Center Stand - hold down the back to get the front wheel up?

[Gone in 60]

Hi all,
Haven't had to try this before, but I need to remove my front wheel when I get home tonight ('93 NH 750). When the bike is on the center stand, does it take a ton of weight on the back of the bike to get the bike to lean back to get the front wheel off the ground?

Thanks!

[LOKi]

Doesn't take too much. But I like the cinder block and 4x4 jammed under the crash bar trick to elevate mine.

[bajakirch]

When I had to remove the front and rear tires, I strapped sawhorses on each side of the bike. Then I had my 13YO son push down on the back end while I placed bricks and a 2x4 under the exhaust pipes (no crash bars on my bike). It looked goofy as hell, but worked well.

[ExTex]

I use a bottle jack from Wal Mart.  It allow me to gently lift as much as needed and to lower the bike.
They are not very expensive (~$15) and the lowest weight capacity will work well.
http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=bottle+jack&rls=com.microsoft:en-us&oe=UTF-8&startIndex=&startPage=1&um=1&ie=UTF-8&cid=9110247543122625469&sa=X&ei=UAORTdnZDpO-tgeQg6SICQ&ved=0CDgQ8wIwAQ#

Ride safely,
 

[Gone in 60]

Shoot - bottle jack. Why didn't I think of that? I have one.

Thanks!

[mattrowe19]

When I use a bottle jack I use a short piece of 2x4 to help distribute the weight. That way, there isn't a ton of weight resting in the small point of the jack.

[Gone in 60]

That makes sense. Woudn't want to punch a hole in my oil pan or flatten a pipe.

[green427]

I used a floor jack and a piece of wood to hold the front end up, and strapped the triple tree to my garage overhead joists to prevent excessive sideways motion.

[Mainerider]

Just make sure you slip something under the rear wheel to prevent the bike from tipping rearward off the c-stand; on most bikes, jacking up the bike in the front so that the front wheel clears the fork leg axle studs can tip the bike backward.  Slide a piece of wood or something similar under the rear tire to prevent that.

[Bumblebee]

Just make sure you slip something under the rear wheel to prevent the bike from tipping rearward off the c-stand; on most bikes, jacking up the bike in the front so that the front wheel clears the fork leg axle studs can tip the bike backward.  Slide a piece of wood or something similar under the rear tire to prevent that.

 

The centerstand retracts backward, not forward.

[Option13]

I had somebody sit on the back to take the wheel off, then put a cinder block and a two by four under the forks in place of the wheel. Putting the wheel back on was the reverse of removal. Worked just fine and I had someone to talk to!

[Brittles]

Woudn't want to punch a hole in my oil pan or flatten a pipe.

The bottle jack(s) goes under the frame.

[Mainerider]

True but the bike is still balanced on the c stand. Lift the front end enough and the rearward  weight shift will overwhelm the c stand balance. I jacked one up once,the rear wheel tipped enough to hit the garage floor. When it contacted the floor it bounced just enough and the bike tipped over on its side 

[Bumblebee]

True but the bike is still balanced on the c stand. Lift the front end enough and the rearward  weight shift will overwhelm the c stand balance. I jacked one up once,the rear wheel tipped enough to hit the garage floor. When it contacted the floor it bounced just enough and the bike tipped over on its side 

Interesting. I've never managed to experience that during the 500 or so times mine has been up on the centerstand for maintenance. Mine takes an awful lot of klutzy abuse to get it to hop off the centerstand stand like that on level ground.

[Laminar]

[Mainerider]

I'm actually a competent wrench and I have a well-equipped, heated garage to work in It has happened only once to me (2002 Magna w an aftermarket C-stand) but that was one time too many...

[ExTex]

Yes, I have had the center stand retract when I jacked the front so high
that the rear wheel contacted the floor and the center stand was elevated.
This happened to my VTR250 which had an oversized rear tire such that
there was almost no clearance between the rear tire and the floor.

A way to prevent the center stand from retracting is to strap it to the front wheel
(If you are not removing the front wheel).

I forgot to mention using a board on the bottle jack head to distribute the forces.
I used a spade bit to drill a flat-bottomed hole into the board about 1/2 through so that the top of the jack rides in the hole and the board cannot slip off the jack.

Tying the handlebars to the ceiling joists is a good idea also.  I mounted a 4x4 in my garage to tie to when I was working on my Sabre.

Ride Safely,
 

[helmet hair]

Shoot - bottle jack. Why didn't I think of that? I have one.

Thanks!

  when I quickly read this entry I thought they were talking about a 'bottle of jack' not a bottle jack, and wondered how the hell they proped up the bike with a bottle of JD !!??  I'm either going mad or dyslexic

[floridahawk]

[I need to build/weld one of these up Thanks for the pic Laminar]

[Bumblebee]

when I quickly read this entry I thought they were talking about a 'bottle of jack' not a bottle jack, and wondered how the hell they proped up the bike with a bottle of JD !!??  I'm either going mad or dyslexic

Um, I actually jacked the front of mine off the ground one evening with an empty wine bottle to change brake pads while camping. The higher friction cork helped keep it in place.
It's not the best idea however it worked just about as well as a bottle jack or a jack stand or tree branch or a big rock or whatever.
You do what you have to do...

[muttstang]

I had mine on the center stand with both wheels off.  It was leaning forward (front axle bolts resting on a 2x4)  I bumped it and the bike shifted forward so the center stand flipped up and the bike dropped down onto the exhaust.  It actually balances well on the exhaust.  Fortunately, I have a rear end bike jack that I put under it to lift it up off of the ground.  I should have had that on there in the first place.