[zooom]

go to www.mad-ducati.com and then click on the side link for "articles" and open up the one labeled "Bike Stands"...it is the 8th one down...and it'll show you how to make something similar to this...

 

[galaxy]

Get the bike steady on your rear stand. Then, lift up the front of the bike under the front end/head light area and have a buddy place normal jack stands right under the bottom of the forks. May have to reposition a couple times to allow clearance to remove the tires (depending on the shape/width of your stands) but it works. Very sturdy and does job. Obviously not as pretty/easy as the correct stand but it works just fine. Done it several times and have no plans to buy a front stand because it just plain works.

My dilema is I need a stand to remove/adjust the forks...this doesn't work for that. I have no rafters or anything in my garage to support it from neither.

 

[billywiztheelder]

I had a similar dilema when I needed to remove the rear shock to access the valves on the vertical cylinder.

I used a domestic aluminium step ladder as an "A" frame over the bike and tied the bike to it using the webbing straps that I tie stuff on the car roof rack with.

I'm sure it would work for the front as well. You just need to get the front wheel off the ground to start with i.e. run it up on a block of wood before you put it on the rear track stand.

Barry

 

[chris900ssie]

A quickie tip, when you need to remove the rear shock, put a norml car siscor jack between the rear tyre and sub-frame, this takes the load off of the shock.

Easy!

Chris

 

[YellowDuck]

A regular old rolling floor jack under the horizontal cylinder valve cover works just fine on my 2000. It is spooky the first time you do it, but I have done it dozens of times with no problems. Back of the bike on the swingarm stand of course. Simplest solution if you already have a floor jack. Takes about 30 s to get both wheels in the air this way. I sometimes do it just to conveniently clean the front wheel.

Obviously, works for fork removal too.

 

[sk66]

I use jack stands and a slightly modified rear wheel stand. Simply drilled thru the pads and thread the bolts thru the pads into the fork legs. 1/2" steel rod thru the swingarm pivot onto the jack stands.

 

[fraz]

Wow, great suggestions, thanks. I tried my floor jack under the vert cylinder and it picked the whole bike up and its sketchy balanced. If only there was a way I could use my floor jack to lift under the headset, then I could get jackstands under the bike or... still thinking.

I just went to the hardware store and bought some fat lag eye bolts and drilled/screwed them into the joist. Tie downs won't do the trick but I figure a tie down under the headset and pick it up with a come-along should work great.

BTW, I am trying to come up with a solution I can do myself without help if ya know what I mean.

 

[maypo59]

I am not a motorcycle mechanic.... but I am a carpenter...lol, since you dont have exposed joists, and don't want to damage them.. and to help the load spread, take a 8' 2x4 and put it above the joists, running across them, then put long eye bolts into that 2x4 and running through the cieling. puts the load across 4 joists instead of two, and quick to remove if the need be..leaves just two little holes to hide/fill when you leave..

just a thought.

 

[fraz]

Thanks for the suggestions. I did the eye lag bolt and come-along and it worked great. Now I just need to get the stupid axle out (see my other thread).