Difference between revisions of "Supporting Your Bike While Servicing"

Revision as of 02:22, 25 September 2010

Though covered in the service manual, many people use creative methods to support a bike while servicing it. This often results in tip-over accidents. Below we list methods that are proven to work, as well as general tips for preparing your bike for service.

Common Mistakes

• Forgetting to disconnect the battery, or not doing it right and frying something. Remember: red cap goes on the '+' terminal.

• Rocking the bike off the centerstand by accident when the front wheel was not blocked.

• Flipping the bike sideways while using a wrench/breaker bar.

Make sure you can stabilize the bike somehow while applying brute force. For example, you can sit backwards on the bike while tackling the rear axle nut. Another example is to start loosening the oil drain bolt on the sidestand and then switch to the centerstand.

• Some services require draining the oil. Don't forget to fill it back up after you are done! It does happen sometimes and makes people go crazy.

Disconnecting the Battery

If there is a chance you will work on electrical components, it is a good idea to disconnect the battery. Remember that some wires are hot even when the key is in the OFF position.

To disconnect the battery:

• Remove the seat.
• Unscrew the bolt on the Negative (-) terminal of the battery. Push the wire aside, then screw the bolt back in (this way it won't get lost).
• Put a piece of duct/scotch tape on the terminal.

Bike stands

You'll see many ways of supporting your bike in this article. But if you're serious about working on your bike, you should really consider buying quality front and rear stands. They make working on your bike easier, faster, and safer. And, if you own one of the many modern bikes that come without a centerstand, having at least a rear stand is a very good idea.

Stand selection

This is one area where spending more money and buying the correct tool for the job makes a lot of difference. Cheaper stands tend to not be very stable, which can make them dangerous and, in the long run, more expensive.

One really important deficiency with cheap stands is that they don't fit a lot of bikes right out of the box. And how, you ask, do you make them fit? Why, by bending the arms further apart or closer together. Really. This makes them no longer in line on all planes. No matter what you do, one side will be a bit off. Good stands are adjustable.

This problem is especially critical with front stands that go into the ends of the forks. When popping the bike up onto one of them, you have to hold the front tire to stabilize the forks or else it goes off to one side. And, they are still incredibly unsteady if you touch the bike.

One of the other problems with these is that the front tire does not want to come out, because the bike is not lifted very high off the ground. A Pit Bull stand, on the other hand, brings the bike up nearly 4".

The pictures below show one of the cheap kind of front stands that go into the indents on the very end of the forks. These are HIGHLY UNSTABLE. There are several other things that are not even bike stands that would be more stable than this (read further).

There are so many brands of stands, so what to look for is not the brand but the TYPE. Stands that are one piece of bent round tube tend to be weak. Bend-to-fit stands are especially awful. They make them in rear stand varieties, too. They can be used but are more likely to drop your bike than quality stands.

All of this means that good stands have more production costs and thus more expense. But it's still cheaper to:

• Buy a $150 stand than a $250+ replacement fairing
• Buy a good stand in the first place, instead of getting a lousy one and replacing it

If you want to get really good stands, Pit Bull is considered by many to be the top brand. They can be (literally) tossed around the paddock/garage for more than a decade and still work as designed. There are other good stands. Look at the design and get something sturdy.

Front stands

Of course, there is a civilized way of supporting the front: Use a front stand. But be careful when you do so. You have to either use a centerstand that is tall enough to keep the rear wheel off the ground or a rear/swingarm stand along with the front stand. Having the rear wheel on the ground and the front on a stand is just one small step more stable than the bike standing by itself on its own 2 wheels. Also, make sure you take the bike off the front stand first.

You should really only use the centerstand/front stand combination for short-term projects (less than one day). Longer than that and the rear stand adds noticeably more stability to the whole setup.

There are two kinds of front stands: Those that lift by the bottom of the forks ("fork lift") and those that go under the lower triple. Of these, the triple tree stand is more stable and versatile.

If you want to do anything other than take the front wheel off, the triple stand is the way to go.

A triple tree stand works with a pin that inserts in the hole in the triple. A standard pin with its sleeve adapter will work for most bikes, but you can get separate pins for specialized bikes. Some stands are sold with an assortment of pins. You can look at the Pit Bull fitting charts to find which pin fits your bike. The EX250F uses the standard pin, and the 250J takes pin #1.

