Best way to lift the front of an S10?

[RCinNC]

I have the OEM skid plate on my S10. In the past, when I've done front end maintenance (like removing the forks and steering head), I've put the bike on the center stand, put a jack under the front of the skidplate, and then tilted the bike towards the rear with the jack until the front end cleared the ground. I haven't had any problems doing this, but it strikes me that I might be missing a better way. One thing that concerns me is that the rear of the OEM skidplate mounts to the sump with a single bolt, which tends to concentrate all the force in one small point. I don't lift the entire bike off the ground at once; I just use the jack to pivot the bike.

Anyone have a better way? Do you think it's necessary to put some wood blocks in the space between the rear of the skid plate and the sump to spread out the load a little? If you use my method, do you leave the bike on the jack or do you put a jackstand under the front for the skid plate? How do they perform this in an actual shop?

 

[Boris]

I'm going to try putting the panniers on and loading them and the top box up, I seem to recall this making it very tail heavy when on a trip last year, when on the main stand. Will just need a prop under the skid plate/down pipes, which will have minimal load on it.

 

[whisperquiet]

I use a jack and a wood block on the sump without a skid plate ...... never a problem on any bike that I have owned.

 

[Cycledude]

I use a floor jack and put a board between the jack and the skid plate, over 50,000 miles using this method on Tenere’s and I haven’t noticed any problems. For extra safety I always strap the centerstand in place so it can’t accidentally fold up.

 

[gv550]

I use automotive axle stands, one on each side under the Givi engine guards, not skid plate. Very stable. Loading the panniers and rear rack makes the front of the bike easy to lift by hand, or use a jack under the skid plate to get it up to the jack stands.

 

[RCinNC]

I use automotive axle stands, one on each side under the Givi engine guards, not skid plate. Very stable. Loading the panniers and rear rack makes the front of the bike easy to lift by hand, or use a jack under the skid plate to get it up to the jack stands.

That actually sounds more stable than my current method. I have Altrider bars on mine; these bars bolt to the front of the engine as one of their attachment points. Do the Givi bars attach in the same manner? Do you see any issues with the load being placed on the bars and where they attach to the bike?

 

[gv550]

Givi bars have a horizontal bar at the side mounts.

 

[RCinNC]

Altriders are a little different, but I think your method would still be OK (as long as my jack stands go that high).

 

[Sierra1]

....Do you think it's necessary to put some wood blocks in the space between the rear of the skid plate and the sump to spread out the load a little?....

I'm not sure it's actually necessary, but it makes ME feel better, so I do it. I mean, theoretically, it's a bash plate. If it's designed to contact/slide over rocks, and such, surely a gentle lifting with the weight spread out can't cause any harm. And yes, I know, not all bash plates are created equal. I have an Altrider plate, which I consider light weight, and when I lift it in such a manner, I don't see ANYTHING even start to flex/bend. And when I wash the bike, specifically the front wheel, I put my shoulder under the front fairing, and push it up just enough to spin the wheel; with the bike on the center stand.

 

[RCinNC]

I'm not sure it's actually necessary, but it makes ME feel better, so I do it. I mean, theoretically, it's a bash plate. If it's designed to contact/slide over rocks, and such, surely a gentle lifting with the weight spread out can't cause any harm. And yes, I know, not all bash plates are created equal. I have an Altrider plate, which I consider light weight, and when I lift it in such a manner, I don't see ANYTHING even start to flex/bend. And when I wash the bike, specifically the front wheel, I put my shoulder under the front fairing, and push it up just enough to spin the wheel; with the bike on the center stand.

That single bolt right in the center of the bash plate always gives me a little pause; it's a big reason why I'd never lift the whole bike with a jack under the skid plate. I think in the future I'll start filling that space with a couple blocks of wood, just for peace of mind. I'm fairly certain the OEM "skid plate" is in no way designed to safely slide over rocks; it's definitely just a shield against things thrown up at the engine from the ground. I'd definitely be worried about the damage done to the sump if I took a really hard hit at the rear of the skid plate and all that force was concentrated on the single bolt.

 

[RCinNC]

Gv550 simple safe and easy and clever. My compliments.

