Heindl combo/spool rear stand

[zrx-crisis]

Hi all,

I ordered the Heindl combo rear stand an am finding it totally impossible to get the rex up with Champs rear slider/spools on mine.

I PM'ed Gothmog to ask this question as he seems to have gotten his working in another thread after having a similar problem (http://zrxoa.org/forums//showthread.php?s=&threadid=95890), but I thought I'd check the broader collective too.

Problem is that, given the height of the Heindl stand (length of the bar that has "HEINDL" written down it) compared to the low position where the spools mount, it leaves you starting out the lift at a lean angle that will not hold the spools because it's so far forward. It just "dumps" the bike forward rather than having it angled back enough that the spools will stay in the "V" of the stand. That is, the part of the "V" nearest the floor is at an angle at or below horizontal, so it won't hold the spool. Get it? :brick:

I haven't called John Heindl yet as I want to make sure I'm not just being stupid.

The other thought I had would be to see if maybe they made the vertical arm (says "HEINDL" on it in the pic) too long, and maybe I should see if they would send me another that is the right height. Anyone here care to measure the height from floor to bottom of the "V" on your Heindl stand and tell me what you get?

I've heard some complaints about the lack of leverage. It's quite clear that this comes not just from the short handle, but perhaps more significantly from the relative length of the vertical bar (says "HEINDL" on it).

The significant distances are the ones from the axle of the wheel to the end of the handle (your lifting lever) and axle of the wheel to the "V". The ratio of these two measurements tells you your mechanical advantage as you "rotate" the whole contraption about the axle.

Cutting down that vertical bar some would dramatically increase the mechanical advantage, making the bike not lift as high, but becoming much easier to lift the shorter distance.

Any DFW area rexers also welders? I may need to cut out some fo the metal in that vertical bar and reweld it, but I'll certainly contact John Heindl first.

One more question: Are the spools on the rex lower to the ground than those on other sport-bikes?

I'm very impressed with the solid build quality of the stand -- if I could just get it to work on those low spools on the ZRX.

Thanks for any thoughts/help,

Carey

[zrx-crisis]

Forgot to add my pic. This makes pretty clear the problem I explained in my post above.

Thanks

[zrx-crisis]

Trying pic again....

[SteddyTeddy]

Pitbull stand works just fine. I tried a stand from TREX Racing and had the same problem. The stand is too high for the bike. Spend a little more for a good stand now or pay a lot more latter when you drop your bike trying to get it on a cheaper stand.

[Gothmog]

I'll measure when I get home tomorrow, but that looks about the same as mine when I lift it. It does raise the tire off the ground approx. 6". I don't know why mine became so easy, it was impossible for me before, then it was like a lightswitch, easy as pie.

[Gothmog]

Make sure the V inserts are set to widest, furthest out position. Leave the bike on the sidestand, so if you have any problems you can shove the bike back over on it. Line up the left side under the spool, push down on stand handle while lifting on left side rear grab handle on bike.

[Gothmog]

After reading Teddys post again, I've got to tell ya, these are great stands once you get the hang of it. My bike is rock solid when on front and rear stands. You'd have to try REAL hard to get it to fall.

[dataspaz]

I have heard of some guys rolling the back tire onto a 2 x 6 or something like it to get the spools a little higher....:stpoke:

[SteddyTeddy]

Originally posted by dataspaz
I have heard of some guys rolling the back tire onto a 2 x 6 or something like it to get the spools a little higher....:stpoke:

True you could do that. I'm the type that wants my equipment to work the way it is suppose to without having to do this or that.:stpoke:

[Hawk1]

Lowering the stand by cutting of the leg about 2”. Remove the wheels and cutt off 2-3” of the lower leg end. Drill new holes for the wheels and it will be fine...

Hawk1:thumbs:

[Gothmog]

OK. Measured my stands. The upright is just under 14" from the bottom of the tube to the top of the box that accepts the "V". Wheel hubs from bottom of upright to center of axle is 3/4". Hope this helps.

