Hi,
I'm thinking of buying the above; does anyone have first-hand experience with one? As well-balanced and as bolt-on as their site claims? Thanks for any feedback.
Joe
I know I have seen a few 3rd generation Magnas with said stand and I have not heard any complaints.
Quote from: rjbI know I have seen a few 3rd generation Magnas with said stand and I have not heard any complaints.
Thanks; it's the first bike in a while for me that is centerstand-less and I really miss it. The Cycle-istic seems a little pricey ( especially with $30 shipping) but should hopefully pay for itself in ease of maintenance.
If it is maintenance your are looking for there are some good tips to using the lifts when working on the bike.
Bob
Quote from: rjbIf it is maintenance your are looking for there are some good tips to using the lifts when working on the bike.
Bob
Yes,
I need to do a chain adjust and oil/filter; I'll go check out the Tips section. Thanks.
I've got one on my 95 Magna and it works very well. I agree, it is a bit on the expensive side, but there's not much out there that is as easy to install or use, so I guess that justifies the price a bit. It is very easy to install, just four bolts if I remember correctly, but it does help to have another person there with you to help hold up one of the sides when you start the install- one of you on each side of the bike. I think it took me about 5 minutes to install the center stand with a friend helping me hold it up. As for use, it works very well, though it is a bit unusual in that you must have the side stand down before you can use the center stand. The center stand gets the back wheel off the ground but still allows you to lift the front wheel easily enough. When I need to remove the front wheel, I put the bike up on the center stand and then put a jack under a board running across the bottom of the front frame area. Getting it up on the center stand takes a little practice, but once you figure out how to get the best leverage, it becomes second nature. I have found that one hand on the left grip and the other on the frame tube running up behind the side cover and just under the seat works very well. On a final note, the center stand has an adjusting bolt to keep it from hitting the exhaust. I didn't have to mess with it much when I had the stock exhaust, but when I installed Vance & Hines exhaust, I really had to let that bolt out quite a ways. I heard that Doobie over at Cyclistic is planning to release an aluminum chain cover in the not too distant future. I am really hoping this is true as this will almost certainly be my next purchase. Hope this helps with your decision.
Buddy of mine has this center stand, as do numerous others I've ridden with and they love theirs. Most say it's one of the top 5 mods to do to the bike (SS Brakeline, DD jet and shim, Front Progressive shock, and etc).
The only issue that I know of is that it can be a beast to learn the technique to pull the bike up on the center stand (yeah, it takes a little work). I was shown how to do it and after a few attempts got it, but have to admit that it took some time to learn.
I've only purchased the "V4" emblem of his, but that chain guard is something I'm waiting on too. Doobie is a regular on the Magna forums, so he might chime in.
The technique discribed above is good. I would add that you stand on the centerstand and lift with your right hand. Do not pull on the handle bar as you will likely turn the wheel and make it more difficult.
Thanks for all of that great feedback. I'm going to order the centerstand this week. As far as technique for getting the bike up onto the stand, after owning a Concours the Magna has to be a relative piece of cake. Put 7.5 gallons into the Concours' tank and then try to heft that porker up onto its stand...it should be part of The Ironman contests, where they heave trees and carry small cars on their shoulders... :wink:
Quote from: ChokseI've got one on my 95 Magna and it works very well. I agree, it is a bit on the expensive side, but there's not much out there that is as easy to install or use, so I guess that justifies the price a bit. It is very easy to install, just four bolts if I remember correctly, but it does help to have another person there with you to help hold up one of the sides when you start the install- one of you on each side of the bike. I think it took me about 5 minutes to install the center stand with a friend helping me hold it up. As for use, it works very well, though it is a bit unusual in that you must have the side stand down before you can use the center stand. The center stand gets the back wheel off the ground but still allows you to lift the front wheel easily enough. When I need to remove the front wheel, I put the bike up on the center stand and then put a jack under a board running across the bottom of the front frame area. Getting it up on the center stand takes a little practice, but once you figure out how to get the best leverage, it becomes second nature. I have found that one hand on the left grip and the other on the frame tube running up behind the side cover and just under the seat works very well. On a final note, the center stand has an adjusting bolt to keep it from hitting the exhaust. I didn't have to mess with it much when I had the stock exhaust, but when I installed Vance & Hines exhaust, I really had to let that bolt out quite a ways. I heard that Doobie over at Cyclistic is planning to release an aluminum chain cover in the not too distant future. I am really hoping this is true as this will almost certainly be my next purchase. Hope this helps with your decision.
