Here you used to have to be able to put a bike on a centre stand to pass.
That was always good for a laugh... it's finesse, not muscle. For the non-riders... the RIGHT way to put a bike up on the centre stand is stand alongside the bike, place your right heel on the stand and lower it to the ground... rock the bike on it side to side until you feel it's evenly balanced (you'll feel it)... find a grab place near the back of the bike with your right hand (sissy bar or b*tch pad rail if available - NOT a shock tower on softails!) and grab the left handlebar with your left hand with your centre of balance slightly forward... put all your weight on your right heel and lean back a bit, and the bike will slip up perfectly onto the centre stand. Even my ex did this the first time, no trouble (on a Honda 350, but still!)
The wrong way to do it is watching some dumb 'roid monkey try to lift the thing up and kick the stand under it... usually ends with a purple face and a smashed righthand mirror from the guy losing his balance and dumping it on the right side. That's worth watching!
Bren R.
