Link to all my Gen II mods
[SIZE=12pt]THIS IS NOT SPAM!!!![/SIZE] :lol:
Most farkles I add are to increase comfort, but this one is purely to solve a design deficiency on the FJR because I believe the stand base is terribly undersized. They will sink into asphalt on hot days.
My wife has the bolt on style enlarger on her BMW kickstands and those type work well and are easy to install. They have however, made her nice chrome stands rust a little bit over the years were it clamps on, although that’s probably not a big deal on the FJR with its painted stand. For my FJR, I took a different approach by welding onto the stock stand. I decided to first find a cheap stand on auction to buy so my bike wouldn’t be out of commission while I was playing with idea. I found one for $20 and it even included the springs and switch - couldn’t pass that deal up!
With an extra stand acquired, I proceeded to create a perfectly fitting ring of metal (more or less egg- shaped) out of 1/8” plate steel. I had this welded onto the stand base to create a flange about 1/2” larger than the original base. A 1/2” increase doesn’t sound like much, but it easily doubles the footprint of the original undersized stand. I could have just welded a plate to the bottom, but that would have been heavier. I also would have changed the angle at which the bike leans at, and there is no need to change that - that angle seems perfect to me.
The bottom of this new flange actually sits up off a hard surface (pavement) a little bit so all the load still goes up through the original portion of the stand. However, if the surface is soft, it sinks down about an 1/8” where now the extra flange starts helping to support the bike. If you do it like I did it, even an amateur welder can lay the beads since they honestly don’t need to be that strong. My buddy, however, is a pro so this thing is never coming off. A bottom view better shows the shape of the added ring. Both pictures show there is still plenty of clearance to the exhaust pipe.
I must COMMEND Yamaha for choosing the correct design path on at least one aspect of this kickstand, however.
A lot of bikes have the spring(s) mounted on the other side of the stand (underneath the stand towards the centerline of the bike) which pulls the stand to the right UNTIL you lean the bike over to park it. As soon as it contacts the ground, the base pad grinds along the ground to the left an inch or two until the clearance in the hinge joint is used up. It gives me a bit of an uneasy feeling until it finally finds its settling point. This action actually will wear through the base pad as the bike grows old because an large portion of bike weight is on it while it is sliding. I've had at least one stand in the past that I remember needing to weld a new pad to.
Now look at the way the FJR is designed. The placement of the spring keeps the stand pulled as far to the left as possible no matter how much the hinge is worn. When you lean and park - no grinding on the pavement. :clapping:
[SIZE=12pt]THIS IS NOT SPAM!!!![/SIZE] :lol:
Most farkles I add are to increase comfort, but this one is purely to solve a design deficiency on the FJR because I believe the stand base is terribly undersized. They will sink into asphalt on hot days.
My wife has the bolt on style enlarger on her BMW kickstands and those type work well and are easy to install. They have however, made her nice chrome stands rust a little bit over the years were it clamps on, although that’s probably not a big deal on the FJR with its painted stand. For my FJR, I took a different approach by welding onto the stock stand. I decided to first find a cheap stand on auction to buy so my bike wouldn’t be out of commission while I was playing with idea. I found one for $20 and it even included the springs and switch - couldn’t pass that deal up!
With an extra stand acquired, I proceeded to create a perfectly fitting ring of metal (more or less egg- shaped) out of 1/8” plate steel. I had this welded onto the stand base to create a flange about 1/2” larger than the original base. A 1/2” increase doesn’t sound like much, but it easily doubles the footprint of the original undersized stand. I could have just welded a plate to the bottom, but that would have been heavier. I also would have changed the angle at which the bike leans at, and there is no need to change that - that angle seems perfect to me.
The bottom of this new flange actually sits up off a hard surface (pavement) a little bit so all the load still goes up through the original portion of the stand. However, if the surface is soft, it sinks down about an 1/8” where now the extra flange starts helping to support the bike. If you do it like I did it, even an amateur welder can lay the beads since they honestly don’t need to be that strong. My buddy, however, is a pro so this thing is never coming off. A bottom view better shows the shape of the added ring. Both pictures show there is still plenty of clearance to the exhaust pipe.
I must COMMEND Yamaha for choosing the correct design path on at least one aspect of this kickstand, however.
A lot of bikes have the spring(s) mounted on the other side of the stand (underneath the stand towards the centerline of the bike) which pulls the stand to the right UNTIL you lean the bike over to park it. As soon as it contacts the ground, the base pad grinds along the ground to the left an inch or two until the clearance in the hinge joint is used up. It gives me a bit of an uneasy feeling until it finally finds its settling point. This action actually will wear through the base pad as the bike grows old because an large portion of bike weight is on it while it is sliding. I've had at least one stand in the past that I remember needing to weld a new pad to.
Now look at the way the FJR is designed. The placement of the spring keeps the stand pulled as far to the left as possible no matter how much the hinge is worn. When you lean and park - no grinding on the pavement. :clapping:
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