Side stand

[raz]

My 1100 Sport is early enough not to feature an electrical side stand switch. Instead, the side stand retracts immediately whenever it gets the slightest chance. It is easy enough to cut the peg and the stand will not retract by itself but I have hesitated for two years now, becuase there are serious cons.

 

OTOH a self retracting stand is a major PITA when trying to put something under it (parking on soft ground). And when people are "looking" at the bike there is a serious risk they don't realize the stand will disappear and they drop the bike.

 

I can't decide. Anyone have any thoughts? Anyone ruined a bike (or worse) in a left turn with side stand down? I'm thinking if I survive the first week, retracting the stand will be in my muscle memory.

[Richard]

My 1100 Sport is early enough not to feature an electrical side stand switch. Instead, the side stand retracts immediately whenever it gets the slightest chance. It is easy enough to cut the peg and the stand will not retract by itself but I have hesitated for two years now, becuase there are serious cons.

 

OTOH a self retracting stand is a major PITA when trying to put something under it (parking on soft ground). And when people are "looking" at the bike there is a serious risk they don't realize the stand will disappear and they drop the bike.

 

I can't decide. Anyone have any thoughts? Anyone ruined a bike (or worse) in a left turn with side stand down? I'm thinking if I survive the first week, retracting the stand will be in my muscle memory.

 

I got over this issue on my 1100 by buying a V11 style sidestand kit from Motomecca here in the UK. It comes as a standard V11 sidestand with a sidestand switch and the bracket to mount it. the switch sits in between the loom and the connector for the right hand control panel. The result is a sidestand which does not flip up whenever you so much as look at it, but a bike which will not run with the sidestand down (as it does not have a neutral over-ride as the V11s do). It works well for me.

 

Richard

 

P.S. I have a friend who wrote a bike off because he forgot that his sidestand was down, rode off straight up to a left hand bend, promptly went straight on and into a wall...

[Garsdad]

In twenty-six years, I have never ridden off with the stand down. It is just part of what I do- grab the front brake, pick the bike up off the stand, retract stand. That said, there is always a first time, and I am now probably cursed!

[rocker59]

My Sport 1100 has been tipped over TWICE by people who had no business messing with my bike and weren't smart enough to realize the noise they heard was the sidestand retracting.

 

That being said, after eleven years, I still have the stock sidestand. Sometimes, I'll bungee the stand to the front wheel if I'm worried where it's parked.

 

Recently, I've thought of changing things so the stand will stay down when the bike is moved.... Haven't taken the time to mess with it, yet...

 

So I guess I am also undecided on what to do about the Italian suicide stand...

[al_roethlisberger]

I've heard of several folks crashing from side-stands being extended and riding away, including Gil here on the forum.

 

He wrecked his 2002 LeMans within a month of owning it if I recall

 

 

Now, if one just remembers how cool they are looking, making every move to mount the bike an exaggerated procedure with lots of flourish.... then remembering to kick the stand up like spurring your horse is hard to forget. Oh, and don't forget the silk scarf

 

Al

[savagehenry]

I would keep the current retracting sidestand, as the older BMW's also had, or replace it with the V11 stand with switch. It only happened to me once, and that was enough. With a passenger, I left with the sidestand down on my Lowrider, and damn near crashed. I have now had my Nero cut out after start up, only to find I didn't retract the stand . Better safe than sorry on this one for me. And a shot of electrical cleaner, followed by a bit of dielectric grease up the switch has kept it from acting up as it did when I first got it. , Later, S.H.

[Skeeve]

I can't decide. Anyone have any thoughts? Anyone ruined a bike (or worse) in a left turn with side stand down? I'm thinking if I survive the first week, retracting the stand will be in my muscle memory.

 

I believe the "fix" is easy enough, something about cutting off a peg on the stand that puts pressure on one of the stand's springs when extended; by removing the peg, the spring will allow the stand to function just like a normal one.

 

Then you're left w/ the conundrum of what to do about forgetting to put the stand up before riding off. What's needed is a retractor that functions off of engine vacuum, so that w/ the bike at idle there isn't enough power to pull the bike off the stand, but as soon as you pick the bike up, the vacuum gradually pulls the stand over center so the springs can continue to retract it the rest of the way [better have a rubber bump stop on the frame - whack!]

 

Yes, I'm a fan of Bernoulli: like rust, he never sleeps. Electrics, esp. dodgy Italian electrics, often do...

 

Anyway, those are my thoughts, not that they do you any good...

[gstallons]

Just ONE pole vault with the side stand and your life will be forever changed! You won't need any device of any kind to remind you to make sure the sidestand IS up.

[raz]

What's needed is a retractor that functions off of engine vacuum, so that w/ the bike at idle there isn't enough power to pull the bike off the stand, but as soon as you pick the bike up, the vacuum gradually pulls the stand over center so the springs can continue to retract it the rest of the way [better have a rubber bump stop on the frame - whack!]

