RCinNC
Well-Known Member
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?
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?