Support for Fork Removal

What do you use to support the front of the bike when you remove the forks?

I haven't done this before, and have a set of Daugherty cartridges I'd like to install (finished the 929 shock conversion earlier today) before I head to the mountains in 2 weeks.

 

I use a piece of wood stucked below the oil cooler on the front head. It must be the exact lenght

 

Somthing like this...

 

This way... I'm doing it now to clean the front wheel

 

I built a rolling support out of scrap lumber and cheap Harbor Frieght furniture dollys. You can see pictures of it if you go through my thread "Refurbishing my '99 5th Gen".

 

I like that!

I ended up hanging it from the top triple clamp from my 2nd floor joists in the garage., but may cut a piece of lumber and do that instead.

 

I have previously been using a block of lumber under the headers. Just recently, I had to replace a front exhaust gasket. Coincidence? The best solution is a head lift like this:

 

Hmmm thats a vtr... Intrusion!

 

True enough, but they are a bit related, similar frame and radiators AND the same colour! I don't use the head stand on my VFR because I have a voltmeter mounted through the steering stem, and the wires would get cut by the stand pin. Not much of an excuse I know.

The head stand is a truly great piece of work, cheap and very easy to deploy, and super stable.

 

Before I bought my Pit Bull headlift and ABBA Skylift stands, I inserted two eyelet bolts into the ceiling joist of my garage about a foot or two apart and then use a ratchet style tie down that has a long strap and looped that under the frame of the bike just behind the steering stem, attaching the two hook ends to the ceiling eyelets. Then I put the bike on the center stand use the ratchet to lift the front end off the ground. This method has one big advantage, no way to accidentally knock the bike off of the support mechanism.

 

Yes... All fancy but if you've got to diassembly the triple clamp or the frame, my cheap as f... method works like gold

 

Having just done this, there's no way on earth I would use the piece-of-wood thing, lest you can picture your bike falling without forks on and are OK with that. If it fell, it would be a total disaster.

For $180 you have peace of mind: https://www.pit-bull.com/motorcycle...rid-headlift-motorcycle-front-stand-f0100-000.

 

Yes... That stand is great for minor operations on forks, front tire and brakes, but if you have to remove the steering bearings from the frame, you cant. Or the frame completely as i had to do... Without fairings for peace of mind i used an old tire beneath the engine and this same peace of wood with no issues at all. Is just a matter of knowing what you are doing and being careful.