Taildraggerdave
Active Member
Hello again,
I've had the HD Center Stand for the '09 Touring models since sometime back in 2010. At the time, there was a pretty good debate between this model and the EZ Up stand which is also very popular. I remember few reviews for the HD version and dozens for the EZ Up.
I went with the HD version because it would allow enough adjustment to elevate the rear wheel without having to use a piece of wood under the stand as the EZ Up guys do. And it was not supposed to decrease your lean angle at all. That was the main selling point as my floor boards are ground away pretty badly already
Problem is, after using it pretty steady for the first couple months, I found that the stand would drag very early. The bike hadn't been leaned over even half of what it was capable of. Upon closer inspection, found that the grooves for the stop pins in each leg were different lengths.
In other words, one leg (in this case, the right side or passenger side) would travel another 1/8" farther before coming to a stop in the stand mounting bracket. This eventually caused the right leg to bend a bit, and as a result hang down further when retracted. I took the stand off and bent the legs back into alignment with each other.
I spent the next few years wondering how I was going to solve that problem. I just quit using the stand but left it on in case of a flat tire or something. I like to take my time when it comes to repairing stuff like this.
Too much time has lapsed so taking it back was out.
I finally got motivated yesterday and took the stand off the bike. I wound up using a TIG welder and built up the end of the groove on the bad side so it matched the good side. Ground it to match with a dremel and all is well.
Glad to have a functioning center stand back. Makes garage storage a little easier and I get to put an extra quart of fuel in it...
Take care,
Dave
I've had the HD Center Stand for the '09 Touring models since sometime back in 2010. At the time, there was a pretty good debate between this model and the EZ Up stand which is also very popular. I remember few reviews for the HD version and dozens for the EZ Up.
I went with the HD version because it would allow enough adjustment to elevate the rear wheel without having to use a piece of wood under the stand as the EZ Up guys do. And it was not supposed to decrease your lean angle at all. That was the main selling point as my floor boards are ground away pretty badly already
Problem is, after using it pretty steady for the first couple months, I found that the stand would drag very early. The bike hadn't been leaned over even half of what it was capable of. Upon closer inspection, found that the grooves for the stop pins in each leg were different lengths.
In other words, one leg (in this case, the right side or passenger side) would travel another 1/8" farther before coming to a stop in the stand mounting bracket. This eventually caused the right leg to bend a bit, and as a result hang down further when retracted. I took the stand off and bent the legs back into alignment with each other.
I spent the next few years wondering how I was going to solve that problem. I just quit using the stand but left it on in case of a flat tire or something. I like to take my time when it comes to repairing stuff like this.
Too much time has lapsed so taking it back was out.
I finally got motivated yesterday and took the stand off the bike. I wound up using a TIG welder and built up the end of the groove on the bad side so it matched the good side. Ground it to match with a dremel and all is well.
Glad to have a functioning center stand back. Makes garage storage a little easier and I get to put an extra quart of fuel in it...
Take care,
Dave
