The centre stand I have on my 3AJ Tenere is naff. The legs aren't even long enough to lift the back wheel off the ground, and there is no pivot lever so I have to physically heave the bike back onto it. I can JUST do it, and I'm not a small chap by any means, so I really don't fancy trying to lift it when its got all my kit on it. At the mo I'm getting round the clearance problem by standing it on a 1 inch thick piece of wood. I've thought about welding pieces to each leg to make them longer but that would surely make it even harder to heave it onto the stand, would it not? Can anyone recommend a solution to my problem or a really good aftermarket centre stand for my Tenere, preferably which is available in the UK?

Are centre stands a problem on XT600,S,when you consider that it is mounted high(relative) up on the bottom of the frame and that the bike has a long suspension travel it would be a tall order to lift the bike so that the back wheel is clear of the ground,also an extra long centre stand has to fold away at the back of the bike,it all leads to problems in my opinion.I would be interested in other experiences,I prefer to find other methods of lifting a wheel of the ground,hope you find a solution.

Anyone thought about/used a second sidestand
(on the other side) so when both are down they act as a centre stand? Maybe it'll work with a bit of adjustment.

Cheers.

www.louis.de offers a stand which is simply a metal tube to be put under the left side of the wing (if the side-stand is on the right side). it is not permanently fixed to the bike, so you can use it when necessary (e.g. to grease the chain). but you have to store/fix it somewhere of course.
i didn't try it, but it seems to be a good idea.
klaus@xt600.de

Wunderlich (http://www.wunderlich.de) sell a centre stand for most of the XT range. I can't vouch for it's ground clearance as I haven't fitted one to my XT600E, but the other gear I have bought from them has been very functional.

Iain.