Hi fellas, Well, I went down with my new spool stand tips for my Pit Bull stand and...aarrrgh! The stand will not work on the 14. It is too narrow and hits the rear caliper before I can get to the spools. So, what kind of brand,(specifically) should I be looking at for the bike?

AND....any good tips for removing the rear shock?

Later
Mad

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Sorry about the double post.....

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Well Mad...depends on what type of rear stand you're describing...I know...Pit Bull.I have one.Mine's a forward facing rear stand....lift arm on the left side.I would think the rear forks of the stand would probably be the same?Regardless of where the handle is at?I will take pic of mine right now...and show you how I had to manipulate the lifting blocks and fork positions to get it to slide in under the frame and onto the spools.Here ya go....Taken from over the seat and down before doing the full lift.Note the position(s) of the lift blocks and forks.You see that last pic there...notice the 'block' length has been cut down.That's on the right hand side.With the rear facing handle,you don't need to be concerned about the handle hitting the body like you do on my stand...so you can get the rear wheel probably more 'in the center' between the two forks.I couldn't,not with that handle having to be pushed down past the left side of the bike to make the lift.So I compromised and got as close to center as I could.

Mine clears the caliper and rim okay...BUT...with mine,I HAVE to lift the handle AND at the same time as soon as the rear wheel begins to contact the ground,I have to quickly 'turn" the handle(and stand) to the left,and slide out from under the rear frame there at the same time.If I just lower it straight down...the lift forks will get hung up under the belly pan at the rear there...and damage that....so for me it's a 'lower,twist,pull" deal as the bike is settling onto the sidestand.

I think you can tell there that the blocks are actually NOT the way the instructions show how to set it up.That damage was from way before.The muffler scrape wasn't from the stand hitting it.But you can see the black plastic lower fairing tip has been scraped(in the top pic)....it will if you try to go 'slow' with this particular deal.

I had to cut that one length of block off the right one there cause it will catch on the rim...only once for me...until I figured out what was actually hanging up.

* Last updated by: Grn14 on 12/24/2011 @ 10:33 PM *

Not sure what you are looking for, but I purchased a rear stand from Cycle Gear for $44.99, and it works great. They are normally $89.99, but are on sale until 1/2/12. Can't beat the price, or quality.

Yeah my Pit Bull has a handle at the middle rear so won't work as a forward facing. I guess I'll hop down to Cycle Gear and see how theirs looks. Thanks all.

Mad

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I have a rear handle PitBull that worked fine on my 06 & 08. Not tried on the '12 yet, waiting for new spools. It is close and had to get spools that were close to the swing arm rather than standoffs, and open the blocks all the way, but it works.

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Vertical horizon spools will work. There are others that will work. I would only get spools that say they are made for the ZX-14 because they do need to stick out a bit more than normal spools usually do. because of the way the bung is tucked under the swingarm as you can see in Grn's pics.

A rear handle Pitbull rear stand works nicely. I would go with a rear handle if you are willing to put the bike's side stand on a 2 x 4 to get it vertical. A bit more risky for solo lifting.

A Heindl swing arm pivot stand requires no spools and it is the safest and easiest thing I ever used. Google 'em.

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With my rear handle Pit Bull I can't get near the spools at all. The stand arm hits the brake banjo bolt on the rear caliper way before the stand cups get near the spools. I tried every way I could to get it to work, no dice.

Mad

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Do you see how I've got my 'blocks' turned the other way.The instructions show the blocks going in the other way,with the stand arms on the outside.That will not work in my experience with it.One has to be on the outside,the other on the inside...and you can see there that the wheel itself will not be at dead center on the stand when lifted.It will be over to one side some,but not anything to fear about a tipover...it won't be that far out.IF I had the lift handle at the rear...the adjustments might be different,IDK.Those spools need to be out about an inch at least from the underside of the swingarm...as mentioned.Not sure where I got mine.Sorry.

* Last updated by: Grn14 on 12/27/2011 @ 11:51 AM *

I have one with the handle in the middle. You have to reverse the arms that engage the spool is all.

Mine works great.

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I have never had a problem lifting with my forward handle Pit Bull. with all tespect, GRn, I never quite understood the trouble you had. slide the stand under, lift bike off side stand, engage the hooks to the spools, lift halfway, swing side stand up, lift the rest of the way. easy as pie after the hooks are on the spools.

The ONLY time I EVER had trouble was when I hastily tried lifting on a flat rear tire. That takes some careful positioning or you scratch your swingarm

I still always recommend the HIENDLE pivot stand. Super safe.

