BIke roller stand

[SK_in_AB]

Finally put the RT away for a Canadian winter - but may get out this weekend if the Chinook winds hit 9celcius as forecast .

 

My question relates to a rolling bike stand I saw on a site somewhere. Allows you to put the bike on its centre stand on a flat plate with 4 castors. Purpose is to be able to push it sideways into a garage corner for long term storage.

 

Has anyone tried/owned one of these and what advice can you give on usefulness?

 

thanks

 

Stephen

[David]

Click here for an old post I put together on it. I still use both, and love 'em to death.

 

There are a bunch of pictures in the post.

[SC_Jack]

I have one. David's post mirrors my opinion on this product.

Great little gadget.

[randy]

I also have the Wunderlich motorcycle dolly. It is very nice and sturdy. It does move around just fine on my smooth garage floor. however I had the occassion to try and use it on a gritty/gravel drive way, and it really was not practical in that environment.

 

so if you are using it in the garage or basement, where you have a smooth floor, no issue.

[DavidEBSmith]

I've used the same one in the past, but I gave up on it this winter because my garage floor is heaved and cracked right where the bike would have to go, and it's too much of a pain to try to roll it over an uneven surface.

 

It's a bit harder to get the bike on the center stand on the dolly than it normally is, which means to put the F650 on the dolly takes a big grunt and putting the RT on the dolly is not something I want to do too often as I have no desire to rupture myself. You also have to precisely place the bike on the dolly so that the lifting arm on the center stand doesn't hit the dolly (in which case you can't get it all the way onto the center stand).

 

If you're moving the bike around a lot or have a less-than-silky-smooth garage floor, I would recommend tying the center stand to the front wheel (with something like a trailering tie-down) so that when you push the bike on the dolly forward, the center stand won't fold up and dump the bike if you hit a bump or push too hard.

[Mike O]

...

It's a bit harder to get the bike on the center stand on the dolly than it normally is, which means to put the F650 on the dolly takes a big grunt and putting the RT on the dolly is not something I want to do too often as I have no desire to rupture myself. You also have to precisely place the bike on the dolly so that the lifting arm on the center stand doesn't hit the dolly (in which case you can't get it all the way onto the center stand). ...

 

I bought this dolly (had to special order it through my dealer) tried it several times and gave up on it. Might be great for a 'lighter' bike (like the F650), but for my RT, it was a 'muscling' endeavor. Maybe it was just me. I can get my RT up on the center stand just fine without the dolly, but trying to line up the center stand above the dolly, then do the step down on the center stand while pulling up on the RT's handle... I dunno.

 

Now if you don't have to jockey the RT up on this dolly too often, maybe you could live with it. But I wanted this for daily use. Never could get it centered right, and never felt safe that I had it right once the bike was (finally) on the dolly.

 

Returned it to the dealer. My advice to you would be to locate one you can try before you plunk down bucks.

 

Regards,

 

Mike O

[SK_in_AB]

Thanks David, for the post with pics, and the others for comments. At $100 I would buy one - but with the Canadian peso where it is C$240 is a lot for the convenience. I'm also concerned about the ease of lifting the RT onto its center stand when on the plate.

 

I'm going to try sidewall storage this winter which I think I can manage w/o a roller stand. I will consider buying one if I find the parking is too tough - but since I expect to only ride 1/month or less until March it shouldn't be too bad.

 

Thanks for the advice

 

Stephen