You are certainly not alone in the nervousness department. Our Ninja is a heavyweight monster. I bought an adjustable front/rear stand set (GPI Industries; affordable and incredibly strong) before the bike was even delivered last summer. Mine too was shiny and new.

The first time I installed the spools and lifted the rear, things were great. Setting back down, not so much. I brought it down too quickly and the massive weight of the bike bounced it off the rear spring and it went to the RIGHT. I leapt to catch it and luckily did. But you don't truly know what the word heavy means until 600 lbs are sitting on your biceps and lower back, reliant entirely on your mercy (and desperation) to not fall to the floor. Disaster averted that time; still don't know how. Bike had barely 30 miles.

So I learned. Here's what I do and some suggestions I have for your options:

- For TRUE peace of mind, you need CONFIDENCE. Confidence comes from having a true fail safe that won't let the bike fall no matter how badly you screw up. Mine takes the form of a Canyon Dancer handlebar harness and my trusty old tie-down straps. I am fortunate to have a Handy lift table I use for all bike service on which I had tie-down hooks welded for my 700lb cruiser. So before lowering the bike, I simply tie down the front end; takes 30 seconds to do.
- No lift, no problem. Just drill two reinforced steel anchor eyelets into your garage floor (it seems you have a garage?) and use them to tie down the front end with the harness and straps.
- Third option, is to install a single steel eyelet just into a wall stud by the left side of the bike. Run a strong steel chain through a thick garden hose, hook one end into the eyelet and wrap the other around your LEFT fork and lock it with good padlock. Leave no slack. Now the bike can't fall to the right when you lower it onto the side stand.

General tips:

- Never attempt to use the front stand without the rear. Which means, never lower the rear BEFORE the front and only raise the front AFTER the rear. Doing the opposite would be asking for trouble because the handlebars are mobile and the swing arm is not.
- Never forget how heavy the big Ninja is. So lower it SLOWLY or it will bounce off the spring and you have 50/50 shot at which side it decides to roll to (as per my 600 lb lesson in both mathematical probability and the law of gravity above).
- While you lower slowly, just keep one hand on the rear with moderate pressure to the left so as soon as the wheel touches down, the bike will gently rock to the left and onto the side stand.
- Keep the bike in gear. Lowering the bike requires forward momentum as the stand pushes the bike forward while bringing it down, so our heavy bike will want to carry that momentum and roll forward. You don't want it to do so and kick the side stand back up. Then you're really screwed.
- You can buy wider rear spools so the hooks in your stand will end up farther from the swing arm and have no chance of scratching it. Use layers of masking tape on the swing arm just to be sure the first time.
- Buy a STRONG set of stands. I cannot stress this enough. They must not flex AT ALL under the weight of the bike or all of the above goes out the window. The GPI Industries stands are terrific as they are affordable and handle our monstrous Ninja very well.

All of the above becomes second nature once you do it regularly. So build the confidence by investing in good stands and a fail safe that works for you.

* Last updated by: ManiZ on 5/25/2020 @ 1:06 PM *

Here's what I use.
Cut the closed tip off w a hacksaw.Insert a decently long extension into it.Position left hook under spool.Lean over seat,align right hook under spool.Push down on handle as left hook lifts the bike to vertical.Make sure right hook is cradling right spool.Continue with the lift in a smooth motion.Voila!
Lowering,raise handle while holding bike and lightly apply left pull on handlebar,moving the bike gently backwards a bit as you lower it to the ground.MAKE SURE YOUR KICKSTAND IS DOWN.
On lifting,once both hooks are holding the spools,it won't 'slip out' from the spools.You will need to initially adjust the spool arms for the correct width.Longer portion of hook to the rear.You can apply loctite to the adjuster bolts when doing this.
I use an old heavy duty torque wrench for my extension so I can grab the wratchet end for a grip.I also 'pinched' that open end once the wrench was installed so it won't slip out or anything.Once the bike is vertical and supported by the hooks,it can't fall either way.(on the lift portion).I hold the left handlebar until the bike is up.The extension makes that possible.Otherwise you're struggling make sure everything's lined up and and pushing down without being able to see the right hook alignment.Not good.It's VERY reliable and easy.
One or two times and you can do it with total confidence.

* Last updated by: Grn14 on 5/25/2020 @ 10:33 AM *

Mani, those are some great ideas if I have to use a rear handle stand. A rear handle stand would be better for some jobs and I probably will get one someday.

For everything I've done, a forward handle has been a minor inconvenience at worst. A beginner can't be too careful but after lifting the bike 10 times, none of the precautions would be necessary. If a man is lighter in weight, then it might still be a good idea to use these precautions even with a forward handle stand.

A swingarm, pivot stand is it's own failsafe as long as you hold forward tension on the handle. You are right there on the LH side of the bike as you always are when it's time to put the sidestand down. Buying a swingarm pivot stand is the best choice for a beginner. I still prefer to use mine with my busa which is about the weight and wheelbase of the 14R. I'm not a small guy but that thing is scary to lift with any stand especially if the bike has the stock exhaust.

