Fork removal

Hey everybody,
I need to replace the fork seals on my GPz750. I am pretty confident on taking the forks apart and putting them back together again since I have done it for all of my dirt bikes. The question I have is related to removing the forks. I don't have a bike stand and was wondering if there is a way to get the forks out without one. The bike has a centerstand. Is there a way to do it with that?
TIA,
Jim

There's a thread on just that. You can figure out a way to tie the rear down to some sort of stake (or something) to keep the rear tire on the floor while the bike is on the center stand. One of the members posted a pic of where he used some kind of anchor in the concrete slab of his garage to do just that! Hope this helps.

Another way is to hoist the frame up on a garage rafter so the front of the bike is well suspended. This assumes you (1) have a garage and (2) you have exposed rafters. I do not have exposed rafters in my garage so I can't use this technique. I bought a $55.00 motorcycle lift from Sears

del

I have a garage but no rafters and I would rather not put anchors in the concrete. I checked Sears for the motorcycle lift but there were out of stock. It looks like it would be a good deal at $69.
I think I am going to have to try JMKZHI's suggestion and try to block the engine up to keep it from falling forward.
Thanks everyone,
Jim

if the header is off head to the back side of the neaerest grocery store after hours(its darker that way! )and borrow 3 of those square plastic milk crates.put 2 side by side under the front of frame and the 3rd directly behind them with a couple throw rugs on top so you dont scratch your frame up.instant bike work stand with both wheels off ground;)

I recently replaced the outer (lower) fork tubes on my KZ650C1. Here’s what worked GREAT for me. I bought 4x8 sheet of 3/4" thick MDF (medium density fiberboard) at Lowes (about $23). I parked the bike on the centerstand on the MDF and put a small bottlejack under the forward end of the engine (with a block of wood between the jack and engine so I didn’t hurt the aluminum). I jacked up the front of the bike until the rear tire was touching the MDF. I ran a cargo strap (with the “S” hooks on each end) through the rear wheel above the swingarm in front of the shocks. I hooked each of the “S” hooks onto the MDF behind the bike and took out all the slack. This pulled the rear of the bike down toward the floor and held the bike back from being pulled forward off the centerstand. I pulled it tight enough that there was no weight on the jack under the engine, so I raised the jack just a little as a safety precaution. Even with the entire front end removed from the bike it felt solid as a rock while I worked on it, and the MDF gave me a nice clean work space to sit on. It was well worth the $23 and I can use it a zillion times. Good luck. Ed

Great idea Ed. I have some 3/4 plywood laying around I can put to use. I'll try it!

Tractor forks!

Great idea 650ed! Or you can just do what I did and jack it up and hang it with motorcycle straps from an "A" frame ladder. I did it that way 'cause it's gonna be there for awhile.

del