pekingduck
Road warrior
Thread starter
From another thread, several people have commented about the difficulty of turning a bike around in tight quarters, or putting it on the centerstand. This is a 2-part problem, and I'll first look at maneuvering in tight quarters.
I always park my bike on the centerstand, and a couple of them are where space is at a premium, with a door that only opens to 32", so it's fairly easy to ride it in, but hard to back it out. So I use centerstand dollies to turn them around once inside.
I first park the bike on the sidestand, slide the dolly into position with my right foot, straighten the bike up, and lift the bike up with the centerstand atop the dolly. Then I can slide it sideways, or if I push down on the back of the seat or rack, spin it around easily. You can find Venom motorcycle dollies on Amazon for $65.
I can park bikes closer, putting 3 in the space of 2. They do make it a little harder to put the bike up on the centerstand, but there is an easy cure for that.
I also use sidestand dollies, like the one from Harbor Freight. They are easier to roll on and off, are really well thought out and made, but take up a little more room when not in use. About $100 or less, (don't forget the 20% off coupons).
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The second issue of difficulty putting the bike up on the centerstand can be eased by reducing the height you have to lift it. On my Triumph Bonneville, there was a 2" gap under the rear tire. I installed the 1" longer Thruxton shocks, and now the centerstand is effortless, it just rolls on up (and steers better too). But without having to resort to longer shocks/taller tires, you can just use a thick piece of board or equivalent under front or rear tire.
Most of us with garages have a set area a certain bike lives. If the rear tire has a 2" gap under it when on the centerstand, having a 1"-1-1/2" thick board or plywood square where the front wheel will be rolled onto will greatly lessen the effort needed.
I always park my bike on the centerstand, and a couple of them are where space is at a premium, with a door that only opens to 32", so it's fairly easy to ride it in, but hard to back it out. So I use centerstand dollies to turn them around once inside.
I first park the bike on the sidestand, slide the dolly into position with my right foot, straighten the bike up, and lift the bike up with the centerstand atop the dolly. Then I can slide it sideways, or if I push down on the back of the seat or rack, spin it around easily. You can find Venom motorcycle dollies on Amazon for $65.
I can park bikes closer, putting 3 in the space of 2. They do make it a little harder to put the bike up on the centerstand, but there is an easy cure for that.
I also use sidestand dollies, like the one from Harbor Freight. They are easier to roll on and off, are really well thought out and made, but take up a little more room when not in use. About $100 or less, (don't forget the 20% off coupons).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The second issue of difficulty putting the bike up on the centerstand can be eased by reducing the height you have to lift it. On my Triumph Bonneville, there was a 2" gap under the rear tire. I installed the 1" longer Thruxton shocks, and now the centerstand is effortless, it just rolls on up (and steers better too). But without having to resort to longer shocks/taller tires, you can just use a thick piece of board or equivalent under front or rear tire.
Most of us with garages have a set area a certain bike lives. If the rear tire has a 2" gap under it when on the centerstand, having a 1"-1-1/2" thick board or plywood square where the front wheel will be rolled onto will greatly lessen the effort needed.
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