Need To Get Both Wheels Off But What To Use To Lift?

Discussion in 'Thunderbird' started by Pappa583, Oct 20, 2024.

  1. Pappa583

    Pappa583 New Member
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    Oct 7, 2024
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    Durham uk
    What have people used to lift their bikes up? Mate has front and rear paddock stands he's said I can borrow, but can't find anywhere that this is what people have used? I would probably buy to get it lifted/stored over winter, and be easier to drop the oil.....
    I need new tyres of which I'm swaying for Avon??? Metzeler on now but rear had an advisory from last mot and they are 2017 so oldish anyway.... had the bike out yesterday on damp roads and the rear was spinning up a bit which was a bit concerning
    Wanting to get the wheels painted while off aswell as the rear ones paint is flaking a bit so ideal time to do it suppose....
    If anyone has used paddock stands before? Do I need bobbins? Any advice appreciated before I make a mistake and it falls over
    Cheers paul
     
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  2. Boothman

    Boothman Noble Member

    Jul 26, 2023
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    #2 Boothman, Oct 20, 2024
    Last edited: Oct 20, 2024
    I’ve an Abba Stand for my Fireblade with the long bars for getting both wheels off the ground at the same time. Had it for over 5 years. Well worth the money, though I did get mine a bit cheaper on a Bank Holiday discount deal.
    EDIT- I will add @Pappa583 it’s very easy to use. The extending handle length means you need very little effort to lift the bike and it’s a million times less risky and more stable than using paddock stands. Be that raising it up, working on the bike or lowering it back down. I got this after feeling very likely to have an incident using said paddock stands as there’s nowhere to grab the Fireblade whilst trying to put it up on a rear paddock. Wasn’t an issue with the 650 Daytona, though using a front paddock always gave concern that it could easily mark/damage the front mudguard and/or fairing of the Daytona and Fireblade.
    upload_2024-10-20_9-21-51.jpeg
    FYI - this was a shot on warm up after its winter hibernation and the smoke you can see is the residue ACF50 cooking off.
     
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  3. Pappa583

    Pappa583 New Member
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    Oct 7, 2024
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    Don't think this idea of getting the wheels painted is gonna be cheap now I also need a decent stand to get both wheels removed safely...., defo need the £3-400 worth of new rubber and thought be easy to get the wheels painted while off. Just didn't really think how I'd lift the monster bike up
     
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  4. Boothman

    Boothman Noble Member

    Jul 26, 2023
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    Might not be cheap but certainly the right time to do it if you need to replace both tyres. If it’s going to be laid up over winter you might be able to get the price down for the painting if you say there’s no mad rush. Allows the painter to maybe work it in with another batch of stuff being done in the same colour.
     
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  5. Pappa583

    Pappa583 New Member
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    Oct 7, 2024
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    Doesn't look like the abba superbike stand has the adaptor kit for triumph thunderbird.... maybe bike is too heavy as not alot of stands I've seen go beyond 300kg
     
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  6. Pegscraper

    Pegscraper Elite Member

    Jun 12, 2020
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    I was going to suggest the Abba Skylift which can lift 400kg but a quick check on their website doesn't mention the T Bird. I use mine for the ZZR. The Skylift clamps to either side of the swingarm pivot bolt so maybe that isn't possible on the T Bird?
    On my Scrambler I use a rear paddock stand with bobbins on the swingarm and one of those, screw type platform jacks, modified to use a small, 2 ton hydraulic jack I had lying around.
    Front and rear paddock stands are a perfectly safe solution when used correctly.
     
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  7. Glenn2926

    Glenn2926 First Class Member
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    Dec 21, 2021
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    I have bought a Suzuki DR 650 as a project. I will need this to be lifted. It doesn’t have a main stand so my idea is, seeing as how I teach chainsaw courses for a living I have access to a good amount of trees. I’m considering measuring how tall a ring I need to cut to use as a stand under the bash plate. This will need to be high enough to lift both ends off the floor whilst I remove the forks, swing arm etc.
     
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  8. Pappa583

    Pappa583 New Member
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    Oct 7, 2024
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    Just checking for weights on the padock stand as they only say under 300kg.... don't want it to fall over although I was even thinking padock stands front and rear and trolley jack with blocknof wood under sump to make sure
     
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  9. Glenn2926

    Glenn2926 First Class Member
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    Dec 21, 2021
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    I would have thought your bike would be well under 300kg. I believe the paddock stands are 300kg each so using one at each end should be absolutely fine. Surely only Harley’s and gold wings are that sort of weight.
     
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  10. timboo

    timboo Senior Member

    Oct 17, 2021
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    One of the motogb stands failed when used on my thruxton R. Fortunately I noticed the warping before it fell.
    The stand was rated more than the weight of my bike wet and wasn’t cheap.
    What is the weight of your bike?
    If stands can be used on yours see if you can use a headstock stand for the front. Ultra secure easy to attach and remove without risk of falling unlike those with the prongs which attach to the fork leg. The brand I went with was ProBike.
     
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  11. Glenn2926

    Glenn2926 First Class Member
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    Dec 21, 2021
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    The Dr weighs under 200kg but I’m taking the forks off for a rebuild, also taking the rear swing arm and rear shock off for rebuild. Basically it will be the frame and engine etc so I only really have under the bash plate as a support area. That’s why I’m thinking of a large ring of timber. I can cut this to whatever height I’m going to need. I’m thinking this should work but I’m probably not seeing something. I can probably put a ratchet strap from the top of the frame to a roof beam to assist with stability. This is going to be a winter project for me. Now whether that’s just this winter or the next few I would not like to guess .
     
