Pitbull Front Stands

OB_Busa@11K

Registered
I'm looking at Pitbull front stands, and they make two versions. One is what they call the standard front stand which lifts the bike from the bottom triple clamp. The other version is a conversion kit used with their fork lift stand which then will lift the bike from the bottom triple clamp. To me, this would be the handiest, since you would only use the conversion when you need to remove the fork tube (new seals from too many hard wheelie landings <g> -- how in the h*ll do you get that smily face on here anyway).

Does anyone have one or the other of these front stands? If so, which one, and how well does it work?

Pitbull said the front fender *may* (he didn't know for sure) come off to use the conversion setup, but the bike is easier to lift using the fork lifter with conversion.

TIA for any info.
 
I have the front stand that lifts from the bottom and the back stand that lifts with spools. I use the front stand mostly for cleaning my rim, it makes it real easy.[spinning the rim is a whole lot easier than pushing the bike around!] It takes a little getting used to though. There are two bars on each side of the lift. One goes behind the fork leg and the other goes under the fork leg. The one on the bottom is supposed to always be in front of the centerline of the fork according to Pit Bull. There are also two flat metal pieces[one on each side] that have to do with the adapter for the steering stem lift. I just grab those after I have the bike lifted and move them until the bottom bar is directly under or slightly in front of the centerline of the fork leg. I'm real happy with my stands. Never seen any so over built and strong. They DON'T wiggle! I would recommend them to anyone with complete confidence.
 
Thanks Warbird for the info. Do you also have the converter for the fork lift stand which allows the bike to be lifted from the sterring stem (for front fork removals)? I'm really curious how that works on the Busas.
 
No I don't have the converter. If Pit Bull says it works fine I'd have to believe them though. You probably already know this but never lift the front until the back wheel is on the stand! I found the front kind of scary until I found where to position the lift bars and then move them where I wanted them with the flat plates. After that it was a snap. Ive always had the kind that fits into the bottom of the legs. [in the holes] Those can scratch the legs and the axle though if the point goes in far enough, so I like this stand as it will not scratch anything. You can use both the front and rear by yourself, and you can roll the bike foward and backward when it is on both stands too. Have you seen their website? www.pit-bull.com Lots of good pictures. The converter is in there I believe.

[This message has been edited by WARBIRD (edited 17 August 2000).]
 
Warbird, I have seen thier site, and talked to Bill at Pitbull. He said the converter works OK, but is kind close to the front fender and upper cowling. It sounds like if your careful it isn't bad. The only reason I like the converter style is because you only have to use it if the front forks need work, and in that case the front fender needs to come off anyway. From what Bill said, it sounds like the normal front stand (steering stem style) is alittle harder to get the bike on. You essentially have to lift the whole front of the bike up with the horizontal bar, then move the stand under the support bar. I'm strong, but thats like 220 lbs -- one armed. Bill also said the converter is very stable, and when used the fork lift stand makes it easier to lift the bike because you can use the lever just like on the rear stand. I'll probably go the converter setup (talked myself into it).
 
I have the front stand that has a center pole with a pin hole for the various type of bike front stem. the pole with pin goes under your tree and hooks onto the hole ,make sure you have the rear stand on first before doing this,lift up the pole which would lift up the front end of the bike and while doing this slide the second section with the wheels under the bike so that the taps on the pole will seat inside of the second unit. Your bike will be up and you can remove the front tire or the front tubes with no problem. PIT BULL STANDS are the BEST. MY own opinion. Hope I helped.
 
Good choice I think! I'll buy the converter soon so I'm prepaired when tire changing time comes. Like I said I love my stands and there's no heaving and lifting with the front one like I have. Get the rear too! With the spools!
 
I also agree with Cisco,Pit Bull stands are the best! Over engineered, over built and should last a lifetime! Hey Cisco,how hard is it to lift the bike and slide the bottom part under? By the way I used to live in Saratogo,Sunnyvale,Cupertino ectt.... We used to go have breakfast in Los Gatos at a little place across from the Ferarri dealership then go straighten out HWY.9 and end up in Santa Cruz. Man, those were the days.....

[This message has been edited by WARBIRD (edited 17 August 2000).]
 
Hey Cisco, I got to hang out with Randy also. I new his best friend. Randy was still racing then. We watched the Thomas Hearns/Sugar Ray fight together at his friends house in the early 1980s. We jumped up and down on his parents motor home at Laguna Seca while he battled Kenny Roberts tooth and nail for an entire race. Randy took us over to the Newman-Haus Racing garage in the middle of Laguna where Kenny was pitted. Got to meet Paul Newman,Freddie Spencer,Steve Wise,Mike Baldwin,Kenny Roberts,Eddie Lawson,and my favorite, Erv Kanamoto, not to mention a bunch of other superstars! It was great! Terry Vance was there too. I believe it was his very first sponsering of a road racing effort. Brings back a lot of memories thinking about it. I was road racing then, just a fast amature. Beat a whole lot of guys with expert plates though. Anyway, those were the days! Hwy.9 was'nt so crowded back then. We would usually FLY back on 17.
 
