Lifting Front Of Bike With Hoist

[emoyer]

Almost time to replace front tire. Thinking of lifting front of bike with a come-along hanging from garage ceiling. My question is -- is it ok to lift by the handlebars, or do I need to attach somewhere else? Thanks.

[MadScientist]

I have done this by looping cargo straps around the triple.

[Rice]

Put on center stand and stuff a paint can under the header.

Floor jack works too, BTW

[emoyer]

Put on center stand and stuff a paint can under the header.

Floor jack works too, BTW

So this gives enough clearance to get tire out from under fender?

[Beck]

Make sure you are hanging it off a strong/deep enough joist or truss in your garage too.

I've seen enough garages and houses in my Architectural career that did not have adequate roof/ceiling structure to support a 200+ pound point load like a hanging VFR might exert....

If not sure, try to hang the bike not at mid-span of the ceiling/roof structure, but closer to one wall if possible.......

[zoomzoom]

Check out how Duc2V4 used the straps wrapped around the front of the frame when he did the fork swap on his 5th gen. You could try using this method to get the front wheel off the bike. Whenever I do a tire swap on my bike, I put the bike on the center stand and then loosen the front axle pinch bolts and axle bolt and then remove the calipers and move them out of the way. Once I am ready, I get someone to gently push down on the back of the seat and that lifts the front wheel off the ground with ease. Then I just have to pull the axle out and remove the wheel. Once the wheel is out of the way, I re-insert the axle through the forks and finger tighten the axle bolt and then let the forks down on an upside down plastic crate with a piece of plywood on top.

[emoyer]

Make sure you are hanging it off a strong/deep enough joist or truss in your garage too.

I've seen enough garages and houses in my Architectural career that did not have adequate roof/ceiling structure to support a 200+ pound point load like a hanging VFR might exert....

If not sure, try to hang the bike not at mid-span of the ceiling/roof structure, but closer to one wall if possible.......

I was thinking of putting an eyebolt with washers thru a 4x4 and laying that across 4 of the joists (i have joists not trusses) which I believe are 2x8. Does that sound ok? But the only reason I was thinking of this was because I thought that putting it on the center stand and tipping it back on the rear tire would not lift the front enough. But if it does then I wont bother. Thanks.

Also this would be near a partition. Maybe not a load bearing wall but a partition anyway.

[AB-Oz]

I always do this:

- Bike on centrestand

- floor jack under the front headers with bit of 4x2 to spread load

- loosen pinch bolts and axle nut

- remove calipers and suspend them off the mirrors with padded straps

- jack up the bike so front tyre clears floor

- pull it to bits

but I have used the skyhook method on my S1000RR when doing front wheel work, I have a very sturdy steel frame shed though...

[zoomzoom]

I have never had an issue with just leaning down on the rear seat to lift the front wheel and not having enough clearance to remove the front wheel from under the fender. If you do need a bot more clearance you could ask someone to physically sit on the rear seat while it is on the center stand. That should compress the rear suspension a bit and give you more clearance at the front should it be required.

Make sure you are hanging it off a strong/deep enough joist or truss in your garage too.

I've seen enough garages and houses in my Architectural career that did not have adequate roof/ceiling structure to support a 200+ pound point load like a hanging VFR might exert....

If not sure, try to hang the bike not at mid-span of the ceiling/roof structure, but closer to one wall if possible.......

I was thinking of putting an eyebolt with washers thru a 4x4 and laying that across 4 of the joists (i have joists not trusses) which I believe are 2x8. Does that sound ok? But the only reason I was thinking of this was because I thought that putting it on the center stand and tipping it back on the rear tire would not lift the front enough. But if it does then I wont bother. Thanks.

Also this would be near a partition. Maybe not a load bearing wall but a partition anyway.

If you choose to use the strap and joist method I doubt you would have to worry too much about the strength of the joist since most of the bike's weight will be placed on the center stand and all you need is a 50 lb bag of dog food on the rear seat to lift the front end, so I doubt there would be much more weight than this amount bearing on the straps and thus the joists.

[DucatiTerminator]

Just a thought -- do you have a local friend from whom you can borrow a Pitbull front end stand or similar? MIght cost you only a six-pack and possibly the appropriate steering stem pin.

