[Gas Man]

Well, I'm going to borrow a MC lift/jack from a buddy to get my torn down bike off it's front stand so that I can take apart the front steering head to lube up my bearing.

You know, the lifts that goes under your bike from the side and lifts/jacks it up. So that there is not weight on the front of the rear. Your wheels would just be hanging...

Was just curious, if anybody else has one of these...and do you find it usefull to have. Or is this one of the few jobs you would ever need it for. I know that I wouldn't use it for oil changes or anything. It could be used for changing out dog bones (rear suspension parts) and forks...even wheels.

But I do believe you couldn't use it if you had your lower fairing on the bike. So unless you're really into a project I don't think one would use it that often...

What do you guys think?

 

[jeeps84]

Make sure the bike is leveled and shimmed well. The lifts suck on sport bike because the header and block are so far apart!

 

[Gas Man]

Well, the craftsman has ratch straps to help stabalize the bike.

Check it out...

Craftsman MC Jack

And only $90....

 

[jeeps84]

Yep, thats the one I was thinking of.

 

[Gas Man]

See, I could never use it unless I remove the lower fairing... so not sure how often I would use it if I bought one... ya know!

 

[No Worries]

My CBR has full body work that wraps around the bike, including the underside. But it has a center stand, which I use for rear wheel maintenance like lubing the chain. To work on the front wheel, there are two lugs that stick down from the engine, below the plastic. A block of wood across these lugs and a hydraulic jack will raise the front. Does your engine have similar lugs?

 

[pickle.of.doom]

I dont know if I could use one or not. My exhaust pipes seem to be routed right where the jack would go, I think I would have to remove my header pipes, or at least the front one, first.

 

[Gas Man]

I don't have any lugs like that... I have 2 styles of front end stands... but nothing to get the load off the tripple trees.

POD, it is designed to go around your exhaust...

I'm going to borrow the lift and may continue to just do that... I don't need to have all of this stuff.... especially if I don't use it that much...

Somebody has to have one of these and can speak of it...

 

[jeeps84]

I wouldn't buy one unless you have a cruiser and or a quad to work on! If you can borrow one great. Just get some 2X4's to block it up level. You can use a floor jack to do the same job. Just need some way to secure the bike. I have I bolts in the ceiling to strap the bike up just for these little jobs.

 

[pickle.of.doom]

I use two ratchet tie down straps hung from a beam in the top of my garage. Although, Im not sure where I would hook it up on the bike if I was going to be doing steering head bearings...

 

[jeeps84]

Yea that's a good point! You might have to take the tank back off to get a good hook to hang the bike!

 

[Gas Man]

Believe I thought of this as a option. But in my finished garage...it would take a bit more to get the hooks in place...still might consider that though... with the rear stand and pulling up the front end it might not be that bad...what type of hooks did you guys use... the rubber coded like J hooks that screw in???

But I'm think I won't get a lift jack thing if I can borrow one and use the ratch idea for anything else...

 

[pickle.of.doom]

The garage I used actaully had a big ol beam across the top, 4x4, that looked real sturdy so I just wrapped the tie downs right around that. I plan to put something in the shed to achieve the same purpose. Im sure that 2 of those j hooks mounted in to a strong support would be just fine... if its on the rear stand, it really isnt supporting all that much weight... you might be able to use those tie-down strap things, they could wrap around the frame or anything up there. I only had to take the front wheel off when I did it, so I just hooked them to the grips.

 

[Gas Man]

Can't do just the straps...due to as I said... it's a finished garage... drywall and all. So I would have to cut a big hole in the ceiling and that ain't happening!!!

 

[pickle.of.doom]

Oh, yeah, I meant use the straps on the end connected to the bike. That way you can sling em around the frame or wherever you need to to get to the bearings. Got a tree out front with a sturdy low hanging branch?

 

[Gas Man]

Nope, no good trees... I'm in new 2 year old construction...my tree is like 7' tall!!! Couldn't hang a tire off a branch!! LMAO!

I got 2 of those rubber coded hooks in the ceiling of the garage today... had to go into the attic to find the ceiling stud and then drill a pilot hole.... the hardest part is getting to the ceiling...due to my garage ceiling being 10' tall...

 

[GsxrJack]

i use to just put it on the side stand and just jack up the front of the motor or frame with a block of wood and remove the front wheel and the fork tubes,,,pretty easy

 

[Nine29]

Buy a set of jackstands from the local auto supply for $10 and use a 2x4 (and other scraps of wood if necessary) to support the underneath side of the bike. Than you can position it so it won't crunch anything like your headers.

 

[jeeps84]

Or sender blocks should work well!:thumbs:

 

[twisty]

I dont understand why you are taking the forks off and then sending them to someone else to change the fork oil. Maybe having a motor rebuilt or somthing I would maybe, very slim chance but fork oil is somthing you can do. Not as ez as changing your oil but somthing I would do myself, again I cant stand some yahoo putting he grubby hands on my babies. There is to many books, vids and websites for you not to do it your self and save a ton of cash in the process.

I bought this http://www.traxxion.com/store/detail.asp?product_id=SUS4V