Who’s built their own bike stand? | GTAMotorcycle.com

Who’s built their own bike stand?

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NuggyBuggy

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I would like to build a stand to support my project, an 87 CBR600F. Design criteria:
- Built out of wood, I have a full woodworking shop, and no welding skills or access to tools
- needs to be as small in both dimensions as possible as my workspace is quite li tied in space both lengthwise and width wise.
- Therefore, I am OK with it being 100% purpose built, designed for this bike only, so as to allow it to be maximally small
- will be on casters so that I can maximize my use of space. If I need to work to work on one side of the bike, I may need to push it against a wall. If I need to use my shop for something else, the bike and stand may need to be moved.
- I would like to use the space below the main deck of the stand for storage, again to maximize use of space.
- cheap as possible

I considered buying something like an Abba or Bursig stand but decided building would be much cheaper and could be an easy woodworking project. I do have a paddock stand but it doesn’t really support the easy moving to and fro.

Anyone here done something similar ? I’ve seen plans which are pretty simple, but probably designed for general purpose use.. My biggest questions are design related, like:
- how much bigger than the bikes footprint does a stand need to be ?
- how narrow can I make it before the lateral stability of the bike and stand is jeopardized?
- should I build it wide and long enough to handle a paddock stand on the main deck ?
- should it accommodate a triple stand? Or just a chock ?
- how high do I make it ?
- etc
 
NuggyBuggy said:
I would like to build a stand to support my project, an 87 CBR600F. Design criteria:
- Built out of wood, I have a full woodworking shop, and no welding skills or access to tools
- needs to be as small in both dimensions as possible as my workspace is quite li tied in space both lengthwise and width wise.
- Therefore, I am OK with it being 100% purpose built, designed for this bike only, so as to allow it to be maximally small
- will be on casters so that I can maximize my use of space. If I need to work to work on one side of the bike, I may need to push it against a wall. If I need to use my shop for something else, the bike and stand may need to be moved.
- I would like to use the space below the main deck of the stand for storage, again to maximize use of space.
- cheap as possible

I considered buying something like an Abba or Bursig stand but decided building would be much cheaper and could be an easy woodworking project. I do have a paddock stand but it doesn’t really support the easy moving to and fro.

Anyone here done something similar ? I’ve seen plans which are pretty simple, but probably designed for general purpose use.. My biggest questions are design related, like:
- how much bigger than the bikes footprint does a stand need to be ?
- how narrow can I make it before the lateral stability of the bike and stand is jeopardized?
- should I build it wide and long enough to handle a paddock stand on the main deck ?
- should it accommodate a triple stand? Or just a chock ?
- how high do I make it ?
- etc
Click to expand...
The taller you make the moveable stand the larger the larger the footprint has to be for stability when moving it. Similarly, the smaller the wheels, the bigger the footprint you want as it's easier to trip. Conversely, larger casters will have a larger swing radius when turning and move the supported line closer to the bike reducing stability.

Moving without lowering is asking for trouble is the short version of the above.if you can lower to move, you can get away with a much smaller footprint. Obviously a variable height stand is far more complex. Another option is lots of weight down low. Heavier base can have smaller footprint and be stable.

Everything is a tradeoff. I cant tell you the best height/size as I dont know your plans (eg plan to torque swingarm nut on stand) nor your environment (eg broken concrete, sloped slab, pulled onto gravel occasionally, clean floor/lots of debris etc).
 
@GreyGhost : thanks. That’s exactly the kind of insight I am looking for.

For reference,I am thinking of something like this, but on casters : Workshop series - DIY motorcycle stand

My environment is either a workshop that is connected to my cottage or the outside garage there. Both floors are poured concrete. Pretty flat, but not perfect. I do not expect to be able to move the bike between locations on the stand. There’s debris there now, washers, saw dust, etc. but I do plan to make it as clean as possible. I know “pretty flat” is subjective and there are degrees of what different people would call “pretty flat”. Given that ambiguity, what size casters would you be looking at as a minimum ?

When you write “moving without lowering”, what do you mean exactly ? Do you mean taking the bike off the stand ? Or do you mean something mechanical which allows the height of the bike to be varied ? If the latter, I am NOT considering that route at present. I plan to have the height fixed.

Re: torquing swing arm nuts. What are the design issues and options I should be considering, and this even doable with the kind of stand I showed ? When I took off my swingarm I had the bike on this stand: https://www.amazon.com/CAT-240108-Jack-Lift/dp/B07YM5G95W. I found this jack to be quite unstable. I assume the base is too narrow with too much weight cantilevered out to the sides. To make things worse, moving it around was a pain, no doubt due to the tiny casters which would catch on the smallest pebble, and the jack would lower itself if you looked at it wrong. However I am OK if there are certain tasks which won’t be ideal or even possible on the kind of stand I had in mind.
 