The stock mufflers v aftermarket make a BIG difference in how hard it is to lift the bike. Also, the amount of fuel in the tank, especially when it comes time to put the bike on the sidestand.

* Last updated by: Rook on 5/25/2020 @ 10:56 AM *

Grn14:

When you lower it,the bike will tend to move forward.So the rearward light pushing will assure the kickstand doesn't fold.

It is not possible to lower the sidestand until the handle has been lifted to vertical. You can lower the sidesatnd at that point but I don't bother with it until the wheel is on the ground. I keep downward force on the handle and that holds the bike at vertical until I get the sidestand down. I put the sidestand on the floor and then I pull the Pit Bull out.

There may be other good spools but Vertical Horizon were recommended to me from the start. They are much better than the smaller spools I have used. Pit Bull spools are very small. I would avoid them although I keep them on my busa. Not for a beginner, I wouldn't say and not the easiest for a pro either.

"It is not possible to lower the sidestand until the handle has been lifted to vertical."..not true.I always have my kickstand lowered when it's on the pitbull.The handle will slide past it.The sidestand has a small amount of play in it right to left.So it does move a bit when the handle comes up.Been doing it this way for years;)It also depends how you configure the hook r/l orientations.I turned one of mine the opposite of how they're shown in that pic.And reversed the hook so it was correct w/ long end to the rear.This moves the lifted bike over about 1/2" to the left.No problem.

Rook, I didn't even know there was such a thing as a swingarm pivot stand. Goes to show how much I need to learn about the world of sport bikes. I just looked them up and you're right; that's quite the dual-sided fail-safe, for newbies and veterans alike.

I only replaced the OEM exhaust a couple of weeks ago but honestly can't tell the difference in ease of raising or lowering the bike. You are right. Obviously it should be there; I just didn't pay attention.

Come to think of it, I should keep my front anchored down whenever the rear is on the GPI stand, just as a backup in case the bolt for either of the two spools shears off under stress or the stand itself fails somehow. Can't hurt.

Our bikes are such beasts that we can't be too careful.

* Last updated by: ManiZ on 5/25/2020 @ 1:38 PM *

I always have my kickstand lowered when it's on the pitbull.The handle will slide past it.The sidestand has a small amount of play in it right to left.So it does move a bit when the handle comes up

I didn't even know there was such a thing as a swingarm pivot stand. Goes to show how much I need to learn about the world of sport bikes. I just looked them up and you're right; that's quite the dual-sided fail-safe, for newbies and veterans alike.

I should keep my front anchored down whenever the rear is on the GPI stand, just as a backup in case the bolt for either of the two spools shears off under stress or the stand itself fails somehow. Can't hurt.

If you use the Canyon Dancers, that would keep the bike up even if there was a spool or rear stand failure. Those spool bolts are M10 though. I've heard of people just using bolts without any spools to lift the rear. I just replaced mine with Ti bolts and I actually considered using aluminum because an M10 bolt is so thick. I decided it wasn't worth taking the chance though. Ti's light enough but OMG is it expensive!

* Last updated by: Rook on 5/25/2020 @ 4:27 PM *

Less moving parts is always better.In any plan.Only way a spool bolt is gonna shear is if it's rotting.You'd see that.Remember,you're only raising the rear of the bike up.Not the whole weight.Once the spools are in the hooks,it aint goin anywhere but up or down.I think my setup is probably the easiest method going.Unless a rear facing handle is what ya want to use.Just takes a bit of practice to get confident.It won't fall if the weight is on the hooks/spools.The extension gives leverage and allowance to hold the bike with the left bar end and feel the vertical when lifting/lowering.Or stabilizing it if need be,which I haven't had to do actually.

* Last updated by: Grn14 on 5/26/2020 @ 9:58 AM *

A couple other options:

You could use a stand like this: https://www.harborfreight.com/1800-lb-capacity-motorcycle-standwheel-chock-61670.html or a Baxley chock (they're a lot more expensive). I use the harbor freight one on my lift. Roll the bike into it (I have it bolted down to the lift). The bike stays upright by itself. Then you just lift it easily with the rear stand. When I want to lift the front as well I just put the front stand under the forks and lift the front too. I can take some pics and post them if you'd like.

Other option is if you have (or want) a center stand you can put it up on the centerstand and then use the rear stand easily. Only thing you have to be careful about there is when you are taking it off the rear stand you want to roll the bike slightly rearward as you bring it down so the center stand doesn't fold. I use this method when I just want to clean the front wheel and not put it up on the lift. I have a center stand because I tour with mine and when your putting thousands of miles on in a short period of time the center stand is a HUGE benefit!

I use pit bull stands btw - very good quality stands.

I like Pitbull stands as they are sturdy. I’ve had these a couple years and use tv em on different bikes no issues.

Nice, and the rear mounted handle leaves the sides and bottom of the bike totally clear. I guess I could get used to putting a block of wood under the sidestand to steady the bike before it's lifted. I'd still recomend a forward handle or swingarm pivot stand for beginners.