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I don't really know exactly what was the deal with mine...the handle on the side there had to be moved out away from the body of the bike.The only way I could get it to do that was to reverse that one side of the blocks and then cut that 'extra' length of block from the other side.It was(and did once)catching on the rim on the right side there during the lowering back down to the sidestand.Hung up on the rim there.Scratched it.Only way I could get the handle to clear AND not get it hung under there was to cut that block.After that...it was a piece of cake.I should take a vid of me lifting and lowering my new bike so you could see how I'm doing it.Kinda hard to explain without seeing it.But it's very easy the way I do it.

Rook wrote:

I still always recommend the HIENDLE pivot stand. Super safe.

How much do they cost?

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I have one with the handle in the middle. You have to reverse the arms that engage the spool is all.

Hmmm, I'll have to have one more look at that. Thanks for all the info.

Mad

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I know on the Pitbull website,that demonstrator is lifting a 600 or something small like that.With the forward facing stand.He makes it look very easy.For THAT bike...it probably is.But on my 14,the standard 'setup' for that stand just will not work...On the rear facing handle stands...you can see when the forks are lined up with the spools,and lift accordingly.With the forward facing handle,you can't see the right side fork,whether it's lined up or not.You have to get over the seat and visually make sure it's beginning to seat correctly as you lift at the same time.Kinda dicey the first couple of lifts cause it doesn't LOOK like it's stable.But it is if ya hold onto the left handlebar,look over the seat,begin the lift and follow through in one step.

Lowereing the bike,same deal(for mine anyway).Hold the handlebar,begin the drop,and twist the stand to the left and slide out as she's contacting the ground.You BETTER have the sidestand down...that's all I'll say about that!I have to allow the bike to lean into the kickstand as I'm twisting the rear stand,otherwise,it will hang up under the rear swingarm and stuff.But it's so quick...one move really once ya get it down...that it's a real easy deal to do.I really like my forward facing stand.I've never trusted that rear handle deal.There's nothing to stabilize the momentum of the bike going vertical with your hand on the handle and......where do you put your other hand?IDK.Too iffy for me.

I've never trusted that rear handle deal.There's nothing to stabilize the momentum of the bike going vertical with your hand on the handle and......where do you put your other hand?IDK

The rear handle lift seemed as though it would be pretty precarious for a solo lift to me too. I still have never done one but now that I see how stable the bike is once it is lifted to vertical with the lift forks on the spools, I believe a rear handle can be done as safely as a forward handle.

The key to solo lifting a 14 on a rear handle stand is to make the bike vertical from the get go. DON'T lift the bike off the side stand, prop the side stand up a couple inches instead so the bike is already vertical when you put the rear stand on the spools. All you need to do is set the bikes side stand on a 2x4 and the bike is sitting at very close to vertical for ya Put the lift forks on the spools and hoist away. A lot of the threads i read had posts about the 2x4 technique. The main danger is the bike falling off its vertical position before you get the forks on the spools (but that is also the danger with a forward handle).

Now Grn, i have to go out and take pics of my PB forward handle on my 14. We need to solve this mystery once and for all so you can lift your new bike normally.

* Last updated by: Rook on 12/28/2011 @ 2:51 PM *

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How much do they cost?

heindl swingarm pivot stand

$250 + shipping. Not cheap but truly the safest stand to use and requires much less effort than my pitbull. Only 2 gripes:

~1/16 steel construction ~half the thickness of Pit Bull. For the price< they should use heavier gauge steelbut it is plenty strong even for the 14

The stand comes in 2 pieces. It is ridgid enough when thumbscrews are fastened but I like the other design I saw where a removable rod ran all the way through the pivot from one side to the other. That was a British company not available in the US AFAIK.

* Last updated by: Rook on 12/28/2011 @ 3:02 PM *

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Grn, I just measured my PB fwd handle rear stand and it is 14 3/8 inch between the forks. That is the measurement inside not including the thickness of the plates. I arranged the forks so that they were centered between the two main uprights of the stand....just made them 14 3/8" apart.

Nop probs clearing the brake caliper or the rim on the right

Left side is clear as well.

* Last updated by: Rook on 12/28/2011 @ 4:17 PM *

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Here's my stand mod:

put a cap screw with washers and a bolt in the adjuster slot so the forks CANNOT ever slide back down under the weight of the bike (yeah prolly never heard of that happening but couldn't help wondering 'what if.

One cap screw makes the height just about perfect to lift the rear level to the front when a Pit Bull Forklift front stand /w Forklift Converter is used to support the front.

Grn, looks to me like I have my spool fork attached so that the slot bracket sticks outward on both sides. Yours are attached so that the slot bracket points inward on the right and that is why it was hitting your rim and caliper. I can see why you did that though. The high side of the fork is to the rear on both sides of your setup. That seems as though that would be designed to lift and hold the spools more safely than the low side. I think what PB did was send you a stand with two right forks. Mine have the high side of the fork to the rear too but I can have the slot to the outside on both sides so it clears everything.

I think PB should sen you a lefty fork free of charge. You got to righties with your'n.