[Beck]

I have never had an issue with just leaning down on the rear seat to lift the front wheel and not having enough clearance to remove the front wheel from under the fender. If you do need a bot more clearance you could ask someone to physically sit on the rear seat while it is on the center stand. That should compress the rear suspension a bit and give you more clearance at the front should it be required.

Make sure you are hanging it off a strong/deep enough joist or truss in your garage too.

I've seen enough garages and houses in my Architectural career that did not have adequate roof/ceiling structure to support a 200+ pound point load like a hanging VFR might exert....

If not sure, try to hang the bike not at mid-span of the ceiling/roof structure, but closer to one wall if possible.......

I was thinking of putting an eyebolt with washers thru a 4x4 and laying that across 4 of the joists (i have joists not trusses) which I believe are 2x8. Does that sound ok? But the only reason I was thinking of this was because I thought that putting it on the center stand and tipping it back on the rear tire would not lift the front enough. But if it does then I wont bother. Thanks.

Also this would be near a partition. Maybe not a load bearing wall but a partition anyway.

If you choose to use the strap and joist method I doubt you would have to worry too much about the strength of the joist since most of the bike's weight will be placed on the center stand and all you need is a 50 lb bag of dog food on the rear seat to lift the front end, so I doubt there would be much more weight than this amount bearing on the straps and thus the joists.

Agree, a center stand will help, but the caution does apply if you will not use one or don't have one on your bike, like I don't on my 4th gen.

2x8's are quite deep so you could be OK, but spreading the loads across a few joist like the OP plans to do will definitely make it safer.... hanging off a single 2x6 would be questionable in most cases IMO.

[vfrAustin]

Put on center stand and stuff a paint can under the header.

Floor jack works too, BTW

Like Rice said. That's all you need. Don't over think this. Bike sits solid on center stand and shimmed anywhere in front.

[Rice]

Put on center stand and stuff a paint can under the header.

Floor jack works too, BTW

So this gives enough clearance to get tire out from under fender?

Just enough.

Been doing it like this for years w/o even realizing that this was an issue for someone.

[emoyer]

Just a thought -- do you have a local friend from whom you can borrow a Pitbull front end stand or similar? MIght cost you only a six-pack and possibly the appropriate steering stem pin.

No, I don't know many people who ride, let alone ones who do their own work.

Thanks everyone for all the input. Looks like it will be simpler than I thought. Maybe I will even do it this week, since the weather here in PA looks not so nice for riding for a few days. Tire is not quite to the wear bars yet but I got 10K miles out of it, and when the weathers nice I'd rather be riding.

[Switchblade]

A lot of great options, just make sure your comfortable with what you choose ..

[zoomzoom]

I have never had an issue with just leaning down on the rear seat to lift the front wheel and not having enough clearance to remove the front wheel from under the fender. If you do need a bot more clearance you could ask someone to physically sit on the rear seat while it is on the center stand. That should compress the rear suspension a bit and give you more clearance at the front should it be required.

Make sure you are hanging it off a strong/deep enough joist or truss in your garage too.

I've seen enough garages and houses in my Architectural career that did not have adequate roof/ceiling structure to support a 200+ pound point load like a hanging VFR might exert....

If not sure, try to hang the bike not at mid-span of the ceiling/roof structure, but closer to one wall if possible.......

I was thinking of putting an eyebolt with washers thru a 4x4 and laying that across 4 of the joists (i have joists not trusses) which I believe are 2x8. Does that sound ok? But the only reason I was thinking of this was because I thought that putting it on the center stand and tipping it back on the rear tire would not lift the front enough. But if it does then I wont bother. Thanks.

Also this would be near a partition. Maybe not a load bearing wall but a partition anyway.

If you choose to use the strap and joist method I doubt you would have to worry too much about the strength of the joist since most of the bike's weight will be placed on the center stand and all you need is a 50 lb bag of dog food on the rear seat to lift the front end, so I doubt there would be much more weight than this amount bearing on the straps and thus the joists.

Agree, a center stand will help, but the caution does apply if you will not use one or don't have one on your bike, like I don't on my 4th gen.

2x8's are quite deep so you could be OK, but spreading the loads across a few joist like the OP plans to do will definitely make it safer.... hanging off a single 2x6 would be questionable in most cases IMO.

