Well, I just got done laughing at my nearest Honda dealership in regards to their tire mounting prices. $170 to mount two tires. Shenanigans!
So I have no stands at home and this bike has no center stand. Right now, all I really need to do is get the front tire replaced. I have never needed my own stands before, so I am inexperienced in this. Will any front fork stand work on this bike or does it have to be VFR1200 specific? If any front fork stand will work, I can probably borrow one from a friend.
I saw the Pitbull goes into the center stand mount, does that mean I can weigh the back down to lift the front tire up if needed? Or do I also need the front stands?
any front stand will work but you do not want to raise the front without the rear on the stand. i made that mistake once and the bike fell. im using the same front stand that i have used on both my cbr's, my rc51 and my wifes sv650.
You're welcome to borrow my front stand if you would like, I wont be needing it anytime soon.. ..... would have to take a look to figure out the rear. ....
If you could find a 7th gen being parted out that has a center stand you might be able to get it for cheap, bolt it on temporarily for tire changes and then remove it. Maybe someone who's removed a c/s from a 7th gen could describe whether that's easy or a P.I.T.A. IIRC the c/s was an accessory rather than being standard so maybe there aren't many around - don't know.
If it were me and it has been....a couple of ratchet straps to the beams in the garage along with a couple of well placed jacks/jackstands :comp13: and your set that way if it tips or starts to fall it can't go far! I have had my forth gen and others hanging from the ceiling before.....
Good luck!
I have a three large Eye bolts through the ceiling and through 4 x 4's across the rafters.
Not sure if you can use the headers on the 7th gen or not but I just pulled the wheels off my 6th gen that doesn't have a centerstand. I put a block under the kickstand and used a wide jack under the cat/headers and slowly started raising the front of the bike until I could get enough blocks under the front of the headers. Wound up with a couple of 2x4's under the kickstand and I believe four or five 2x4's under the front of the headers. The jack was roughly under the cat. The key was loosening everything before I got it up in the air.
It wasn't the most fun way to do it and I can assure you, I'll have stands by the time I do it again.
I hate center stands, especially on a sport bikes, so I bought the PitPulI rear stand. It was $180 shipped from sportbiketrackgear.com, which is $10 more than the dealer is charging you to take off a tire and you get a stand to use over and over.
They don't have it on their website, but I called them and they were able to get it for me in a few days. It's really light and small. It works perfect with my pit bull front stand.
i don't know about popping the factory center stand on and off, the dealer told me that mine was a real bitch to install,,,,,but it's easy with the center stand and a small floor jack under the oil pan....i have this Condor stand that i normally use for the Valkyrie which has no C-stand...it's adjustable for front or rear tire sizes and very stable....i use it for everyday parking in the garage because the Valk gets pretty wide when leaned over on that short side stand...just ride it in with the front wheel...but i just had the forks of of the Valk with it on the rear and the floor jack....very stable
This will not lift your front wheel but as a rear wheel stand it looks great. I found it on a different VFR forum and it would be cheaper if you can make it than a Pitbull stand.
damn! Thats pretty nice. I don't have access to metal nor a welder. I'll just pony up the money for the PitBull! But it's always a good idea to share that kind of stuff incase someone is looking for it later.
I was just talking to an acquaintance who owns a '09 CBR1000. I don't know the guy well, he could be full of crap for all I know - but he said that he had to use a stem mounted lift for the front because of the ABS sensor. That sounded odd to me.
Mello dude offered his stand that he uses on his 800. Will that standard front fork stand work on the 1200? I think it will, but I'd rather look dumb asking instead of looking dumb trying to lift it and damaging something.
I cant understand the infatuation with not having a centerstand, I bought the stock centerstand, and used a floor jack under the headers to change the front.
I thought about just using the centerstand as a tool, put it on for tire change, take it off, but installed it, and I cant see dragging it.
(this is where everyone says, this guy is slow)
but, I found out recently, that my DCT will wheelie, if I just gas it. gas it hard. still want the ecu upgrade.
previous bike was CB1k, before that was VFR800, and before that was GSF1250. I'd probably still have the GSF, but the insurance took it away after hitting a deer with it.
I would think hanging it from above would be no problem, for years as line tech, we took many a big bike out of crates using the fork lift.
whats wrong with that?
the balance tool for the 800, CB1k works on the VFR1200.
