How do I put my 2008 Ninja 250r on front and rear stands?

[IdRatherDrum]

So I bought my 2008 250r in August and the owner gave me front and rear stands. They probably aren't really high quality ones but I am hoping to use them soon as I am winterizing my bike this week.

He mentioned that for the front stand (I think), some sort of screw or something was required so that the bike could properly sit on the stand.

I have looked for videos on YouTube but I am unable to really find ones that are a tutorial of how to put the bike on the stands.

Any help is appreciated. If you guys would like I can post pictures of what the front and rear stands look like.

[SLOWn60]

Originally Posted by IdRatherDrum

If you guys would like I can post pictures of what the front and rear stands look like.

Do that. Also a picture of your swingarm. We need to see the front and rear stand designs and if you have spools on your swingarm.

[Alex]

Here's what it looks like with a rear spool stand, and a front steering head stand:



First you lift up the rear by aligning the hooks on the spools, and just push down. Then you maneuver the pin on the front stand up under the steering head into the center hole, and press down.

[InvisiBill]

Not the greatest pic, but here's my 500 on my front fork stand. This is similar to the back, but the pads just go under and behind the bottom of the forks.



Note that this type of front stand really only lets you get to the wheel. One that lifts at the steering head like Alex posted above will let you work on much more of the front end.

[csmith12]

Ah... fun stuff.

Putting a bike on the stands for the first time. I remember my first time like it was yesterday. I was all wobbly and stuff, unsure if it would hold and held my breath a little when I finally let go.

I will tell you straight up, even the pro's who have been doing it for years still appreciate a little help with the rear stand (which should be done first!!!!). The screw type thing your friend was referring to was the pin most likely. If you take a peek under your front end (look under your gauges), you will see a small hole. This is for a front stand with a pin. You will want that pin to fit in the hole but not have a lot of slop.

So, for your first time... I recommend getting a friend to help you. YOU... hold the bike and have the friend put the rear stand on the spools or under the swingarm (paddle stand) and have them push down until the rear is in the air. DO NOT let go of the bike until you are happy that the stand is on the spools/swingarm in a secure way.

Slide the front stand into place and insert the pin into the hole and push the handle down until the front is lifted off the ground.

Your set!

If you have the type of front stand that Bill (and myself) have AND they are not PitBull. It can be a bit tricky and a bit wobbly. Take extra special care here that your bike will not fall. And... the flanges on those type of cheaper model stands can get in the way of the front axle. And just wait until you try to put some real torque on anything in the front with those types of stands. They hold yes... but they make me sweat sometimes.

Good luck to you and hope the winter is short.

[IdRatherDrum]

Here are the pictures of my front and rear stands. I really appreciate all of the feedback so far. Would love to have your definite feedback now that I took pictures.

http://imgur.com/a/bXE92

[csmith12]

K, had a peek at your pics.

You have a rear spool stand and a fork leg stand (like Bills). You will need to lift the rear like Alex's pic and the front like Bill's pic. You will not need a front stand pin with those stands.

[IdRatherDrum]

Originally Posted by csmith12

K, had a peek at your pics.

You have a rear spool stand and a fork leg stand (like Bills). You will need to lift the rear like Alex's pic and the front like Bill's pic. You will not need a front stand pin with those stands.

So I need nothing? Great.

The reason I asked is because the previous owner told me I would need metric m10 x 1.25 threads

[csmith12]

Yep, m10 x 1.25... those are the specs for rear spool threads. Check your rear swingarm to see if you have spools installed. They will look something like this.

Uninstalled


Installed


Lifted by the rear stand

[mgentz]

Are you missing a part of your stand? Or are you missing spools?

[IdRatherDrum]

Originally Posted by mgentz

Are you missing a part of your stand? Or are you missing spools?

I don't believe I am missing a part of my stands. Not sure as these were just given to me. I am going to check if I have spools installed.

Originally Posted by csmith12

Yep, m10 x 1.25... those are the specs for rear spool threads. Check your rear swingarm to see if you have spools installed. They will look something like this.

Thanks so much. I have never done anything mechanical before so all of this maintenance is new to me. You are a life saver. I am going to check and get back to you.

Uninstalled


Installed

[csmith12]

Originally Posted by Alex

I miss my red 250 in street clothes when riders link pics like this.

