Not just another rear wheel stand or typical motorcycle stand. If you're unfamiliar with this brand, or familiar with the ABBA Superbike Stand check out my video review (includes Front Lift Arm kit) ABBA Superbike Stand Review. If you're familiar with the Hindel which works in a nearly similar manner, the ABBA makes the Hindel look like a set of monkey bars.

Features my awesome ZX-14R of course.

I like my Heindl swingarm pivot stand. A swingarm pivot stand is a lot safer to lift a big bike like the 14 than any other stand. I also use a pit Bull forward handle rear stand with the 14 but it is harder to use. There is NO chance at all of dropping the bike with a swing arm pivot stand. The stand is connected to the bike before you even lift it off the side stand. If you have stock exhaust, and full tank of gas, it will be a challenge to lift alone but it can't fall over as long as you keep tension on the handle. I very much recommend this kind of stand if you never used a rear stand before.

There are two downsides. The floor is a little cluttered to the sides of the bike because of the braces although with the Abba, that is just on one side (same thing with the forward handle rear stand by Pit Bull. Also, a swingarm pivot stand allows the rear suspension to open up all the way which may interfere with some procedures like checking chain slack but may be very helpful with other procedures like removing the rear shock. It's not too big of a deal. I think chain slack is best checked with the bike on the side stand anyway.

A swingarm pivot stand attaches very near to the center of gravity. You could actually lift the front wheel off the ground by hand. A front stand is EASY to use with a swingarm pivot stand. Looks like the front wheel lift attachment works on the Abba. Great for temporary use but I'd want to purchase a front stand some day to go with the ABBA. The ABBA front lift attachment would be a great way to check steering play though. I had to hang my bike from the ceiling to do that.

Great vid thanks for posting.

* Last updated by: Rook on 7/19/2014 @ 4:03 PM *

ABBA Superbike Stand is a pivot stand. The ABBA design has distinct advantages over the Heindl.

- It is more compact. THe handle retracts into the base of the stand, unlike the Heindl which is one piece and is in the way of working on the RHS (facing) of the bike. When the bike is lifted there is less ground coverage as you mention compared to the Heindl. Storing the stand, since the front rest is shorter and the handle retracts takes up less space, and is less likely to be bumped with parts not stuck out as far.
- optional front lift kit eliminates the native instability of having to use a jack or other type of stand/lift stand and also required floor space of said jack/other stands. It is designed for both quick maintenance and long term (winter) bike storage. There is no reason to buy another front stand to work in conjunction with the ABBA. Actually the strap is strong enough you can literally get on the cycle with it raised on the ABBA stand. (ABBA actually demonstrates this in their videos)
- optional swing arm removal kit allows the rear swing arm to be removed, and the bike torn completely down to the frame. AFAIK the Heindl does not have this option, meaning you cannot remove the rear swing arm if needed. I will install this optional kit on my bike, which will eliminate having to use the adapters (my main reason for it, don't really intend to remove the swing arm).

I agree any pivot stand is better than standard front/rear wheel stands. The Heindl is definitely better than those for raising the bike safely. The ABBA is the superior stand when comparing to the Heindl, and cost less in a direct comparison (ABBA $200 for the SB lift, Heindl is $250). My entire kit cost about $325. I like Heindl products, I had a Heindl based Dale Walker Holeshot exhaust on my last bike, but in this case the Brits have it!

* Last updated by: VicThing on 7/20/2014 @ 9:57 AM *

I agree, the ABBA would have been the stand I bought if I was able to find one available in the US at the time. The Heidl is actually two pieces, right and left that attach with thumbscrews like the ABBA. The Heindle takes up more floor space to the sides of the bike.

Rigidity is another factor. A stand that holds together with thumbscrews has some inherent play in it. The Heindl flexes at the joint a bit when you lift. I see that my Heindl sometimes spreads apart just a little bit so that the pins are sometimes not tightly fitted to the holes. The Heindl pins are quite long though. No chance they would come out with the bike up. When I was looking at the ABBA, I thought it had a rod that went all the way through the swingarm pivot and threaded into the opposite side? That to me looked like a great idea to keep the pins securely seated in the holes (probably would be a real PITA to start the threads after inserted to the opposite, though).

