Side Stand Options when Lowering the FJR

[Tree Doc]

We're talking about a kick-stand here, right? 2 pages and all these photos? :clapping:

Sorry, my bad. It's not Friday, yet! :lol:

 

[Ant1750]

We're talking about a kick-stand here, right? 2 pages and all these photos? :clapping:

Sorry, my bad. It's not Friday, yet! :lol:

Actually we r talking about saving a hundred dollars more then a kick stand to be honest.

 

[fossilrider]

No cutting, I took a different approach. The bike is lowered with Koubalinks and the front forks raised but rather then cutting the kickstand I used a heating torch and a ballpeen hammer to straighten the lower curvature and change the foot angle. Worked out perfect. Straightening moved the foot out further from the bike which increased the lean angle and stability, altering the footpad angle ensured flat and complete contact with the ground. Kept the Wynpro pad.

 

[Ant1750]

disregard

 

[TXFJR]

I am right on the borderline of whether or not I need to get lowering links. It seems like the seat mods by Spencer are helping and the seat SEEMS to be breaking in more each time I ride. That, along with wearing some taller boots, ALMOST has me comfortable height-wise....but not quite enough. So, I am debating whether or not to install the 7/8" Kouba links. If I do, I plan on raising the forks 1/4-1/2", but my big concern is the side stand. I have read all the posts I can find about the side stand but I still can't find the right answer for my situation.

IF the lowering experiment ends up creating more problems than it caused, I would like to be able to return to the starting point and install the stock links. So, for that reason, I don't want to cut my side stand and re-weld it. I was leaning (no pun intended) towards Soupy's adjustable stand, but as another member said, I also have concerns about the adjustability and it's stability. I am probably being paranoid, but it seems that if it can be adjusted, what if those allen bolts come loose? and I find my bike on it's side in the garage one morning? The knobby end that rests on the ground also concerns me, I like the idea of a BIG flat pad on the ground. I know I am probably making it worse in my head, that's why I need some input from someone that has used Soupy's adjustable side stand, and whether they have experienced any problems?

My other direction was to go with Wild Hair lowering links, they have an 18MM set of links, that is roughly 3/4", and according to WH, I may not even need to modify my side stand, but they are twice as much as Koubas, and take 4-6 weeks to arrive from Germany

 

[fossilrider]

Only a word of caution. I was going to order the adjustable sidestand until Soupy's advised me the footprint size was taken from a 600RR. Small footprint, heavy bike, made the decision for me. I went with the adjustment I outlined above. Works great!

Quote from Soupy's

Hello john. Our adjustable kickstands were designed after

a stock 600rr kickstand foot. I cannot confirm whether or not it would sink

into warm asphalt. I suppose it's possible if the lean angle was great

enough and the asphalt was hot enough.

 

[Fred W]

You can just grind down the side stand stop to get the bike leaned over more after lowering. If you decide to go back to stock suspension height the extra lean angle may actually be welcome, depending on how much you ground off. Otherwise you can easily have a glob of weld put on the ground down stop to restore the angle to normal. Plus, used salvage side stands are pretty cheap on eBay.

 

[TXFJR]

You can just grind down the side stand stop to get the bike leaned over more after lowering. If you decide to go back to stock suspension height the extra lean angle may actually be welcome, depending on how much you ground off. Otherwise you can easily have a glob of weld put on the ground down stop to restore the angle to normal. Plus, used salvage side stands are pretty cheap on eBay.

Fred, I looked at that option, and see A LOT of reference to grinding the stop....and I know it's a stupid question, but does anyone have a picture showing exactly which spot on the side stand needs to be grinded?

 

[TXFJR]

Only a word of caution. I was going to order the adjustable sidestand until Soupy's advised me the footprint size was taken from a 600RR. Small footprint, heavy bike, made the decision for me. I went with the adjustment I outlined above. Works great!

Quote from Soupy's

Hello john. Our adjustable kickstands were designed after

a stock 600rr kickstand foot. I cannot confirm whether or not it would sink

into warm asphalt. I suppose it's possible if the lean angle was great

enough and the asphalt was hot enough.

John,

Thank you for that great info about the Soupy's stand, it sort of confirms what I was concerned about. I think the answer for me migtht be a combination of your adjustment and grinding the stop to increase the angle (if I can figure out where exactly I should be grinding!)

 

[Fred W]

Fred, I looked at that option, and see A LOT of reference to grinding the stop....and I know it's a stupid question, but does anyone have a picture showing exactly which spot on the side stand needs to be grinded?

