We’re going to go over a few of the more common issues that people run into when using a motorcycle rear stand.
Problem: I can’t remove my rear wheel!
- Are you lifting from your axle/hub sliders? This is going to be a no-no for tire removal. Make sure to lift from your swingarm spools, underside of swingarmd, or inside of the hub(if a single sided swingarm bike) when you need to do wheel removal.
- Are you working on a 2006+ Yamaha R6? Swingarm spool placement on those bikes put the spools very close to the rear axle when the axle is all the way forward in the adjuster blocks. Pulling the axle to the rear of the adjuster blocks *usually* fixes this issue.
- Is the stand designed for your motorcycle? There’s actually a lot of stands out there that may look similar to the stand you need for your bike, but they might be designed for something different. Make sure you don’t have one of those bikes that requires a specialty rear stand and you’re trying to lift it with a traditional style stand.
Problem: I can’t get the bike off the ground!
- Does your stand have height adjustment? The most common fix to a leverage issue is to lower the height of the stand supports to increase your leverage.
- Does your motorcycle stand have an optional handle extension? These are a great fix for leverage issues when they are available.
- Are you pushing the handle straight down? The most common mistake people make when lifting a bike is to push straight down. A common “look how hard I’m trying” example is when people take their feet off the ground and support all of their weight on the handle of the stand. Don’t do this – The stand generally wants to follow an arc as it goes to the ground. Push the handle in such a way that it follows its natural arc and it will be easier to lift the bike.
Problem: My non-spooled stand slides forward on the swingarms!
- Does your bike have “basic” box-style swingarms? Some newer bikes that do not have spools have swingarm features which make it difficult or impossible to even use a non-spooled stand. Make sure your bike can use the motorcycle stand you’re trying to use to lift it.
- Are your swingarms clean? Road grime is often slippery and can lead to slippage. If you use a bit of grip tape(often found on stairs) on the underside of the swingarms this can help prevent slippage.
- Has your stand been adjusted properly for width? Sometimes not having the width adjusted correctly can cause your bike to “twist” on the stand which can lead to slippage. Always adjust the width of the supports so that they hug the outside of the swingarms.
That’s all for today. Check back for more next time!