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Careful with your centerstand

sneyers

Member
Be careful how you place your bike on the centerstand if you have one. I had put my Ultra facing towards the garage door trying to get it closer to the wall. I put my Fat Bob right next to it. I was just about to go inside when I heard the centerstand snap up. I turned around to see the Ultra starting to fall over. Luckily, I was able to get to it before it fell on the Fat Bob. I had no idea the slight slope on the garage slab was enough to make the bike roll forward. Fortunately I was able to move the bikes around and re-park them with no damage done. I get the heebie-jeebies just thinking what might have happened.
 
Should be parking bike in gear that way the bike won't roll. Live and learn.

Yep, in gear, and if on the jiffy stand, make sure the bike can't roll forward enough to collapse/release it. That is why sometimes I wish the fork lock would lock in both the right & left position as well, because we can't always have a parking space "just the way we want it..."! :small3d012:
 
Guys, I think he's saying it was on a CENTERSTAND, not the jiffy stand.

Sorry, it was me...bringing up the jiffy stand improperly, when I should have said it may "fold" or "retract" inadvertently if bike is not in gear. I think it is a great design.

Touring models only use the center stand option - sneyers who started original thread posting. It is listed in the HD accessory "bible".

And yes, just to change the subject "slightly" I did notice at the HD dealer the other day a long "L" bar with a plastic handle that looked like an aftermarket manual type center stand. Has anyone used one of them? Kinda scary when thinking about levering a 800lb+ $30K bike on essentially a padded "L" shaped lever w/a handle :bigsmiley11:
 
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I'm really curious as to what brand of center stand you have installed. :eam

Hey Fifth Gear,
The brand of centerstand is VwowV. I know it sounds like I'm a real doomass and didn't put my bike in gear. Not true. I did and the bike will still rock 1" or so even when in gear. The spring on the stand is very strong and the garage floor is finished pretty slick. The combination of the two enabled the spring to retract. I have never had a problem prior, have had the stand for awhile and always park my bike in gear. I didn't think the 1/4 " per foot slope of the floor was enough to make a difference. It was and I'll never do that again. I just got the heebie-jeebies again.
 
I'm just curious .Why do some people put centre stands under their touring bikes? When I'm using my bike I just put in on the jiffy stand and when I wash it or store it I put it on the jack., my bikes already low enough I wouldn't want a center stand there to catch when I'm cornering
 
Thanx for the heads up. I,ve also got a VwowV stand, never had that problem yet. I,ll watch for it. Really like it so far, gives me more room in the garage and saves having to wheel my jack out every time I want to clean the rear whitewall.
 
sneyers, the reason I ask is because I have the HD center stand. Although it is ajustable I keep it set just about on it's lowest setting meaning that the back tire is on the ground and still very stable. It's takes a pretty strong effort to get it off on this setting on level ground and I find most of the time it's just easier to start the engine and drive it off. On the higher settings where it lifts the back tire off the ground it would take a tornado to get it off unassisted. I haven't ever owned but this one for this bike so I can not relate to the other brands but I know that with mine I have more worries about getting it off the stand than I do with it inadvertently coming off by itself. If it is too much of a forward slope I probably would have a problem getting it on the stand to begin with.

In answer to why someone would want a center stand let me tell you what advantages I have found with mine and on bikes in the past over my 38 years of riding. First, it makes confined parking a breeze. It also makes cleaning wheels easy even in front of a motel for those extended trips where you just can't take the filth one week longer. It makes working and cleaning on a bike easier with it upright and much handier than a jack lift. In the event of an emergency on the road such as the need to remove wheel, it beats laying your baby on it's side. The great part is that you have that ability even if you never use it...it's bought, paid for, is tucked in to where it's not even seen, and something you only wish you had if the need arises. Take my word for it...it's much easier to catch a ride on the side of the road with a tire and wheel than with a whole stranded bike to get the problem solved . In all I think after the money spent for non useful glitter, that most have no problem with spending on their bike, this item is really nothing much in cost but the pay off and advantage can be huge. Just personal preference I guess but to me I guess I put a high value on convenience.
 
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sneyers, the reason I ask is because I have the HD center stand. Although it is ajustable I keep it set just about on it's lowest setting meaning that the back tire is on the ground and still very stable. It's takes a pretty strong effort to get it off on this setting on level ground and I find most of the time it's just easier to start the engine and drive it off. On the higher settings where it lifts the back tire off the ground it would take a tornado to get it off unassisted. I haven't ever owned but this one for this bike so I can not relate to the other brands but I know that with mine I have more worries about getting it off the stand than I do with it inadvertently coming off by itself. If it is too much of a forward slope I probably would have a problem getting it on the stand to begin with.

In answer to why someone would want a center stand let me tell you what advantages I have found with mine and on bikes in the past over my 38 years of riding. First, it makes confined parking a breeze. It also makes cleaning wheels easy even in front of a motel for those extended trips where you just can't take the filth one week longer. It makes working and cleaning on a bike easier with it upright and much handier than a jack lift. In the event of an emergency on the road such as the need to remove wheel, it beats laying your baby on it's side. The great part is that you have that ability even if you never use it...it's bought, paid for, is tucked in to where it's not even seen, and something you only wish you had if the need arises. Take my word for it...it's much easier to catch a ride on the side of the road with a tire and wheel than with a whole stranded bike to get the problem solved . In all I think after the money spent for non useful glitter, that most have no problem with spending on their bike, this item is really nothing much in cost but the pay off and advantage can be huge. Just personal preference I guess but to me I guess I put a high value on convenience.

The ones I have seen become the lowest point of the bike and I already scrape my board mounts when cornering hard.Is there a model that tucks higher?
 
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