Thanks; that is some great advice.
Quote from: ChokseI've got one on my 95 Magna and it works very well. I agree, it is a bit on the expensive side, but there's not much out there that is as easy to install or use, so I guess that justifies the price a bit. It is very easy to install, just four bolts if I remember correctly, but it does help to have another person there with you to help hold up one of the sides when you start the install- one of you on each side of the bike. I think it took me about 5 minutes to install the center stand with a friend helping me hold it up. As for use, it works very well, though it is a bit unusual in that you must have the side stand down before you can use the center stand. The center stand gets the back wheel off the ground but still allows you to lift the front wheel easily enough. When I need to remove the front wheel, I put the bike up on the center stand and then put a jack under a board running across the bottom of the front frame area. Getting it up on the center stand takes a little practice, but once you figure out how to get the best leverage, it becomes second nature. I have found that one hand on the left grip and the other on the frame tube running up behind the side cover and just under the seat works very well. On a final note, the center stand has an adjusting bolt to keep it from hitting the exhaust. I didn't have to mess with it much when I had the stock exhaust, but when I installed Vance & Hines exhaust, I really had to let that bolt out quite a ways. I heard that Doobie over at Cyclistic is planning to release an aluminum chain cover in the not too distant future. I am really hoping this is true as this will almost certainly be my next purchase. Hope this helps with your decision.
Sorry; just one question. The sidestand has to be down first in order to use the centerstand? Is this because the centerstand rests under the sidestand? Just curious. Thanks.
It took me about a year to try and cost justify the center stand in my mind, but I'm glad I now have it. It makes rear wheel/chain cleaning and maintenance much easier, and it helps me when getting it parked in the garage (truck, SUV, scooter, Magna, tools, mower, and all other misc garage stuff in a 2 car garage can be quite a trick).
Don't forget to mention the MOOT discount when ordering, then you can get the centerstand and the V4 backrest part for a bit less then the centerstand alone.
As for getting it up on the centerstand, there are two techniques. The one mentioned above, foot on stand, right hand on footpeg or frame, grunt at will. The second is to ensure that you have enough weight (around 240 lbs.) to just press on the stand with your foot with all your weight, and up it pops..... which works for me.
Quote from: maineriderQuote from: ChokseI've got one on my 95 Magna and it works very well. I agree, it is a bit on the expensive side, but there's not much out there that is as easy to install or use, so I guess that justifies the price a bit. It is very easy to install, just four bolts if I remember correctly, but it does help to have another person there with you to help hold up one of the sides when you start the install- one of you on each side of the bike. I think it took me about 5 minutes to install the center stand with a friend helping me hold it up. As for use, it works very well, though it is a bit unusual in that you must have the side stand down before you can use the center stand. The center stand gets the back wheel off the ground but still allows you to lift the front wheel easily enough. When I need to remove the front wheel, I put the bike up on the center stand and then put a jack under a board running across the bottom of the front frame area. Getting it up on the center stand takes a little practice, but once you figure out how to get the best leverage, it becomes second nature. I have found that one hand on the left grip and the other on the frame tube running up behind the side cover and just under the seat works very well. On a final note, the center stand has an adjusting bolt to keep it from hitting the exhaust. I didn't have to mess with it much when I had the stock exhaust, but when I installed Vance & Hines exhaust, I really had to let that bolt out quite a ways. I heard that Doobie over at Cyclistic is planning to release an aluminum chain cover in the not too distant future. I am really hoping this is true as this will almost certainly be my next purchase. Hope this helps with your decision.
Sorry; just one question. The sidestand has to be down first in order to use the centerstand? Is this because the centerstand rests under the sidestand? Just curious. Thanks.
Yep, that's it. Because the side stand sits so far back, it covers the center stand when both are in the up position. So, if you want to put the center stand down, you first need to lower the side stand. Once the center stand it down, you can put the side stand back up....but, you'll need to remember to put it back down before you put the center stand back up. You do get used to it, but the first few times you'll pull a Homer Simpson "Doe" as you put the center stand back up with the side stand already up. Also, as for the method of getting the bike up on the center stand, I guess I wasn't as clear as I should have been. I just assumed that anyone doing it would be putting pressure with their feet on the center stand to help pop it up. The placement of the hands that I was listing was just to help get an idea for the best location to ensure good leverage. Also, I assumed that you would know to lift with the hand closest to the rear of the bike, rather than the one on the left grip. Sounds like you have done this before, so I'm sure you figured out what I was trying to get at. Enjoy the stand.
