Lots of good ideas around - the 'stick' idea might be useful in an emergency, but I mainly do all service at home in the garage. I am happy to spend a little bit of moolah to avoid doing anything bad to my back.

I bought the 'Oneal adjustable lift stand' for $110AUD, which looks to be a re-brand or clone of the DRC HC2 stand
(And the Yitamotor one is a clone as well).

At it's lowest setting it's 26.5cm high which easily slots beneath my XT225 when I hold it level (I slide it in with my feet). Then with a foot stomp the rear wheel is about 4-5cm off the floor. I haven't tried to lift the front off the ground yet, but I didn't have time to play with it today.

Here's a google photo link (because I'm too lazy to find a host that will create urls ending in .jpg): XT225 on Adjustable Stand with Damper

I'm a happy camper now - I can start cleaning the chain .

Thanks everyone!

That works pretty much the same as a milk crate or a dirt bike stand, except I'm assuming you don't have to lift the bike up on it. I have a ton of orthopedic issues, including a bad back. But as long as the bike (at least a lightweight one like the XT) is upright on it's wheels, I can still lift it onto something that is only slightly higher than the bike. Picking it up if it fell over might be a whole different thing though.

Yep - there's a mechanical advantage that lifts the bike up when you step on the handle, so no need for lifting with arms. You just use your legs. I'm guessing the mechanical advantage is about 3:1 or 4:1 based on the distance the handle moves vs the distance the bike moves up (so a 30-40kg push with the leg)

I think if I were taller I would be fine wrestling the bike up. But at the end of the day, given all the $$$ I've spent on tools and bike safety gear, I thought investing in a relatively affordable lift stand would make servicing & maintenance a more pleasant experience. The race stand I had didn't quite fit well.

Here in Oz we have pretty strict Occupational Health & Safety regulations protecting workers (also because we have government funded workers compensation for injuries). I worked as an engineer in a manufacturing center once where you weren't allowed to lift anything larger than 20kg without an aid. I was spoilt by plenty of lifting aids. Once you've used them, you kinda get hooked and wonder why you didn't use them earlier :P

I have a similar one, bought it some years ago now, used foot stools for a while but this is much easier, pop it under & lifts bike easy with both wheels free or I can position for either if working on it. Well worth the £££'s.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Heavy-Duty-Lift-Stand-Motorcycle-Motorbike-Dirt-Enduro-Motocross-Foot-Operated/392506189258?hash=item5b633125ca:g:pAcAAOSwgitduD3z

"Here in Oz we have pretty strict Occupational Health & Safety regulations protecting workers (also because we have government funded workers compensation for injuries). I worked as an engineer in a manufacturing center once where you weren't allowed to lift anything larger than 20kg without an aid. I was spoilt by plenty of lifting aids. Once you've used them, you kinda get hooked and wonder why you didn't use them earlier"

We have the same thing in the U.S. I worked for a city government for 36+ years. We weren't "officially" allowed to lift more than 50 pounds by ourselves, but that simply wasn't practical. We were seriously understaffed. It was common for one person to lift close to 100 pounds. The safety book was three inches thick. Problem is, if you followed all those rules, you would never get anything done. We ignored most of them, and still managed to work pretty safely. I was only injured twice in the whole time I worked there badly enough to need medical attention, and it was still not really that serious. Cuts, scrapes, minor burns, etc. were considered part of the job. We had first aid supplies on site. One thing I was picky about was getting under a vehicle that was not properly supported. I remember my dad changing a tire on an early '60s car when I was a kid, using a bumper jack, and the car fell off the jack. Fortunately nobody was hurt. It did some body damage to the car. Four of my six bikes have centerstands. I'm considering getting this lift for my H-D Sportster https://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/drag-specialties-center-jack-scissor-lift-stand The bike is very low, and many lifts of this type won't fit under it even all the way down. I'm ok for now, but when it needs new tires I will have to have some way to get the wheels off.

You made a choice that will pay dividends for a long time to come. I've got a similar lift that I'll use when I need both wheels of my bike in the air. While I've not yet used it I realize its advantages and I'm glad to have it available..