Another Newbie Question - Sidestand Auto Retract!

[lskbike]

Question - I have a 1989 R100RT recently purchased. The side stand is spring loaded so, as I have short legs, it is difficult to place out in working position. When you have the bike on the side stand and you straddle it and lift it off the side stand, the side stand retracts.

I had a Ducati that was designed the same way but there was an aftermarket kit that allowed one to place it in position and it would stay there. What can I do to get my new to me airhead's side stand to do the same. I want it to stay in position when I push it out and not retract until I retract it with my foot.

Any recommendations? Modification or purchase a Kit? (website address of vendor!)

Thanks!

LSKBike
Southeastern Indiana

[dwerbil]

I'm not familiar with sidestands that came after my 'newest' airhead, but it sounds like the same funky broken dog leg sidestand that's stock on my '84 RS and /7. If I don't do my boot-side-stand-skoot properly, I could end up on the pavement with a 450 pound bike on me.
The fix is to take the side stand off, throw it in the nearest dumpster, and replace same with a Brown side stand.
Yes, it's a goodly chunk of money, but the Brown is re-engineered, safe, and terribly easy to use. I have one on the /7 and looking for a used one on Ebay for the RS.

[Ken in Oklahoma]

I put a Brown side stand on my '91 RT which is also a mono. Works fine. I think I put a small hose clamp on it in a convenient spot so as to let my toe get some purchase on the round rod.

A couple concerns: I understand that Brown side stands are no longer being build due to a frivilous law suit. But there are new alternatives, so I understand, that perform like a Brown. The second concern is that you will likely need a longer motor mounting through bolt because the stock through bolt is a tad too short due to the extra space needed by the Brown. I used a rear through bolt from a /6 or /7 which is long enough for my Monolever.



Ken

[ME 109]

I'd like to help, but I feel so useless.
What, with long legs and a sidestand that stays down an all.......

[dougie]

I had a SUREFOOT sidestand from Motobins on my '87.
Put it down easily with your heel before dismounting and it stays down.
http://www.motobins.co.uk/bmw-parts.php?model=R Series 2 valve Twin
Part # 61695

[Kurt in S.A.]

The earlier era sidestands, such as the /7, also self retracted but that could be defeated by rotation of the spring holddown position at the base of the stand. Not sure if the same thing works for the '89s.

Kurt in S.A.

[Dan in IL]

My '88 RT has the stock side stand and it stays deployed by itself. Kurt is right, all you have to do is loosen and turn the tab that the springs clip on to. The BIG drawback is that you will learn to retract the side stand before you start the engine. You can't see it when deployed and it's a big oops when you take off.

[Deleted User 287]

I have lost count of the times my little Honda has shut itself off due to my forgetfulness.

On the R65 - I guess I had it to where it would almost stay down (it crept back a little and would stick [probably dirt...], and if I forgot it, it always got pushed back with a clang.
I was either really lucky or I just never dove into left turns with the stand down.


Not to say I haven't hurt myself in the name of forgetting...
One time in a forest parking area, I locked my fork, something I RARELY do.
Well you can see where this is leading. Point is, I made it 2 or 3 miles, out of the woods on the gravel, made three right turns, which apparently it would do O.K.
I was out on the pavement, blissfully cruising along at I forget what speed, when I come upon an interesting looking road to the left, so I slow and start to execute my turn when !WHAM! I am down on the ground and my left foot really hurts. It got caught between the left head and the pavement on the way to settling down.

I think that was the last time I used the fork lock. It was a long ride home, but the worse part was when I finally got to my exit for home and I went to downshift - yowsers!

I don't know if you guys have heard that chapter of Rob's Book of Painful Lessons in Motorcycling.

[lskbike]

Thanks all for the responses. I would like to keep the stock side-stand so will try to see if I can change the position of the tab the springs attach to per Dan in Il's recommendation....

Again thanks all...

LSKBike

[Ken in Oklahoma]

Thanks all for the responses. I would like to keep the stock side-stand so will try to see if I can change the position of the tab the springs attach to per Dan in Il's recommendation....

I'm wishing you luck, but I'm thinking that spring position changing thing works with /6, /7, and maybe the /5 bikes as well. The monolever side stand is definitely different, or at least it is on my '91RT.

Before I installed the Brown stand (as I talked about earlier in the thread) I did modify the stock side stand. My issue was to be able to hook the end of the side stand with my toe so I could swing it out. I cut up a piece of 1/8" thick aluminum that I bolted onto the bottom of the side stand foot with 10-32 screws. The new foot was wider so it had less tendency to dig into the soft ground. When I cut the new foot to shape I also left a tab of aluminum that was shaped (bent) and positioned such that I could get my toe on it while still sitting in the saddle. Perhaps something like that might work for you. Tip: If the aluminum piece is hard tempered you may need to anneal it with a propane torch, at least in the ares that need some "sharp" bending.

The prime reason why I outfitted the '91RT with the Brown side stand later on was so that a lady friend could more easily deploy the stand when she rode the bike. (I didn't see how the stock stand would work very well for anybody.)


Ken