I totally agree. I've been doing maintenance on this bike for four years now, and I never thought of jackstands under the crash bars. Damn if this forum doesn't come in handy!

 

[jrusell]

I have used a stepladder over the front of the bike, and a ratchet strap down to the triple clamp or the frame. It works ok but can be in the way depending on what work you need to do.

I have a front triple stand I modified to work on the Tenere, but for someone looking for a cheap solution the jack stand solution is an awesome idea. Some blocking under the stand to raise it if yours are not tall enough.

For those with skidplates that mount only to the frame I see no issue using them to hold it up. For those that mount to the oil pan I think it is a very bad idea. Look around and you can find a few pics of how thin the stock oil pan is. After that I doubt you will want to use it now matter what blocking you use to spread the load.

I have also backed my bike up near a wall and installed a hook or bracket of some type into a stud very low near the floor.
Ratchet strap to the hook and crank the rear down, lifting the front.

 

[holligl]

Just reading the title of this thread, I thought:
Turn off traction control, put it in Sport mode, apply generous throttle quickly.

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

 

[RonH]

I took a lift stand meant for dirt bikes and since my dirt bike days are done, thought might as well put it to use. It wasn't hard to shorten it to the exact height I needed. It's a foot lift type. I slide it under the engine while up on the center stand, step on the lever, and the front wheel is up.

 

[RCinNC]

I have used a stepladder over the front of the bike, and a ratchet strap down to the triple clamp or the frame. It works ok but can be in the way depending on what work you need to do.

I have a front triple stand I modified to work on the Tenere, but for someone looking for a cheap solution the jack stand solution is an awesome idea. Some blocking under the stand to raise it if yours are not tall enough.

For those with skidplates that mount only to the frame I see no issue using them to hold it up. For those that mount to the oil pan I think it is a very bad idea. Look around and you can find a few pics of how thin the stock oil pan is. After that I doubt you will want to use it now matter what blocking you use to spread the load.

I have also backed my bike up near a wall and installed a hook or bracket of some type into a stud very low near the floor.
Ratchet strap to the hook and crank the rear down, lifting the front.

I doubt I'd ever try and lift the entire bike into the air with a jack under the OEM skid plate unless it was some sort of dire emergency. When I spoke about putting blocks between the skid plate and the engine, it was with the idea that I'd be using a jack on just the front of the skidplate, to tilt the bike rearwards so it would pivot on the center stand and raise the front wheel. The blocks would be just to spread out whatever load there was on that center bolt that bolts the OEM skidplate to the engine.

 

[Tenman]

On the centerstand. I'ved lifted my front wheel who knows how many times with a jack on the Altrider skidplate. No damage. Not even a dent.

 

[RCinNC]

When I talk about damage, I'm not referring to damage to the skid plate. My skid plate bolts to the engine, with a single bolt at the rear that screws into (I believe) a threaded hole in the sump. That part of the sump was the only area I had any concerns about.

 

[taskmaster86]

The best way but it only works inside a building with normal height ceilings and exposed rafters: Put bike on center stand, loop ratchet straps around crash bars (or handle bars) and run them up to the rafters. Evenly tension the ratchet straps on both sides, lifting the front of the bike into the air. When this is done properly, there is essentially no way to knock the bike over or drop it.

Anywhere else: put bike on center stand, put a board on a jack and jack up the front of the sump or skid plate. Other options: while the bike is on the side stand, place one jack stand under the foot peg mount on the left side of the bike. With the help of an assistant or a jack, pivot the right side of the bike up, placing a second jack stand under the right side foot peg mount. For a heavier bike like the super tenere, you may want to place a second set of jack stands under another strong location like the crash bars or the bottom of an axle. This will look a lot like the picture that member GV550 is showing above.

 

[Longdog Cymru]

I was tempted to say hold the revs at 5500m, select 1st gear and dump the clutch.........!

 

[Sierra1]

I was tempted to say hold the revs at 5500m, select 1st gear and dump the clutch.........!

If you're going to use this method, make sure to turn the TCS off. Otherwise, it will BEGIN to lift, then....it won't. Personally, I like the electronic nanny. It protects me from myself; I don't heal the way I used to.