Beefing up the kickstand

[vavision]

It's not that there's anything wrong with the kickstand. It's just that I'd like to put something bigger on there. Has anyone ever replaced their kickstand with something bigger? More effective? etc etc?

[Blake]

The kick stands only real draw back is it's small footprint....but dont let that fool you.   The visions my favorite place to take a nap during rolling thunder while on the kick stand.   It'll definately hold up to the abuse you can give it.





Blake

[kiawrench]

The side kicker puts the bike at the best angle for safest parking, changing to a different one may be a bit of a potential problem, too much angle over goes the bike, not enough, big wind will tip it.

? ?if you are afraid of the footprint size in your local parking lots, ,there are quite a few different size parking pucks on the market. you may even be able to get one at the huge price of 4.95 and tax, as i did at a local harley shop. they have loop for tethering to the bike, so no one walks away with it , and most are shaped to fit into an inside pocket of most riding jackets,, but be dvised, they do look sort of like you may be carrying a concealed weapon,, so dont have in your pocket when you go into any banks or police stations- uh lesson learned ,lesson lived .

   just for those that are curious:


$1.99 Allyn Air Co. Bigfoot Kickstand Pad
Dennis Kirk Part #: 50221
Manufacturer Part #: THECYCLEFOOT
Type: Kickstand Pad
Units: each

  a pad for 1.99 sure beats seeing your kickstand buried into a asphalt parking lot and the bike dinged up. these work on pavement, dirt,sand and gravel, as well as plain old dirt . real smart buy .

[Lucky]

of course you could allways do what i did, warnish a piece if wood 4x4x1/2 attach a piece of shade coed & tuck it in your inside jacket pocket.  the end of the cord loops around the clutch handle so you can pick it up after getting on the bike.

or crush a can on your forehead & put that under the stand...  but please, as Kia found out the hard way, EMPTY the can first!!!!

[MotorPlow]

a piece of shade coed

Until I get my own coed, I use an old license plate.  It works great and I get a lot of questions like, "Hey, where didcha get dat Vermont tag?"

[kiawrench]

 now LUCKY,,,,
    you know as well as i do ANYONE can crush an empty can on a forehead, the fun comes in doing it while the can is still brand new from the trunk,, uh, store .

  and it doesn't have to be your own forehead, can use anyone's , just be sure you can finish the fight first .


    all the items others have listed are fine, and work, as does a flat rock, section of old tennis shoe or even girlfriends compact,,, but best bet is spend the 1.99 and buy one!!

   now, if you just want to make it LOOK bigger cut a section of thin wall tubing, cut it longways and wrap around the peg. otherwise, keep the factory one, and keep big dents out of the tank sides

[zore]

I guess seeing as how easily the XZR550RRRRRR goes up on the center stand, I'm not even sure you need a kicks stand.  My sprint requires much effort to get up on the center stand.

[Sable]

I, for one would like to find a shorter spring for mine... A few years ago, mine just toppled  over in the driveway.  I've been using the center stand since then  ;D

~Sable

[Cdnlouie]

I would suggest stick welding a nice addition to the sidestand pad.? I did that to my Venture 1200 and it does not sink in any asphalt now.? I plan on doing my Vision this winter.? I have found that a piece 1/8" steel ground and shaped to fit alongside the present pad and then welded to the back or front edge (back side if you can as long as it does not hit the bike frame) to give about a 50% increase in pad size almost doubles the supporting capability.? This is not that complicated and it is one of those nice piece of mind mods. It eliminates carrying around a pad and then remembering where you put it, etc.

Keep the shiny side up,

Louie? ?8)

[Lucky]

I like that one!!

[kiawrench]

i like that idea too louie,, but it will still sink when you mix a vision,a new parking lot and several days of 100F*temps.

   in interest of fair testing, i will modify my stand now, let you know if it works out

[Superfly]

Mine always sinks a bit also... I leave nice little marks in the parking lot at work.... you can always tell where I parked the bike!  I thought it was the crappy California asphalt!

[Cdnlouie]

My Venture's stock side-stand was 1.5 inches and I took it out to 2 inches and it does not sink at all in pavement.  It worked great all summer.

The Vision is about 1 inch at the outside and goes back to about 1.25 inches at the widest (inside).  I intend to add about .5 inch to the back side as you do not lose any cornering clearance and there is lots of room, although that may need to be checked if you are running a stock exhaust.  I have a MAC so no worries.  On my Venture I made a concave slot to just clear my exhaust and that is easy to do without losing much pad.

It is a good idea to maintain the "V" shape on the bottom as this puts pressure on the narrow bottom ridge that locks your bike into the pavement.  I maintained the same slight upward angle on the plate addition so it is not likely to skid on pavement.  This is also important so your bike does not go for a walk.  You really want it to sink just a bit and then it is really safe.

I have seem my Vision sink about 1 inch into fresh pavement on a hot day but the expanded "V" shape pad is going to take a lot more to press into the pavement with an extra .5 inch plate on it.  The expanded V shape actually begins to push out to the side (as well as down) as it sinks, which again limits the depth it can really go.

This is great peace of mind, I figure if it worked for a Venture which is twice the weight loaded, it should work on the lightweight.

Good luck,

Louie

[VisionMeister]

I recommend  modifying the side stand by removing it and placing it in a trash receptacle. The bike looks better and clutch cable, neutral sensor and oil pressure wires are more accessable and easier to clean.
The center stand works fine and is easy to use.
I also recommend keeping the bike off the stand as much as possible.

[zore]

I agree, the xz goes on the center stand so easiy, the side stand is really pointless.  Save a few onces and take it off.

[Ron_McCoy]

Also the sidestand and its mount are a real
chunk of steel.  I gave one to a friend of mine to
use on his motor scooter and he gave it back
because it was heavier than the one on his Harley.
Off the stand as much as possible is the best option.

[Cdnlouie]

I feel just the opposite of you gents.  I tossed the centre stand.  I have a MAC exhaust so the centre stand really looks out of place (at least on the left side) and I wouldn't want to be on a hot parking lot on a centre stand.  Guaranteed to be on its side in no time, much worst than the side stand (more weight to sink on only two weight supporting points as opposed to three with the side side and two tires).  You might want to rethink that thought.

Different strokes for different folks, eh?

Louie

[QBS]

Been riding motorcycles a long long time.  There are times and places where each type of stand is indespensible.  If you don't believe it remove one of them and see how long it takes for you to wish you hadn't.

As an aside, most sport bikes are chain driven and don't have center stands for the purposes of saving weight and gaining ground clearance.  Come chain maintenance time, the sporting life is a pain in the butt.  Yes, I know the V is shaft driven.  Cheers.

[Rick G]

I find both usefull, I carried a coaster  from a  orginised ride in MN. untill some rat stole my tank bag (right in front of my house)  It worked fine , I'm looking for a replacement.
Center stands  come into there own when you have a flat tyre (on either end ) and need to fix it out on the road!