$170 for 2 tire install? maybe I should go back to being a line tech.
Dumb question here - do the rubber spool things on the stands go on the bottom of the forks or underneath the caliper mounts? A friend dropped his off and showed me how be does it, but it seems wrong to have it under the caliper mount.
Dumb question here - do the rubber spool things on the stands go on the bottom of the forks or underneath the caliper mounts? A friend dropped his off and showed me how be does it, but it seems wrong to have it under the caliper mount.
Not sure what spooly thingys your looking at but if its a under fork model, the spool things should go under the very bottom of the forks. There is an open hole area and the spools should fit under neath... if that is the type of lift Im thinking of.....
Yeah, I am not very good at describing things. Here is how the guy showed me:
[image: IMG_20140930_213220.jpg]
I specifically asked why it would not go under the the forks themselves since that is how I remember yours working mello. He just said that your stands may have been different.
I currently have the rear of the bike supported with ratchet straps to the rafters. Just supporting - not hanging. So I can take this off the stand and put it on the bottom of the forks then.
Well, I just got home from taking the wheel off. With the stand that I borrowed, no matter the position the ABS sensor is in the way. I do not like the stand at all and I can guarantee that I will not be using them again. I put the axle back through the forks and put a jack stand under it just in case.
I have been on the fence about what kind of stand I will be buying and I am pretty sure it is going to be the ABBA stand. That way I can have both wheels off the ground at the same time and nothing is in the way of the rear wheel, front wheel, and forks. And it comes out to about the same as the two PitBull stands I was considering.
Pitbulls are the only choice for me but get what works for you. The Pitbulls are so well made they will outlast me (I'll be in the ground in other words) so I don't even bother looking elsewhere.
erbilabuc, that's quite a job. Poor bicycle sacrificed at the Altar of Motorized 2-Wheeling.
BTW, Gen 7 doesn't have a thru hole on the rear hub, so a rear stand like that won't work. I do have a T-Rex SSSA rear stand for my S3R that basically works like yours. I bought it for $75 used IIRC.
I have more than one way to do this, for fork service needs I use the eye hooks in the garage rafters in conjunction with the center stand. for quick and easy wheel removal I use a front stand I got from Cycle Gear. Not the best, but it works in a pinch, I also have a Pitbull rear stand that I got for $80 but it's for traditional swing arm bikes, mostly for helping non VFR owners with their bikes.
Not sure why you don't like the rafter idea Marriedman, as long as you get the appropriate eye hooks (I got the type intended for a swing set, they hold up to 250lbs each.) I also have a ratchet tie down that is rated really high (don't recall the rating off hand though) so far no issues. What I really want is one of the Burgis Bursig stands but they still don't have the mounts that work with the VFR800! It works like the Abba stand except it has wheels so you can move the bike around. Perfect for storing and/or maintenance.
My thing with hanging from the garage rafters is down to 2 issues.
1 - Shit. My wife has so much shit up above it's not even funny. Also, the previous owner of my house has a nightmare mass of wiring running too and fro. There is so much shit going around the rafters, sitting on top of them, nailed or bolted on them.. To try and hang something from them is a pain.
2 - My own incompetence. Last time I had the bike hanging from them I did it wrong and notched my head bearings. mello dude swears that when he rode my bike he didn't feel anything, but it was driving me crazy. Replaced them and the problem was gone. So I blame hanging the bike. Another friend hangs his ZX-14 all the time when working on it and swears there is no problem. But why risk it when there is an elegant solution that is not that expensive?
The Abba stand appears similar but with exchange rates comes out a little more than the Bursig, at least with the current exchange rate and comparing the VFR1200 (Bursig) with the VFR800 (Abba). Ironically, Abba doesn't make the Skylift for the VFR1200 so I couldn't do an apples to apples comparison. Although right now Bursig does not have a kit for the VFR800, I did however correspond with someone via email at Bursig USA and they appear to be interested in making them for the VFR800.Note that I also inquired about my Duc too.
Dear Darryl,I just received a reply from BURSIG in Germany. They are building an adapter plate for the 900SS as we speak. They also said that there will be something available for the VFR800 at some point but it might take a bit until they are able to launch that application.I hope this information helps. Let me know if you have any additional questions.