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  12. Pegscraper

    Pegscraper Elite Member

    Jun 12, 2020
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    #12 Pegscraper, Oct 20, 2024
    Last edited: Oct 20, 2024
    I used a lift jack just like this one on the Street Scrambler. They are a great idea and compact but personally I'd take the 500kg rating with a large pinch of salt. Lifting the 220kg SS took quite a bit of effort with the relatively small handle provided. I would say lifting twice that would be virtually impossible. In an attempt to speed things up I tried raising it with a battery powered impact driver which worked, until the thread stripped and the thing collapsed. In fairness I think that method was a bit brutal and a bit too much for the threaded bar. With the small bottle jack I fitted it will now lift 2 tons?:joy:

    https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/296659137486?_trkparms=amclksrc=ITM&aid=1110006&algo=HOMESPLICE.SIM&ao=1&asc=274915&meid=60f288206e5e4dc9b46ab74807e915db&pid=101196&rk=4&rkt=12&sd=126728040371&itm=296659137486&pmt=1&noa=0&pg=2332490&algv=SimplAMLv5PairwiseWebWithBBEV2bAndUBSourceDemotionWithUltimatelyBoughtOfCoviewV1&brand=Orion&_trksid=p2332490.c101196.m2219&itmprp=cksum:29665913748660f288206e5e4dc9b46ab74807e915db|enc:AQAJAAABUJh9BGsXvPG03pKg78mUhLLErCJ%2BXOEYDkzTGJ85B4rSRXG6DGHfiL9UFpXuaOk%2FmuXW6x51j8YJMfy7doeYuyk9WZaRPkl%2FLlHN84X3%2FeYgVG3iucUQjkVp9Lf5uEN8Tk0c0Q%2BBueh4ULCQwctfrJ6mWtRI3sw44Y4bUfLXgoaAtJ2t8j0pAa9V2d6fNEtUwA62F9pQVdRF0D8s8BwpjRWVtq%2B8GQcDxHGpFu4wm%2BlMmfLEjywU%2FOUXmMEBtbCjxzUhVHnQWGMD89IehKMkL3t46Y5YKwEaefSNGpNXEentirGMy6yc2ReOYPoBs6HNzgeKVpUenvabNdmpSX6RLR36rGDfKF7ldlGwOJUgtB%2BTaSbL6Q7pkO3UBEG5m9LLaURaUD%2Btt5MlpZv7ZF07A4FAftvCoJyM1EJ6QQfkHcVkBXNwHZnzza9dpFCW1r5tmg%3D%3D|ampid:pL_CLK|clp:2332490&itmmeta=01JAN82VFT5VD6QK9T1J2MCWVD


    I use one of these on the dirt bike which is quite lightweight at around 115kg.

    https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/333972435171?_skw=motocross+bike+lift&epid=21034364666&itmmeta=01JANFX8TF4YBBW9FGYBKZXXJN&hash=item4dc24ef0e3:g:qFsAAOSwWqtm4Ekl&itmprp=enc:AQAJAAAA0HoV3kP08IDx+KZ9MfhVJKk6GzKrhqq2A1g5kZBfkWcmKsr9wvlc8yASaEdlDKXqfWOwOI3NAh0m3ZnrqFrLUlvaG63nEupbezkF88hMdJ76huNZ9cas/bgoR4ZoEWxK8GqQhAqlW1gD3GEQwLdJNABrXL37onFctVPSzovBEQmjwsoOYcyiMnY+IBM+HdnilmU08BkTF90LpMlL9n/etuuR5Vl9TKljYrbiw2VZh7pXcsDPJ4ilYQUZYcM3VbNxFE+MQ7lXxGscKWToaqv5H/Y=|tkp:BlBMUKqN9a_VZA
     
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  13. Pappa583

    Pappa583 New Member
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    Oct 7, 2024
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    Think the thunderbird storm is 330kg
     
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  14. timboo

    timboo Senior Member

    Oct 17, 2021
    306
    113
    Cambridgeshire
    You could always do it in 2 stages rather than both at the same time. Paddock stand on the rear, strap front to the roof and use blocks under the frame or hydraulic stand.
    Then do the reverse
     
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  15. Glenn2926

    Glenn2926 First Class Member
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    Dec 21, 2021
    745
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    Yorkshire
    I could but the man doing my suspension would like it all at once. I’ll just use a few ratchet straps.
     
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  16. timboo

    timboo Senior Member

    Oct 17, 2021
    306
    113
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    Fair enough.
    Hope all goes well
     
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  17. Pappa583

    Pappa583 New Member
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    Oct 7, 2024
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    Durham uk
    Thinking a decent set of padock stands and a jack under the sump for extra support seems to be the way forward and hopefully the most sturdy for unbalanced bike when I take the wheels off?
     
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  18. Baza

    Baza Elite Member

    Jul 25, 2020
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    Amazing Grace
    I had to remove the mono shock on my Ducati so a paddock stand was not an option. So I positioned my aluminium step ladder over the rear of the bike whilst it was on the paddock stand and then ratchet strapped the rear of the bike to the step ladder. I you have two or can borrow another pair of steps you are sorted.
     
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  19. Helmut Visor

    Helmut Visor Only dead fish go with the flow
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    Oct 3, 2018
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  20. Baza

    Baza Elite Member

    Jul 25, 2020
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    Amazing Grace
    I have the On Bike red version with the wheel mount yokes. As for the Tbird lifter it would appear to be nothing more than a temporary centre stand, lifting the back wheel off of the deck. A pair of steps and a couple of ratchet straps will do the same thing and you may already have them in the garage. The other alternative is the Abba Stand which users speak highly of, it uses the swing arm pivot so no need to remove any fairing panels from what I can see.
     
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