Motorcycle stability

[MustangMike]

Question for you guys who detail bikes - do you do anything to stabilize the bike while you are working on it? Does the kickstand do a good job of holding the bike steady while you work on it?

I'm thinking about detailing a Harley, not sure which model it is but it will be big and heavy. If, for some reason, it were to fall over I don't think I would be able to pick it back up by myself, not to mention the possibility of damage to the bike.

I know that they make jacks for working on bikes, that would be handy, but I don't have room to store one when I'm not working on a bike.

Got any suggestions for a bike newbie?

[Bob]

The kick stand usually does the trick. If it has a center stand even better.

The Harley kickstand will be fine. The stand on my FZR600 keeps the bike almost straight up and I hate it. But on a cruiser like a Harley the side stand will do the trick without question.

The jack would be a waste unless you do a ton of bikes. I detail all of my bikes off the stand with just the side kickstand or center stand if it has one. For a bike newbie I'd stick with the side stand though. The center stands can be very difficult to use, especially on a heavy bike.