Centre Stand Help

Centre Stand Help

From the Phatt Files

How to put your bike on its center stand.

I know that this is less and less of a problem now-a-days
BUT if there is one thing that seems to flumox many
riders it is putting their motorcycle on the Center Stand.
That is those bikes, which still have one. This does not
have to be hard. In fact with these simple steps you too
can hoist a Gold Wing up like it was nothing

The first thing you must do is stop trying to lift the bike
with your arms. Heaving and pulling on the bike is not
the answer. The bike will weigh in excess of you and this
will simply not work

The second thing you must do is to allow the weight of
your body to work for you as a lever against the stand.

So how do you do this? Simple
We shall assume that your bike is on its side stand
Approach your motorcycle from the left (clutch control)
side.
Have your stomach roughly even with the drivers seat.
Take your left hand and place it upon the left hand grip
Take you right hand and place it under or on something
solid and to your right
Put your left foot firmly and straight down on the ground
make sure to keep it straight
Take your right foot and place it upon the center stand
lever It should have a slight bend at the knee and you
should be about 8 inches or so from your motorcycle
Gently lean a bit forward and use your arms to lever
the bike off of the side stand until you feel the center
stand properly placed with both stand feet firmly on the
ground
Your arms are now finished with their work
Now stand up straight.
Relax the left arm. Keep the right arm straight but
not under tension Ready?
Now with the center stand firmly planted on the ground
Your left leg straight and your left foot under you
Your right arm straight but not pulling and the handle
bars square to the bike
Your right leg slightly bent with your foot upon the
center stand lever
Drop the weight of you body onto your right leg and just
straighten your right leg
DO NOT LIFT WITH YOUR ARMS
That is it. Just straighten your leg and the bike will
nicely rock back onto the stand and you are done
Do Not lean into the bike. This will tip it away from you
Do Not pull back away from the bike to try and use
your arms. This will overload your left leg giving you
less leverage on the right foot and make you less stable
Do Not lift your shoulders to try and use the muscles
in your arms to lift the bike
Do Not jump on the center stand lever to try and get
more weight onto the right leg. This will just unbalance you.
Do Not Falter after you have started. This will allow the
bike to roll forward and perhaps fall away from you.
Always act with confidence and see it through

Confidence that you can do something is most of the
battle and this system will work Every time

If you have any doubts ask a friend to stand on the right
side of the bike to keep it from falling away from you but
do not ask them to help you lift. You do not need their
help Just the power of straightening your leg is all you need
Honest Johnnie Phatt

Johnnie Phatt is a Regular SoapBox Contributor to CMG

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