Notes:

• One thing you'll have to do with a triple tree stand is unbolt the horn before you lift the bike, as it covers the hole where the front stand goes. This is really only a one or two minute inconvenience.
• If you have or ever get a Ducati, forget everything in this section. They don't have a hole through the steering stem.

Rear stands

These work in a fairly obvious way. Many modern bikes can be fitted with spools for the stand's feet to fit into (the EX250J, for example):

For the EX250F, you'll need paddles that rest on the swingarm. Some stands have feet that can be changed from paddles to spools, and some only fit one or the other.

Just make sure to, if you're using a front stand, put the bike on the rear stand first and take it off the rear last.

Alternatives for Supporting the Rear End

Luckily, the Ninja 250F has a centerstand, so it can be used to support the rear end. A few comments about using the centerstand:

• Some services require pushing the rear tire forward. This can easily result in collapsing of the centerstand and subsequent tip-over. Always block the front tire from moving with a brick or something similar to prevent such accidents. Using a tether to tie the front wheel to the centerstand works well, too.
• If you need to raise the rear end more than the centerstand does, put a board in front of the rear tire before putting the bike on the centerstand. This will wind up under your centerstand when you put it down, effectively making the centerstand longer. In this case blocking the front tire well is vital, since the nose of the bike is pointing down and it's very easy to rock the bike off the centerstand.
• Unfortunately, a bike on the centerstand is not stable enough side-to-side. If you are doing something that requires brute force (such as removing the axle nut) be very careful, as you can literally twist the bike into the ground. Do any loosening of fasteners while the bike is on the sidestand. Having another person holding the bike is very useful in this situation.
• Finally, the centerstand is best used on a flat, sturdy surface. If you have trouble putting your bike on the centerstand, visit this link.
• Sometimes you won't be able to use the centerstand. If you can find a secure way to hold up the rear of the bike using the grab bar, go ahead. Using secondary support with jackstands and a jack under the engine is still highly recommended. The straps on the front are for stabilizing the bike only; don't lift it by the bars.

Alternatives for Supporting the Front End

Depending on what exactly you need to do, this can be done in a few ways:

1) If you need to work on the forks, you will have to prop the engine. Of course, you will have to remove the lower fairing for that to work. Be sure to put the bike on the centerstand to reduce the weight on the exhaust headers and make the bike stable enough so it won't fall over. Examples:

You can also prop the engine with a jack or jackstand (which goes under the oil drain bolt). This method is less stable, but allows you to raise or lower the front end smoothly.

2a) If you have access to an overhead beam, a ratcheting tie-down (with a large ratchet mechanism) can be strung between the top triple clamp and the beam (or two beams - see picture below). Run your strap under one side of the triple, around the rear of the steering stem, then under the triple on the other side and back up to the rafter. Make sure it pulls evenly on both sides of the triple.

If you use this method, be careful not to put pressure on any cables or wires, and ensure that the tie-down is pulling on the center of the bike. This is not the best way to do it, but can be useful when supporting under the bike isn't an option.

2b) A better way to do this is to loop the tie-down through the frame. There are two reasons for this. 1. It's impossible to do it around the top triple without removing a bolt holding the ignition wires in place. 2. You can't remove the triples when you're holding the bike up by them.

You don't need to disassemble anything for this option; it doesn't pinch or touch anything important, and it's fast. It's as stable as it gets when suspending a bike like this and on the center stand (meaning the front end swings a bit). Make sure you loosen any bolts while the front end is still on the ground. If your bike doesn't have a centerstand, you have to also use a rear stand.

3) If you just need to take the front wheel off, you can:

• put the bike on the centerstand
• loosen the axle nut
• ask your friend to sit on the back of the bike, thus raising the front a little bit
• take the wheel off and prop the forks on a cinder block with a piece of wood on top of it. Another option is to put the axle back in and support the front with the axle on a jackstand.

The obvious downside is that this is not very stable. Taking off both wheels with the front end supported in such a way is not recommended.

Working on the Engine

If you plan to work on the engine, you should get an engine stand.