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I did my first practical welding project recently, building an ugly-but-functional stand to lift my Suzuki V-Strom DL650 (aka “Wee Strom”) motorcycle with a standard motorcycle/ATV lift.  The problem with the V-Strom is that it has exhaust pipes and other protrusions under the engine, so it’s not really possible to use a standard flat lift without damaging something.  Common technique is to use blocks of wood to pad things out, but I wasn’t happy with the stability.  This stand bolts to the engine on one end, and makes things stable enough to remove both wheels.  I needed to do that to have a shop replace both of my tires at once.

Cutting steel stock with a Sawzall is a pain in the neck.  I really need to invest in an abrasive chop saw, a horizontal band saw, or a cold saw (wishful thinking).

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