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[reddogguy1]

Checking my oil on a Saturday night when I evidently lost the balance of the bike (squatting down and holding the handlebar with my right hand), bike fell on me. Tore all the skin off of my right knee and left it black & blue, and me limping. I told those who have asked that I just sprang it, you know the real story. I decided I need a Center Stand or an ATV jack. Where can I get one?

[Guy B. Young II]

Sorry to hear of your little incident, and hope you heal quickly. Centerstands are available from: Arrowhead: http://www.angelfire.com/ut/moab/index.html Isallgood: http://www.isallgood.com/ Dual Star: http://www.dual-star.com/index2/ Happy Trail: http://www.happy-trail.com/ To name a few. FWIW, the way I check my oil is to stand beside the RH side of the bike when it is on the sidestand, with me facing the rear. The bike is in gear. With me a couple of feet away, I grip the RH grip and pull it over towards me towards vertical. As the bike approaches vertical, I look down at the window to see where the oild level is. You can tell where the bike is repective of vertical by the way the balance feels when it is upright. Guy A16 Richmond, VA -----Original Message----- From: reddogguy1 Checking my oil on a Saturday night when I evidently lost the balance of the bike (squatting down and holding the handlebar with my right hand), bike fell on me. Tore all the skin off of my right knee and left it black & blue, and me limping. I told those who have asked that I just sprang it, you know the real story. I decided I need a Center Stand or an ATV jack. Where can I get one?

[Harry Seifert]

MC lift at local (SoCal) Kragen for $39.99, Pep Boys for $49.99 w $10.00 automatic rebate, some Costco's may still have the lift and stool package for about $69.00........or you can try Handi Industries for a swing arm and fork lift combo for $99.00...look in the classifieds in PsychoWorld for their add...............or better yet, flag down your local Snap On guy and he'll sell you a lift, just like the Teutels have at OC Chopper for $2,800. Try Kragen (or their mates Checker and/or Schucks (sp?)) first. I've used one of their lifts for two years with no problems. Harry Seifert bseifert71@...

> [Original Message] > From: reddogguy1 > To: DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com> > Date: 4/25/2005 11:23:05 AM > Subject: [DSN_KLR650] Center Stand > > > > Checking my oil on a Saturday night when I evidently lost the balance > of the bike (squatting down and holding the handlebar with my right > hand), bike fell on me. Tore all the skin off of my right knee and left > it black & blue, and me limping. I told those who have asked that I > just sprang it, you know the real story. I decided I need a Center > Stand or an ATV jack. Where can I get one? > > > > > > Archive Quicksearch at:

http://www.angelfire.com/ut/moab/klr650_data_search.html

> List sponsored by Dual Sport News at: www.dualsportnews.com > List FAQ courtesy of Chris Krok at: www.bigcee.com/klr650faq.html > > > Yahoo! Groups Links > > > > > > >

[rsanders30117]

A floor jack for a KLR650 is very nice for suspension work but not needed for check oil. You can easily make posts that support a KLR under the tips of the rear swing arms. I generally park my A14 in my basement on my set posts. My posts are 4x4 lumber cut the same length. The correct length is measured from the tip of the tip of the right to the floor plus " when leaned over on the side stand. To get a KLR up on the stand: 1. Wedge a post under the right rear swing arm tip. If the right length, you may have lift the bike a bit with your left hand while positioning the post with you right hand. 2. Then stand the other post by the left rear swing arm tip, ready to slip into place. 3. Then put your right hand on the luggage rack & you left on the handle-bar. Lift the bike on to the far post. 4. When the near side is high enough, use your right foot to slide the post under the left side. It sounds worse than it actually is. Once you get the knack of it, it's easy to do. I check my oil, oiling the chain & like to work on it is when level. I used just the 4x4 post for a long time but have added 1x4x12" at the base of each post for a bit more stability. Another thing not to try at home, if you drop a glove while on a KLR650, DON'T try to lean over to pick it up. Trust me on this one. --- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com, "reddogguy1" wrote:

> > Checking my oil on a Saturday night when I evidently lost the

balance

> of the bike (squatting down and holding the handlebar with my right > hand), bike fell on me. Tore all the skin off of my right knee and

left

> it black & blue, and me limping. I told those who have asked that I > just sprang it, you know the real story. I decided I need a Center > Stand or an ATV jack. Where can I get one?

[Analog Aardvark]

I've found that if I pull the bike up on the sidestand (so it's on the sidestand and front wheel) and then scoot a standard ole milk crate under the bash plate, it balances perfectly. Neither wheel is off the ground because the suspension is so tall, but it's quite stable. Not good for oil changes and wheel removal but gorgeous for doohickey removal etc when you want the bike more stable than a chunk of wood under the swingarm but need it to be upright. Luke A17 __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com

[Hedrek]

My bike is broken-in now and I have some maintenance to do. I've seen conflicting advice on getting a center stand. I'd think off road it would be good for tire changing. Any advice, best make out there? Problems with them? Hedrek in Albuquerque __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com

[W.V. Doran]

