Wheel Jockey Big Boy - a review

The Wheel Jockey ‘Big Boy’ appears indestructible in design and manufacturing. This is important because when you roll your motorcycle up onto the Big Boy, you want it to stay put. You want it to withstand the weight and pressure you will be applying to it with your motorcycle. The Wheel jockey is designed to get the rear wheel of your motorcycle up off the ground by 1 and ½ inches so you can rotate the tire for routine cleaning, tire inspection, chain maintenance and lubrication, and valve stem positioning.  

The Wheel Jockey was conceived, designed, manufactured, tested, and patented by Bill Kniegge, life long motorcyclist and industry expert. On a cool and damp morning after leading a tour group for a day through muddy and dirty conditions, Bill was faced with cleaning and lubricating motorcycle chains quickly, without assistance, and with no center stands on the motorcycles. He completed the challenge as we all have done: clean, lube, move the bike…clean, lube, move the bike…until complete. But it was those conditions that spawned the concept of a Wheel Jockey. 

Over the course of the following year, Bill put together and tested numerous iterations until he found the perfect combination of size, weight, strength, and components that allowed him to get the motorcycle wheel up off the ground while allowing it to rotate –  and it had to be portable.

 

The Big Boy Wheel Jockey is a tool to be used in the performance of maintenance and cleaning as already mentioned. It is small enough to fit in several motorcycle cargo areas should you decide to carry it with you: weighing in at 2 lbs. 8 oz., it measures 5 and 1/2 inches wide, 8 inches long, and 1 and ½ inches high.  

The Wheel Jockey Big Boy is constructed of aluminum and steel. All parts are formed or machined from these elements including the sealed ball bearings.  

Other than keeping it clean, little or no maintenance will be required of the Big Boy. You are able to see from the photos, the steel portion of the Big Boy is painted orange using high quality paint. 

If properly cared for, it should last for many years and uses. 

• The structure is made of steel
• Rollers and Stationary Step/rod are made of aluminum
• Heavy duty sealed ball bearings support roller movement
• The Big Boy is small and portable
• High quality paint
• Non skid backing 

Click here to visit the Wheel Jockey website for detailed operational instructions. 

Step one: Begin with the motorcycle on level ground, with kickstand down and bike leaning on the stand. 

Placing the bike on level ground was critical for me and I would even be willing to point the motorcycle down on a very slight down grade. Using the front brake, it is much easier to stop the bike in the correct position on the Big Boy, than it is to push a big bike onto the Wheel Jockey. 

 

Step two: Place the Big Boy 12 inches in front of the rear wheel with the Stationary Step/rod facing the rear tire.

I found that placing the Big Boy 12 inches in front of the wheel, allowed me to obtain the momentum needed to push the bike into position on the Big Boy.

Step three: Bring the bike upright and slowly roll it forward onto the Wheel Jockey until the wheel is positioned in the center of the two rollers. 

The motorcycle I used to complete this product review weighs in at almost 900 lbs. I weigh 175 lbs. So it was a bit of a challenge to get enough speed to move the motorcycle onto the Big Boy while maintaining control. It took three tries to achieve success.  

Experimenting and practicing with variables such as pitch of ground or floor, positioning distance between wheel and Wheel Jockey, speed needed to move the bike onto the Wheel Jockey, and knowing exactly when to brake are helpful and contribute positively to the process.

NOW YOU CAN DO WHAT YOU SET OUT TO DO: i.e., clean the rear wheel assembly and drive belt, clean and lubricate the chain, inspect the tire for cuts/bruises, position the valve stem for checking air pressure, etc. You can rotate the tire 360 degrees to complete the cleaning and maintenance process.

Step four: When cleaning and maintenance is complete, roll it forward off of the Wheel Jockey. 

At this point you can actually straddle the motorcycle and roll it forward or backward, depending on personal preference and slope if there is any.  

Wheel Jockey has created two models: the Sport (4 inches by 4 and ½ inches and weighing less than 1 lb.) is for bikes weighing up to 650 lbs. ($59.00), and the Big Boy is for bikes weighing up to 950 lbs. ($89.00).  

The Big Boy, the one we reviewed, performs those functions for which it was designed. For Bill, it is Mission accomplished!!  

The only parameter is that it is not designed to work with off road tires.  

We have every reason to believe the Big Boy will last indefinitely and hold up for many uses. It appears to be indestructible when considering it most likely only comes into contact with concrete or dirt on the bottom side and rubber on the top.  

Conclusion

We think the Big Boy is a valuable tool for on road motorcycles without center stands.   We’ve learned that it also works well with trikes.