Received and put my paddock stands together. I got them from SGS Engineering and they seem to be of amazing quality. Next day delivery was a nice touch. I now just need you guys to tell me under which parts of the bike they go? Does the bike need to be on the centre stand before attempting a lift?
I usually have the bike on the side stand, locate the rear stand on the mounts on the stand. Then lift the bike upright and secure it on the stand. Front one is easy after that. Remember to put the side stand down before dropping off the rear stand then tip the bike over to the left. Easy peasy.
Just make sure everything is stable and engaged before going for the final lift. Also, always do the rear first. Never try to lift the front on its own without the rear already lifted.
I have some small blocks of wood in the garage which I put under the sidestand to get the bike almost upright before lifting it with the rear paddok stand. I find it makes the process much easier. I also prefer the under headstock front stands because they feel more stable to me and you can strip the bike down more, for example taking the fork legs out for a service.
Had my first near head on of the year. And it was another bloody bike on tne wrong side of the road. Prick.
Just following on from my paddock stand post I thought it a good idea to have a dummy run as the wheels don't need to come off until tomorrow and the bike will be sat outside. As somebody said the very first time you go for a lift it's a heart thumping moment but having taken on board all the kind and useful tips from you guys I started with the rear and up she went and was rock solid. Turning to the front it was all straightforward until I realised that the vertical arms now sat right in line with axle; there were a few expletives but having always been pleased with my resourcefulness I sat and ponder the arrangement. I even googled "front paddock stand fouling axle" and it appears to be a common problem with headstock stands being recommended; more expletives and more pondering. I then had a lightbulb moment and removed the pinch bolts completely. Following a rummage in my man cave I discovered 4 M6 x 100mm bolts that were magically the identical thread and inserted these. The projections as can be seen in the photo now give me a good strong bearing for the paddock stand. Popped it up and all parts were now comfortably accessible. Don't you just love being resourceful
Well I did go to Seahouses via the coastal route, taking in Morpeth, Lynemouth, Cresswell, Druridge, Widdrington, Amble, Warkworth, Boulmer, Embleton, Beadnell and finally arriving in Seahouses where I had an ice cream (£4.10 for one blob!!) and spoke at length to an 80yo from Long Horsley who was on his Kawasaki Ninja 650 I came back via the A1 though and have done exactly 100 miles door to door.
The weight of the bike and where it acts on the stand has moved backwards nearer the wheels. The stand relies on the weight being well in front of the wheels to keep it from tipping backwards. It would be really easy to lift the bike slightly when working on it and the stand will flip out from under it.
I understand what you are saying but the full weight of the bike is still distributed through the forks to the inner lug of the paddock stand. The extension bolts simply allow the outer lug to have somewhere to sit. The wheels of the paddock stand are still well behind the axis point so unless it received a significant shove backwards I'm confident it won't go anywhere. My initial concern was that maybe the bolts would not withstand the force but there is zero deflection in them so I think it's good to go. Having said that I am not an engineer but I would have thought the paddock stand manufacturers might have thought about such issues. Clearly designed by non bikers?
Hoping not, but i believe that Hartside Pass was shut today because of a bike/car crash. While you would think its always the cars fault, unfortunately on bike routes its not always the case. I have had a large number of near misses on that particular road, and tend to stay clear on weekends on bank holidays.
