Front fork stand problems?

[SwagenGTI]

So I ended up spending the money on some GPI industries front and rear stands. They are pretty awesome...except the front does not work with my bike... its a 2009 250r

It works fine if I have the the fork mounts upside down (which they naturally position them selves due to weight). Unfortunately, if they are upside down they block the axle nut and bolt and I am trying to remove the front tire. I tried positioning the fork mounts how they are supposed to go and the bike ended up slipping off the mounts. Tried three times before giving up; luckily it never fell over and I am hoping I didnt bend the rotor

Anyways, is it normal to not be able to use a front stand on our 250's? I saw a video saying that since the forks are so small that they tend to slip out; the guy used screw drivers to hold it in place but **** that...I am pretty pissed off that I HAVE to fork out the money for the triple tree attachment.

[Alex]

Post pics so people can see what you're talking about. But fork stands are always going to be more dodgy than the ones that lift from the triple-tree.

[SwagenGTI]

Well, this is how it should look



if I flip the fork mounts upside down, it lifts just fine but it defeats the purpose of the stand since you cant take the axle bolt and nut off.

Here is the video I was talking about

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBmfjQvahJE

Would being lowered an inch up front contribute to my issue? As in the video, the guy says that most bigger bikes (like in the picture) have the caliper mounts on the bottom of the forks to prevent slippage and ours are higher up the fork.

[redkid]

do you have the picture of the stand unmounted? i can help if you take the picture of the part that touched the fork.

i'm using the same front stand on the ninja that shares with my gixxer.
you must position it properly to mount it, unlike the rear where it is easier when it have a bobbin

[Motofool]

Originally Posted by SwagenGTI

.........I tried positioning the fork mounts how they are supposed to go and the bike ended up slipping off the mounts............

How? In what direction?

[redkid]

hang on, let me get this straight.

you must use the rear stand before you can use the front.
you also must put the rear one before the front.

HTH

[bruce71198]

This is my go to stand for quick front wheel service


The universall front stand has proven useless on my 250.
otherwise I use my steering stem stand that allows fork servicing.

[SwagenGTI]

Originally Posted by Motofool

How? In what direction?

Ill take pictures tonight.

Originally Posted by redkid

hang on, let me get this straight.

you must use the rear stand before you can use the front.
you also must put the rear one before the front.

HTH

rear stand is on, and was setup first

Originally Posted by bruce71198

This is my go to stand for quick front wheel service


The universall front stand has proven useless on my 250.
otherwise I use my steering stem stand that allows fork servicing.

I heard those are pretty finicky (the ones that go into the fork tube) but that one actually looks pretty solid. Anyways, the company got back to me and said they actually have newly designed mounts that they will send to me to try. Otherwise I will have to buy a triple tree adapter, do our bikes allow for the use of the triple tree stands without the removal of the fairings?

[bruce71198]

The one I have works with the fairing on, but its old school, I've had it since the early 90's. I think the pitbull design ones interfear with the fairing. I'll try to get photo's.

[SwagenGTI]

Heres a video of the triple tree stand

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCrEO_f4mgg

Obviously, its a different bike but it seems like it might work without removing the fairings.

Btw, can I just throw a jack under the motor and have the rear on the rear stand? Would that be enough to keep the front off the ground?

[redkid]

that also could do. that's how i service my fork

Edited - sorry, i use the kickstand to do that. i will measure my fork stand when i'm home this weekend to give you the idea, and also the picture of it mounted

[Motofool]

Originally Posted by SwagenGTI

Ill take pictures tonight.

[SwagenGTI]

I forgot I will hopefully remember tonight. Sorry

[SwagenGTI]

Ok so here are the pictures

If I orient the mounts this way, I can lift the front, but the axle bolt/nut get covered



this is the proper orientation, but the forks slip out

[redkid]

i may know why, its because the square tube of the part the hold the fork, dont allow it to rotate. I have the rounded one so it can rotate. I guess this is more suitable for the rear type

[bruce71198]

What happens if you rotate the holders 90 degrees so one rubber support sits under the fork tube and one behind it?

[Motofool]

Could you picture the forks on the stand?

Sorry, I cannot imagine how the forks slip out.

[SwagenGTI]

Originally Posted by redkid

i may know why, its because the square tube of the part the hold the fork, dont allow it to rotate. I have the rounded one so it can rotate. I guess this is more suitable for the rear type

The square tubing doesnt rotate as it fits into the square slot and gets tightened on by the thumb screw. Inside, everything rotates though. It spins freely.

Originally Posted by bruce71198

What happens if you rotate the holders 90 degrees so one rubber support sits under the fork tube and one behind it?

Thats how I am putting it on, starting under the forks. It begins to lift, mounts are rotating, gets to its highest point and begins to level off, then pow...slip

[slickt0mmy]

My cousin and I were just working on his 250 and were having the same problem. We have a different brand of stand than you but the forks kept slipping off. We finally got it to stay long enough to get the job done but it took us a good half hour to get the thing up on stands.

