[DonRich90]

I was just reading in the "Newbie Questions" some comments about building a turntable in order to turn around 180 degrees in a small space. I haven't bought a 650 yet in order to test my suggetion with a Burgman with a centerstand but, here it is:
For a number of years I owned a Yamaha Venture touring bike. I had to ride it downhill about 50' on a 1' wide paving block path frontend first into a shed. To get it out I had to back it out onto a 4' x 8' plywood platform I built at the shed entrance and then spin the bike 180 degrees to ride it back up the 1' path. I couldn't back the bike off of the path or the platform because the lawn was sloped down from them and the grass was usually damp or wet and the rear wheel would just spin if I tried to go uphill. I very quickly found a very simple solution to turn the bike around on the 4' x 8' platform.
I cut a square piece of sheet aluminum slightly larger than the footprint of my centerstand (I did this only to reduce the friction between the centerstand and the plywood when I spun the 800 lb. plus bike around). I would first back the bike out of the shed onto the platform. Then I'd put the aluminum square under the bike and put the centerstand down and lift the bike up on the stand on the aluminum square. Then I would stand on the left side of the bike and grip the bars just like I was going to mount the bike. Next, I would pull up on the bars just enough to keep both wheels off of the platform and using my right hip I could "bump" spin the bike around while keeping the bike balanced on the stand and both wheels off of the platform.
I did this for a lot of years and it worked like a charm. This should work great for a Burgman with a centerstand with just a little practice.

 

[ksmall1998]

Excellent idea....CHEAP & EFFECTIVE

 

[Stormsteed]

Never mind.

 

[Randy]

Looked at the turn tables and I like the idea, after the center stand is down I think you should be able to sit on the bike and turn it around, or if not sit with all your weight at least straddle it and walk around while pulling on the bars to get the front tire up.

 

[DonRich90]

Hey Stormsteed, I think your idea of turning the bike from the rear would work IF the pivot point would allow a smooth steady motion (casters, ball bearings, etc.). Randy's idea of straddling the bike would probably work also IF the pivot point is smooth enough.
My problem with the Venture was the size and weight of the bike and the fact that it took some physical effort to make it move on the relatively rough plywood surface even with the aluminum sheet between the feet of the centerstand and the wood. From the rear, because of the height of the factory top case and the high center of gravity of the bike, I would have to have applied the downward force to raise the front wheel from a relatively high point and wouldn't have had enough leverage to spin the bike at the same time. It would have been a really "tipsy" situation.
I didn't make mention it in my original post but, I did later find it easier to spin the bike by holding onto the left grip with my left hand while using my right hand to push down on the passenger seat or grab handle to bring the front wheel up and balance the bike with both wheels raised and still use my right hip/leg to spin the bike in incremental bumps.
It is possible with smaller bikes to turn them on concrete or even blacktop using my technique with the centerstand resting right on the hard surface. I did this a number of times when I was a PA MSF Instructor but you may run the risk of damaging the surface if you do it repeatedly in the same spot.

 

[DonRich90]

Hey Stormsteed, I think your idea of turning the bike from the rear would work IF the pivot point would allow a smooth steady motion (casters, ball bearings, etc.). Randy's idea of straddling the bike would probably work also IF the pivot point is smooth enough.
My problem with the Venture was the size and weight of the bike and the fact that it took some physical effort to make it move on the relatively rough plywood surface even with the aluminum sheet between the feet of the centerstand and the wood. From the rear, because of the height of the factory top case and the high center of gravity of the bike, I would have to have applied the downward force to raise the front wheel from a relatively high point and wouldn't have had enough leverage to spin the bike at the same time. It would have been a really "tipsy" situation.
I didn't make mention it in my original post but, I did later find it easier to spin the bike by holding onto the left grip with my left hand while using my right hand to push down on the passenger seat or grab handle to bring the front wheel up and balance the bike with both wheels raised and still use my right hip/leg to spin the bike in incremental bumps.
It is possible with smaller bikes to turn them on concrete or even blacktop using my technique with the centerstand resting right on the hard surface. I did this a number of times when I was a PA MSF Instructor but you may run the risk of damaging the surface if you do it repeatedly in the same spot.

 

[Harold]

This link http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.asp? ... 3298,43316 is for some very inexpensive turntables (i.e. lazy susan bearings) that I think will work. My idea is to weld this onto a piece about 2 ft. square of stell or aluminum and use that under the centre stand. THe largest one will hold 1000 lbs. so should be heavy duty enough. Then it's just a matter of slightly unloading both wheels while pushing sideways on the bike. As soon as I get some time I'm gonna try it out. I'll wright a full report when it's done.

 

[Stormsteed]

Never mind.

 

[DonRich90]

Harold, I think that is the way to go! Keep us posted.