Buying a rear stand: Is this one good?

[F4sSprintST]

I'm a big, heavy guy. I know I can climb on my bike while it's sitting on Pitbulls


I wouldn't even try that with the less expensive units

[kevinwilly]

^true...

I have been on my bike MANY times when on my stands.

Honestly, if you are going to be into bikes for a while, buying anything other than pitbulls is pretty silly. They are not THAT expensive. And if you find them used, it's totally worth it.

Hell, I'd pick up another set just to have them around if I can across a used set locally....

[Claudius]

PitBull. Yes they are like $50 more. Worth it.

The bike is worth like $3,500.00 - why would it be a problem to spend $50 more dollars to protect a much larger investment. The other stands will work just fine, until they don't.

Also Pitbull sells convertable stands that allow you to use spools or the swingarm.

[Mr.Sin]

while I think the ebay stand you posted a link to looks like a giant piece of shit, I also think "only pitbull makes trustworthy stands" is an incorrect statement.

[arcticamt6]

Originally Posted by Mr.Sin

while I think the ebay stand you posted a link to looks like a giant piece of shit, I also think "only pitbull makes trustworthy stands" is an incorrect statement.

I don't think that anyone said that only pitbull makes a trustworthy stand, but they are definitely the best out there.


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[Claudius]

Well - best is subjective. Harris and a couple other companies make excellent stands - they just also happen to cost as much as the PitBulls.

[kevinwilly]

Right- pitbull is NOT the only company out there that makes a good stand. But they are made in the USA, have a lifetime warranty, and the largest dealer network.

Anything on par with pitbull costs as much or more.

So yeah- if you find a deal on different nice stands, by all means go ahead and get them.

[kevin_stevens]

Originally Posted by Claudius

PitBull. Yes they are like $50 more. Worth it.

The bike is worth like $3,500.00 - why would it be a problem to spend $50 more dollars to protect a much larger investment. The other stands will work just fine, until they don't.

Also Pitbull sells convertable stands that allow you to use spools or the swingarm.

This sounds like the "buy this $400 SNELL-rated helmet instead of that $100 SNELL-rated helmet because it's safer" argument.

How do y'all actually envision a rear stand failing? They are two chunks of pipe, each supporting between 100-250 lbs max (600lb bike, 300lb rider, 500lb on rear), almost directly in compression. If they fail at all, it would be from some sideways motion that would move the support point way off the center so that the leverage torqued the base and they collapsed laterally, like a tire ramp failure. But I've never heard of a stand failure, only bikes being dropped putting them on or taking them off.

That POS HF aluminum stand allows you to use spools or swingarm pads as well, btw.

KeS

[kevinwilly]

The pipe is not the only story with stands. Some are welded, some are bolted together. Some lift at different angles, which make them less stable or more stable. The lifting pads on cheap stands, in my opinion, are not shaped as nicely as the more expensive ones, and are MUCH easier to knock off.

If you have spools, like I said earlier, it's not as big of a deal. But the pads on the cheap stands SUCK.

Also, the cheaper ones are NOT made as well. They won't last as long.

[kevin_stevens]

Originally Posted by kevinwilly

The pipe is not the only story with stands. Some are welded, some are bolted together. Some lift at different angles, which make them less stable or more stable. The lifting pads on cheap stands, in my opinion, are not shaped as nicely as the more expensive ones, and are MUCH easier to knock off.

If you have spools, like I said earlier, it's not as big of a deal. But the pads on the cheap stands SUCK.

Also, the cheaper ones are NOT made as well. They won't last as long.

I agree with those comments, especially about the pads, which I hate using and don't trust in any case.

KeS

[kevinwilly]

Originally Posted by kevin_stevens

I agree with those comments, especially about the pads, which I hate using and don't trust in any case.

KeS

Well, when you work on someone's bike that doesn't have spools, or a bike that can't accept spools, you sometimes don't have a choice...

And in THOSE circumstances, it's nice to have the better ones.

[Tony216]

With cheap (universal/pad) stands, I've seen the pads bend down and allow the bike to fall through. I've seen the swingarm slide down the pads allowing the bike to fall over. And I've seen the stand slowly bend out, allowing the bike to fall, similar the the pads bending down. Even when the bikes don't fall, swingarms are usually gouged pretty bad.

I haven't seen any cheap spool stands allow a bike to fall in person. But I guess this is the best way I can describe my experience with them. I've never seen Kia breakdown, and I don't know what their last JD Powers survey said. But when I had one as a rental car; it felt cheap and subpar compared the my Acuras and even my Toyota Tacoma. Maybe Kias are good cars these days, but I know my Acuras and Toyotas never break. If you've had good luck with Kias, I'm thrilled for you. But, I'll spend a few more bucks for my piece of mind.

[kevin_stevens]

Originally Posted by kevinwilly

Well, when you work on someone's bike that doesn't have spools, or a bike that can't accept spools, you sometimes don't have a choice...

And in THOSE circumstances, it's nice to have the better ones.

Sure. I did specify spool stands in my original post.

BTW, to the people who say you can stick bolts in a spool hole - I've done that, but always been chary about it. With the spools torqued in place, they support the face of the swingarm where it's tapped. Without them, I can see a lot of leverage placed on the edge of that bolt hole.

KeS

[Tony216]

Motorcycle Stands- How To Use - YouTube

Here's a video from the new guy who posts up a bunch of videos. Here's a new argument against cheap stands (watch the part on using the rear stands)...

[kevin_stevens]

Originally Posted by Tony216

Motorcycle Stands- How To Use - YouTube

Here's a video from the new guy who posts up a bunch of videos. Here's a new argument against cheap stands (watch the part on using the rear stands)...

Right, but again, that's not an argument against cheap stands. There's nothing about the *quality* or *design* of that stand that is causing his problem. Bikes that have spool holes are themselves designed so that the spools can be used without interference (usually!). Bikes without spool holes - aren't. Whether a given pad stand will have interference problems with a given motorcycle is largely a matter of luck. I had a PitBull pad stand that didn't work at all with my Moto Guzzi, either.

KeS