Rear Stand Lift Technique

[40 Nuck]

I have a question that might have some general interest beyond Knuckles (Pan, Inidans, most older bikes), but wasn't sure where to put it other than here ...

I love the stability and ability to do some minor work on my 1940 EL while it's on its rear stand, however I've never heard anything about the optimal way to get it up there. I know you can rock it forward for easily getting it down, and I've seen a guy use a curb while rolling it back to lift it, but in general, I was wondering if there's some "nifty" way of getting it up on the rear stand without risking having the bike fall.

I used to lift the bike by the rear fender braces until I popped a fender/brace rivet, plus that requires a little bit of back & leg power, so I'm not sure that's what was originally intended. I guess that before the Jiffy stand, the rear stand was all that was available, so lifting the bike from the back without having a jiffy stand to hold it upright would've been disastrous. Did people just "lean" the bike as they would a bicycle without a kick-stand?

Anyway, I'm guessing that there is some very obvious and easy technique that I haven't figured out intuitively yet, and will feel silly when the answers come in, but am willing to throw myself on the mercy of those in the know.

Thanks!
Vic

[jwl]

I don't know of an easy way either. It seems to get more difficult for me after every birthday. The easiest way I have found is to put the bike on the side stand then go around to the rear and lower the rear stand. Stand directly behind the bike and put both feet against the rear stand at each bottom corner to keep it from sliding backwards. Then grab both sides of the rear crash guard and lift and pull backwards at the same time. It ain't easy and at times a little tricky but it works for me. If you don't have a rear crashguard it is more difficult but I suppose you would need to follow the same procedure but grab ahold of the frame near the axle.

[exeric]

Like jwl, I grab the upper frame tubes ahead of the axel carriers, take a deep breath, and pull.

[frichie68]

Drop the rear stand, roll the rear wheel forward up on a piece of 1X6, then back up on the stand.
Rich

[Rollo]

Dang Frichie,
That was too easy. All us simple minded fools have been doing it like Jim, Eric and the others here. Hernias and nads laying on the ground when all we needed was a block of wood. Like my Dad used to say " A stong back and a weak mind".

Tom(Rollo) Hardy
AMCA # 12766

[40 Nuck]

Dang is right ... you could probably cut a piece of 1x6 that would fit in your tool box and match the footprint of your rear tire, and use your rear stand whenever you like. I'm going to do some experimentin' when I get home! Thanks Rich.

Any other suggestions are still welcome!

[bselph]

I use the 1x6 trick after I hurt my back trying to lift my VL. I hadn't thought about putting a smaller piece in my saddle bag!
Thanks, Bob

[exeric]

Dang Frichie,
That was too easy. All us simple minded fools have been doing it like Jim, Eric and the others here. Hernias and nads laying on the ground when all we needed was a block of wood. Like my Dad used to say " A stong back and a weak mind".

Tom(Rollo) Hardy
AMCA # 12766

That's funny. At 60 I'm still doing fine and have no back problems. I do know one thing to keep in mind when putting a big twin on it's rear stand; don't try it on a real smooth concrete floor

[Rollo]

Eric,
I'm 61 and still do it the old fashioned way of grabbing it and pulling it back on the stand. I actually use a thin sheet of plywood on the driveway (asphalt) so as to not mess up the rear stand any more that I have to. It has worked fine for me for years but it is always good to know a new trick or two. Now if I could just figure out how to get my Duo Glides on their center stands!!! I even tried backing them down a slight grade and jamming it under but to no avail. I have 3 NOS ones in the box and two on bikes currently and never use them. They are a bitch to get back into the clip even after lubing them up.

Tom (Rollo) Hardy
AMCA # 12766

[Nadthor]

I was at the local VFW hall a few years ago when this little old man about 80 and all of 5' 100lbs asked me if that was my 47Knuckle outside. He told me all about how he bought one same color same year when he came home from Korea in 1950. He said he rode that for years all over Texas and Califonia. To every base he was at till he started having kids. Any ways he told me he never knew how to use the rear stand and didn't have a jiffystand so he just rolled it over onto the crash bars. It's a wonder any survived

[jwl]

This is a little off topic but a good story just the same. I was changing the engine oil on my 46 EL and was trying to lean it over to the right to get last few drops out when a punk kid of around 14 asked how many times I had fiddled around like that before. I told him I'd been doing it that way forever. He came over and put the kick starter down all the way until it went over center and used it like a kickstand. It worked perfectly. I just shook my head and thought "Now why didn't I think of that" That "punk" is now an AMCA board member and will probably be president someday.

[Rollo]

Jim,

I used to see guys back in the 70's and 80's do that all the tiime when they had kick/jiffy stand issues. Broken/lost spring, leg bracket, spring bracket etc. Most rode choppers and didn't have extra bucks for such frills when beer was what was needed to keep the party rolling. It was kind of hard on the kicker cover and kicker pedal but, hey when your drinking and having a good time those were problems to be dealt with later.

Tom (Rollo) Hardy
AMCA # 12766