Is it safe to lift the front end under the exhausts using a car jack and a thick piece of wood?

Yay or nay?

Personally I wouldnt, I put a metal bar between the rafters in my garage and used a ratchet strap to lift the bike then rested it on the crash bungs using axle stands.

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Assuming the rear is supported on an abba stand or something similar then it should be OK, I believe plenty of people have used this method. I used a headstock stand though just to be sure when I took the forks out but when the time comes to do the steering bearings I'll be supporting the front end on a bottle jack and wood blocks.

I have used the bar under downpipe method lots of times and have found it works, however axle stands are better than a jack!

We regularly use this method, just keep an eye on whatever stand is holding the rear as it is possible to lift the bike off and knock it over. Also watch the belly pan fairings as we always see people breaking tabs when using this method.

Man_Named_Dave wrote:Is it safe to lift the front end under the exhausts using a car jack and a thick piece of wood?

Yay or nay?

I've done it before, but what do you plan on doing to the bike when it's up!? I'd be worried about how steady the jack would be.

After i'd got it lifted up I put axle stands under the footrests to keep it up and it was much sturdier.

Man_Named_Dave wrote:Is it safe to lift the front end under the exhausts using a car jack and a thick piece of wood?

It's certainly possible but you risk bending or snapping the exhaust studs - the weight of the bike, resting on the jack, will be transmitted lengthways up through the downpipes and will apply a shear force to the studs. Or the weight of the bike could bend the downpipes closer to the engine sump.

These are quite small risks, though. So long as you don't violently drop the bike onto its downpipes, I think you'll be OK.