Oh well, mystery solved. It's workin for ya so keep it or change it sup to you

With my rear handle Pit Bull I can't get near the spools at all. The stand arm hits the brake banjo bolt on the rear caliper way before the stand cups get near the spools. I tried every way I could to get it to work, no dice.
Mad

BTW, PB makes a rear handle stand for the 14 (and busa) AND it has that awesome removable handle!!!! Me likes! Looks like the uprights are a lot shorter on this one. Lift height can be adjusted up but I bet you will never lift as high as other stands that can be adjusted up in height in the same way. PB claims any of their other rear stands will work with the 14 as long as it has rear fender eliminated. The ZX-14 dedicated stand is designed to accomodate those who wish to leave the rear fender on their bike.
PIT BULL ZX-14 REAR MOUNTED DETACHABLE HANDLE REAR STAND

* Last updated by: Rook on 12/28/2011 @ 5:03 PM *

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Ya...thanks Rook(nice avatar BTW)..that is YOU there,yes?Good one!

I tried to have mine fit like yours...when I first got it.I had the blocks set up like yours as well...I don't know WHY though that it somehow didn't work right...but it didn't.The block(s) just wouldn't move far enough over somehow to get the distance that you have on there.I never measured the width...but I will.Thanks.I ran out of groove for the block bolts on there.Maybe I just 'didn't get it' when I first assembled it.That could be.But right now...how it is...it's fine for lifting...the dimensions of the new bike are actually the same as far as width and hieght and all.I've been lifting my new bike several times now....she IS a tad heavier...so that feels a bit different,pushing that handle down.

I couldn't use mine without cutting the end off the handle and using an extension in there.The leverage was just not enough to feel comfortable lining up,looking over,and reaching down for the handle.The extension really solved all that...made everything much easier to do.I can look over the seat,line er up,begin the lift and continue lifting without any drama with mine like it is.Like you said...once she's cradled in the forks,it's all the way then.And yeah,I did turn those forks around.Seemed to me looking at it that the 'other way' was kinda chancy considering the way the swingarm was angled and all.So mine probably isn't set like the instructions...but it has worked fine for 4 years now.

I did notice now that ya mention it...the fork height.I've got mine all the way down...for the same reason you installed those bolts on there.That MAY be why the deal was hitting with my blocks the way they are now.IDK.I'm not gonna change it now..It works okay.

(nice avatar BTW)..that is YOU there,yes?Good one!

yyup, can't wait for the next track day! That track photographer was pretty sharp and very worth the price. $20 for a boatload of pics.

I did notice now that ya mention it...the fork height.I've got mine all the way down...for the same reason you installed those bolts on there.That MAY be why the deal was hitting with my blocks the way they are now.IDK.I'm not gonna change it now..It works okay.

Mine seemed to clear just as well w/o the bolts in the height slots. I just raised mine so the bike would be level when put up on both front and rear stands For aesthetic reasons--lol).....It also allows for NO contact between the stand crossbar and a 155 tire. A 150 just made it over but a 155 was touching with the stand at the lowest height.

Raising the height increases the amount of initial force required to lift the bike. Not in favor of the lifter from a leverage perspective.

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Lots of nice stands here, but I still don't see any of them working better than my stand that I got from Cycle Gear for $44.99 (on sale). If you would like, I can send you some pictures, or just e-mail them to you.

Hey Bean, I have a home made stand that mimicks the pitbull rear stand. It worked well on my R1 but was`nt wide enough for my 14. I ended up cutting it and extending it out using 3/8" plate 1-1/4" x 3" scrap I had laying around. It now works perfectly and didnt cost anything but some time. Hope the pic`s help.
(I know the handle is crooked it`s been that was since 2001 when I made the stand in hurry).

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SORRY Maddevill, I just noticed I thought this was Beans thread!!! I saw the RED bike and was reading another thread Bean was doing on trailer chocks and... you can figure it out I GOT SO CONFUSED!

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Lots of nice stands here, but I still don't see any of them working better than my stand that I got from Cycle Gear for $44.99 (on sale). If you would like, I can send you some pictures, or just e-mail them to you.

No doubt you can get a serviceable stand for less than a Pit Bull. If you are shopping budget, the only thing to look closely at is the metal thickness. I have seen one rear stand very cheap but thin metal. It was honey comb construction but to me---no way I'd trust that under my bike. I would not want any gauge steel much lighter than 1/16 " thick.

I don't think screws v welds make any dif. Welds are nice but screws will do fine if they are tight.

Other thing is height. Look at how high the stand lifts the wheel off the ground. If you want to use a front stand, you don't want your rear just barely off the floor or it will touch when you lift your front.

Too many questions. Pit Bulls were the safe bet so I went with them. Use them all the time so the cost is not an issue.

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