You will hear pros and cons on the center stand. I'm pro center stand . Makes thing like chain adjustments, chain lube, tire tube repair, tire changing, checking tire pressure, loading gear on the bike, filling the gas tank, checking oil level and blah, blah, blah easier. If you decide to buy one I recommend Happy Trails center stand with the foot kick. It makes getting the bike up on the stand a simple task. If it's not listed on site call them. http://happy-trail.com/ Hedrek wrote: My bike is broken-in now and I have some maintenance to do. I've seen conflicting advice on getting a center stand. I'd think off road it would be good for tire changing. Any advice, best make out there? Problems with them? Hedrek in Albuquerque __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com WVDoran Scottsdale, AZ __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[Jeff Saline]

On Tue, 25 Jul 2006 11:53:10 -0700 (PDT) Hedrek writes:

> My bike is broken-in now and I have some maintenance > to do. I've seen conflicting advice on getting a > center stand. I'd think off road it would be good for > tire changing. Any advice, best make out there? > Problems > with them? > > Hedrek in Albuquerque

<><><><><><> <><><><><><> Hedrek, I got a centerstand from Cycle Analyst ??? two years ago. I don't think he carries them anymore. I'm pretty sure the ones from Dual-Star and Happy Trails are about the same. Take a look at the kicker foot on the happy trails site. I've added a similar foot to my stand and it makes putting the fully loaded bike on the centerstand easy. I really like having the centerstand available for most of the time I'm with the bike. But if a guy gets in over his head a bit like when Steve and I were in the Apache Indian Reservation on De Tour it could easily cause problems in the rocks. For "normal" riding, like on logging roads and forest trails, I don't think it's an issue. The centerstand is held on using the footpeg bolts. I'm pretty sure the suggested torque is 18 foot pounds and a guy shouldn't overtighten these bolts. I had one bolt strip and it was a project putting in larger bolts in all four holes. The footpeg brackets are very hard and I was able to break one drill bit. If the centerstand legs hit a rock there is a lot of leverage available to rip a footpeg off the bike. I think something like that happened to Paul Streeter a year or two ago and if I recall correctly his repair in Mexico was to weld the foot peg to the bike frame. I like using the centerstand whenever possible. It makes checking the oil sight glass simple and also makes lubing the chain easy. For tire changes the bike is stable and it provides plenty of clearance for tire removal and replacement. Sometimes a guy can hear the centerstand banging around if you are riding in rough conditions. I lube my centerstand bushings at least once a year and try to remember to lube them every oil change done at home. If a guy is going to ride on the street, forest trails and logging roads I'm thinking a centerstand could work well. If the riding is going to be in rough conditions or rock fields it might be worth considering the liabilities of the centerstand. For me it stays. Oh, remember that when you do rear suspension linkage lubrication the wishbone won't come out or go back in easily if the centerstand is installed. It holds the frame together. For that work I remove the centerstand and loosen the rear motor mount bolt to allow the frame to spread a bit. Then the wishbone slips out and in without problems. I've used 5 gallon plastic buckets with a board over the top or jackstands to support the bike for this maintenance. Best, Jeff Saline ABC # 4412 South Dakota Airmarshal Airheads Beemer Club www.airheads.org The Beautiful Black Hills of South Dakota 75 R90/6, 03 KLR650, 79 R100RT

[Norm Keller]

You will receive pros and cons, some very strongly felt. IMO a centre stand is a waste of money, reduces ground clearance, increases the risk of damage to foot peg fasteners. The case for the centre stand (English/Canadian spelling is 're) for routine maintenance doesn't hold for me as it seems more practical to use a stand or inexpensive bike lift at home. In the trail/road there are other alternatives which avoid having to carry around an expensive chunk of iron. For chain lubing, it is simple for me to flip the by-pass switch to inactivate the side stand safety switch; start the engine; pull the bike toward me onto the side stand far enough to lift the rear tire off the ground; hold with my left hand and spray the chain with my right. When done spraying, simply flip the safety by-pass switch kills the engine, and then let the bike back to rest on both tires. As for tire changing and to keep things in perspective as I've had more flats than anyone I know: there are easy ways to deal with a flat than carrying the centre stand. I carry an old aluminium tent pole section zip tied to the under side of the tool sewer pipe to use as a prop. Laying the bike onto its side over a service station planter works super. A chunk of log under each HT pannier is just fine and a pannier with some padding under the skid plate holds it up well. If you plan on having more flats than I've had then therapy would seem to be in order. (VBG) It would be well to re-read Jeff's post and decide whether the stand is the accessory you will find to be the most benefit. I'd put the $ into suspension instead which will help rather than hinder the ground clearance issue. One more observation: don't buy a centre stand until you have tried someone's bike which has one fitted!!! Too often things are bought because the catalogue listing looks pretty. Just my $0.02 and I hope that your decision turns out to be the best one for your application. Norm [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[Hedrek]

I'm leaning toward no centerstand. Harbor Freight motorcycle jacks are going on sale on 8/12, so home maintanence could be OK, but I'm still stumped how you get a bike up to fix a flat. I guess rope and a tree, lean it over a fallen tree or embankment. I tend to ride alone I have to be able to do it by myself. I saw something by Motion Pro which I think is a steel or aluminum pole you stick under the right side rear/axle somehow to lift that side. Hedrek __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com