Here's a new guy moment at which you might laugh...

So, I've been trying to figure out how to lube the chain on my pride and joy for about a week now. I couldn't figure out an easy way to access all parts of the sprocket side of the chain (since that's the side you're supposed to spray). I was about to resort to spraying small sections of the exposed chain and intermittently rolling the VFR across my garage floor.

Why would I go to so much trouble? Well, I was having trouble getting the bike onto the centerstand. I was under the impression that one had to literally pull the bike up onto the center-stand. I actually had a buddy of mine tell me that getting a bike of this mass onto the center-stand was a two-man job. Now, I don't know what your garage floors are like, but mine is slippery as all hell. So, getting the center-stand to "catch" on the concrete and allow me to pull the bike up into position was simply not happening. I was petrified of dropping my new toy if I were to get carried away on the pulling attempts.

By now you're probably either laughing your asses off or shaking your head muttering, "F***ing noobie." No one told me that you're supposed to step on the lever attached to the centerstand or that such an action would actually carry the brunt of the bikes weight up onto the center-stand. Needless to say, after much cussing, sweating, and dreaming of a dropped VFR...I finally got it onto the center-stand. Additionally, I lubed my chain without wearing crop circles into my garage floor. :doh:

 

LOL, slippery garage floors suck for any VFR owner, but remember the passenger grab rail is your friend :smile:

 

i have to agree with R.W., i have found the easiest way to get the bike up is to grab the handle bar and pass. grab handle then push straiht down on the centerstand and kinda pull up and back. it takes a couple times to get the hang of, but after that its pretty easy

 

Well, I have it figured out now. Where were you guys about four days ago? :biggrin:

 

we were waiting for you on the instant repair chat board !!

 

Now, that's just not nice at all :biggrin:

 

Hey PuC WTF.... Like I never had that problem LOL

 

Too Funny!!! :lol:

 

Yes easy... :wink:

 

Well I am glad that I stumbled across this thread. I would have been trying to some time to try to get it up on the center stand.

 

Get what up. Be clear now

 

Well now that you mention it, it has been a long time since I tried to put a bike up on a centerstand. I have a rear stand for the Duck.

 

Like, for real...like?

 

It's all about momentum and your right foot.

 

I used my kick stand for a long time because I could never get my bike up on the center stand without huffing and puffing, working up a sweat, worrying about dumping her on her side, and being embarrassed to do it in front of others (I'm still talking about the center stand here).

Then the thought occured to me (duh) that it just can't be as difficult to do as I was making it out to be. After all, others do it, and what good is a center stand if it's so difficult to use?

I searched the forum and, volia, I found "the method." Now it's so easy and effortless to do, I do it all the time (again, still talking about the center stand) without even giving it a thought.

This forum is an invaluable resource. Now, instead of doing things the hard way, I come here to learn from others the right and wrong way of doing things. Learning from experience is nice, but learning from the experience of others is better. Life is good!

 

We did not feed you just for one day
Now you know how to catch the fish:smile:

 

I used to work with a guy who had a 750 Virago, and he used his center stand once a year - in the winter when he stored it. He had this yearly ritual, where he would have his brother come over and together they would wrestle it up on the center stand. It was an annual pain in the butt for them.

He actually bet me money that I could not do it alone, so we went out to the parking lot during lunch one day, and I popped it right up. He was in shock, and even though I got a good laugh out of it, I told him to keep his money...

 

I have never had problems getting it up. Cool thing is, once it's up, you can rotate 180/360 to spin around in one place if you have some balance.

...pause here to contemplate any possible inuendo in the prior sentences...

You kinda scratch the floor, but it's easy to turn the bike around in a confined space. If you put the center-stand's feet down on a piece of cardboard, it won't scratch your slippery floor... well, won't scratch much.

 

Hey Salamander, thanks for starting the thread and helping others with this task. I too have been having a hard time. My experienced (and larger) friend just popped it right up. The manual says to grab near the footpeg (as mentioned above) but the Passenger grab handle makes sense. I find that the pulling on the left handlebar causes the wheel to turn and confound my efforts. I know I just haven't quite got the hang of it yet and will keep trying.