RossR

Just came across this on ebay. I thought that I would post it in case anyone is looking for one. They are hard to find in good condition and the price is reasonable. https://www.ebay.com/itm/295073004108

Yea! Yea! Mite! Used to visit annually. Not so much now.

Ah! Ha! Good Sir! I have been educated! Some more good Blighty slang to add to my lexicon when I next cross the Pond to mingle with my South London mates. 😃

Click the little black arrow on the right hand side of the Quote and it will take you to "Wot he said".

You summed it up in one statement. Everything else in your post is also very good advice. 👍 As long as people keep on thinking about PULL and LIFT, they will never get it (unless built like the guy in the video that I posted 😄). Once you get the technique it's just a smooth "roll" with the centrestand as the pivot.

I needed to replace a the black band that goes around the case and is held on in the front by the two reflectors. There is no problem removing the reflectors as they are held on by two screws each, and the band that I want to remove is loose on the sides and corner of the case but I am stumped as to how to remove it from the back. E-360 cases have a screw on the inside that hold this band on at the back but the E-52 has no such screws anywhere. Is there anybody who has removed this band who could give me some advice?

My ballroom dance partner is constantly telling me that I have two left feet, so using my left foot to lift the bike is a no-brainer for me 🤪

You have probably heard the joke about how you get to Carnegie Hall. Practice! Practice! Practice!

Absolutely no such thing as a dumb question. Most of us on this forum are happy to help if we can, and forum searches don't always work too good. No, you do not have to lift weights because centrestand technique is precisely that - a technique. I have a 5th gen so I do not know exactly where your lifting handle is. I started riding in the seventies and came back to riding after a decades long hiatus. The first thing that I noticed is that there is too much fashion over function with many modern bikes and I was nervous when using the centrestand despite having heavier bikes in the past. The modern centrestands do not seem to be not as wide as my old CB750 and GS1000E stands ( I could be wrong here as it was a long time ago), and that gives you that 'nervous' feeling when you first bring the stand down. The most important thing is to have the right hand foot of the stand touch the ground before you start lifting the bike. Have a friend stand on the other side to give you confidence in case you feel that the bike is going to topple. At this point the bike should feel very stable. Now reduce the weight on your left foot while holding the lifting handle and put all your weight on your right foot on the stand. If you are a heavy person the bike will almost go back on its own as it pivots on the stand. Do not pull on the handlebars. Your left hand is there only to keep the bars straight. As you apply all your bodyweight to you right foot, pull back on the lifting handle while the bike pivots on the stand and moves backwards with momentum. It is just a light guiding pull, not a Herculean one. To get the bike off the stand I straddle it and push or rock it as I am tall. If you do this a dozen times with a friend on the opposite side you will learn the technique pretty fast. It goes without saying that you have to be on level ground to use the centrestand. Sorry that this is so long winded but without showing you in person the explanation is long. A few videos to help you out' The last video is Max from Traxxion Dynamics suspension...... a Goldwing. Observe how wide the stand is on that bike. That's what makes it very stable. That's what I was referring to in my opening comments. My CBR1100XX has the worst centrestand that I have ever seen....very narrow, on a top heavy bike, yet the lady in the second video has no problem lifting it. It's all about the pivoting technique. One of my favourite youtube channels, and there are tons of other videos on you tube showing you how to put a heavy bike on the centrestand. Hope this helps

They still exist, SERIOUSLY!

I meant that I would be interested in the Convertibars if they do not work for you, not the lines.

Yes, Helibars are a stupid price for what they are. Good marketing, just like Corbin seats. Let as know what your riding experience is with those risers. I had put them into my Watch List on ebay. Better to buy adjustable Convertibars if one is going down that route. I have not seen a single person who regretted buying Convertibars. Can't say the same for Helibars. The only thing is that your outlay is high up front as you do need to change all lines to get the best benefit. They are adjustable 4" up (possibly higher) and 4" back and the angle of clip on is adjustable too. https://www.convertibars.com/product-p/honda-vfr-800-98-99.htm AND, you can adjust the parameters in a few minutes with an Allen key when on the road so you 'tour' or 'track'. Not sure if these have been mentioned before on this thread. Apex clip ons are similar but their clamp is not as good as Convertibars. This was pointed out by a competitive cyclist on another forum who knew something about seat clamps. I think he said that Apex thread into the metal and will eventually fail, whereas Convertibars don't. I can't offer any opinion on that. https://www.apexmfg.com/all-products/apex-clip-ons/apex-3-riser-clip-on-set Windshield trimming may be required with both these.

If you want to see what a real high speed chase with reckless riding is, watch this one by the legendary and infamous Ghost Rider aka Patrik Fürstenhoff.

Thanks. So if they are powder coated definitely not a good idea to use metal polish unless one wants to do it on a very regular basis as it will most likely damage the powder coating/

Very strange behavior indeed.