For lifting the rear wheel, I place the jack just in front of the centerstand mounts, centerstand up, sidestand down. I start with the bike on the sidestand, slide the jack under it to approximately where it needs to go, tilt the bike upright with one hand and crank the jack up with the other. You could use your fancy front wheel chock to hold the bike upright while getting the jack situated. For the front, I place the jack just in front of the sidestand mount. The bike is on the centerstand and I don't lift the front much, just enough to pivot it on the stand so the rear wheel touches the ground. This only lifts the front wheel off the ground a little bit, but that's all you need to get the wheel out.

The beauty of this jack with it's infinite adjust-ability is you can place the bike's wheels at varying heights to suit your needs. Just take the weight off and the axle can be easily slid out. Then lift the bike higher to easily get the wheel out and back in. Then lower it back down so the wheel aligns with the axle holes in the frame/forks so the axle can be easily slid back in. No fighting with the wheels anymore, having to lift them with one hand while working the axle in/out with the other.
 
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Bosco - I bought the least expensive scissor jack from Princess Auto ($24.99 CAD or around $1.37 USD at the present rate of exchange) and then I put the bike on the centrestand and simply use a piece of 2x6 under the engine sump (it is virtually flat) to juuuussst tip it up off the front wheel - and then I strap it down via the handlebars or through the lower triple fork clamp.
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That way, the bike can be right off the surface of the garage floor or the hoist - and you can work on both ends with everything a comfortable height.

When I get my MIG welder going one of the first projects is to make some sort of steel pad on the top of that little scissor jack.

Pete
 
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Three 2x4's on top of a couple 4x4's does the trick for me. Total size about 24 x12 x 5.
 

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5t my high esteem for you has been SHATTERED! $100, $100?????
$5 at a garage sale.
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I ground a V in the top so it fits the bottom of the mouse trap. Even clears the filter on madness. Again dont jack it off the center stand, on madness the rear tire touches fore the front rotates freely.
 
Well, sometimes if you wanna play, you gotta pay, lol. Like I said, I don't regret it, only wish I'd done it sooner, like 20 years sooner, lol.

Pete, I tried adapting a normal scissor jack like yours and Gary's. I welded a bigger plate base on along with a bigger plate top. No go, the narrow scissor part is too "loose" and the thing tips side to side too much once lifted. Used like Gary is doing under the front motor mount, fine, but trying to use the thing as a stand alone lifting jack for the whole ass end of the bike, well not so much. The wide scissor lift like on the Blackjack is what's needed.

There are Chinese knock-offs of these jacks all over eBay for as little as $50 to $60, but I have heard the screws are weak on some. Can't have that, it's the heart of the beast.
 
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