turntable

have any of you got a turntable gizmo that you use for turning the bike thru' 180 degrees in the garage?

what make? where from? recommend it?

cheers

ask notadrop

Notadrop has a home made one. Turntable that is don't know what is is made from although it does like 2 halfs of that bat and ball thing he was on about.

Cheap Turntable

Saw an idea in magazine Tips, might be worth a try.

Get 2 metal bar drink trays and pour a little engine oil between
the two sandwiched together.

Place stand in centre and should allow bike to pivot.

Not sure if weight of bike might be a problem with this idea??

regards

Gerry

With my KRT I used to lean it over onto one "leg" of the centrestand and spin it around on that. Worked a treat. However, I did have to keep tightening the centrestand up every two or three months, and god knows what kind of strain it put upon the frame, so I wouldn't recommend it on a regular basis.

Bike turntable

As Malky said I made one.
For Blue Peter fans you will want the following...

1] An empty cable reel of large enough diameter that the mainstand will sit on
[ the type with wooden ends and a hole in the middle that they use to run a pole through, so cable can be pulled off]
2] Sheets of hard plastic
[ I used some spare hard but flexible plastic signs, from work - the type they make 'Emergency exit' type signs from - just remove them from your office walls etc.........I am joking - please don't!!]
3] Stanley knife
4] Contact adhesive.

Then remove the cardboard centre from the reel, so you have the 2 round wooden ends.
Cut the plastic to fit one side of each reel end. Make sure the pieces butt up well to each other as oil will eventually be applied to the inner surfaces.[unless you are lucky enough to have sheets that can cover a side in one go].
Trim round the outside rim and inner hole.
Place the two covered faces together. Find a suitable small tub or section of metal pipe to place in the middle hole to allow the 2 'plates' to rotate without sliding about.
When the glue is dry and your happy put some oil on the bottom one - place the top one back on and VOILA a tuntable which allows you to spin the bike [one handed even] on its' mainstand.
I use old engine oil and add a bit when it seems to be getting dry.
Cost?? I just had to buy the contact adhesive - £3.25.
I believe they can be bought for about £80 from people like M&P and probably look prettier than mine!
[Hmmm where is that Hustler mag....maybe a few photos on the top?
'What are you doing in the garage again?'
'Oh nothing dear...just giving the bike a spin!!'

thanks guys

the collective wisdom of this group is awesome!

That's Awesome

notadrop

that's awesome mate, Blue Peter eat your heart out, the only thing missing is the empty squeezy bottle....I can tell you spent your youth ogling Valerie Singleton twice a week at 4.30...but I think we've been there already haven't we.

Now where can I nick an empty cable drum from??

cable drum/reel

Hi again Snooty!
Got mine from a builders skip. Could try these or maybe B&Q who sell cable. Or maybe ask local Electrician or Electrical sales / wholesaler. If needed I know I can usually get them. If you dont have any luck let me know.

I've had a Turnabike Systems turntable for several years and wouldn't be without it. Fairly expensive for a simple thing but is tough and reliable as long as it is regreased every so often.

Simply balance the bike and it will spin round with just light pressure. I spoke to them a year or so back and they were intending to recommence manufacture in 2002 - no idea wheteher they did or not. The last tel no I had was 0208 868 1922

Paul

Hein Gericke

I've been looking at the one in the Hein Gericke catalogue for £72.95, page 444.

Space in my "garage" is VERY limited, so the turntable of notadrop's design would have to be in exactly the right place every time. The Hein Gericke version seems to allow much more movement in all directions.

If anyone has any experience of one of these, I'd like to hear from you.

came across a "turnatable mat" for £40 on the Motorworks site

http://www.motorworks.co.uk/

which looks fine for turning the beast round in the garage.

turntable mat

The Motorworks one looks good at not to bad a price. The one I made is as near as I can see the same size.
Not sure what sort the Gericke turntable is Macdram, but mine, like the Motorworks, is pushed under the bike whilst on its sidestand - under the mainstand. I know what you mean though, when you start to turn the bike, if it is to far to one side before putting it on the stand, the front/back can come into contact with a wall/mower etc.
How does the Gericke solve this???

Re: turntable mat

notadrop said:

How does the Gericke solve this???

Click to expand...

If it's what I'm thinking of, it's not a turntable, more of a trolley on four casters. You can rotate the whole trolley and move it forwards backwards etc.

Simon & Notadrop,

The Gericke device is like a 'tray' on lockable wheels. The flat base seems to be quite low to the ground which should make it easy to lift the bike onto the centre stand.
Their catalogue says it is suitable for all BMW models and max. load is approx. 350kg.

My scanner is not connnected at the moment so all I have is a poor quality image which I'll attempt to attach here.

Another trolley.....

Just found a similar trolley at

http://www.motorworks.co.uk/graphics/motoboy.htm

Think I'll probably go for the Gericke one though as I think it looks more substantial. I could be wrong.......