wBW Quick Look:  The Steel Horse URRS05 Motorcycle Rear Stand

by Rick K. for webBikeWorld.com

More:  wBW Reviews Home  |  Owner Comments (Below)

Summary:  Updated version of the original Steel Horse rear stand we reviewed some time ago, the URRS05 features removable and adjustable heads at the top of the lifting arms.  The heads can be flipped to fit bikes with or without swingarm spools.

Dual wheels spread the weight and seem to make it easier to lift the bike without as much effort.  High quality gloss powder coat finish.

The original Steel Horse rear stand we reviewed a few years ago has served us well, lifting many different motorcycles for maintenance, repair, photos, polishing and waxing and admiring. 

It works great and not having a center stand on any of the bikes doesn't bother me one bit.   The R65 has one, and it suits that bike because its side stand is both poorly designed and is also one of the "spring back" types that were used on motorcycles of that era to make sure the stand flipped back into its stored position as soon as the bike was moved. 

The manufacturers were apparently afraid of a lawsuit that might occur if an owner rode away with the side stand down, but the fix was a disaster, because too many bikes fell over as soon as they were touched.

The R65 has the single-sided swingarm and shaft drive combination with a monoshock on the 1986-87 model; a rare find that predates BMW's Paralever design.

So the R65 really does require a center stand, but every other motorcycle that has since graced the wBW garage has been hoisted on the Steel Horse rear stand, including the 1998 Triumph Tiger, the 1999 Triumph Thunderbird Sport and now the Multistrada 620.

The only motorcycle that doesn't fit on the original Steel Horse stand is the Ducati GT1000, and that's only because the original Steel Horse rear stand is just a touch too narrow for the Duc's wide rear end.  The stand was designed and manufactured long before the GT1000 was released, so it has an excuse.

The original stand has taken a beating over the years, but it still works like a charm and the Rhino lining covered saddles are nice and wide and stable, especially on bikes with flat box-section swingarms. 

The latest version of the company's motorcycle rear stand has all of the features that we liked in the original, including a frame made from the same robust tubing; the reinforced lifting arms with their angled bars; the dual wheels, which help to spread out the weight on a greater surface area and make it easier to push the stand under the bike for easier lifting; and the same beautifully thick black glossy powder coating.

The new version is the model URRS05 and it includes a couple of rivets on the back side of the stand that act as bumpers to protect the nice finish when the stand is in use.  But the biggest change is the removable and adjustable sliding lifting heads on the top of the lifting arms.

Removable and adjustable lifting head.  Threads in lifting arms can be seen.

The lifting heads are welded assemblies, made from 1/2" thick steel plate and they are also powder coated to match the stand.  They fit snugly on to the top of the lifting arms and the heads are designed to slide back and forth to open the width from 10.5" to 15" wide.

The lifting heads can be adjusted; they slide back and forth and they can be flipped over to make the stand fit a variety of motorcycles.  Flip the heads over one way and they'll work on sportbikes with swingarm spools; flip them the other way to lift bikes without. 

A single 14mm stainless steel bolt holds each lifting head; it screws into threads in the bar on top of the lift arm and the bolts can be loosened to adjust the head, which adjusts the width of the stand.  The bolts don't have to be torqued to a zillion foot-pounds; as long as they're pretty snug, you should be OK.

Rubber hose covers lifting lugs.

Adjustable lifting head with rubber hose covered lug on right and swingarm spool
lifter on left.

The round steel rods which do the lifting on non-spool equipped bikes are covered with replaceable rubber tubing that protects the finish on the swingarm.  These lifting nubs can be used to hoist a variety of swingarm cross-sections, from round to flat.  I don't expect that the rubber tubing will ever wear out, but it could be replaced if necessary.

The new version of the Steel Horse stand has a slightly different geometry to make it even easier to lift the rear of the bike.  The wheels were a little tight out of the box, so I took a turn or two out of the nuts that hold each bolt that serve as the axles, but once I did, the wheels rotated very smoothly and the stand works perfectly on the Multistrada 620. 

ADDENDUM:  I discovered that the wheels are placed on the inside of the stand for packing.  The wheels can be relocated on either side of each arm if desired (photo above) by simply unscrewing the nut and reassembling the axle and wheels so that the wheels are located on either side of the tube. 

An anodized bolt serves as the axle and 4 flat washers are provided to allow the wheels to roll easily; the nut is a "stop nut" so it can be tightened only enough to allow the wheels to spin freely and it doesn't have to be tightened down all the way.

I tried the URRS05 rear stand on the Ducati GT1000 and lo and behold, it works on the round section, double-sided swingarm on that bike also.  It's a tight fit, so the lifting heads have to be backed out about as far as they can go to widen the stand, and the lifting arms must be perfectly lined up on either side, but it does lift the GT. 

If I could make a suggestion it would probably be to maybe increase the inside width of the lifting arms by about 1" and make the lifting rods about another 1/2" longer and it would probably be perfect for the unique GT1000 in addition to all of the other bikes it would fit.

ADDENDUM:  I discovered that the stand can be "field modified" and spread apart to add the extra inch or so by laying it down on its side on the floor and standing on one arm while pulling the other arm up to spread and stretch the inside "yoke".

But it's pretty amazing that the slight redesign of this stand now allows it to work on a much wider variety of motorcycles. 

The revised Steel Horse URRS05 motorcycle rear stand has a list price at the date of publication that hasn't changed from the original version; it's still only $114.99.

I always use a piece of wood under the side stand to get the bike as vertical
as possible prior to lifting with the rear stand.

Rivets on underside of stand protect the finish when the stand is in use.

Original Steel Horse rear stand lifting tabs (L); revised stand (R).

Revised stand fits the Ducati GT1000, but just barely.