Put bike on centerstand

[Charlie Bravo_imp]

This is a long thread with a lot advice, but here's my ten cents; leverage is your friend. Archimedes was right. My BMW R1100 is easier to put up than my Honda CB1100, because it has a built-in folding handle to pull up with. On the Honda, there is no handle, nor any handy place to grab (the soft bags cover up part of the side of the bike), but I found that a few feet of quarter-inch rope tied in a loop and placed around the lower frame arm gives a good handle. Get the bike up onto both feet, left hand on the bar, right hand on the pull point, place your right foot on the push point, and step up onto it, pulling slightly on the handhold. Up she goes.