By the way, I talked to Dobie and he told me that he is indeed working on a chain guard for the Magna. He said it will match the style of his existing products (aluminum), and that it will cost somewhere between $50-70. He said he is expecting to have them ready for shipping very soon, so I guess we should start checking his site from time to time. I think an aluminum chain guard would look pretty slick on the Magna.
Quote from: LurkinIt took me about a year to try and cost justify the center stand in my mind, but I'm glad I now have it. It makes rear wheel/chain cleaning and maintenance much easier, and it helps me when getting it parked in the garage (truck, SUV, scooter, Magna, tools, mower, and all other misc garage stuff in a 2 car garage can be quite a trick).
Don't forget to mention the MOOT discount when ordering, then you can get the centerstand and the V4 backrest part for a bit less then the centerstand alone.
As for getting it up on the centerstand, there are two techniques. The one mentioned above, foot on stand, right hand on footpeg or frame, grunt at will. The second is to ensure that you have enough weight (around 240 lbs.) to just press on the stand with your foot with all your weight, and up it pops..... which works for me.
Thanks for all of the advice, especially about the discount.
Quote from: ChokseQuote from: maineriderQuote from: ChokseI've got one on my 95 Magna and it works very well. I agree, it is a bit on the expensive side, but there's not much out there that is as easy to install or use, so I guess that justifies the price a bit. It is very easy to install, just four bolts if I remember correctly, but it does help to have another person there with you to help hold up one of the sides when you start the install- one of you on each side of the bike. I think it took me about 5 minutes to install the center stand with a friend helping me hold it up. As for use, it works very well, though it is a bit unusual in that you must have the side stand down before you can use the center stand. The center stand gets the back wheel off the ground but still allows you to lift the front wheel easily enough. When I need to remove the front wheel, I put the bike up on the center stand and then put a jack under a board running across the bottom of the front frame area. Getting it up on the center stand takes a little practice, but once you figure out how to get the best leverage, it becomes second nature. I have found that one hand on the left grip and the other on the frame tube running up behind the side cover and just under the seat works very well. On a final note, the center stand has an adjusting bolt to keep it from hitting the exhaust. I didn't have to mess with it much when I had the stock exhaust, but when I installed Vance & Hines exhaust, I really had to let that bolt out quite a ways. I heard that Doobie over at Cyclistic is planning to release an aluminum chain cover in the not too distant future. I am really hoping this is true as this will almost certainly be my next purchase. Hope this helps with your decision.
Sorry; just one question. The sidestand has to be down first in order to use the centerstand? Is this because the centerstand rests under the sidestand? Just curious. Thanks.
Yep, that's it. Because the side stand sits so far back, it covers the center stand when both are in the up position. So, if you want to put the center stand down, you first need to lower the side stand. Once the center stand it down, you can put the side stand back up....but, you'll need to remember to put it back down before you put the center stand back up. You do get used to it, but the first few times you'll pull a Homer Simpson "Doe" as you put the center stand back up with the side stand already up. Also, as for the method of getting the bike up on the center stand, I guess I wasn't as clear as I should have been. I just assumed that anyone doing it would be putting pressure with their feet on the center stand to help pop it up. The placement of the hands that I was listing was just to help get an idea for the best location to ensure good leverage. Also, I assumed that you would know to lift with the hand closest to the rear of the bike, rather than the one on the left grip. Sounds like you have done this before, so I'm sure you figured out what I was trying to get at. Enjoy the stand.
By the way, I talked to Dobie and he told me that he is indeed working on a chain guard for the Magna. He said it will match the style of his existing products (aluminum), and that it will cost somewhere between $50-70. He said he is expecting to have them ready for shipping very soon, so I guess we should start checking his site from time to time. I think an aluminum chain guard would look pretty slick on the Magna.
Hi,
Actually you were quite clear on the technique; and yes after owning a Concours I am indeed an expert (it's got to be the worst bike ever made for getting up on its stand). I'll try to remember the sidestand/ centerstand routine but like you said, Doh! will surely happen...Thanks again.