ElectricMotorcycleForum.com
Tech => Tech Help => Topic started by: Eicas on May 28, 2021, 01:01:54 AM
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Eventually I am going to need to lift up my new SR/S for maintenance. I do not have or want a centerstand.
Can I safely use a scissor lift under the bike to lift it? Under the bike I see what looks like a heat sink that looks flat and might be strong enough to support the bike's weight. Maybe a piece of wood between the lift and the "heat Sink" to keep from damaging it?
The scissor lift I have was built by Handy for Harleys and used to support my old but now sold BMW R100RS that also did not have working centerstand.
Any other ideas would be be greatly appreciated.
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Eventually I am going to need to lift up my new SR/S for maintenance. I do not have or want a centerstand.
Can I safely use a scissor lift under the bike to lift it? Under the bike I see what looks like a heat sink that looks flat and might be strong enough to support the bike's weight. Maybe a piece of wood between the lift and the "heat Sink" to keep from damaging it?
The scissor lift I have was built by Handy for Harleys and used to support my old but now sold BMW R100RS that also did not have working centerstand.
Any other ideas would be be greatly appreciated.
Use one of these. (https://www.amazon.com/Extreme-Max-5001-5044-Motorcycle-Scissor/dp/B0196PAZ1S/ref=sr_1_21?dchild=1&keywords=black+widow+motorcycle+lift&qid=1622142715&sr=8-21)
-Don- Reno, NV
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Thanks! That is almost identical to what I have and wanted to use. I was concerned that placing it under the bike and lifting could damage "something" on the bike if that part of the bike was not stressed for the load. Could not find any specific lifting instructions in the on line owners manual.
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Thanks! That is almost identical to what I have and wanted to use. I was concerned that placing it under the bike and lifting could damage "something" on the bike if that part of the bike was not stressed for the load. Could not find any specific lifting instructions in the on line owners manual.
I've used the Black Widow Lift to lift up my 2017 Zero SR with Power Tank (Heavy), to remove both wheels, but I just noticed "SR/S" in the subject line, so I don't know if it will work as well on that bike.
-Don- Cold Springs Valley, NV
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Yeah I don't know if the bellypan covering the controller is metal or plastic. If it's plastic I'd steer clear of the scissor jack. Might be time to pony up for some spools and a rear stand. For the front either an engine hoist (if you happen to have one) or get an actual motorcycle head lift.
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Zero warns against using such a lift on the SR/S! The heatsink and controller on the bottom cannot support the weight of the bike!
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Zero warns against using such a lift on the SR/S! The heatsink and controller on the bottom cannot support the weight of the bike!
I would go with the centerstand, if it were me, especially since a lift cannot be used. That is something I wish all my bikes had, but especially on my Energica.
-Don- Reno, NV
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Thank you for all of the advice. Does not sound like a good idea to lift my SR/S using a scissor jack.
Guess I will have to rethink my opposition on having a center stand or see if I can adapt my old Pit Bull stands to work.
Did some more research and as near as I can tell a scissor jack would be pushing/lifting against the "CONTROLLER R SME WITH HEATSINK" which appears to be one finned unit and made out some aluminum alloy.
Have no idea what that part does but it sounds rather important to the operation of the bike!
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Thank you for all of the advice. Does not sound like a good idea to lift my SR/S using a scissor jack.
Guess I will have to rethink my opposition on having a center stand or see if I can adapt my old Pit Bull stands to work.
Did some more research and as near as I can tell a scissor jack would be pushing/lifting against the "CONTROLLER R SME WITH HEATSINK" which appears to be one finned unit and made out some aluminum alloy.
Have no idea what that part does but it sounds rather important to the operation of the bike!
There are 3 parts to any electric vehicle:
- The battery stores the power in DC format
- The controller, or inverter, takes DC power from the battery and converts it to AC for the motor. It also takes AC power from braking regen and converts it back to DC to recharge the battery.
- The motor takes power from the controller and converts it into mechanical force aka turning the wheel.
So yeah it's kinda important.
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I just use wheel stands, good for tire/wheel/belt work, but clearly not great for suspension (front + rear, one paddle and one fork)! I also use them to get the tires off the ground when storing for the winter (in my basement). Cheap and easy.
Steve
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I just use wheel stands, good for tire/wheel/belt work, but clearly not great for suspension (front + rear, one paddle and one fork)! I also use them to get the tires off the ground when storing for the winter (in my basement). Cheap and easy.
Steve
Is there a safe way for one person to lift the bike up on one of those stands? I have several stands that I have not even tried to use yet.
-Don- Auburn, CA
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I was able to do it by myself with my DSR (rear first, then the front), but ask my wife to help with the SR/F, it's just a little to heavy to handle from the rear for me. Once on the rear stand, getting the front one on is easy.
Steve
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Here is a stand that will allow a single person to raise the rear of just about any bike securely and with ease. It is designed is such a way that it lifts a motorcycle evenly without tilting it. And the extra long handle provides plenty of leverage. The stand came with a couple of attachments, but if you have stand spools on your bike it will really get the job done with a real feeling of security. I have been using this stand for years and I don't think there is anything better on the market for a one-person lift. However, I don't know if it is still being made and available for sale. Attached are photos of the stand.
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Here is a stand that will allow a single person to raise the rear of just about any bike securely and with ease. It is designed is such a way that it lifts a motorcycle evenly without tilting it. And the extra long handle provides plenty of leverage. The stand came with a couple of attachments, but if you have stand spools on your bike it will really get the job done with a real feeling of security. I have been using this stand for years and I don't think there is anything better on the market for a one-person lift. However, I don't know if it is still being made and available for sale. Attached are photos of the stand.
