Buying a rear stand: Is this one good?

[JustSaying]

What's up SBN,

After dealing with the "walking it" method while cleaning my chain, I decided buying a rear wheel stand will save me time and frustration.

I checked craigslist and ebay for some local searches. This one caugh my interest the most:
Motorcycle Sports Bike Jack Stand Red Rear Stand Swingarm Lift Auto Bike Shop | eBay

The seller has a good rating and seems to be selling these consistently. Any opinions? Is it worth buying or does it look risky?

The last thing I want to happen is to have my bike fall over because of a faulty stand.


Thanks!

[kevinwilly]

Does your bike have spools?

[JustSaying]

Originally Posted by kevinwilly

Does your bike have spools?

Not at the moment but I am ready to buy them as soon as I find a stand.

[F4sSprintST]

Does your bike have threaded holes in the swingarm to accept spools?

[JustSaying]

Originally Posted by F4sSprintST

Does your bike have threaded holes in the swingarm to accept spools?

Yes, its a 2008 Ninja 250R.

Any opinions on the stand in the link?

[max384]

I have some cheapish stands that were about the same price as the one you're looking at, maybe a bit more (can't remember now). They have served me well... But fairly recently I was able to use a friend's Pitbull stands and realized just how much I've been missing out on. There really is a huge difference between my cheapy stand a quality Pitbull. This being said, I have no plans of buying a Pitbull any time soon. The cheap one works; it does what I need it to do. It's just not oozing quality like the Pitbull. I have no idea if the one you're looking at is good or not, but that's my experience with inexpensive stands.

Also, a couple of dollar bolts at the hardware store will do just as good a job as spools. That's what I've been using on my SV. When I got it, I had planned on getting spools, but I found a couple bolts lying around and put them in to do until I got around to ordering spools... Well, they worked well enough that I've never gotten around to getting spools. It's doubtful I ever will either.

[binx_19]

even if the bike didnt have spools, you can still flip the hooks around and it will work, I would get it if I didnt have 2 already.

[kevinwilly]

Originally Posted by binx_19

even if the bike didnt have spools, you can still flip the hooks around and it will work, I would get it if I didnt have 2 already.

Yeah, but in my experience the cheap stands don't work well without spools.

Spools are like 8 bucks. You CAN throw bolts in there, but spools are cheap enough that there's no reason to not have them.

The cheaper stands work reasonably well with spools. That being said, I have three pitbull stands and no regrets on spending the money on them. I just wish they made one for my current bike still.

Oh well. For 40 bucks, it's a decent buy.

[binx_19]

Originally Posted by kevinwilly

Yeah, but in my experience the cheap stands don't work well without spools.

Spools are like 8 bucks. You CAN throw bolts in there, but spools are cheap enough that there's no reason to not have them.

The cheaper stands work reasonably well with spools. That being said, I have three pitbull stands and no regrets on spending the money on them. I just wish they made one for my current bike still.

Oh well. For 40 bucks, it's a decent buy.

i have lost 2 spools at the track, they just get ripped off in low sides. Street bikes I would use them, because i am not pushing the bike's limits.

[Tony216]

The nice thing about Pit Bull stands; you'll never need to buy anything else. Plus, if it matters to you, it's a product that is designed and produced in the good old USA.

I've used a lot of different stands, and IMO, there's a reason when you look at the AMA grids you see so many Pit Bull stands. There's such a difference in quality. Look at it this way, you can buy cheap stands now and replace them with Pit Bull stands because the cheap stands suck, or you can just buy Pit Bulls. Watch the WERA classified for used ones, or pay a buck for a "wanted" add for a used one.

Edit: Plus, if you decide that riding a motorcycle isn't for you anymore, you can sell the Pit Bull stand used to basically end up even with the netted price of a cheap stand (that is impossible to sell).

Note: Woodcraft stands are nice too, but I have a slight preference for Pit Bull stands.

[jethead]

Pit Bull

[R1100S-Rider]

This is the ONLY stand you should buy...

Pit Bull Motorcycle Stands & Accessories: Spooled Rear Stand


You can find used onces once and a while. $100.

[kevin_stevens]

I haven't really noticed any huge difference in spool rear stands, not enough to spend 3x the price on PitBull. The only practical difference is how high they lift, which is usually an issue only if you're running tire warmers. I actually really liked the bolt-together aluminum stand that HF sold a couple of years ago.

Front stands have quite a bit more "design" to them in how they cradle the forks. Even at that, the better stands may not fit your particular bike as well as a lesser quality stand - but I'm more inclined to spend extra on the front stand.

Front pin stands that lift from the steering head, I wouldn't do anyone but PitBull or a specialty stand for a certain model bike, because the fit is critical for them to work right.

KeS

[arcticamt6]

Originally Posted by kevin_stevens

I haven't really noticed any huge difference in spool rear stands, not enough to spend 3x the price on PitBull. The only practical difference is how high they lift, which is usually an issue only if you're running tire warmers. I actually really liked the bolt-together aluminum stand that HF sold a couple of years ago.

Front stands have quite a bit more "design" to them in how they cradle the forks. Even at that, the better stands may not fit your particular bike as well as a lesser quality stand - but I'm more inclined to spend extra on the front stand.

Front pin stands that lift from the steering head, I wouldn't do anyone but PitBull or a specialty stand for a certain model bike, because the fit is critical for them to work right.

KeS

They still make that aluminum stand.

Low Profile Rear Motorcycle Spool Stand

If you check the back of virtually any motorcycle magazine, there's usually a coupon for like $25 or $30. I can't remember which.

That's the stand I'm currently using as a rear stand. I have a pin lift pitbull front stand. Honestly, the aluminum one will be fine for lubing your chain and removing the wheel briefly, but I don't think I'd trust it nearly as much as a pitbull rear stand.

Buy once, cry once. If you ever plan on doing any work at all yourself, buy a set of pitbull stands. Get the pin lift for the front. Much more stable, and it allows you to work on the forks.

[Jim Moore]

Some day you will be looking at your bike, laying on its side in your garage. You will be thinking, "dammit! I shoulda listened to those guys and bought PitBulls."