I attempted to find an existing picture, but could not. So here's a new one that shows exactly where you need to grind:

You'll want to file or grind away material where the orange line is. Note that on the kickstand itself there is a darker (clean) area on the forward surface that corresponds with where it contacts the stop that you'll be grinding. This gives you an idea of how much in the vertical direction needs to be relieved.

If you do this, go slowly and take off only a little metal at a time. The stop is only 1/2 to 3/4" from the pivot center and the kickstand is > 10" long, so every mm that you remove from the stop will result in the foot end of the stand being a full cm further forward. Grind a little, then test and repeat as needed. It's a lot harder to put the metal back on than it is to take it off...

 

[TXFJR]

"I see" said the blind man! Thank you!

 

[fossilrider]

TXFJR, sorry, I forgot to mention that the first step I did was to alter the position of the kickstand was to grind the stop. It was not sufficient to alleviate all my concerns so I moved on the step two, ball pean hammer and torch. Tha was my final and best solution.

John

 

[bucky]

I took about 1/8 off the stop with a grinder. Seems to give a little more lean, but still not same as stock after lowering with kouba links 3/4 inch in back and dropping the front 1/2 inch. I got sick of always finding a spot to park either on the level or leaning left. Will see how this works. According to my calculations I am about half way from stock to where I was after the lowering.

Plan b is the torch and hammer. My only question is: I assume you take the stand off before the heating/hammering starts? or no? To take the sidestand off, is it as easy as lifting the spring off and then removing the bolt? or is there more that meets the eye here?

 

[TXFJR]

TXFJR, sorry, I forgot to mention that the first step I did was to alter the position of the kickstand was to grind the stop. It was not sufficient to alleviate all my concerns so I moved on the step two, ball pean hammer and torch. Tha was my final and best solution.

John, in addition to the question about whether or not to remove it from the bike, did you use the kind of torch that you can buy at auto parts stores? or the kind that welding/muffler shops use?

John

 

[bucky]

You can get map gas in those small containers. it burns alot hotter than propane. that is what i will use. just need to know whether to take the stand off the bike before the fun begins.

 

[TXFJR]

TXFJR, sorry, I forgot to mention that the first step I did was to alter the position of the kickstand was to grind the stop. It was not sufficient to alleviate all my concerns so I moved on the step two, ball pean hammer and torch. Tha was my final and best solution.

John, in addition to the question about whether or not to remove it from the bike, did you use the kind of torch that you can buy at auto parts stores? or the kind that welding/muffler shops use?

John

John, in addition to the question about whether or not to remove it from the bike, did you use the kind of torch that you can buy at auto parts stores? or the kind that welding/muffler shops use?

 

[fossilrider]

TXFJR, it is very easy to remove the stand, first the springs then the bolt. The torch I used was the MAPP gas torch sold at home depot as well as other hardware stores. Here is a link to the one I used. My link

Heavy duty gloves for the heat and the top of a large vise for the anvil.

 

[TXFJR]

TXFJR, it is very easy to remove the stand, first the springs then the bolt. The torch I used was the MAPP gas torch sold at home depot as well as other hardware stores. Here is a link to the one I used. My link

Heavy duty gloves for the heat and the top of a large vise for the anvil.

I am going to remove the side stand today and attempt your mod. I have a concern about weakening the metal by doing this the wrong way. When you heated yours, (I know it's not easy to define it) how much did you heat it? Was it to the "glowing red" hot? Any hints/tips on the best way to prevent fatigue/undue stress to the side stand?

 

[fossilrider]

TXFJR, no, I did not heat it to glowing red. My son whose in tool&die heated the stand until it changed colour, not red, then we set to pounding out the curve and then changing the foot angle. One more note, we also ground off the ball/stick used for lowering the stand. To me it was a pain in the ass. Once we were finished we let the stand cool, later, painted it with E coat greased the pivot and reinstalled it on the bike.

John

 

[TXFJR]

Well, progress report! I have lowered the bike with 7/8" Kouba links, lowered the front approx. 1/4", and had Spencer (FL) modify the seat. I took the sidestand to a welding shop, they straightened out the bend and modified the foot to have a flat footprint after the bend was straightened out. I am COMPLETELY happy with the result! I can now flat foot the bike, and feel 500% more confidence.

I can't speak for others, but for me, it was a combination of a little here, a little there, but I was able to get my FJR to fit ME, and managed to spend a lot less than I thought.

I want to thank the many folks here that have given such great advice, I honestly can say I wouldn't have accomplished this without your help!

The only negative experience is one member that suggested I shouldn't be riding an FJR because I was too short! It's a shame that among all the great folks here, there is such a negative individual, but I guess they can be found everywhere!