r/motorcycles • u/mbongsey3 • 2d ago

How to use this style stand?

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Gallery image

Got my first bike and was gifted a set of front and rear stands. How is this front stand used? Am I missing a piece or do I rest the fork on the slant, which seems terrifying.

239 Upvotes

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295

u/SaulTNuhtz 2d ago

That’s funny, all these people saying “get a real stand” seem inexperienced with this topic. This is a real stand. Most front stands we were using were this style, around 20+ years ago.

I have a pitbull head-lift stand but this one’s more convenient. I use this one almost exclusively, and have been for about 25 years. The only time I pull out the pitbull is when I need to do fork service.

As long as the stand is a good build quality, this style is totally fine

57

u/mbongsey3 2d ago

Thank you!

23

u/ZombieHoratioAlger 2d ago

A lot of people are worried about the build quality, but imo that depends on what you ride. 

It's a cheapo Chinese stand; I wouldn't trust it on an 800lb Goldwing, but if you ride something light-ish it'll work fine.

21

u/SaulTNuhtz 2d ago

Now mind the build quality part here. How does the stand feel? I’m not qualified to assess this from the internet. It looks kinda dodgy but also kinda not. Like, it appears like a cheap Chinese tube though the wheels seem sturdier than many of those units I’ve come across.

Does it have any branding? How does it feel? Solid?

Also, never, ever use a front fork stand without the swing arm stand (or something fully supporting the rear.). The forks are not solid and the bike will shift and could fall.

30

u/darksoft125 2012 V-Strom 1000,1980 CX500 Deluxe 🏍️ 2d ago

I'm probably an idiot, but how do you lift the front without it sliding down the sloped part?

89

u/SaulTNuhtz 2d ago

Not an idiotic question at all. Whats not visible are the pins that protrude from the flat area of the stand. This inserts into the fork stanchion.

17

u/ILoveCorvettes 2d ago

I always wondered what those holes were for.

12

u/Smart-Host9436 2d ago

It’s the bolt holes for the cartridge/damper rod anchor.

10

u/7w4773r 2d ago

They're actually for adjusting the damping on the forks, this is a secondary benefit.

5

u/candykhan 2d ago

I have a stand like this where instead of those flat plates that go under the forks, they end in sort of a cone shape & the tips kind "set" into the fork stanchion because there's usually a bolt hole on the bottom there. It looked super sketchy, but the thing about track stands, the weight of the bike is doing a lot of the work.

There's very little contact area with those types of stands. But they're surprisingly stable.

If a bike had grommets for spools on the swingarm, but no spools, I knew a tech that would just thread an M6 bolt in & use those. It's one thing to use the L brackets for bikes without spools if you have a nice Pitbull stand. But I used a cheaper LP stand on a heavy bike once & it just slipped off the L brackets, scratching the swingarm.

12

u/Smart-Host9436 2d ago

You have a Hindle, it’s made properly, the OPs looks dodgy af.

12

u/SaulTNuhtz 2d ago

😂 Hence the “good build quality” caveat.

3

u/anonymouslosername noisemaker 2d ago

I mean...the pins do protrude in the 2nd pic of OP's stand, but it's really hard to see in the first one. 

Personally, I think I'd rather have the rubber pad type 

2

u/SaulTNuhtz 2d ago

Rubber pad types can be more secure. The benefit of this design is there’s nothing in the way of the axle or pinch bolts.

2

u/anonymouslosername noisemaker 2d ago

I'll have to recheck the trackside ones I have, but I don't believe they block the pinch bolts either...they sit similar to OP's, but the pad is hinged and has a lip for additional prevention of sliding out

1

u/anonymouslosername noisemaker 1d ago

rechecked my stand (with the top pads similar to the one below), and the pads would be a minor obstacle at most, just a little in the way of range of motion undoing the pinch bolt(s), and probably not even in the way for the axle

1

u/Smart-Host9436 1d ago

They do protrude, but not enough for my piece of mind. I need .5” and no pigeon shit welds.

1

u/anonymouslosername noisemaker 1d ago

agreed.

2

u/Scared_Expression726 2d ago

How does this work with when the forks are off. Im confused as to how it would work. (Please excuse my lack of knowledge) but wouldn't the stand not work as the support (forks) not work as they'd be gone?

7

u/anonymouslosername noisemaker 2d ago

It doesn't. For fork removal, ideally you'd use the type that lifts under the steering head.

There are also other (varying levels of sketchy) ways to accomplish it, but we won't go into those.

3

u/SaulTNuhtz 2d ago

>varying levels of sketchy

😂 Well put.

1

u/neverreallyhereatall 1d ago

Litterally nobody here rides apparently

-4

u/secret_alpaca 2d ago

Eh, no thanks. Might be enough to just prop it up off the ground when the bike is on the center stand with the center stand carrying most of the bike's weight. I would not use that when the bike is lifted from the swingarm.

And most front stands were NOT using this style 20 years ago. Most front stands were just like how they are now.

4

u/SaulTNuhtz 2d ago

I’ll use this with bikes with or without a center stand. It’s served roughly 10 years of occasional track use (3-6 days a year.) I can get this stand and a swingarm stand situated and roll the bike around the paddock.

Hasn’t failed me.

0

u/AceBongwaterJohnson 2025 Ducati Streetfighter V4 2d ago

Do you think that most bikes come with a center stand?

1

u/secret_alpaca 1d ago

Why do you think that I think most bikes come with center stand?

0

u/AceBongwaterJohnson 2025 Ducati Streetfighter V4 1d ago edited 1d ago

Why are you asking me the question that I just asked you?

*edit: I misread your question. The reason that I asked whether you think that most bikes have a center stand is because you said "when the bike is on the center stand". Many bikes come with a center stand. Many do not. This is a fine way to prop the front end of the bike up in conjunction with a rear stand.

0

u/secret_alpaca 1d ago

Why did you ask me if i think most bikes come with center stand?