That's a nice looking 14! I like that color.

I bought a cheapo at Harbor Freight $34.99 a few weeks ago and it lifts my 14R up fine. https://www.harborfreight.com/motorcycle-swingarm-rear-stand-65620.html

I have tried practically everything over my 55 years of riding. For traditional stands Pit Bull is as good as it gets and you will never need anything else. Personally of the stands I have in the garage I prefer the Heindle rear pivot stand. One lesson I learned a long time ago on my ZX-11 was never to use the Pit Bull front stand by itself. Always install the rear stand first. The absolute best lift system is the Abba sky lift which is in my future. I just don't like laying in the concrete garage floor anymore to do cleaning and maintenance.

Now have the Abba sky lift with adapters for the ZX14R and my BMW K1300HP. Have not had a chance to use on either one yet.

Question
I have a Pit bull rear stand and also a Pit bull front stand that lifts from the lower triple
clamp. When I have the bike up on the rear stand, I cannot get the pin for the front stand
up into the triple. Fender gets in the way. The only way I can get it to work is put the
bike on its understand, have a helper rock it back onto the rear tire, then insert the front stand.
Then I lift the front, then put the rear stand on. Kinda sketchy
What am I doing wrong ? Tips are appreciated.

Mad

You are not doing anything wrong. I have a pit bull front stand (the one that lifts from the bottom of the fork legs). I had the same one you have which worked on my ZX-11 but would not fit my ZX14's. I sold it when I got my 1st 14 and bought my current one.

Always rear stand first.
Think 4-points or a box is more stable.
Think 3-points or how unstable a triangle is ["sketchy"] as opposed to the more stable 4-no rock or rock steady is the bike.

With bike on the rear stand, can we use a towel on the fender, insert pin in the lower crown first; slide stand so it meets the pin to arm; insert and lift.

With a shoulder under the nose of the fairing, you top out the forks and run the stand under [pin in stand]; towel in place; slide stand on towel if needed [one man job]???

With rear stand in place, a 24" long 2x4 under the oil pan; car jack in place; top out the forks, we have room now?

Yep . rear in place , just small jack to lift motor .....carefully ;)

Tips are appreciated.

Sell them on Craigslist and get a ABBA stand.

+1 on the ABBA stand

I have a Pit bull rear stand and also a Pit bull front stand that lifts from the lower triple
clamp. When I have the bike up on the rear stand, I cannot get the pin for the front stand
up into the triple. Fender gets in the way. The only way I can get it to work is put the
bike on its understand, have a helper rock it back onto the rear tire, then insert the front stand.
Then I lift the front, then put the rear stand on. Kinda sketchy
What am I doing wrong ? Tips are appreciated.

You won't need your understand when you understand. You just have to get he pin on the hole and jig-jog the thing a bit to walk the pin up in the hole and roll the wheels forward at the same time. The stand closes a bit to lower down as the pin goes in and then the stand opens all the way up when you press the handle down to lift. It will go in. Definitely keep a towel over the fender. Keep a hand under the pin and the other hand holding tension back on the handle. If you release tension on the handle, the other half of the stand will fall on top of your fender. Hold back on the handle once the pin goes in and check to make sure the pin is all the way in with the flat shoulder contacting the outer edge of the hole.

Are you sure you have the pin in the right way? I have two different Pit Bull Steering stem stands and they work well on both my bikes. Never had a problem except scuffing the fender when I didn't cover it. The rubber thing helps to avoid fender contact but don't count on that.

Here's a tutorial on using a Pit Bull steering stem stand. You're not the first person to ever have a problem figuring it out.

http://zx14ninjaforum.com/messages.cfm?threadid=A2E40F20-BBD5-8BD0-F4DADA68F325D2D4

Sell them on Craigslist and get a ABBA stand.

There are jobs where it's better to have the suspension loaded, one thing the Skylift or the Abba swingarm pivot stand can't do. Hang on to the Pit Bulls, get a Skylift as well. I have a Heindl swingarm pivot stand and it it's best for certain jobs. You can't have too many kinds of stands, I guess.

* Last updated by: Rook on 10/27/2020 @ 6:52 PM *

I have the proper pin. I think ill try the towel and Jack thing.
I commented I had a front lift that supported the bike from the bottom of the forks.
When I removed the wheel, the stand flexed just a bit. Made it almost impossible to get the front wheel back on. Thus the triple clamp lift.

Mad

Getting the bike on a rear stand like the pit bull can be dicey. My method is to roll the bike into my front chock and then put the bike up on the stand. Easy peasy that way. Same for taking it off the rear stand.

A forward handle Pit Bull Rear stand is a lot safer. Still not a piece of cake until you get used to it. A couple 2x4s under the side stand makes it a lot safer. With a rear handle rear stand I imagine the 2x4s would help a lot too but then you have to let the bike down. I might want something wider than a 2x4 and let it down real slow. I wouldn't try it without a spotter the first time I used it.