[Alex]

The red ones are purty. Wish they came out with a 300 in the same color scheme.

[IdRatherDrum]

Looks like mine aren't installed. How hard is it to do?

[csmith12]

Yea, you aint got none. They are really easy to install, just get some and screw them in. Now... for a tip on installing them. Work them in and back out a little at a time. Kawi, painted the swingarm AND the threads. When installing spools, it gets really, really tight because of the paint. The threads and such are not invincible, when it get's too tight to screw them in, back them back out and clear the paint. Repeat this until they are flush against the swingarm.

Take your time and it's as easy as screwing in a light bulb.

[IdRatherDrum]

Originally Posted by csmith12

Yea, you aint got none. They are really easy to install, just get some and screw them in. Now... for a tip on installing them. Work them in and back out a little at a time. Kawi, painted the swingarm AND the threads. When installing spools, it gets really, really tight because of the paint. The threads and such are not invincible, when it get's too tight to screw them in, back them back out and clear the paint. Repeat this until they are flush against the swingarm.

Take your time and it's as easy as screwing in a light bulb.

So should I buy 2 screws or is only 1 required?

[csmith12]

You need one each side but the spools will come with the screws needed. Just use the thread spec above when purchasing and you will be good to go.

[adouglas]

Tips:

Tip 1: Get the bike vertical before lifting the rear. How? Get wood.

Eventually you're going to have to do this by yourself. As csmith12 mentioned it's a good idea to have someone help you the first time. But that won't always be the case.

You'll start with the bike sitting on its kickstand. It's leaning to the left. You'll find that when you maneuver the rear stand into position and push down, it grabs only the left hand spool and the stand will tend to rotate so that it's no longer lined up with the right spool. This is awkward and you wind up wrestling with both the bike and the stand.

You'll find lots of youtube videos of people standing the bike up, and casually holding it with one hand on the tail while they maneuver the rear stand into position and push down. This is not that easy if you're not used to it.

A much simpler method that works great is to get a block of wood (I find that a 1x2 works perfectly), put it on the ground next to the kickstand, stand the bike up and slide the block under. Now the bike is standing up much straighter, but is still leaned over enough that it's not going to fall over the other way.

Tip 2: Keep the bike from trying to run away from you. Put a velcro tie around the front brake lever. It'll make lifting easier.

Tip 3: Help the bike fall onto its kickstand when you lower it. Turn your bars to the left before lowering the bike off of its rear stand. It will naturally lean to the left and land gently on the kickstand. Which brings us to...

Tip 4: Don't forget the kickstand when you lower the bike. Chances are you'll be flipping the kickstand up to make things like oil changes easier. It's really easy to forget you've done that, drop the bike off the stand and... you can guess the rest.

Remember that little block of wood? I wrote KICKSTAND, FOOL! on mine and I leave it on the triple in plain sight.

[InvisiBill]

Originally Posted by IdRatherDrum

So should I buy 2 screws or is only 1 required?

Just buy a pair of "Ninja 250R spools" off eBay or from a bike shop. There's a metal "button" that the stand's hook actually grabs, and a bolt to hold it to the swingarm.

Note that the threads on the swingarm are supposed to be M10-1.25, but they might actually end up being M10-1.5. See Mismatched swingarm spool thread pitch? for details. I suggest getting a thread gauge, bolt, or tap and checking your own swingarm first, just to make sure. There might be factory paint in the threads, which can make putting the bolts in a bit of work, so having the proper tap on hand to clean them up isn't a bad idea anyway.

[IdRatherDrum]

Originally Posted by InvisiBill

Just buy a pair of "Ninja 250R spools" off eBay or from a bike shop. There's a metal "button" that the stand's hook actually grabs, and a bolt to hold it to the swingarm.

Note that the threads on the swingarm are supposed to be M10-1.25, but they might actually end up being M10-1.5. See Mismatched swingarm spool thread pitch? for details. I suggest getting a thread gauge, bolt, or tap and checking your own swingarm first, just to make sure. There might be factory paint in the threads, which can make putting the bolts in a bit of work, so having the proper tap on hand to clean them up isn't a bad idea anyway.

Thanks for the heads up. I am going to take my chances with the m10-1.25.