Jacking up a NC.

[jimmy da vig]

I have a Craftsman aluminum motorcycle jack. The undercarriage of a NC is not jack friendly. Has anyone made a wood brace to fit a jack? What about a aluminum bash plate? That looks to be the way to go for service. I would want one that works with a center stand & jack.

 

[ld_rider]

That looks to be the way to go for service.

I had the same jack and never figured out a way to secure the motorcycle properly.

All the service that I've had to do (50,000 miles) was done using the center stand. A jack is great for raising the bike to a comfortable level, but not required for most maintenance. I've removed front and rear wheels, oil changes, brakes, valve adjustments, chains/sprockets, etc., while on the center stand.

I ended up selling the jack since I never really needed it on the NC nor did I want to cobble up some 2x lumber to <make it work> and then have it topple...Which happened with by 900lb GL1800 ..

BUT.....if I had the room and the $$ I would get a hydro or electric lift....I'm getting too old to be crawling on hands and knees on the cement floor ;-)

 

[Hank]

Wheeldock – WheelDock

Made in Oklahoma. I have no connection with them other than buying one for each bike.
Frees up space in the garage. Paired with a rear stand it makes chain work easy.

 

[potter0o]

I have used a head tube stand to lift the front end while using a paddle stand to lift the back end. Have had to lift the front to change the front tire and change fork oil. If I were a better listener I would have skipped the paddle stand and gotten the centre stand sooner I looked a different options for using a jack but couldn't find something that I loved with the shape constraints on the underside.

 

[jimmy da vig]

Thanks guys. I guess I go the $299. for a Harbor Freight lift table.

 

[DirtFlier]

[...I guess I go the $299. for a Harbor Freight lift table....]


If you have the floor space, it's pretty hard to beat. I have two road bikes and whichever one isn't being ridden is "stored" on the Harbor Freight lift. I've had mine for around 8-years without any problems.

You'll still need a centerstand if you want to remove the front or rear wheels but other than that, it's great for routine maintenance and saves on getting a sore back!

 

[shaggymonkey]

Before I got my centerstand, I used a heavy duty chain hoist that hangs in the shop of my friends farm. If you didn't mind working with the little bit of swing it was great, but I prefer the centerstand.

 

[b_rubenstein]

2x4 with angle cut with metal stop to keep the bike from sliding.

 

[b_rubenstein]

With a center stand there is still weight on the front wheel and the front wheel can't be removed without the bike falling.

 

[GgarryP]

With a center stand there is still weight on the front wheel and the front wheel can't be removed without the bike falling.

I'm puzzled. Once you remove the front wheel wouldn't the bike be stable on the back wheel and center stand? Is it that unbalanced?

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[davidc83]

With a center stand there is still weight on the front wheel and the front wheel can't be removed without the bike falling.

Really, I do it every time I need to get a new tire on the front-just put enough weight on the back and the rear wheel stays down and front end stays up-doesn't take much weight either-paint can, gallon container of water: bungee cord to rear seat and good to go...

 

[ld_rider]

I'm puzzled. Once you remove the front wheel wouldn't the bike be stable on the back wheel and center stand?

Depends...

I have zero issues when removing the front wheel while the bike is on the center stand.

My bike is stable, all I do is leave the side panniers or rear trunk on the bike ;-)

With the panniers or rear trunk off, it will indeed be unstable.

 

[GgarryP]

Depends...

I have zero issues when removing the front wheel while the bike is on the center stand.

My bike is stable, all I do is leave the side panniers or rear trunk on the bike ;-)

With the panniers or rear trunk off, it will indeed be unstable.

Thanks. I would've expected it to be better balanced. But it would be easy to add some weight now that I know it's needed.

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[GregC]

It may be balanced, but the center stand is probably not positioned right at the CG.


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[ld_rider]

Thanks. I would've expected it to be better balanced.

You mean balanced like if you put it on a center stand both tires would be in the air? Pretty sure that would be impossible. That is why there are no two legged bar stools ;-)

 

[GgarryP]

You mean balanced like if you put it on a center stand both tires would be in the air? Pretty sure that would be impossible. That is why there are no two legged bar stools ;-)

No, of course it's not perfectly balanced. The rear tire is off the ground when on the center stand. On previous bikes when the front wheel was removed, the rear would be on the ground. I assumed that would be considered when designing the center stand. I guess not.

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[Jos]

IMO that's on purpose, the center stand facilitates regular care of the secondary transmission (chain lubrication and tension). That would not be handy if the rear wheel was likely to touch the ground.

 

[ld_rider]

No, of course it's not perfectly balanced. The rear tire is off the ground when on the center stand. On previous bikes when the front wheel was removed, the rear would be on the ground. I assumed that would be considered when designing the center stand. I guess not.

Ok, I see what you mean...I thought by 'balanced' you meant that the bike could be on the center stand and you could then remove the front wheel.

I've never removed the weight I put on the rear of the bike (necessary to raise the front tire off the ground) to see if the bike would be stable. It might be, depending on fluid levels, suspension settings, accessory mounted, etc.

 

[GgarryP]

After thinking about it, it could be a limitation of the long low engine design that pushes the center stand back further than I'm used to seeing.
That's also probably why the footpegs are further back than normal.

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[b_rubenstein]

The CG of the bike, without accessories and the front wheel removed, is forward of the center stand and will fall unless something is done. I use a floor jack and block to keep the bike from falling and raise the front high enough so that the wheel fits under the the front edge of the fender. Once the wheel is removed, I slide the axle back in place and lower the front so the axle is on a jack stand. This keeps things perfectly stable even if both wheels are removed.

And yes, back in the day bikes were often balanced so that the rear wheel would touch the ground if the front wheel was removed. Yamaha took advantage of this by not having the front wheel on the bike when crated for shipment, so the crate was smaller.