With my pregen, I can place weights on the back of the bike and use the center stand as a fulcrum to lift the front off the ground. Not the most sophisticated method but it gets the job done.

[bruce71198]

Originally Posted by SwagenGTI

The square tubing doesnt rotate as it fits into the square slot and gets tightened on by the thumb screw. Inside, everything rotates though. It spins freely.



Thats how I am putting it on, starting under the forks. It begins to lift, mounts are rotating, gets to its highest point and begins to level off, then pow...slip

Got it. I didnt realize it pivoted. Do you have access to a welder ? Get rid of the rubber covers and weld a couple of pins that can fit in the bottom of the fork. Just a thought.

[Compooky]

I'm really having difficulty understanding why it doesn't work. Pretty sure the inside section of the stand is supposed to pivot. Currently using the cheap dmp s-spec stands. I just line everything up and knee the thing down. Done in one minute.

[SwagenGTI]

Originally Posted by slickt0mmy

My cousin and I were just working on his 250 and were having the same problem. We have a different brand of stand than you but the forks kept slipping off. We finally got it to stay long enough to get the job done but it took us a good half hour to get the thing up on stands.

With my pregen, I can place weights on the back of the bike and use the center stand as a fulcrum to lift the front off the ground. Not the most sophisticated method but it gets the job done.

yeah, everytime I lift it, it seems like it is going to hold and comes crashing down. I do wish we had center stands for this reason. I am going to try and just throw the bike on the rear stand and jack up from the oil pan and see if I can lift the front wheel high enough. The dry rot on my front tire is really starting to make me nervous so I want to try and get this done tomorrow while its raining.

Originally Posted by bruce71198

Got it. I didnt realize it pivoted. Do you have access to a welder ? Get rid of the rubber covers and weld a couple of pins that can fit in the bottom of the fork. Just a thought.

No welder I dont know what the new mounts look like that GPI is sending me but it should be here hopefully by tuesday; maybe they have some pins to fit in the bottom of the forks :/

Originally Posted by Compooky

I'm really having difficulty understanding why it doesn't work. Pretty sure the inside section of the stand is supposed to pivot. Currently using the cheap dmp s-spec stands. I just line everything up and knee the thing down. Done in one minute.

Its probably a problem with the brackets. It seems like most people with these GPI stands have bigger bikes and often have the brake caliper mount towards the bottom of the forks; that would keep the mounts from slipping. It probably has something to do with the mounts though; I think if my mounts had a more pronounced L shape (one side longer than the other) it would be fine, but both sides might as well be equal in length on my mounts.

[caps]

The part that goes under the forks are on backwards. Take the left one and put it in the right hole, and vise versa.

[SwagenGTI]

Had them reversed the first time I tried. I realized that one side of the bracket was a bit longer than the other (and looked at other pictures of the stand in use) and switched them; slips either way

According to my tracking number, I should be receiving the new mounts tomorrow (which is unlikely since it is coming from NY to MO in 2 days) so hopefully it does and I can avoid using a floor jack.

[SwagenGTI]

Alright so here are pics.

This is the old bracket





New one came in today, and works fine





Obviously, they are no different aside from having extra weight to keep them oriented how they need to be. I think the other brackets would have worked had I just positioned the mount under the fork a bit more. Should the long side of the L shape be facing back or forwards? Even with the new brackets, I can see it slipping so I had to lift the bike/keep it still while simultaneously push the stand down. It works, and I got my new tire on but it still looks unsafe to me and I am definitely going to get the triple tree adapter next time I need to do front end work

[redkid]

it looks like manufacturing miscalculation to me. my locator is positioned farther away than yours, so the fork is positioned properly. the bike is on the stand days and night so it is totally secured. will get you the picture of the locator soon

[SwagenGTI]

Yeah, it definitely feels secure, but I would be afraid to say, sit on the bike while it is on the front stand. I am sure it would be fine, but I just feel like it can slip out at any moment :/

Also, I love having new tires No more worrying mid turn if my tire is going to blow up or not.

[HotRedTurbo]

Originally Posted by SwagenGTI

Yeah, it definitely feels secure, but I would be afraid to say, sit on the bike while it is on the front stand. I am sure it would be fine, but I just feel like it can slip out at any moment :/

Also, I love having new tires No more worrying mid turn if my tire is going to blow up or not.

My friend and I had the same experience on his front stand. It was a pitbull stand that looked like yours. It had to be positioned just right for it to work, and even then I wouldn’t feel safe getting on the bike (slipped once and bike fell). We are currently using pitbull tripletree stands and it works perfectly (hotbodies fairing).

[SwagenGTI]

yeah, it works, just takes some positioning of the mounts, but I will most certainly be ordering the triple tree adapter for the next time I need to do front end maintenence