BiKenG Posted May 27, 2015 Share Posted May 27, 2015 I echo the comment that a centre stand is LESS stable on soft surfaces. It is a common misconception that the opposite is true and some people insist a centre stand is better in those conditions. But look at it this way. On the side stand, most of the bike's weight is on the tyres, with far less through the stand. On a centre stand, almost ALL the weight of the bike is on those 2 small 'feet'. The pressure on these is then far higher than on a side stand and as the centre stand digs in unevenly, the bike will go over. If the ground is soft, find something large and hard (stop sniggering at the back) to place under the side stand and use that. If the ground is hard, you can use either, makes no difference apart from the additional effort required to use the centre stand. But never park a bike facing down a hill. Bike rolling off a stand is expensive. Personally, I won't have a centre stand on a bike. It adds a whole chunk of unnecessary weight and I would never use it - except in the workshop where it is VERY useful for working on a bike. So I bought the OEM stand for my bike and just slip it on when doing any serious work on the bike. Then pull the pin out and remove the stand before riding again. I agree it is way too expensive (try buying stuff here in the UK), but it DOES fit and it DOES a perfect job. I have front and rear paddock stands (the latter useless on the VFR1200 of course) and an ABBA stand and a myriad other ways to hold a bike up while working on it, but the OEM centre stand is THE best way to work on the VFR1200 - in my opinion of course. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
superfunkomatic Posted May 27, 2015 Share Posted May 27, 2015 If you use your bike for touring and have one with a chain it's nice to have a centrestand for maintenance along the way. For the 1200, I really can't see much advantage. I just bought a Pitbull stand for my 800 for the front and use the centrestand for lifting the rear for changing my tires and maintenance in the garage - works well. Two stands would be perfect for the 1200, or if you want to save some money (I'm not sure if the headers are the same placement on the 1200), I've used a car jack with a piece of 2x4 lumber under the header to lift the front. Where there is a will there is a way. ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Volfy Posted May 27, 2015 Share Posted May 27, 2015 First time having to fix a roadside flat might change you mind. Happened to me earlier this yr. Mighty glad I had a CS. Worth every penny I paid for it, and then some. I doubt I would ever ride a street bike with any touring intentions without a CS. A pure sportbike never ridden out of town... okay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Rider14 Posted May 27, 2015 Author Member Contributer Share Posted May 27, 2015 If you use your bike for touring and have one with a chain it's nice to have a centrestand for maintenance along the way. For the 1200, I really can't see much advantage. I just bought a Pitbull stand for my 800 for the front and use the centrestand for lifting the rear for changing my tires and maintenance in the garage - works well. Two stands would be perfect for the 1200, or if you want to save some money (I'm not sure if the headers are the same placement on the 1200), I've used a car jack with a piece of 2x4 lumber under the header to lift the front. Where there is a will there is a way. ;) There is a specific jacking point/spot on the VFR - can't remember where it is, tho... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer alleyoop Posted June 1, 2015 Member Contributer Share Posted June 1, 2015 @dynajohn, does that Heindle stand look something like this? If a stand like this would work while still having a center stand that would be awesome... Only reason I don't have either is my fear of commitment. I contacted Heindl Engineering who said they don't offer a rear stand for the VFR1200 with the centerstand installed (as I have). I was hoping they had something for the rear to make the bike more stable, as it's a bit tippy balanced on the front triple tree stand + centerstand. If anyone knows of a rear stand that doesn't use the centerstand holes, please let me know. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VFROr Posted June 2, 2015 Share Posted June 2, 2015 I'm sure I've mentioned this before... the kick stand is useless when the rear tire runs out of air. Park your bike after picking up a nail and see it for yourself. I'd rather have the choice. I once had a rear flat on my Valkyrie that left me in the "leaning more to the right than left" pickle. Lucky to find a stick to shove under the right footpeg to keep it from falling over while I plugged the hole. I went with the Pitbull rear stand and I'm wondering if a person could carry a pre-cut "stand" to wedge under the behemoth VFR footpeg to keep it from tipping over with a flat tire. Not necessarily to get the wheel in the air, just enough to keep it from flopping over. Kinda sorta like this Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sayo Posted February 19, 2016 Share Posted February 19, 2016 Or you can try a High Position Motorcycle Lift(99887)from harbor freight for $147 (with 20%coupon ) Sent from my SM-N910T3 using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marriedman Posted February 19, 2016 Share Posted February 19, 2016 I don't know, lifting the bike by its exhaust just scares the crap outta me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Duc2V4 Posted February 19, 2016 Member Contributer Share Posted February 19, 2016 What worries me about the HF lift is that there is no interlocking mechanism for the frame. It would appear that the bike was just balancing on top of the two "arms" of the lift. With a head lift stand and a SSSA stand, they "lock" into the frame and swingarm with a pin. I know that when I'm wrenching on certain parts of the bike, the bike wants to move when turning stubborn bolts. I'd be afraid that this could unbalance the bike just resting on a lift. If that doesn't appear to be an issue, then it's a moot issue I guess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sayo Posted February 19, 2016 Share Posted February 19, 2016 I left it on the stand for about an hour and while it was lifted I rocked the bike side to side and it seemed pretty stable I didn't even have to use the straps that it came with ).in the picture the left bar seems to bend a little so I might add a jack stand to it Sent from my SM-N910T3 using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sayo Posted February 19, 2016 Share Posted February 19, 2016 I repeated the 1hr test again and it seems to be stable Sent from my SM-N910T3 using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
750 Posted February 23, 2016 Share Posted February 23, 2016 All that weight on the exhaust by the looks of it? Scary stuff! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sayo Posted March 31, 2016 Share Posted March 31, 2016 While shipping my forks out ,I had my bike on this stand for 3 weeks(that's the ultimate test) so if anyone looking for a cheaper stand (that stands the front and rear ) I recommend this stand also I didn't see any dents on my headers/exhaust parts Sent from my SM-N910T3 using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer alleyoop Posted April 2, 2016 Member Contributer Share Posted April 2, 2016 I was able to replace both my front forks and rear shock with only a front triple tree stand and stock center stand. Just required a couple of 1" boards to get the rear wheel off the ground. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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