Motorcycle jack for "77 KZ1000 LTD

[Gross]

What is the best way to lift my bike for working on it? I just bought an ATV/Motorcycle jack at Sears for $179.00, but it will be lifting against the exhaust pipes if I use it the way it's meant to be used. Is it safe to lift against the bottom of the engine, if I block between the jack rails? Or should I get some other type of lift?

A hydraulic platform would be nice but then I'd need more space and more money. What do you guys use?

[MFolks]

No centerstand? Can you have a welding shop fab up a cradle to clear the exhaust system you can bolt to the jack so you can work on it?

Or make a wooden cradle to do the same thing?

[Gross]

LTD's do not have center stands. I just happen to be an estimator/project manager for a structural steel fab shop, but am trying to find out if it is safe to lift against the bottom of the engine, between the exhaust pipes.

[StarGate]

Originally Posted by Gross

LTD's do not have center stands.

While that may be true of the 77 it's not the case for LTD's as a generalized statement. Mine has both side and center stands.

I wouldn't risk having the full weight of the bike on the engine mounts. If you figure the engine weight around 200 and total bike weight around 525 that would be more than a 50% increase in weight that would be put on the mounts. I've seen some jacks that had 4x Y adapters that would slide on the 2 runners of the jack so they could be positioned under the frame on each side.

[Gross]

I guess I need to clarify my previous statement, 1977 KZ1000 LTD's did not have center stands, originally. I am not aware of what other bikes have.

Are there any bike mechanics out there that have the answer to where I should be lifting my bike from?

[ltdrider]

Your bike ('77 KZ1000 LTD) has the center stand mount, but no center stand. The 4x2 LTD pipes interfere with the function of the center stand, so, all you got was a side stand.
I use an aligator jack, and I put the cup of the jack on one of the center stand mounts. I lift the bike just enough to get the rear wheel clear, maybe 3 or 4 inches. The bike balances on the front wheel, side stand, and the jack. The jack is taking some of the load, but not the whole weight of the bike. Works for me. If you want more stability, put a 2x4 under the side stand before you jack it up.

[Gross]

Thanks for your input. I am giving up, for now, on being able to jack my bike up to a nice height for working on it. Someday I might tackle the whole situation from a totally different "stand" point. Since I work for a steel fab shop I do have some pretty fair capabilities at my disposal.

I am moving on to adjusting my carbs and getting them tuned!

[Andy the gringo]

The easy inexpensive way to solve your problem is to just get a stock centerstand from either a 900 or a 1000 A model. Then just get a couple of bolts the correct size and when you want to use the centerstand just shove them thru. I did this for my Z-1 Classic and it worked great. It spent the entire winter in my dining room sitting on that centerstand.

[airforce1]

My VN1500 isn't the heaviest bike, but I wanted to jack it up for servicing and changing tires. Went to Harbor F. and got a motorcycle jack for $65.
It had wheels and steel rails with rubber covers.
It was rated for 1500 lbs.
I didn't find the perfect balance point, could raise the front or rear wheel pretty easily. I tried again and "she" got mad at me and laid down against my parts rack, pushing it over. (There wasn't even beer involved!)
I was pretty lucky, only cost the front brake lever. I'm keeping the broken part on my desk to remind me that cruisers don't seem to like being off the ground. Guess that's why they don't have wings. One of my friends got a drive on lift for his bike, keeps it in his hanger. I can use it, but now will use tiedown straps to stabilize and balance it. Hope you find a good solution!
"If Kawasaki wanted my bike to be in the air, wouldn't they have fitted it with wings?"