Ouch . . .

[sansnombre]

Doing a fork adjustment and leveraging up the rear onto a stand to stabilize her so I can pull the fork spacer out, and something goes terribly wrong . . .
 
I have a generic, cheapy stand but serviceable. I got it set up to the spools and everything is tightened down and ready to go. I've used it many times before, and the bike always feels odd going up as the wheels slide into place. So when it felt a little odd going up this time, I thought, hmmm, that feels a bit different but it's always odd. But what happened next was too fast for me to react to it.
 
One of the V's that hold the spool starting slowly rotating as I levered it up on the stand, and the bike very slowly started listing to one side as this V rotated and eventually dropped the spool on the right side. So she's held up on the left-side spool, but the right-side is floating, and I'm holding it up as best I can, but she's going down until there she is laying on her right side. Damn . . . .
 
Just me in the house, so I'm on my own getting it back up. Not usually an issue except the left side of the stand does not want to release. The stand is wedged in there and rolls when I try to move the bike. So holding it up, I'm trying to figure out how to get the stand off, and the bike is leaning towards me. I'm basically holding it up and don't want to lay it back down on the cement.
 
Imagine holding the bike up as it's leaning into you, barefoot, and one-legged as I use my left foot to kick at the stand. Perfect. Eventually I'm able to kick the stand hard enough to jettison it off of the spools and I get the bike back on the kickstand and get to assess.
 
But there's no damage!
 
Odd. I can't figure it out until I see that because the stand stayed in the left spool it basically held the bike up and off of the silencer (my biggest fear for damage) and it was rested on the engine slider and the handlebar bar end. There was some contact with the black tank panel, but it's barely noticeable, so I'm very, very lucky.
 
I checked out the stand, and it's basically a POS just waiting to fail as the V's are not "clocked" on the rod and only have the friction of the washers and nuts to keep them from spinning. Because it was torqued appropriately, it slowed the rotation enough that there was no impact to speak of, and I was able to help it to the ground.
 
So, word to the wise: check out your stand and make sure the nuts and bolts are tightened down securely. And if you have one where the V's are not prevented from spinning by design, put some aggressive lock washers in there to help prevent rotation. That's what I did to mine, and it's secured it.
 
Dodged a bullet. And am thankful for that.
 
 
 
 
 

[Mr.Puss]

Good save! I know the feeling well. (I use a piece of 2x4 under the kick to level out the bike first) When stepping down on my rear spool stand, the left spool caught fine but right side didnt and she started to go over falling away from me hard and fast. Luckily I'd kept a hand on the grip and somehow, probably from pure panic based adrenaline, I was able to pull it back up and over towards me. Im a mere 165 and I still have no idea how I managed to defy physics and save it given just how far over it was.
 
It kinda felt like the time I managed a near 90 degree right hand turn in a very very sheitty old school large dumptruck, from a very very steep driveway, with no power steering or brakes, with the box well elevated, on two wheels, and a guy still in the back shoveling out gravel (who didnt jump out) ....it was his first day. I only had two quick choices as no other path/options were available to me, either attempt this seemingly impossible turn or run this dumptruck across the road and right through some guy's house. My other immediate concern was possibly killing someone else down on the street. The truck must have attained the perfect speed for me to be able to crank hard on that dead steering wheel as well as not flip the damn thing and in turn possibly injuring or even killing that poor fellow in the box. 
The Gods were definitely with us that day.  
 
Now I always have my wife to support either end when using stands. No exceptions because I know I may never be that lucky again....at least with my bike.
 

[Beemer]

Mr.Puss
In basic they told us to dive on top of a grenade to save your buddies so I tried my best not to make any buddies, ha!  
I won't be like my D.I. and tell you to throw your body under your falling bike to save it. What you did worked just fine, I'd say! Good catch!