In any case, if you want the ultimate in rigity, probably a stand that is welded into one piece like a Pit Bull is best. The main advantage to a swingarm pivot stand is that it is so easy and safe to lift with. NOw that I am used to lifting the bike by myself, either a spool stand or the swingarm pivot stand lift just as well. Some jobs are better done with one stand than the other but as far as supporting the bike, they both get the job done.

* Last updated by: Rook on 7/20/2014 @ 10:10 AM *

Not to go too far off topic but the ABBA skylift looks TOTALLY AWESOME!!!! better than a platform lift. I want!

* Last updated by: Rook on 7/20/2014 @ 10:15 AM *

If you were looking at platform lifts, I would definitely consider the ABBA Skylift. It is awesome, also pricey (~$900). If I was a mechanic, racer, or someone who worked on a bike regularly that's what I would get. The Skylift is the first ABBA product I found, and trying to find out the price range for that I learned about their pivot stand. Another positive about the ABBA Superbike Stand (what I have) is they make a roller stand for it called the Motoglide, although it's a fairly expensive option at ~$250. Not nearly as versatile as the Skylift though, it still won't tilt and the front wheel lift can't be used with the motoglide. Still the Motoglide could be useful if working on the rear swing arm and knowing I was going to need to move the bike about. One reason I chose the Superbike model was because all the accessories.

This is another lift I was trying to find in the USA, Becker-Technik I think this was a good compromise between the Skylift and the Superbike stand. The construction looked fairly simple (and well-built) so I figured the price might be in the $400-500 range, although that seems unlikely given the market. I also like how the wheel system works. If I could've found this, and it had been in that price range I would've been posting about the Becker-Tecknik!

I like my Bursig stand- both wheels are off the ground, I can easily move it around, and it takes less than a minute to set it up on the bike.

* Last updated by: gobrian77 on 7/23/2014 @ 10:59 PM *

Yep, Bursig is a great stand for sure and I considered it. In comparing it to something like Pitbulls, I would take it any day although it does cost more than a set of Pitbulls. Unfortunately, storage is one show stopper for me because it can pretty much only be stored on the floor. The ABBA SuperBike stand, with the Front Lift Arm kit, while not in used can be stored on my peg board and doesn't stick at all, less than the hangers. The other thing is price. For the SuperBike Stand, Front Lift Arm, and Swingarm removal kit I've got ~US$340 wrapped up in the whole thing (shipped).

* Last updated by: VicThing on 7/24/2014 @ 8:08 AM *

I like my Bursig stand- both wheels are off the ground,

Nice. How does it lift the front an the back together? Looks like there is a pin for the swingarm pivot and the engine mount?

Yes- it's supported by the engine mount (the bolt is removed so the supplied sleeve can be added, and then it's reinstalled- this protects the frame). I have it set to lift the wheels only an inch or two, but that can be adjusted and the bias can be changed so only one wheel is lifted if you prefer.

If you have more than one bike you can buy a different plate so it's fairly versatile, but if your buddy comes over you wouldn't be able to just toss his bike up on it as without the mounting sleeve it could damage his frame- this is the only drawback to it.

I considered the Abba stand as well, and I think it's a nice choice- as I'm over in Thailand shipping charges and import taxes can be quite high, and Abba wanted more for shipping than Bursig (which is a bit pricier as far as MSRP goes), which made the fully-optioned stands roughly the same price, so I went for the Bursig. Had the Skylift system been available at the time, I probably would have bought it instead.

Here it is with only the rear lifted:

* Last updated by: gobrian77 on 7/24/2014 @ 5:08 PM *

Hit 1191 miles (1200), time to lube the chain. I literally had the bike raised within 2 minutes of turning off the bike. I was using a wheel cleaning stand (which worked well especially for the price), but this stand is so much easier. It's so much nicer to have the rear wheel spin freely, keeps from getting too much lube on the chain.

First thing I added to my '11 was a center stand. Love it!

First thing I added to my '11 was a center stand. Love it!

My first bike had a center stand. I took it off!

