Wrenching

A new front stand...

I used to work on the KLR on a stand like this one...

The problem I ran into with the KLR, is that it's so big and ungainly, that I would have to truss it up  to the rafters to ensure that it didn't topple off the stand and pin me under 400lbs of fugly bike. It was a bit time consuming, and needed two bricks to ramp up the front tire high enough so I could slide it under the KLR's bash plate. 

Enter my Pit Bull stands. Yeah, I went overkill on the KLR, spending a couple hundred dollars on stands that would grace a race paddock in the amateur or even pro class, but what can I say, I bought used and am very happy with how stable the KLR is when mounted on these stands. Now if I could only find a way to work on the forks of my bike...

Willys on www.klr650.net has a floor jack that lifts the bike by the frame, allowing you to work on forks, engine, wheels, but it needs more garage space than I can afford at present.

Princess Auto lift

 For now the Pitbull Stands are working out great for storage and maintenance like oil changes and rim changes. When I need to service the forks, I haul out the DRC stand and truss up the bike as required. :)