Regards,
Patrick Schrickel
Bursig Bike Lift Systems
Max MOTO, Inc.
REMUS Exhaust Systems
Melvin Brake Systems
Abba Skylift is not available on website for 1200 but if you call them they will supply them for vfr1200
Due to no hole through rear axle - you need to use a double strap to strap the bike to the stand to stop it rotating during lifting - or I should say control the rotation
They suggest using rear passenger grab rail - they say they have a few customers who do this
That is everything you need to lift both wheels off the ground. After screwing around with the cheap stands to put a wheel on, I am looking forward to buying this.
But why risk it when there is an elegant solution that is not that expensive?
Exactly. You bought an expensive motorcycle but a couple hundred bucks in proper, well made, bulletproof stands are gonna put you in the po' house?
A stem stand from Pitbull will allow you to remove the front wheel or completely remove the front forks. The rear stand they offer is VFR1200 specific but would easily sell when/if you change bikes. You can often find a stem stand used on ebay, craigslist, etc. The rear VFR1200 stand, probably will have to pony up.
I think I have 5 Pitbulls. Two spool mount, both bought used for $100 a piece, the VFR1200 rear stand bought from RidersDiscount (I know a guy) for a considerable discount, a stem stand (with a box of pins to fit anything I've owned thus far) bought used for $100 and a bottom fork stand bought new for $120.
They have another benefit and that is keeping the tires off the floor when there is downtime (winter!). Hunt around bro. You'll find some used ones somewhere. All the ones I've bought used have been from folks selling bikes and getting out of the sport.
I think I have 5 Pitbulls. Two spool mount, both bought used for $100 a piece, the VFR1200 rear stand bought from RidersDiscount (I know a guy) for a considerable discount, a stem stand (with a box of pins to fit anything I've owned thus far) bought used for $100 and a bottom fork stand bought new for $120.
When not in use, hang them on some bicycle hangers from Home Depot or Lowes. :beer:
But why risk it when there is an elegant solution that is not that expensive?
Exactly. You bought an expensive motorcycle but a couple hundred bucks in proper, well made, bulletproof stands are gonna put you in the po' house?
A stem stand from Pitbull will allow you to remove the front wheel or completely remove the front forks. The rear stand they offer is VFR1200 specific but would easily sell when/if you change bikes. You can often find a stem stand used on ebay, craigslist, etc. The rear VFR1200 stand, probably will have to pony up.
If I were to go the Pitbull route, it would be $170 for the front and $180 for the rear stand. I have not found them on Craigslist in my area nor on ebay currently. So that is $350. If I go the Abba route, it's $250. Still not cheap, but not as much as the Pitbull. Abba stands are pretty well respected and are supposed to be of good quality. I have no doubts that Pitbulls are as well. But I prefer the form factor of the Abba. It breaks down and appears to be more easily stored.
They have another benefit and that is keeping the tires off the floor when there is downtime (winter!).
The Abba does this also, but with just the single stand. I wouldn't need one for both ends of the bike:
There are some videos of how it works. I know Pitbull works well for many people. But for what I am wanting, I believe the Abba is the better way to go.
Thanks for the advice and tips though!
EDIT
Found a picture of the VFR1200 specific Abba stand, but without the adapter to allow both wheels off the ground:
If you are gonna be riding a motorcycle for long... any motorcycle, you need to quit the accounting bit and buy a good front wheel stand. Period. And preferably one that has a steering stem adapter.
For me, the same goes for a rear stand. I agree using a front stand first to prop up a bike is dangerous business. If at all possible, I fit a center stand on my streetbike. A friend of mine picked up a nail on his ride to work, then parked it on the sidestand all day long. By the time he was ready to ride home, his rear tire has gone flat and the bike fell over to the right. Away from home, if I park my bike for any longer than 30 mins, it goes on a center stand.
As for hanging from the rafters... I think it is a great "back-up" method of securing a bike up right. I do it when I have to work on my bike with some muscle, and center stand alone might not be secure enough. I would NOT want to use the rafter ties as the primary means of lifting up a bike.
Yes, a lot of us have more stands than we have bikes.
If you are gonna be riding a motorcycle for long... any motorcycle, you need to quit the accounting bit and buy a good front wheel stand. Period. And preferably one that has a steering stem adapter.
