Car jack on a bike?

[Feasty]

I've got a centre stand on my F650, but need to support the front end whilst I drop the stanchions to the top of the yoke - to raise the bike.
Think it would work if I fashioned some wood to sit and be stable between the bike frame and a standard car jack?

My other thought is to use some ratchet straps from the garage ceiling beams and hold the front end up that way?
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Previous: Aprilia Habana Retro 50cc (beauty), Yamaha SR125 (fell apart), Honda XR125 (nippy little commuter), Honda SLR650 (Geewhizz), Yamaha Diversion 900S (Smoooooth) written off courtesy of a stupid escaped horse.
(7 year gap), BMW F650 (Relaxing ride). Aprilia Caponord ETV1000 (Big and bold). Yamaha FZS600 (got me in trouble too quick!).
Current: Yamaha TDM 900 (Comfy, light but big, power when needed).

[DRZ4Hunned]

Just remove the front wheel before you drop the forks, should be enough clearance?
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DRZ400-SM
FZS600

[Itchy]

Or put a shed load of weight on the back of the seat.

Worked for me. It takes about 60 kilos so 3 sacks of potatoes.
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Spain 2008France 2007Big one 2009 We all die. The goal isn't to live forever, the goal is to create something that will. In the end, your life will flash before your eyes. Make sure it is worth watching.

[Feasty]

[RhynoCZ]

Alternatively, have a mate to push on the back, while you stuff some wood (anything suitable) under the engine/lifting point.
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'87 Honda XBR 500, '96 Kawasaki ZX7R P1, '90 Honda CB-1, '88 Kawasaki GPz550, MZ 150 ETZ
'95 Mercedes-Benz w202 C200 CGI, '98 Mercedes-Benz w210 E200 Kompressor

[weasley]

Put on the centre stand.
Weight the rear down or use a car jack under the engine or downpipes.
Front wheel off.
Put a wood prop between the lower triple clamp and the floor.
Fork legs off.

I did this on an old XJ600, using a trolley jack. I used the prop because I didn’t trust the trolley jack to hold steady over a long period of time. I was right, as the jack slowly lowered itself over the week or so it was in place; the prop held.
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Yamaha XJ600 | Yamaha YZF600R Thundercat | KTM 990 SMT | BMW F900XR TE

[Itchy]

If you've got two car jacks a trick you can use is to turn your footpegs upside down and then put a car jack on each one.
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Spain 2008France 2007Big one 2009 We all die. The goal isn't to live forever, the goal is to create something that will. In the end, your life will flash before your eyes. Make sure it is worth watching.

[stinkwheel]

Or you can put it on the sidestand and jack somewhere under the front right of the bike until the front wheel comes up off the ground.
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“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[skatefreak]

Block of wood across the down pipes with jack underneath,
OR rachet straps around bars/frame and over beams above,
OR push back down and jack length of wood up into head stock to keep it up...

All viable, would probably say rachet straps is the most stable as the bike cannot be knocked/fall off and potato stuff.

[Evil Hans]

I've used a trolley jack with a wooden "cradle" to hold the front up.

But if you've got a suitable anchoring point, using ratchet straps to haul the back-end *down* is a pretty stable option, too.
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Triumph Sprint ST 1050. And it's Red.

[Riejufixing]

[DrDonnyBrago]

If you have a ground anchor, ratchet strap the swingarm to it.

[Fizzer Thou]

Have you not got access to a front stand?

https://i666.photobucket.com/albums/vv23/WiNot_Rhencullen/Workshop/20160906_192026_zpsg7qypztn.jpg~original

In the past I have used a block of wood under the engine together with a car jack and once up to the right height I placed some bricks under each side of the length of wood.Messy but it worked while I had the front end out of a R1

https://i666.photobucket.com/albums/vv23/WiNot_Rhencullen/Workshop/Picture085.jpg~original
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Just talk bikes.What else is there?

Always have a 'Plan B'

[andym]

I've never had a problem with side stand (or axle stands) and trolley jack and loading up the back of the bike (GPz sat on the trolley jack for 6 or so weeks without any problems, VFR sat overnight like that):
https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v320/andy36586/GPz750/balanced2.jpg~original
https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v320/andy36586/VFR/VFR_zpscccvvbg0.jpg~original
https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v320/andy36586/forksremoved_zps635ade0e.jpg~original
Also done the same with the ninja and CBR when replacing tyres

Depending on which end I'm working on I'll either jack it up on the sump or downpipes.... only problem I've found is as the bikes have got heavier, the more stuff I've had to dump on the back seat to tip the balance.

Would I use a normal car jack.... nah I'd probably still buy the cheapest trolley jack I could find

[stinkwheel]

Although in fairness, I've had a hydraulic jack slowly lower the bike onto the floor due to a leaky valve whereas a screw-operated car jack will stay where it's put indefinately.
____________________
“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[Rogerborg]

'kin hell, BCF, solve the OP's problem, not yours.

[daverwheeler]

I've used my ground anchor, just ratchet srapped the back wheel down to it.
Also ratchet strapped it to a beam in the garage, both worked fine,
I prefer to anchor it to something solid, too easy to have it fall off of jacks or stands when you're struggling thre forks back in.

[Rogerborg]

[Feasty]

Thanks for all the help, photo's were good too!

So I ended up with a piece of wood under the bike and a car jack under that, raised it up - had my wife holding the back of the bike to stop it toppling over - and got the forks spot on.


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Previous: Aprilia Habana Retro 50cc (beauty), Yamaha SR125 (fell apart), Honda XR125 (nippy little commuter), Honda SLR650 (Geewhizz), Yamaha Diversion 900S (Smoooooth) written off courtesy of a stupid escaped horse.
(7 year gap), BMW F650 (Relaxing ride). Aprilia Caponord ETV1000 (Big and bold). Yamaha FZS600 (got me in trouble too quick!).
Current: Yamaha TDM 900 (Comfy, light but big, power when needed).

[MCN]