WarBird,Yea Randy got taken by some of his friends and co-owners of companies they started. Took the money and ran.To bad Randy was a nice guy and a real good racer. I also met his future wife back then I believe she was from England or some were over seas.Randy use to go to school with my friend Mike Sevial or something like that,anyways he use to stop by my friends house and do donuts in the roadway near Lawerance Expressway and the HP plant. Randy also chased me once with his Mustang when I passed him on Lawerance Expressway,back then he didn't know me and his mustang had a sticker on his bumper that said FRIST THE PEDAL THAN THE BOTTLE. I seen that sign and I pulled up next to him and blasted off in my 89-GSXR-1100,yes those were the days. Did you hang out down on El Camino Chervon near Burger King K-Mart?
 
I worked at Sunnyvale Honda, I think it was on El Camino Real. Also used to work at an electronics company that made test equipment, ossiliscopes and such. Had to ride down Lawrence Expressway to get there. Randy drove his 69 or 70 Cougar to the fight that night, it was really built. He had a gold 911 Turbo too. It kept cracking the exhaust system and my friend would weld it back for him. My roomates worked for AMD and Intel. Chuck still works for Intell, an engineer, I guess thats about 20 years now. Wow,I'm thinking of things I havent for years and years now, sure was a great time in California. My wife has never been there. When she gets her new bike I think we'll visit all the places I used to go to, show her what California is really like. Some people think all of California is like the Los Angeles they see on tv. They couldn't be more wrong. From desserts to mountains to valleys to beautiful coastline, California has it all. Great place to ride.
Hey, now that I think of it,yes we used to go to the Burger King on Real! Everyone cruises there. Good place to find a race. Back then anyway.

Later

[This message has been edited by WARBIRD (edited 18 August 2000).]

[This message has been edited by WARBIRD (edited 18 August 2000).]
 
WarBird,things have changed on the El Camino and you would not believe the amount of traffic on Lawerence Expressway and San Thomas is like. I use to go to DeAnza College and from Sunnyvale/hwy 101 to DeAnza it took me 20 minutes and now it takes you 20 minutes to go from Lawerence/101 to Central Expressway . Lots of new buildings. The races are now on back streets and most racers are using those Honda cars,Mits and others lowered,they call them Rice Cars. Hey stay safe and ride safe. Later
 
I tried to use my steering stem stand and found it very unstable due to Busa's weight. The whole stand could sway to the side. It looked like it could bend over and drop the bike. It was not that brand of stand however so perhaps theirs is stronger. It also takes a lot of force to raise a stem stand and really needs someone to steady the bike on the rear stand to prevent dropping it.
 
I have the pit bull rear stand and the one that goes under the forks for the front. Great product. I havent tried yet, but can you get the tire off on using this fnont stand without removing the fender?
 
Pitbull stands are OK.....found a couple of bikes to be very unstable....mainly the front stand .
Switched to Chuck Graves front and rear stands....one of the best stands u can buy..not big and bulky like the pitbulls , very light and compact , aluminum , and perfect fit ....both sell for $140 each . I can barely keep them in stock . U can get them from Graves Motorsports 818-902-1942 or call me 818-994-2882
U won't regret it !
 
I just saw a cool way of lifting the front. My neighbor used a cheap ($15) come-a-long (1 ton rating) attached to a garage beam and some tie downs. He attached the tie downs to the triple clamp/handle bars. He said, he and his friends have lifting their bikes this way for many years, never had a problem. It looked more secure than a stand. I'm going this way.

Koz
 
Warning: If you intend to leave your Busa lowered 1/2", 3/4" or whatever forget using the Pit Bull Stand with the pin because there's no room between the fender and the upper fairing. My bike is lowered 1.25 inches through the triple clamps and I'm in the process of selling my stand with the pin for the stand that goes under the forks.
 
Yes any lowered bike you will have problems,it's not the fault of the stand but most stands are made for stock motorcycles with no changes in bike height. Best bet is if you own your house and have a garage,install couple of eye bolts on a strong area of your garage beam and buy a pulley/or wench type unit "I think they call them Come along" and just lift your front end that way.
WarBird yes we use to go up to Los Gatos but lately the local people have been putting pressure on the Cops to chase away the motorcycle people or Cruziers.Can't do notthing in the USA California with out money or need to spend money in the town or else they chase you out. I use to hang out with Randy Momola and his Harley riding buds at the Ice Cream shop near the Good Earth Restaurant, and that is where my wife said she first saw me before we met,I guess I thought I was cool dude riding my GSXR-1100 or Fatboy up and down Santa Cruz Ave,Los Gatos. Ride safe all

[This message has been edited by Cisco San Jose (edited 18 August 2000).]
 
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