I fully agree that lifting the total weight of the bike or even half would be an issue providing the bike was not on the center stand. If this was the case, I would definitely want to spread the weight over a few of the joists. Most engineered truss joists are not designed to be bottom chord bearing so lifting the weight of the bike on just one joist would be a dangerous idea. The OP mentioned though in one of his posts that he didn't think putting the bike on the center stand and pushing down on the rear of the bike would provide him with enough clearance to remove the front wheel.

My biggest concern with lifting the bike off the ground from under the front of the frame without putting the bike on a center stand would not only be the weight on the straps but also in how to keep the bike standing upright and not falling over.

[vfrurknee]

I wish I had a picture of my method, which works very well, but since I don't I will try and describe it. I have a sheet of 3/4" plywood with formica coating on one side. Place a lengthy tiedown under the board, roll bike over to the point where the centerstand will still contact the board when placed. Place on centerstand and hook the tiedowns to the passenger pegs. Snug them down and the front wheel should be airborne. At this point you should be able to replace front tire and steering head bearings, if necessary. If you want even more clearance just remove the rear wheel and snug down the tiedowns further to suit your purpose. Very solid this way but could also be done with a smaller piece of plywood. Formica is optional!

[marriedman]

I wish I had a picture of my method, which works very well, but since I don't I will try and describe it. I have a sheet of 3/4" plywood with formica coating on one side. Place a lengthy tiedown under the board, roll bike over to the point where the centerstand will still contact the board when placed. Place on centerstand and hook the tiedowns to the passenger pegs. Snug them down and the front wheel should be airborne. At this point you should be able to replace front tire and steering head bearings, if necessary. If you want even more clearance just remove the rear wheel and snug down the tiedowns further to suit your purpose. Very solid this way but could also be done with a smaller piece of plywood. Formica is optional!

Thanks for sharing that, I like it alot.

The only thing I will add about hanging a bike from the rafters is this; make sure you go under the frame and not just the triple or handbars. Thats not what they are designed for and in my case I caused a flat spot on my head bearings and then had to be replaced.

[Q-Dawg]

Put on center stand and stuff a paint can under the header.

Floor jack works too, BTW

So this gives enough clearance to get tire out from under fender?

Just enough.

Been doing it like this for years w/o even realizing that this was an issue for someone.

Yep, this is my preferred method also.

There are other ways of course, but this works pretty easily.

Another VFRD member suggested tie down for the rear (to keep bike from pitching forward) after you raise it with the jack. Once the rear is securely tied down, you dont need anything supportingin the front. The bike doesnt need much extra weight in the back to shift the balance while it is on the centerstand. This is what I did when I pulled my forks. Worked pretty good.

[emoyer]

If the strap attaches to a point above the CG of the bike, I don't think it will flop over. Probably will move around when working on it though, which would be a pain.

I wish I had a picture of my method, which works very well, but since I don't I will try and describe it. I have a sheet of 3/4" plywood with formica coating on one side. Place a lengthy tiedown under the board, roll bike over to the point where the centerstand will still contact the board when placed. Place on centerstand and hook the tiedowns to the passenger pegs. Snug them down and the front wheel should be airborne. At this point you should be able to replace front tire and steering head bearings, if necessary. If you want even more clearance just remove the rear wheel and snug down the tiedowns further to suit your purpose. Very solid this way but could also be done with a smaller piece of plywood. Formica is optional!

Nice! I briefly wondered about something like this, but didn't think it could be so simple, and didn't think about compressing the rear suspension or removing the rear wheel to get more clearance.

The only thing I will add about hanging a bike from the rafters is this; make sure you go under the frame and not just the triple or handbars. Thats not what they are designed for and in my case I caused a flat spot on my head bearings and then had to be replaced.

Good to know. That's what I was getting at in my OP, but I had no idea what the problems might be.

[Dutchy]

[Switchblade]

^^^^ You have been riding on the sidewalks again . ^^^^

[Rice]

shark.jpg

[Dutchy]

My redslut is called "Linda L."................ :laugh2:

[FJ12Ryder]

Even if you use a Pitbull stand and lift the front end it basically raises it as much as you'd get if you had someone sit on the seat. It doesn't take much to get the tire/wheel out.