Looking to buy an FJR but it has no center stand.

Joined
Jul 8, 2008
Messages
186
Location
Vernon BC, Canada
Bike
2007 ST1300
STOC #
8025
My 2007 ST1300 has 140000 miles on it so I was looking for a used FJR 1300. I found a 2014, low mileage and no center stand. The original owner is height challenged much like myself. He had the bike lowered, by dealership, and therefore the stand had to come off.
Since the 1970's I have been servicing my own bikes and cannot see how I can do that with no center stand.
What is out there that would allow me to change oils, and tires. I have no room for a full sized lift. What can I use to raise the front and rear.

Bill
 
Not sure that it would work for an FJR but I have one of these coming for my KTM (weighs about 420 lbs).


I use a floor jack, along with a piece of 2X6, under the sump to raise my ST to get the front wheel off. Shifting it rearward would suffice to raise the rear wheel. Just have to stabilize the bike when lifting (friends?).

I suppose an option would be to put a center stand back on and then just put the bike up on a platform (eg. couple of pieces of wood under each wheel) to put it on the center stand.
 
a typical swingarm race stand lifts the rear of the bike up by supporting the weight on each arm of the swingarm, and the bike balances between the front tire and race stand, like the factory center stand. You can then typically elevate the front wheel with a jack under the engine/frame as long as the exhaust system isn't in the way of the jack. Not sure how the FJR is configured regarding lifting the front with a jack. If there's support underneath for reliable jacking, then the race stand is probably all you will need if you can find one that matches the spread on the FJR swingarm.
 
Not sure that it would work for an FJR but I have one of these coming for my KTM (weighs about 420 lbs).


I use a floor jack, along with a piece of 2X6, under the sump to raise my ST to get the front wheel off. Shifting it rearward would suffice to raise the rear wheel. Just have to stabilize the bike when lifting (friends?).

I suppose an option would be to put a center stand back on and then just put the bike up on a platform (eg. couple of pieces of wood under each wheel) to put it on the center stand.
You can’t put the center stand on without removing the lowering kit.
 
You need a centerstand, but yes likely have to put the original dogbones back in unless you like running the bike up onto a 2x6 under the back wheel.
Best tool ever to jack and lift the headers (don't need the black things), but still need that centerstand. Perfect for an FJR, used it many times on mine and at tech days.

T-Rex sells an adjustable one but it's kinda pricey. Several used OEM's on fleabay



Jack.jpg
 
What is out there that would allow me to change oils, and tires. I have no room for a full sized lift. What can I use to raise the front and rear.
Hello Bill:

If you have an enclosed garage in your home, you might be able to safely support the motorcycle in an upright position by putting an inexpensive jack under the oil pan of the engine, and then rigging a couple of ratchet straps to eye-bolts embedded in the walls on either side to anchor the bike in place laterally and prevent it from falling over.

If you need to remove one of the wheels, in addition to the above, you could rig up a ratchet strap to one of the roof trusses of your garage to enable you to lift either the front or back end of the moto off the ground for wheel removal.

Even if you obtained a very high quality lift, such as the red one pictured directly above, I think you would still want to rig up one or more ratchet straps (either one to a roof truss, or two to the walls on either side) to prevent the moto from falling over sideways when you are working on it. The concern is not damage to the moto, it is potential injury to you when a 600 pound motorcycle falls on top of you.

Michael
 
My 2007 ST1300 has 140000 miles on it so I was looking for a used FJR 1300. I found a 2014, low mileage and no center stand. The original owner is height challenged much like myself. He had the bike lowered, by dealership, and therefore the stand had to come off.
Since the 1970's I have been servicing my own bikes and cannot see how I can do that with no center stand.
What is out there that would allow me to change oils, and tires. I have no room for a full sized lift. What can I use to raise the front and rear.

Bill
Bill, does Rose know about this? Does the FJR have places to mount spools?
 
I have 2 lowered bikes, a 650 Vstrom and a 1000 Versys, and keep a short piece of 2x6, with a angle cut on one end, laying in the garage. Roll the rear tire onto the board and put on center stand. On longer trips, the board goes in the pannier for chain lubing.

Call me crazy, but my other advise is an automotive engine hoist. I bought it for a engine swap, but have used it numerous times, lifting a bike. Plus, the bike can’t fall off a hoist. It’s tall enough to lift one end of the bike when the bike is on my lift table. I bought my 2 ton hoist, used, for $100.


John
 
Your ST1300 only has 140,000 miles on it so you have plenty of time to sort this out ..... maybe another 140,000 or more : )
 
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Do I understand this correctly, the new suspension dog bones protrude down far enough to interfere with the center stand? Or is the center stand useless because it is too hard to raise the bike?

I lowered my VStrom, put the OEM center stand (its an optional accessory - go figure) on, and found raising the bike onto the stand required aforementioned boards. The side stand, too was now overly long. I ended up cutting a piece out of both and welding them together. After a bit of grinding (well, a lot of grinding) and painting, you cannot tell these were modified.

Why not just buy another 1300?
 
Are the mounting points of the center stand still accessible? If so you might consider making an inverted two-piece center stand. One piece would slide into each mounting point with the middle and bottom of each leg connected by cross tubes that a fit together. A bolt in each cross brace would screw the two sides together.

The legs would be as long/short as needed to get the lowered bike off the ground without needing boards. A jack could be used to raise either end if/as needed.

When finished roll the bike off the stand then remove the bolts and pull the halves off. I don't know if it's doable on the FJR (or ST for that matter) but it would be a trick bit of kit if you could pull that off.

It would be a little work fabbing this but it's something that you'd use all the time and could be very easily stored.
 
Or you could just find another FJR that hasn't been lowered.
that was my first thought too, but the OP made this claim: "The original owner is height challenged much like myself" so I thought maybe the fact that the bike has been lowered was a plus, not a minus to him. If that's not the case then I agree, pass on this bike and find another, there's plenty of them out there.
 
Is it possible to modify a factory centerstand to clear the modified lowering parts? Sometimes it is possible to cut and weld a part to fit something, but a dealer or installer does not want to "think outside the box", or is afraid to for liability reasons. Could be a simple fix, or maybe it isnt. I'm not familiar with that particular bike but just putting it out there.
 
You could simply buy an old FJR centrestand and have it cut-down the the correct height.

These things are simply steel weldments and any welding shop could do the job for less than $100 IMO.

I totally agree that a bike without a centrestand is simply stupid.

Just my $0.02 (which is about 1.5 cents USD at the present rate of exchange).

Pete
 
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Or you could just find another FJR that hasn't been lowered.
Lowering bikes often leads to threads like this. It's unconventional but learning coping skills for riding taller bikes lasts a rider a lifetime. Every time a new bike is considered it has all these complications of suspension and side/center stand alterations.
 
Lowering bikes often leads to threads like this. It's unconventional but learning coping skills for riding taller bikes lasts a rider a lifetime. Every time a new bike is considered it has all these complications of suspension and side/center stand alterations.

Dave,
If I ever get my hip joints replaced, I’ll quit lowering bikes.

John
 
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