Shortening a KLE sidestand

[tracyprier]

Hi all

One of the things I want to alter on my 2005 KLE is the very upright position it has on the sidestand.

I have no problems with doing this but wanted to ask:

Has anyone done this?

How much did you shorten it by?

Did shortening it affect stability of the bike while on the sidestand at all?

thanks
Tracy

[lone star]

havent you done that yet...?!
talking about that job ages ago. Is it really that bad? Too long - too upright? Maybe they changed it before 2007 (my model) 'cause I dont think it's a problem.

[Big Yellow Tractor]

Originally Posted by tracyprier

Hi all

One of the things I want to alter on my 2005 KLE is the very upright position it has on the sidestand.

I have no problems with doing this but wanted to ask:

Has anyone done this?

How much did you shorten it by?

Did shortening it affect stability of the bike while on the sidestand at all?

thanks
Tracy

A way of checking the effect of shortening the stand would be to put the bike on a flat surface with both wheels up on a couple of bits of board or plank.

If the wheels are on ¾" ply and the stand is on the floor, you are emulating shortening the stand by ¾".

Give the bike a wiggle about and adjust as required.

Then use a block the same size as the wheels are up on to mark the stand for cutting.

I hope that makes sense.

[poppykle]

Three falls off the side stand, two broken levers, bars straightened twice. The last one was the worst; the bike didn't fall on the ground. I'm now waiting on a new screen, new dash and the top of the fairing. All broken when it hit the post I had parked near.

The bike was parked "securely" in all of the above instances. I understand your problem but I am not sure if shortening the stand is the answer. I am looking at either bending the stand so the point of contact is further from the bike or even getting a longer side stand and bending it out further to move the point of contact away from the bike.

I think shortening the stand will put the contact patch closer to the point of balance and could cause problems of its own.

[djorob]

Hi.
I'd probably just cut the foot off and replace it with a larger diameter one while I'm at it, this way you can experiment with cutting/grinding a bit off the actual stand tube till it looks right with the new foot placed underneath then tack it on. Might be an idea to load it up as it will squat a bit with luggage on.
It will ensure that the foot is at the right angle to the floor too, just make sure that it doesn't interfere with anything when folded back before you weld it on proper. Correct angle plus you have a larger foot for grass/sand ect.
If you dont have a welder I'm sure you'd know someone who knows someone.
A mate had a KLE and fell off its stand a couple of times when loaded!
All the best with it anyway.

Dave.

[johnquinnell]

You could always go for a "theme" sidestand like this Triumph Tiger owner did?

TigerTriple.com :: View topic - Tiger Foot, Hokey But Fun

[djorob]

Originally Posted by johnquinnell

You could always go for a "theme" sidestand like this Triumph Tiger owner did?

TigerTriple.com :: View topic - Tiger Foot, Hokey But Fun

Nice!
Some people just have way too much time on their hands eh!
Nice though!
D.

[oldbmw]

I only ever use the sidestand for temporary parking. Normally I put it on the centre stand which is much more stable.

[palace15]

My mate had an 05 KLE and I was surprised how upright the bike was on side stand, he sold the bike before chopping a bit off the stand but we reckoned 1 inch off would have been fine.

[djorob]

Originally Posted by oldbmw

I only ever use the sidestand for temporary parking. Normally I put it on the centre stand which is much more stable.

Indeed! Unless you are on grass or sand that is.
D.