I like the ease of chain maintenance, changing tires, etc... but I can see where some wouldn't want it on their bikes...looks, weight, and so forth. I don't mind the downsides and love the convenience.

Yes, center stand has it's advantages for sure. I'm not sure it's safe to use for the front tire (jacking front while on stand). On a trip, I could definitely see center stand having advantages but really only for flat tires.

But I don't think any of you guys really get how easy this ABBA stand is to use. It's really just about as easy as using a center stand (maybe easier in some ways, tougher in others).

I'm totally serious. If someone was trying they could literally have the front wheel (and rear wheel) off the ground in probably a minute.

mad5674::::do you have a picture with the centerstand

NICEEE, IS IT A SIMPLE BOLT SET

It is. You lose that small tail fairing piece and it comes with a cool looking knurled aluminum grab handle that mounts on the left side. OEM...I forget what I paid or where I got it...maybe Bike Bandit.

This shows the grab handle...(my low Sargent showed up the next week) :)

now that's sweet to have, on my must have list...thanks

After reading Vic's post and thinking about it for a while I ordered the ABBA stand today! I have a centerstand on my bike which I use for routine wheel cleaning and chain lube but liked the idea of lifting the front wheel so easily. I have a set of rollers for the front wheel which I use sometimes, don't really like it, but after reading and watching videos about the ABBA I decided to pry open my wallet and order one.

Called BlueStreak Racing (519) 475-9055 and placed order, weird thing is the price, it's $10 cheaper over the phone then it is on their website! Should have my stand next Wednesday, will be anxious to try it out. Thanks again to Vic for the posting because I had never heard of ABBA before now.

Nice Rkt, great stand, easy to use, and secure. After the first use (which wasn't difficult), it's gotten so super easy to use. I'm thinking about timing myself with my camera just to see how quick I can get the bike lifted. I'm guessing <2 minutes for front/rear.

While I'm not Looking forward to storing my bike this year, at least I can do it properly now. Not that I think it's necessary (really), but I'm thinking about getting a ratcheting strap (like used for box trucks) for long term storage just for kicks and giggles and wrapping it around the the opposing side posts, just in case over time the thumb screw would loosen.

I've had it on the lift (front & rear) for a couple days (and a day here and there) at this point once and it never moved an inch.

3452 miles today

Got my ABBA stand yesterday. I am impressed with the simplicity and function of the overall design, but.

The design of the cups to fit over the swingarm axel are poor, theses should have been pins which would fit in to the hollow on both sides. The supplied cups don't provide much gripping area and if a person got in a hurry and didn't get everything tight the bike is going to come loose, on the right side the cup is only getting about 1/8 inch purchase at the most. Pins would have been not only a safer design but a stronger one as well and actually easier to manufacture.

The design of the arms to lift the fron wheel is again simple, in reality the ZX is heavy and I couldn't get the front wheel up by just pulling on the strap. I have the cowling on the rear part of my seat so I couldn't push there, had to remove the seat to to have a sturdy place to apply pressure while pulling on the strap.

Would I buy one again, probably not. I already have a Pit Bull forward arm stand for the rear, would have been much cheaper to buy a front wheel stand. The one advantage the ABBA has over using regular stands is that the suspension is unloaded front and rear.

Will probably send an email to ABBA sometime soon and express my concerns

The design of the cups to fit over the swingarm axel are poor, theses should have been pins which would fit in to the hollow on both sides. The supplied cups don't provide much gripping area and if a person got in a hurry and didn't get everything tight the bike is going to come loose, on the right side the cup is only getting about 1/8 inch purchase at the most.

I'm don't follow. I haven't yet used the swingarm removal kit - in the instructions it states these should only be used if intending to remove the swingarm. Can you take some pics or video? I can try it on mine and see if I have the same problem.

The design of the arms to lift the fron wheel is again simple, in reality the ZX is heavy and I couldn't get the front wheel up by just pulling on the strap.

No, you cannot lift the front wheel using the strap alone. It is not intended to work this way on any motorcycle, has nothing to do with weight of the 14. Not sure where you even got this idea? If you have your cowl installed, you might just be able to remove the seat totally and press down on the same area of the frame.