No centre stand???

I've just bought a 1977 Kawasaki Z1000, which I'm absolutely delighted with.
The centre stand is missing, I think to accommodate a Marshall 4:1 stainless
exhaust.

Does anyone know of an easy/cheap way of lifting the bike for maintenance?

TIA

Jim

 

Using the patented Mavis Bacon "Hunt&Peck" Technique, Jim Scullion

Sir needs a paddock stand. Available from your nearest purveyor of
motorcycle requisites. Or one of the mail order chappies (Hein Gericke,
M&P, etc, etc).
--
Nigel
WS* GHPOTHUF#24 APOSTLE#14 DLC#1 COFF#20

ZZR1100 and Enfield 500 Curry House Racer "The Basmati Rice Burner" (No , I'm
not sure how that happened either).

 

Buy a paddock stand (£50?). I have successfully used a pair of car axle
stands under the swinging arm in the past.

I also have an old beer crate for balancing bikes on, just lift bike and
swing it over and onto the crate. Or get an assistant to push crate
under bike..

 

Trolley jack on the swing-arm pivot - stabilised by the sidestand.

 

I must confess to having never owned a paddock stand, it just seems to be
the thing to have now for faired side-standed bikes.

The Z1000 would probably do just as well with the heave onto a pint
bottle beer crate method.

Certainly a *lot* cheaper.

 

In my day, if a bike had only one stand, it was the centre stand and
they omitted the sidestand. Now it's sidestand, and omit the centre
stand.

For the sake of 500g or so, is it worth it?

 

It's for ground clearance, innit?

But that's probably more down to shite stand design rather than anything
else.

 

If you can lift a Zed Thou onto a beer crate, you've been working out.

Those big old 70s fours are fucking *heavy*

 

It's all about leverage. Push it over onto the side stand , balance
precariously on it lifting the underside of the bike up, then gently
push the beer crate underneath and release.

And watch it slide completely off said crate, over the other side, and
land on your knee.

 

Ah, how heavy is a Z1000? (other than "fucking").

I can lift a GS550 onto a crate solo. The CB750 needed the sidestand
method.

My Guzzi is pretty easy and I suspect a lot lighter than the Suzuki. But
it's all *so* much easier with a FOAD 3t trolley jack and wood packing.
You can even (with an assistant) move it round the lockup.