[LawnBoy]

Don't cut off extra from the bottom by the wheel. If you shorten this distance the wheel will not travel froward as much when the bike is on the stand. This could possibly cause the stand to shoot backwards if the bike it bumbed. The distance between the wheel and the horizontal bar is engineered for stability.

Think twice and then again b4 you mod this stand.

[DaddyDave]

I have the same problem. Leverage is non-existant & by yourself OR with help it's almost impossible. I e-mailed that guy & he claimed the stand works fine for "everyone." Now I have a stand that's worthless...

I know, I should have bought the Pit-Bull...

[travis]

Mine works.

I do need someone to hold the bike while I lift, though.

[Gothmog]

If I remember right, it helped the first couple of times lifting it to place my left foot right behind/touching the left wheel of the stand. Somewhat like "butting" a ladder if anyone is familiar with the term.

[Gothmog]

Re-reading this entire post, I've got to point out that maybe my size might have something to do with it. I am 6' 225 lbs, so muscling the bike up while holding it is not a problem.

[SteddyTeddy]

Placing your foot on the wheels does help but this is suppose to be a one person job. Your buddy is not alway going to be there when you need to put the bike on the stand to adjust and lube your chain. If you can't get it on the stand easily by yourself, modify or look for a new stand. I'm only 160 lbs and getting the REX up on my Pitbull is not a problem at all. The last stand I had was too tall and required 2 people. I didn't want to spend the extra money either, but like any good tool, you get what you pay for.

[zrx-crisis]

Thanks, Gothmog and all.

If I do mod the stand, I'd cut out some of the length of the *upper* part where "HEINDL" is written. Cutting the lower part would mean you don't have adequate lean angle to get stability when it's up. You might then bump the bike forward and have it fall forward.

Cutting out some of the upper section would have 3 effects I can see:

(1) better angle when initially contacting the spools since it would be more "upright", having the point of the "v" more toward the ground than toward the back.

(2) Bike doesn't lift as high (no big deal).

(3) Lifting leverage is increased due to the shorter distance between the fulcrum and the "v" holding the downward force of the bike's weight.

Other than being annoyed that I have to do a mod, I think it would work.

Any welders in DFW area that might be willing to help with this surgery?

I could also take it to my local friendly muffler shop.

Oh, and Gothmog was right no the stability. Once it's up, it's up for good.

Thanks, guys.

[LawnBoy]

yeah that a great idea, cut it above the wheels where the Heindl label is to keep it stable

:rolleyes:

[Gothmog]

I believe what Lawnboy is trying to say, is that it does not matter what side you cut from, the resulting shorter length will not be as stable, if at all. I recommend just keep practicing, maybe with a friend to help, offering less and less assisstance, until you get the hang of it. It shouldn't take long. It was very sudden for me, last try of one evening it was impossible, 1st try next day went right up, no problems. Never got any help from a friend, either.

[LawnBoy]

I'm just poken fun. :stpoke:

But zrx-crisis has it right. If you cut below the perpendicular bar the wheel may not position far enough forward to be stable enough. Cut above the perpendicular bar and it won't change the wheel position at all.

zrx-crisis - maybe you could fashion a new "y" piece. Make one half of the y like a hook or a sideways J so the spool doesn't roll out. Just an idea.

Let us know how it turns out. :thumbs:

[zrx-crisis]

I'll keep you guys posted. I like the stands and have the feeling I can get to a solution pretty cheaply and effectively.

Other than moving the center of gravity a bit farther forward if I cut the upper section, is there much risk that anyone can see if I did cut out a few inches of it?

Maybe I need to learn to weld :grin:

Good excuse to buy some tools and learn to weld....

[zrx-crisis]

Hi all,

I just took the stand to a welder yesterday and had 2 mods done:

(1) removed 3 1/2 inches from height of the vertical bar that supports the spools

(2) cut off and replaced with a longer piece of steel the front of the "v" for each spool.

