Hula and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

 Getting it on the Centerstand

It does not take strength or size. It takes technique. It halps to have someone with experience teach you how, but if you don't, here are some tricks I've learned:

1) Wear very thick-soled boots

2) Put the bike in neutral - if it is in first it may not fully disengage when you pull in the clutch, so you are fighting the tranny as you try to roll it back

3) Put the ball of your foot on the lever and press down until it touches the ground. stand the bike straight and make sure BOTH sides of the centerstand are touching the ground.

4) Find something solid to grab that is BEHIND the bike's center of gravity

5) Lean all of your weight onto the stand lever and GUIDE (do not lift) the bike straight backwards. There will be a "heavy" feeling section - KEEP GOING and the bike will suddenly feel "light" and lift right up

Some things that make it hard to put up the bike:

1) Turning the bar left or right (even a little)

2) Leaving it in 1st

3) trying to raise it on uneven ground - Can fall over if the slope is sideways, you won't be able to get it up if the nose is down, and if the nose it up, you won't be able to get it OFF the stand! 

4) Trying to lift the bike instead of guide it. I'm no expert at physics, but I THINK that what happens is that since you are standing on part of the bike (the centerstand), trying to lift it just adds your weight to the weight of the bike end ends up rather like trying to lift your own self by the seat of your own pants.

Getting it Off the Centerstand -

I don't have a problem with this on asphalt, but in my lovely polished concrete garage, the easiest method I know is to toss a rubber bath mat under the bike before it goes up - then the stand does not slide about and just scoot the bike forward when I try to take it down.