Centerstand Motorcycle Lifts
I hadn't ridden my Sportster in over a year. After a major overhaul (bored out to 1200, head-work, re-built tranny, etc...), it still needed tuning and final assembly (install dual brake kit, replace rear fender...), and our race team mechanics no longer had time to do it. The choice loomed: Go ride the latest, greatest, coolest test bikes or work on the Hog. Basically, that's what I call a no-brainer. Of course, I chose to put the Pig on a stand and wait for the day when we were short on bikes.
Eventually I found the motivation to start wrenching, but by the time the very attractive Centerstand hit our garage, the poor Sporty's battery died from neglect. Then its attractiveness went straight into the toilet. Call it jaded, call it temptation on the order of some hot, naked young thing handing you forbidden fruit, or just call it moto-journalist's disease, but faced with the choice of a bike I can actually afford, but must work on, or an exotic test bike I'll never be able to purchase as long as I work here, like, for instance, Ducati's new ST2, well, guess what I chose.
I chose to put the Pig on a stand and wait for the day when we were short on bikes.
What does this have to do with the beautiful Centerstand that arrived a week later? Well, nothing, except that my narrative offers a brief glimpse into the cynical psyche of moto-journalists. So the next time you read a bike review and ask "Is this guy on the moon?" or "Does he even know how to spell r-e-a-l-i-t-y?", you'll know why. We tend to become spoiled, lazy prima-donnas.
There's really not that much to say about the Centerstand. It's sturdy and well-built, which are fund
amentally all the qualities one looks for in a centerstand. It's painted with a beautiful black powdercoat, and it breaks down easily by taking a set-screw out of the bottom of the shaft. Another nice touch, absent on other stands, is a thick piece of rubber, wire-tied to the tube, that supports the bike. This not only protects your bike's paint from scratches and rust-deposits, but it also helps to hold the bike in place. Compared to more expensive and flimsier models that rattle around, this stand's two-piece welded construction remains rock-steady.
The Centerstand lifts either the front or rear wheel. It's a quality centerstand, but still it's only a centerstand, and nothing about which to become excited. However, it receives the rare and coveted MO fifth star of approval because of its price: $89.95 (including shipping in the U.S.). As any former parts guy will tell you, that's pretty damn good. Although they're marketed for Harley-Davidson motorcycles, the Centerstand will fit most bikes with a double-cradle tube frame.
The Centerstand may be purchased over the Web at www.centerstand.com.
More by Billy Bartels, Associate Editor
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