Center Stand fof 1986 VF1000R?

Center Stand for 1986 VF1000R still available?

Hi,
First post here.

About a month back I finally found and bought a beautiful VFKR. The PO gave me a series of printed pages that together, end up being a copy of the manual that came with the bike originally. Among these pages is mention of a center stand that could be bought (in 1986) separately.

Does anyone know if this piece of OEM equipment is still available at all? (I checked Bikebandit and couldn't find one in my first search) and whether it would somehow be better than any of the numerous center/paddock stands around these days?

Any ideas about whether I even need the OEM stand at all (aside from the fact that it would be kind of nice to have the OEM simply becasue it matches the bike)?

any and all replies are appreciated.

Cheers...

Aaron/Seattle

 

Why not just get a swingarm stand? Any of the universal ones would work. This would be easier, cheaper and you wouldn't have lug a centerstand with you everywhere. Those turds cause havoc in the corners!

 

I think he is asking about the original honda stand that slips under the back of the engine and acts like the swingarm stand does.

 

Thanks to both of you for the responses.

I ~was~ asking about the OEM stand, but don't know anything about it; is it a permanently attached center stand like on my VF700F? For some reason I assumed it could be used when needed and then removed easily. All I really need is some way to keep the bike upright and level and for it not to fall over while I work on it... I'm not religiously tied to the idea of the OEM stand (whatever it actually is). I spoke with a local shop about stands and it seems that a wheel chock might be a good idea (it doesn't raise the rear end much- which I need to avoid for oil changes and the like), but then I gather they run about $200... Any recommendations for a brand of swingarm stand? How much do they run usually?

Thanks again...

Aaron

 

Right, that's what I thought we were talking about. The centerstands suck, are heavy, etc. I use a Lockhart Phillips swingarm stand for my bikes, but Pitbull and others also make a good one. Pretty much any swingarm stand would work. They are generally $75 or so. The nice thing about them is 1) you don't have to lug the weight around all of the time 2) you would have to make several modifications to the R, including bodywork, to make a VF1000F centerstand fit and 3) the swingarm stand can be used for multiple bikes and kept and reused if you ever sell your current bike.

Honestly, the more I think about it the more I do not know why you would ever want to use a centerstand. In fact, all but one of my bikes had it removed and now I feel a lot better about the decision.

 

The R has a hollow rear axle as well, so you can slide a quarter inch round bar in it, and use any of the spool type stands as well. I use a rear stand and a front stand. It keeps the bike level, and allows real easy removal of the lower fairing. The front stand is the one that uses steering neck. Only modification was having to use a 11/16 socket over the mid size pin it came with to properly fit the hole.

 

The only thing a center stand is good for, is when your going on trips(Sport Touring), so you can service your bike or repair a flat.


So your best bet is that a center stand is not a great way to go on track day or canyon zipping.

Buy the Lockhart, Woodcraft,Vortex, or pitbull stands (front & back), be able to srvice your front & backend better, not to mention that it's better to have the bike completely off the ground for storage in the colder areas of the country.

If your really bummed about the center stand, you can sell me your bike & get a bike with one :wink:

 

Ha!
I had been looking for a nice '86 R for ~years~. One came up on eBay, it was local-ish, wasn't too expensive and by a miracle I had the money. Absolute no brainer for me... despite mild rebukes from the then fiancee (and now wife).
I won't be letting this lovely machine out of my sight

As for the swingarm stands, I'm completely convinced. I'll look at putting the spool in the rear and then getting a front stand... at the very least I'll be getting a swingarm stand even without the spools. I really do want to maintain a level attitude so fluid readings are as accurate as they can be.
You guys have been very helpful. Thanks a lot.

Aaron

 

Accessories are typically only sold/stocked for a couple of years after the model is done unlike standard parts. Your chances of finding a new one now are about zilch.

You might search for a Brit company that makes aftermarket centerstands. Long shot....

 

Would that be David Silver Spares?
I'll certainly go through their site and see if anything is there. Good idea; I hadn't thought of them. I wrote tham a mail a couple years back, asking for a list of bits and pieces for the VF700F and got no reply. I was a little put-off by that at the time, but I'll give it another shot.
Replies to this post have convinced me that getting a center stand that's bolted to the bike, OEM or not, probably would just end up pissing me off in the end. I'm pretty sure a swingarm stand should work really well.

BTW, if anybody is still reading this post and while speaking of replacement parts for Honda's; I spoke with one of the guys at CBDecals.com and was very impressed with their determination to get the details right. I haven't bought the decal set yet, but when I get around to it, I'll definitely be getting it from them. I recommend anyone interested in replacement decal sets, have a look at their site. I'm a big fan of customers testimonials and if theirs are anything to go by, customers don't seem to be able to contain their enthusiasm for the work these guys do. Harmless plug.

Cheers all for your time and opinions.

 

of course either stand would work fine......however it's good to have that centerstand with you at all times in case of flat tyre, etc. Obviously, the factory stand is 2 stands in one, while 2 separate stands are required otherwise.

ALSO, i believe that chances of bike maybe FALLING OVER ( anyone have this happen??) while using stand are much less with factory centerstand than swingarm stand, and with a VERY VERY hefty piece of machinery like VF 1000R, i believe that deploying swingarm stand is a 2 person job both going up or down.

Can you find the factory stand?? I seriously doubt it!!!

Just 2cents from me....ordinarily i would fear being wrong if i differed from Jamie D's advice above. He does know this stuff professionally well!!

 

The factory stand for the VF1000R is not the typical centerstand. It does not bolt to the bike in this case. It was a race stand that did not use the rear of the swingarm to lift the bike, it used a point closer to the center of the bike. I have seen one, 20 odd years ago, but have not seen or heard of anyone having one since then.

 

There is little more aggravating than watching (in slo-mo, of course) your treasured machine tip beyond the point that you know you can recover it without tearing every ligament in your back and/or popping a few vertebrae in the process... you let it go and start to tally the costs while your inner monologue (out loud in these cases for me) berates you for trying whatever "clever" or "time-saving" stunt you just tried to pull.

Heh.
Not that *I* would actually know about this experience...

I'm pretty sure I'll be able to figure out how to heft the R bike onto the swingarm stand although I'll be pretty damned cautious about it.

As for the OEM stand, I'd dearly like to at least get a look at one. The off-hand mention of it in the manual along with Bear's description has really piqued my curiosity.

 

In the 85 VF1000R repair manual (on page 5-2) there is a pic of a stand. It is not the one that I saw, but they show part number 07965-ma30001. I do not recall the one that I saw using the swingarm to hold the bike, and the one in the pic clearly uses the swingarm (near the pivot mind you).