Easy and CHEAP bike prop!

[ex-viffer]

One of the biggest frustrations for me owning a FireStorm after owning other Hondas is that it has no centrestand. I've been racking my brains for some solution to this, without much success. Buying a proper paddock stand was out, as my wife/accountant would almost certainly veto this.
Yesterday I came up with a solution that cost nothing (0) and works very well.

I got a piece of approx. 1 inch by 2 inch (25mm x 50mm) pine (although hardwood would be stronger), just a few cms longer than the distance from the ground to the middle of the rear axle. Then I marked the position of the middle of the axle on it with it positioned vertically next to the right side of the rear wheel. About 20 mm above this, I drilled a hole right through the timber, very slightly smaller in diameter than a 150mm (6 inch) flat-head nail, and banged the nail right through it.

Here's how it works: with the bike on its side-stand, I stick the nail into the rear axle, then tip the bike over towards the left. (The easiest way is to stand beside it, then grab the subframe below the righthand side of the seat, and pull/lift it towards you so it leans against your right leg). When you do this, the piece of wood drops down vertically, so when you stop leaning the bike to the left, the wood is in the correct position, directly below the axle. The bike is now supported by the sidestand and the new Heath Robinson axle support.

If you're not sure what I'm talking about, I'll take some pics and post them later.

[t00lkit]

Would I trust a 6" nail to hold up my £5k bike?, probably not.
Does this raise the rear wheel off the floor, how about the front wheel...
Pics would be useful.

[firestorm996]

Heh heh

Have you been spying on me m8?

When I sold my last VTR I foolishly also sold the paddock stand I had, and the centre-stand.

My chain-lube setup consists of a brush handle, around 14" long with a groove cut in the top. I didn't make it, it was just lying around, I have no idea where it came from. As luck would have it, it's exactly the right length to support the rear wheel off the ground so you can lube the chain easily, and the groove locates onto the edge of the swingarm.

Yes it is safe, you can kick the stick out if you like and since the rear wheel is only 1" off the ground the bike just rests back on the sidestand again.

I must be part scottish.

[castrolstorm]

Hi guys
The cheapskate propstand is a good idea, and I have used it a lot over the years, but PLEASE TIE THE FRONT BRAKE LEVER BACK, or it may roll forward, then sh1t happens.
hope this helps RICK

[firestorm996]

Or park right up to a wall (even cheaper and saves the added expense of a cable-tie.

[ex-viffer]

Would I trust my $NZ8000 Firestorm and the two cars it parks between (POS Subaru and Peugeot 306) to a stand made out of junk? Yup.
(A) It's stable - I tried wriggling the bike around and it's not going anywhere.
(B) I made it so the back wheel is *just* off the floor (maybe 20mm). If it comes adrift, nothing bad is going to happen. But the post about tying up the front brake is a good idea.

I finally figured out a safe way to support the front to look at my fork alignment. First I tried using two tie-down straps to the garage rafters, but the straps were too cheap 'n' nasty, and stretched too much. In the end, I used the jack from the Subaru under the crankcase, and an axle stand under the bracket for each footpeg. Took a wee bit of fiddling to get it right, but it was pretty stable, even jiggling the bike around. (I made sure, coz I could just imagine the ruckus and recriminations if my hated Firestorm decided to attack my wife's beloved Peugeot....)