NuggyBuggy said:
@GreyGhost : thanks. That’s exactly the kind of insight I am looking for.

For reference,I am thinking of something like this, but on casters : Workshop series - DIY motorcycle stand

My environment is either a workshop that is connected to my cottage or the outside garage there. Both floors are poured concrete. Pretty flat, but not perfect. I do not expect to be able to move the bike between locations on the stand. There’s debris there now, washers, saw dust, etc. but I do plan to make it as clean as possible. I know “pretty flat” is subjective and there are degrees of what different people would call “pretty flat”. Given that ambiguity, what size casters would you be looking at as a minimum ?

When you write “moving without lowering”, what do you mean exactly ? Do you mean taking the bike off the stand ? Or do you mean something mechanical which allows the height of the bike to be varied ? If the latter, I am NOT considering that route at present. I plan to have the height fixed.

Re: torquing swing arm nuts. What are the design issues and options I should be considering, and this even doable with the kind of stand I showed ? When I took off my swingarm I had the bike on this stand: https://www.amazon.com/CAT-240108-Jack-Lift/dp/B07YM5G95W. I found this jack to be quite unstable. I assume the base is too narrow with too much weight cantilevered out to the sides. To make things worse, moving it around was a pain, no doubt due to the tiny casters which would catch on the smallest pebble, and the jack would lower itself if you looked at it wrong. However I am OK if there are certain tasks which won’t be ideal or even possible on the kind of stand I had in mind.
Click to expand...
I would look at table saw casters and see if they have enough load rating. The benefit is they have at least one set of casters that retracts. That means when you are working on bike it is rock solid as fixed feet have the load and can be placed wide. They arent normally huge wheels though.
 
I built a stand out of wood. I had a large plank for a ramp. The length of the stand, the ramp and the bike ready to roll up meant I had to start with the bike outside.
I just had the ramp laying on the stand. Rolled the bike up and realized the stand was too narrow to use the kickstand. Went to roll it back off and the rear tire wouldn't climb up the plank. Instead it just pushed it back off the stand.
That was a bad night.
Perhaps you can learn something from that.
 
timtune said:
I built a stand out of wood. I had a large plank for a ramp. The length of the stand, the ramp and the bike ready to roll up meant I had to start with the bike outside.
I just had the ramp laying on the stand. Rolled the bike up and realized the stand was too narrow to use the kickstand. Went to roll it back off and the rear tire wouldn't climb up the plank. Instead it just pushed it back off the stand.
That was a bad night.
Perhaps you can learn something from that.
Click to expand...
A wheel chock seems like a good idea for this project. It's not in the way for many tasks and gives you hands free security (and no annoying tilted bike/platform wider than it needs to be).
 
You might find some info on this in HD forums. Maybe not your style of ride, but lots of DIY guys in there and I am sure have built something like this. Someone was trying to sell this on a FB group and had their post laughed at and ridiculed, for good reason though, it wasn't nearly as good as your reference.
 
I use a couple of types of dollies for my garage Tetris. I just use them for ease of storage instead of for working on the bikes, but some of this might still be relevant. 2" casters are pretty standard on all of these, but they do tend to get hung up on things like pebbles easily.

A pair of the 12" versions of these (one under the rear wheel and one under the kickstand) are the cheapest way to go, but they are a bit sketchy when pushing the bike around. The kickstand may want to fold up when pushing the bike forward, so I try to find a way to lock the kickstand or just push the dolly with my foot. I don't think I would try actually working on the bike with these if any major torqueing is required.

These things are heavy and well built and are relatively easy to load the bike on. You still need to be a little careful that the bike doesn't roll forward and collapse the kickstand when pushing the bike forward, but it's not nearly as much an issue as with two separate dollies. These are stable enough to consider doing work on the bike if necessary. The price of these has doubled since I originally bought mine, so these are no longer the obvious cheap choice.

Venom Motorcycle Rear Lift Stand with Dolly Wheels, Spool Attachments, Black, Compatible with 2002-2003 Honda CBR954RR, Stands - Amazon Canada

Venom Motorcycle Rear Lift Stand with Dolly Wheels, Spool Attachments, Black, Compatible with 2002-2003 Honda CBR954RR in Stands.
www.amazon.ca
I have not personally used this stand, but I've considered buying it more than a few times. I don't love the bolted together construction of this one and I wonder how sturdy it is, but the price is right. I would only use the swingarm spool version of this stand instead of the paddle version of the stand, and I would probably zip-tie the bike's spools directly to the stand just to have a bit of extra security. You would still need to be careful pushing the bike forward, to prevent the casters from catching on something and dumping the bike off. These types of stands extend further out the rear of the motorcycle than you might think, so that isn't the best if you're looking for super compact storage.
 