Sorry, can't do that. I am too tight with my money! Being so frugal has enabled me to buy and sell bikes when I wanted and quickly buy another.
I will of course spend what I need to get quality equipment though. But I still don't think I need to have a front stand if the Abba will lift the front end off the ground as it is advertised. Plus I will be less likely to trip over the thng
The straps to a rafter is definitely not something I am comfortable doing except as a stabilizer.
Sorry, can't do that. I am too tight with my money! Being so frugal has enabled me to buy and sell bikes when I wanted and quickly buy another.
I will of course spend what I need to get quality equipment though. But I still don't think I need to have a front stand if the Abba will lift the front end off the ground as it is advertised. Plus I will be less likely to trip over the thng
The straps to a rafter is definitely not something I am comfortable doing except as a stabilizer.
Nothing wrong with being frugal. I am too. My GF says I'm cheap, but I think frugal is a better word. I am willing to spend money on good quality stuff that will last a long time. :beer:
The Abba lift seems like it will work for you. One thing I would think about though is if you do swap bikes regularly, does Abba make adapters for all of the bikes and at what cost? The front and rear stands sound like they are more upfront cost, but also more universal for future bikes. There are several on Craigslist around me. Too bad shipping to you would end up killing the good prices.
The Abba lift seems like it will work for you. One thing I would think about though is if you do swap bikes regularly, does Abba make adapters for all of the bikes and at what cost? The front and rear stands sound like they are more upfront cost, but also more universal for future bikes. There are several on Craigslist around me. Too bad shipping to you would end up killing the good prices.
Another excellent point Wera. I had no intentions of swapping bikes so quickly, I can promise you that! I loved my 5th gen. I just wanted a few modern updates to it. I figured if so many members with far more experience than I liked the 6th gen so well, I would be OK losing the GDC. And I really didn't think the VTEC would be that big a deal. I mean come on! Look at Sebspeed for goodness sake! He makes the 6th gen look bad ass. And everything about the 6th gen was better. Except the engine. (to me at least). I just felt nothing when I rode that bike.
My wife saw how unhappy I was with the bike and told me to sell it and get another bike. Like I said, everything else was better so I didn't want to go back to the 5th unless I could not find another bike to bring the smiles back. And I wanted to keep with a VFR, so that left only the 7th gen. I don't plan on another bike anytime soon because this one has all the modern amenities and the engine definitely makes me smile!
So knock on wood this stand works well and the bike and I spend many years together. If not, I will graciously accept all the "told-ya-so's" in regards to the two separate stands!
Another excellent point Wera. I had no intentions of swapping bikes so quickly, I can promise you that! I loved my 5th gen. I just wanted a few modern updates to it. I figured if so many members with far more experience than I liked the 6th gen so well, I would be OK losing the GDC. And I really didn't think the VTEC would be that big a deal. I mean come on! Look at Sebspeed for goodness sake! He makes the 6th gen look bad ass. And everything about the 6th gen was better. Except the engine. (to me at least). I just felt nothing when I rode that bike.
My wife saw how unhappy I was with the bike and told me to sell it and get another bike. Like I said, everything else was better so I didn't want to go back to the 5th unless I could not find another bike to bring the smiles back. And I wanted to keep with a VFR, so that left only the 7th gen. I don't plan on another bike anytime soon because this one has all the modern amenities and the engine definitely makes me smile!
So knock on wood this stand works well and the bike and I spend many years together. If not, I will graciously accept all the "told-ya-so's" in regards to the two separate stands!
I hear you. If the 1200 had that GDC whine, I would probalby have one already. I've ridden the 6th gens a couple of times and still feel much more at home on my 5th gen. I think shaft drive and more power would be fantastic. Good brakes would be a bonus. Maybe one day I will cave. The 1200 just keep pulling at me.
I think I have 5 Pitbulls. Two spool mount, both bought used for $100 a piece, the VFR1200 rear stand bought from RidersDiscount (I know a guy) for a considerable discount, a stem stand (with a box of pins to fit anything I've owned thus far) bought used for $100 and a bottom fork stand bought new for $120.