Now the stand works absolutely perfectly. I can lift with the Champs spools, no more extra breaker bar required for leverage, and the bike clears the ground by 2.75 inches. Lifting is a 1-hand job now (I'm 190 lbs).

The stand is still absolutely rock solid. I have complete confidence that there are no stability issues with rolling off the stand, and being lower to the ground by several inches, the side-side stability is increased even further.

Also, I can still use the roller stands if I want to and get 7/8 in. clearance from bottom of tire to floor.

A very nice guy at a local (Plano, TX) muffler shop (Pronto Muffler on 75 and 18th St) did a great job on the MIG welding for me for which I paid him $20. He was great.

I've emailed and talked on the phone with Jon Heindl. He is aware of the issues with fit for the ZRX and is now checking out a design for a special "ZRX variant" of his stands.

I am very confident in these stands and do believe that this will be the best stand for the $ for the ZRX when he makes the mod to the height. I don't know what he'll think of my longer "v" for the spools, but I like them for the large Champs sliders as you can see the lower part of the "v" under your spool when you are lifting -- a comforting sight. It also makes it less likely that you would roll forward off the "v" when starting your lift.

I'll post my pics below.

If anyone is interested in seeing the exact email I sent to Jon just PM me with your email address. It describes precise measurements in case you want to do the same mod to your stand.

Now I just need to get them powder-coated for that pretty yellow finish again ;-) Nah, not worth the trouble. They work great as they are.

Carey

[zrx-crisis]

Heindl stand pics after mods

[zrx-crisis]

Tire clearance when using "roller" stands after mods.

It's much higher on the spools, but as you can see, the rollers still work too.

[zrx-crisis]

This is my mod to the bracket. The "v" formerly had equally sized legs on each side, but I wanted a longer one in the front. This mod also makes it easier to do the initial "hook up" with the v's to the spools.

[indianrider]

im surprised u had to go through all that cutting and welding with the Heindl combo stand..

i was able to lift my REX up using the "roller" part of the attachment WITHOUT any mods to the stand .. i had to cut 2 inches off the rear stock fender coz the handle would touch the fender .. then i placed the rod ends (with rubber protector) just in front of the spool housing under the swingarm ..

it was tough to line em up and lift the rex up by myself, but i took my time and got it up .. im sure it would be easier with 2 ppl ..im 5'8, 165 lbs ..


i used the "roller" side coz i dont have spools .. and if its hard to use the "spool" side of the attachemnt, id rather stick with my current arrangement coz it works for chain lubes, etc.. and its SOLID when raised ..

here are some pics ..

[indianrider]

pic 2

[indianrider]

pic 3 ..

[indianrider]

Originally posted by Gothmog
I'll measure when I get home tomorrow, but that looks about the same as mine when I lift it. It does raise the tire off the ground approx. 6". I don't know why mine became so easy, it was impossible for me before, then it was like a lightswitch, easy as pie.

same here , its so easy now .... i think the Heindl is a SOLID stand once u get to know how to use it ..

[DREX]

mine is a dmp r-spec .works great one hand on bike & one hand on the stand up she goes stable.:rockon:

[zrx-crisis]

Hi guys,

Note that I was able to lift my bike on the roller stands, but wanted to do it on the spool stands.

Now after my mods, both are very easy and *extremely* solid.

If I ever take my truck to anyone's house (or you guys can come over here), I'll show you.

It is such a big improvement.

I hope Jon Heindl makes a special set for the ZRX, because they will absolutely kick butt, especially at his price.

Carey

[chuckc]

FWIW - Jon Heindl has modified his stands and will soon be posting information on the upgrade.

[heindlengineering]

Here is information on the stands for the ZRX. See here for info (http://zrxoa.org/forums//showthread.php?s=&threadid=108933&highlight=rear+stand)

[indianrider]

there is another thread somewhere in here with pics and info on the upgraded Heindle stand made specially for the ZRX ..