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Is there some trick to getting my bike up on the rear stand by myself.
I have a Pit Bull rear stand that lifts the bike by the swing arm.
Even if I could balance the bike in an upright position and get the rear stand in place,
I don't think I'm strong enough to push the rear stand down by myself to lift the bike.
I terrified of dropping it.
Any suggestions?

Flipper wrote:Is there some trick to getting my bike up on the rear stand by myself.
I have a Pit Bull rear stand that lifts the bike by the swing arm.
Even if I could balance the bike in an upright position and get the rear stand in place,
I don't think I'm strong enough to push the rear stand down by myself to lift the bike.
I terrified of dropping it.
Any suggestions?

Get a piece of wood that you can put under the sidestand. The right height wood would allow the bike to tilt just a smidgen to the left. Obviously you want the bike to be upright as much as possible but leaning just a smidgen to the left for safety. This will relieve you from balancing and holding the bike, giving you more reserve strength to use on the lever to push the stand down.
I would most definitely practice with someone watching you and the bike in case of a snafu before you attempt it on your own.

i've put several bikes on stands and unfortunately the only way i've done it myself is to put it on a lift and then tighten the front wheel clamp before putting it on the rear stand. you need someone to hold the front brake while you push down on the stand usually unless you want to nose your bike into a wall or something to get it on the stand. unfortunately it's one of those two-person jobs without some weird setup.

jaskc78 wrote:i've put several bikes on stands and unfortunately the only way i've done it myself is to put it on a lift and then tighten the front wheel clamp before putting it on the rear stand. you need someone to hold the front brake while you push down on the stand usually unless you want to nose your bike into a wall or something to get it on the stand. unfortunately it's one of those two-person jobs without some weird setup.

I don't understand what you mean by needing someone to hold the front brake when you are pushing down on the lever....

Ok, so I'm hearing that it's not a simple thing to do. That makes me feel a little better.

HYPERR, I like your idea about using a piece of wood under the kickstand to get it more upright.

jaskc78, I like the front tire into the wall idea too,
although I'm not sure I'm strong enough to push that lever down myself.
I guess I was hoping for a magic trick.

HYPERR wrote:I don't understand what you mean by needing someone to hold the front brake when you are pushing down on the lever....

just makes the bike stay put better and the stand actually leverage its way under the rear tire easier. i suppose it's not necessary, i just always feel like i'm chasing the bike a bit if there's nothing keeping it from rolling forward.

so happy i have a center stand.

I just preposition the stand, raise the bike up from the rear, slide the stand and push it down. It doesn't take much effort. I can get my bike on the rear stand in about 4-5 seconds tops. Just practice with it when you have someone nearby to help. After 2 or 3 tries, you'll have it down pat!

storysunfolding wrote: It doesn't take much effort.

I agree with you. That being said you and I are both male. I believe the OP is a female. I can see how this would be quite difficult for a woman to do it solo. When you lack strength, it requires a lot more finesse and technique to overcome it. That is why I suggested to her to put the sidestand up on a block of wood. This will relieve her of having to keep the bike upright.

dean owens wrote:so happy i have a center stand.

Yes centerstands are nice but you have to remember it is not practical for a sportbike as it will be the first thing to grind on a corner.

Also BMW is the only one that makes a real centerstand. It balances the bike at the center and you can take off the front wheel or the rear wheel. I have it on my R1150R. On most bikes, the "centerstand" only raises the rear wheel.