GreyGhost said:
I would look at table saw casters and see if they have enough load rating. The benefit is they have at least one set of casters that retracts. That means when you are working on bike it is rock solid as fixed feet have the load and can be placed wide. They arent normally huge wheels though.
Click to expand...
Interesting! My table saw stand uses a completely different mechanism to get it on its wheels, so I wasn’t at all aware of these types of casters. I like the idea of being able to get the table to sit flat on the floor for added stability. What I don’t like about them is the way they stick out to the side. I know I am going to trip over them, especially with limited space. You are right, the biggest retractable caster I could find on Amazon was 2.5”. There’s another style with an internal mechanism which ratchets the height up, but the wheels on those are even smaller.
 
timtune said:
I built a stand out of wood. I had a large plank for a ramp. The length of the stand, the ramp and the bike ready to roll up meant I had to start with the bike outside.
I just had the ramp laying on the stand. Rolled the bike up and realized the stand was too narrow to use the kickstand. Went to roll it back off and the rear tire wouldn't climb up the plank. Instead it just pushed it back off the stand.
That was a bad night.
Perhaps you can learn something from that.
Click to expand...
I was planning on just using a plank as a ramp so thanks for making me think of how I would get the bike up and over the plank when backing out.

This also bring me to another thought… without the bike under power, is pushing a bike up a ramp easy ? The only ramp I have ever pushed a bike up is 5e ramp on my trailer, but I can just walk up the ramp beside the bike, and usually I do this under power. I always wondered how the guys got their bikes up onto the beds of their pickups.
 
NuggyBuggy said:
I was planning on just using a plank as a ramp so thanks for making me think of how I would get the bike up and over the plank when backing out.

This also bring me to another thought… without the bike under power, is pushing a bike up a ramp easy ? The only ramp I have ever pushed a bike up is 5e ramp on my trailer, but I can just walk up the ramp beside the bike, and usually I do this under power. I always wondered how the guys got their bikes up onto the beds of their pickups.
Click to expand...
My trailer deck is approximately 16" off the ground and it's no problem to push an unpowered bike up even with a fairly short ramp. I have a hole drilled through the trailer deck and a pin on the end of the ramp to make sure nothing slips out of place. You could also use a beefy hinge with a removable pin (one half attached to the deck, one half attached to the ramp).
 
Casters. The ones in the project pics are neither suitable or safe. Casters are configured based on load, floor surface, and environment.

For stability, you want 2 rigid and 2 swivel locking casters, they should have a 500lb load rating for a mc stand. Smaller diameter wheels are more stable, larger wheels roll and swivel better. I'd use 2.5x1.5" or 3"x2" casters. Any hard wheel in this size will do. They should be fixed with nut and bolt, not #8 wood screws.

Platform. I'd go 18" to 24" wide x 80" to 90" long. Your max table height should be 1.5x the width of your platform, so an 18" max at 27", 24 ended 36" tall.

I'd look at a simple scissor action. Use a small winch, some pipe and rod for hinges.
 
NuggyBuggy said:
I was planning on just using a plank as a ramp so thanks for making me think of how I would get the bike up and over the plank when backing out.

This also bring me to another thought… without the bike under power, is pushing a bike up a ramp easy ? The only ramp I have ever pushed a bike up is 5e ramp on my trailer, but I can just walk up the ramp beside the bike, and usually I do this under power. I always wondered how the guys got their bikes up onto the beds of their pickups.
Click to expand...
Something like loose pin hinges can attach the ramp to the platform and allow for easy removal. As for how hard it is to push up, that depends on length of ramp and height. Longer ramp and/or less height and it is easier. Lots of videos online of ramps that are too steep.
 
GreyGhost said:
Something like loose pin hinges can attach the ramp to the platform and allow for easy removal. As for how hard it is to push up, that depends on length of ramp and height. Longer ramp and/or less height and it is easier. Lots of videos online of ramps that are too steep.
Click to expand...
Keep it simple. A fixed platform can use a teeter ramp. 2x8 center plank teeters at the 2/3rd point for loading and uploading.
 
Mad Mike said:
Casters. The ones in the project pics are neither suitable or safe. Casters are configured based on load, floor surface, and environment.

For stability, you want 2 rigid and 2 swivel locking casters, they should have a 500lb load rating for a mc stand. Smaller diameter wheels are more stable, larger wheels roll and swivel better. I'd use 2.5x1.5" or 3"x2" casters. Any hard wheel in this size will do. They should be fixed with nut and bolt, not #8 wood screws.