When not in use, hang them on some bicycle hangers from Home Depot or Lowes. :beer:
Most definitely. I just painted the garage and am in the process of tricking it completely out to get everything off the floor. Looking pretty sick so far ;)
Sorry, can't do that. I am too tight with my money! Being so frugal has enabled me to buy and sell bikes when I wanted and quickly buy another.
I will of course spend what I need to get quality equipment though. But I still don't think I need to have a front stand if the Abba will lift the front end off the ground as it is advertised. Plus I will be less likely to trip over the thng
The straps to a rafter is definitely not something I am comfortable doing except as a stabilizer.
I can appreciate wanting to be frugal. If that were your prime motivation, though, the ABBA stand should really be considered splurging in grand scale. :happy: Because you can basically achieve 60% of the functionality with less money that the cost of what ABBA charges for the VFR1200F adapter kit ($25). All you need to to buy a smooth steel rod (1/2" dia. IIRC) and use the jackstands you probably already got. I started doing this back when I had my ZX10R and RSV1000R Factory. Even though I had rear stands, the rod through swingarm pivot hole method of support is rock solid and much more secure when I had to do some serious wrenching. You can compare the difference in stability with my $29.95 HarborFreight rear stand under the Ape. BTW, that HF stand is one excellent value. In some ways, I like it better than the PitBulls. It is the one I take to track days. Again, frugal can be good value and functionality.
This steel rod method is about as universal as it gets. I cannot think of a bike I've had (10 in the past 3yrs) this wouldn't work. Even though I have other stands, I still occasionally go back to this method. The steel rod was less than $10 I think. I would be willing to bet that Ape - as supported - would not fall off in a magnitude 5 earthquake.
I had the tie put back on, front stand put away... Tools put away., and I was taking off the ratchet straps I had as supporting tension. On the last one... The very last thing to do... my daughter tries to understand why they are there and pulls on the strap.
The bike fell on right top of her. Lemme tell you, that bike is heavy. Got it off her and she was fine but she was apologizing over and over. I surprisingly took it rather well. It is officially scratched and scuffed so now I don't have to worry about when it's going to happen.
FWIW... that's what I meant by using the rafter straps as secondary support. They are last to be put on, and first to be taken off. The idea is that they are never to be the ONLY or LAST means of keeping the bike upright. They are there to catch the bike, in case the primary support fails.
For example, I would put the bike on the center stand or on a rear stand, then set up the straps before commencing work. After I'm done wrenching, the straps are first to come off, leaving the bike on the stand.
If it makes you feel any better, I too learned this the hard way... like you just did. :sad:
For example, I would put the bike on the center stand or on a rear stand, then set up the straps before commencing work. After I'm done wrenching, the straps are first to come off, leaving the bike on the stand.
If it makes you feel any better, I too learned this the hard way... like you just did. :sad:
lol, I agree. That would have been the best way to do it. If I had stands!
But you are right, I have learned a lesson from thing that will not be repeated.
glad all turned out well, reckon though that your wife had something to say to you as well eh? :-)
That's what is so strange, she has been pretty cool about it. About everything. Buying & selling bikes, buying gear, riding when I want... I need to check for a pod next to her bed in case a bodysnatcher nabbed her!
+1. I've almost dropped a bike on myself whilst changing a rear shock when I was younger. I did a similar ghetto 'rafter hang' job and I heard a cable coming loose while I was laying next to the bike working a bolt off the dog bones. I managed to roll away before the bike crushed me. Next time, just invest in some pitbull stands. They really last forever and look the same as they did when I bought them 10 years ago. They come up on craigslist all the time, so you don't have to buy new.
[image: DSCF2467]
DSCF2467
I use the same front stand on my other bikes. It lifts the bike from the steering stem, so it's great for fork removal too.
+1 on Pitbull stands. I got lucky and picked up a conventional rear (standard swing arm type) for $80 from a local rider. I use it when helping my friends who don't have single sided swing arm bikes. Just missed out on a front stand, guy didn't check his PM and end up selling off of his Craig's list ad.
Had this front stand so long, I dont even know what it is, (may be a Lochhart Phillips) or where I got it. -Couldnt put a number on the number of bikes its been used on including a couple of goldwings, the Valk, shadows, Viffers, Sabres, dirtnbikes and others, and loaned around to buddies with Suzukis, Yams, Kawi, and Ducs.. Still works fine.