That's a good one! Would that be called "power side stand" in the US?

[GuzziMoto]

I vote for Skeeves idea.

I have also seen bikes use a thick rubber flap that extends out past the bottom of the stand. This flap bends out of the way when using the stand, but if you ride off when the stand is down and lean into a left turn, the rubber flap hits the ground first and folds the stand back making it retract.

And I have a friend with a few Ducatis. We were down in Daytona. His bike was parked in the bike lot. The lot attendant men decided they needed to move his bike. They picked it up off the stand, the alarm went off and the stand retracted. They of course let go of the bike when the alarm went off, probably assuming it would rest back on the stand(which had retracted). The bike dropped on its side doing a fair bit of cosmetic damage. I have never liked self retracting stands and after that day I would definetly switch to a different design.

[raz]

I got over this issue on my 1100 by buying a V11 style sidestand kit from Motomecca here in the UK. It comes as a standard V11 sidestand with a sidestand switch and the bracket to mount it. the switch sits in between the loom and the connector for the right hand control panel. The result is a sidestand which does not flip up whenever you so much as look at it, but a bike which will not run with the sidestand down (as it does not have a neutral over-ride as the V11s do). It works well for me.

Thanks, I have given that a thought or two too but I wasn't sure the V11 one is an exact fit for 1100 Sport. So it was basically just a bolt-on solution? Even the electrical? This is probably the best solution. Maybe I can get a used one from Reboot. What was the cost for a new one?

 

Edit: Apparently part no 02979201 is the switched version but specifically for 1100 Sport. At £90 it's worth considering. Did you have to order the loom extension separately (£18) or was it included in the kit?

[Richard]

Thanks, I have given that a thought or two too but I wasn't sure the V11 one is an exact fit for 1100 Sport. So it was basically just a bolt-on solution? Even the electrical? This is probably the best solution. Maybe I can get a used one from Reboot. What was the cost for a new one?

 

It was a separate kit, with a new V11 style sidestand, with the long arm for flicking it out while still on the bike (no pun intended!), a small bracket which was bolted onto the existing sidestand support for holding the sidestand kill switch, new bolt and the kill switch itself. The kill switch comes with two large connectors on it, so you just plug it in in parallel with the right hand control connector, so yes, it was straight bolt-on, no fuss. I think that the kit I bought was about £40, but can't really remember - it was over a year ago I got mine. Your best bet is to give Motomecca a call and find out if they are still making them. You could probably bastardise an old V11 one, but, to be honest, I couldn't be bothered at the time, and this kit versus the time spent making a used V11 one fit just made sense to me, as I really didn't want to start pulling wires apart!

[raz]

It was a separate kit, with a new V11 style sidestand, with the long arm for flicking it out while still on the bike (no pun intended!), a small bracket which was bolted onto the existing sidestand support for holding the sidestand kill switch, new bolt and the kill switch itself. The kill switch comes with two large connectors on it, so you just plug it in in parallel with the right hand control connector, so yes, it was straight bolt-on, no fuss. I think that the kit I bought was about £40, but can't really remember - it was over a year ago I got mine. Your best bet is to give Motomecca a call and find out if they are still making them. You could probably bastardise an old V11 one, but, to be honest, I couldn't be bothered at the time, and this kit versus the time spent making a used V11 one fit just made sense to me, as I really didn't want to start pulling wires apart!

Thanks a lot, you wrote this the same time I edited my post. I'll check with Motomecca.

[Skeeve]

That's a good one! Would that be called "power side stand" in the US?

 

Probably, maybe just "automatic." You know us crazy Americans & our love for automatic labor-saving gadgets!

[Skeeve]

I vote for Skeeves idea.

I have also seen bikes use a thick rubber flap that extends out past the bottom of the stand. This flap bends out of the way when using the stand, but if you ride off when the stand is down and lean into a left turn, the rubber flap hits the ground first and folds the stand back making it retract.

 

Why thank you!

 

The mid-80s Honda GL1200 used this trick. I have to admit, leaving the sidestand down on one of those water buffalos & trying to make a left turn, even with the extended rubber finger to help flip the sidestand, is a truly seat-clenching moment...

 

I don't know what the best answer is. Maybe a self-retracting stand, but one built more along the line of the Harley Jiffy-Stand, w/ a notch at the end of the arc so that the bike cannot roll off the stand unless held vertical? I know that the self-retracting stands on Ducatis & Guzzis back in the 90s got a truly bad rep for dropping bikes on their side at the slightest hint of a breeze, etc.

 

OTOH, I know that I like the ability to let the bike idle & warm up while putting on helmet, gloves etc. so I don't think just the switch to a V11 sidestand is the answer [since the Sports don't have the neutral cut-out for the sidestand kill switch.]

 

In the end, I think it has to be Raz' decision...