Thanks for that info. I see some info about it here. (https://www.dragbike.com/product-review-the-ucs1-cycle-stand-from-cycle-cat/)
But perhaps they are no longer in business. I am surprised nobody else makes such a thing.
I will do some more web searching. If I find anything, I will post about it here.
-Don- Auburn, CA
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Looks like it's been discontinued. (https://www.r6-forum.com/threads/advice-please-cycle-cat-ucs1-motorcycle-rear-stand.126837/) I have to wonder why.
-Don- Auburn, CA
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Looks like it's been discontinued. (https://www.r6-forum.com/threads/advice-please-cycle-cat-ucs1-motorcycle-rear-stand.126837/) I have to wonder why.
-Don- Auburn, CA
That is too bad. It certainly is a wonderful design and one that I had never seen before or since. ??? I guess the company went out of business but someone must still have the rights to the patent and is hanging on to it. :(
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I readjusted my old Pitt Bull rear wheel stand today and lifted the back wheel of my SR/S without any difficulty by myself.
I know many if not most of you old pros already know this, and I should have since I have used wheel stands before, but for the record here goes: -
Starting with my SR/S resting on the sidestand, then just slid in the rear wheel stand and pushed down on the handle and the bike righted itself and up it went. When lowering the bike I gently pulled up the wheel stand lever while holding a hand on the bike and gently pushed the bike over to the side stand side for a perfect landing.
A bit nervous the first time but did this a couple of times without difficulty, no help around and none needed. Being a bit heavy might have helped!
Unfortunately my old front wheel stand does not look like it will work on the Zero because of the shape of the bottom of the forks, think I need a pin support there.
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Harbor Freight has something quite similar.
https://www.harborfreight.com/low-profile-rear-motorcycle-spool-stand-99701.html
I just went there and bought what they had on the shelf. Not even this fancy.
-Crissa
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Harbor Freight has something quite similar.
https://www.harborfreight.com/low-profile-rear-motorcycle-spool-stand-99701.html (https://www.harborfreight.com/low-profile-rear-motorcycle-spool-stand-99701.html)
I just went there and bought what they had on the shelf. Not even this fancy.
-Crissa
I own the one in the link and several others. I have yet to try to use any of them.
My Zeros are easy to get the tires off by a simple Black Widow Lift. I am not sure what I will do when I need to change the front tire on my Energica. I have 6K miles on it and the front tire looks like it will need to be replaced in the next 500 miles or so. The rear tire still looks fine.
I can remember the days when the front tire would last twice as long as the rear. Over the years, that changed to be the opposite.
-Don- Auburn, CA
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Harbor Freight has something quite similar.
https://www.harborfreight.com/low-profile-rear-motorcycle-spool-stand-99701.html (https://www.harborfreight.com/low-profile-rear-motorcycle-spool-stand-99701.html)
I just went there and bought what they had on the shelf. Not even this fancy.
-Crissa
I own the one in the link and several others. I have yet to try to use any of them.
My Zeros are easy to get the tires off by a simple Black Widow Lift. I am not sure what I will do when I need to change the front tire on my Energica. I have 6K miles on it and the front tire looks like it will need to be replaced in the next 500 miles or so. The rear tire still looks fine.
I can remember the days when the front tire would last twice as long as the rear. Over the years, that changed to be the opposite.
-Don- Auburn, CA
I have had similar tire wear experiences as you have had, Don. Most radial tires that I have seen lately only have about 4mm of tread when new. No wonder they wear out fast, especially on heavy motorcycles that put a lot of load on the tires when braking and going around corners. The tire manufacturers seem to spend more time developing rear tires that have longer lives than they do front tires.
I am not sure how you would remove the front wheel on an Energica, other than using a front wheel stand that has a pin that get inserted into the bottom of the fork pivot. ???
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I have had similar tire wear experiences as you have had, Don. Most radial tires that I have seen lately only have about 4mm of tread when new. No wonder they wear out fast, especially on heavy motorcycles that put a lot of load on the tires when braking and going around corners. The tire manufacturers seem to spend more time developing rear tires that have longer lives than they do front tires.
I think the new soft front tires is part of the reason why new bikes handle much better than older bikes, so it's not all bad news. But since I ride like much like a little old lady, I would rather have tires that last! :) .
-Don- Auburn, CA
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I have had similar tire wear experiences as you have had, Don. Most radial tires that I have seen lately only have about 4mm of tread when new. No wonder they wear out fast, especially on heavy motorcycles that put a lot of load on the tires when braking and going around corners. The tire manufacturers seem to spend more time developing rear tires that have longer lives than they do front tires.
I think the new soft front tires is part of the reason why new bikes handle much better than older bikes, so it's not all bad news. But since I ride like much like a little old lady, I would rather have tires that last! :) .
-Don- Auburn, CA
Me too. Especially considering the hassle of removing wheels and changing tires. ;)
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Service rep said that I can expect between 6 to 9 thousand miles out of my tires depending on how I ride. That is less than I got out of my ICE bikes, but the traction seems much better.
Sounds like new tires every other year or so.
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Service rep said that I can expect between 6 to 9 thousand miles out of my tires depending on how I ride. That is less than I got out of my ICE bikes, but the traction seems much better.
Sounds like new tires every other year or so.
I just changed the Pirelli Rosso II rear tire of my 2018 Zero S with Power tank. It lasted for 9K miles, but the front tire of the same brand and type only lasted 5K miles. :( That Power Tank weight must really make life tough on the front tire. I am now using more air in the Michelin Street Radial front tire that replaced it than recommended by Zero and it seems to be wearing much slower than the Pirelli.