Platform. I'd go 18" to 24" wide x 80" to 90" long. Your max table height should be 1.5x the width of your platform, so an 18" max at 27", 24 ended 36" tall.

I'd look at a simple scissor action. Use a small winch, some pipe and rod for hinges.
Click to expand...
Great info on dimensions and proportions, thanks @Mad Mike !

You mentioned scissor action. There is actually a guy out there offering plans for a cool woodworking bench which uses two car scissor jacks. One is used to raise the table to different heights, the other to engage or disengage casters. It’s a very nifty design and appears to be rock solid. I bought the plans years ago but never built it.

Since I wasn’t sure myself about ideal height, I thought about adapting the plans for this purpose. The only thing I do not like about the design is that you lose all the space under the top working surface. For me, space is at a premium.

jack-bench.com

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Here’s a drawing which shows how it all works :
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NuggyBuggy said:
Great info on dimensions and proportions, thanks @Mad Mike !

You mentioned scissor action. There is actually a guy out there offering plans for a cool woodworking bench which uses two car scissor jacks. One is used to raise the table to different heights, the other to engage or disengage casters. It’s a very nifty design and appears to be rock solid. I bought the plans years ago but never built it.

Since I wasn’t sure myself about ideal height, I thought about adapting the plans for this purpose. The only thing I do not like about the design is that you lose all the space under the top working surface. For me, space is at a premium.

jack-bench.com

Workbench Plans - DIY Adjustable Height Wood Workbench Plans

Workbench plans - DIY wood workbench plans to build your own adjustable height woodworking workbench. Download the workbench plans now!
jack-bench.com jack-bench.com

Here’s a drawing which shows how it all works :
www.pinterest.ca

DIY Workbench Plans Archives - Jack Bench by Charlie Kocourek | Adjustable height workbench, Workbench, Workbench plans diy

Dec 28, 2022 - This Pin was discovered by Alessandro Di Gianluca. Discover (and save!) your own Pins on Pinterest
www.pinterest.ca www.pinterest.ca
Click to expand...
The locking system for the casters is a bit of overkill IMHO, there are plenty of casters that have solid locking systems that are quite simple. If you're really stuck on a locking system, you can add floor locks.
1671629050901.png


Here's a really simple design I'd probably build if it were for a specific project (as opposed to a stand used to service a bunch of bikes). It uses a Teeter ramp instead of a jacking system.

1671628623701.png
 
Mad Mike said:
The locking system for the casters is a bit of overkill IMHO, there are plenty of casters that have solid locking systems that are quite simple. If you're really stuck on a locking system, you can add floor locks.
Click to expand...
You’re probably right. I think part of it is that a woodworking bench is by its nature going to be exposed to lateral racking forces, whereas that would not be true when servicing a bike. And woodworkers like to make a big deal about how heavy and stable their benches are, LOL.

And, now I know what a teeter ramp looks like. You got me thinking about making it very slightly more general purpose. I am probably never going to have a really big bike but it would be nice to be able to get our dirt bikes and my non project bike up there too. I imagine the dimensions are not much different.
 
Mad Mike said:
Casters. The ones in the project pics are neither suitable or safe. Casters are configured based on load, floor surface, and environment.

For stability, you want 2 rigid and 2 swivel locking casters, they should have a 500lb load rating for a mc stand. Smaller diameter wheels are more stable, larger wheels roll and swivel better. I'd use 2.5x1.5" or 3"x2" casters. Any hard wheel in this size will do. They should be fixed with nut and bolt, not #8 wood screws.

Platform. I'd go 18" to 24" wide x 80" to 90" long. Your max table height should be 1.5x the width of your platform, so an 18" max at 27", 24 ended 36" tall.

I'd look at a simple scissor action. Use a small winch, some pipe and rod for hinges.
Click to expand...
MIC casters can be garbage. I have some cast iron ones that aren't even concentric on the axle.

A friend built a moving cart for a company and they complained that the thing had a mind of its own when loaded. He swapped the MIC casters for quality ones and it was fine. They were several times the price IIRC.
 
What's a MIC caster?
 
nobbie48 said:
MIC casters can be garbage. I have some cast iron ones that aren't even concentric on the axle.

A friend built a moving cart for a company and they complained that the thing had a mind of its own when loaded. He swapped the MIC casters for quality ones and it was fine. They were several times the price IIRC.
Click to expand...
That usually happens to cheapie casters after a cart is dropped loaded, overloaded or pushed over an obstacle by a tow motor. The king pin stretches and the swivel head goes sloppy.

If you check the cast wheels I'll bet the axle is concentric with the wheel tread face. The axle bore is rarely concentric with the hub boss.
 
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