Lengthen side stand, material suggestion

admin

Hello all, I want to lengthen my side stand on my motorcycle by about 1.5in.  as i have changed suspension over and raised the bike up, and now it leans to far over for my taste.i bought an extra stand to cut up, just incase this doesnt work out.  but i am wondering if this will require a special steel, rather than just mild steel rod?  the part appears to be extruded steel with the foot welded on.  it has a taper to it and i plan on extending it at the thicker part as to be adding metal at the thickest point.also do you have a suggestion as to how i might strength test this, before committing my bike to it?  wet weight is in the area of 450lbs.thanks for the help,-Adam
Reply:I would cut the extension piece from the extra stand. that solves the dissimilar material issue. I'd taper both pieces to a point and use the TIG process to weld them together with a bit of extra weld (reinforcement). I'm sure there would be no "strength" issue if you did it this way.Thanks,HoboLincoln SA200's... at least 15 - 20. They come and go. Growing partial to the "Short Hoods" in my old age. Last count on Short Hoods was 13 in possession.
Reply:It would help if you would mention which bike, and a pic of the stand. Without that, I would recommend cutting the foot off and adding on at the bottom of the stand. The higher up...(closer to the hinge at the frame), the more leverage there is on the tube. All things considered, this welding job is low risk...the stand breaks and the bike falls over . Bike damage possible, but little chance of hurting anyone.I'm a dual sport rider. Kawasaki KLR 650. I've welded on my side stand to reinforce it. Works so far. I used MIG. Ride safe. Attached Images
Reply:Don't be suprised if the extra length and weight makes the side stand springs too weak to hold it up well. You'll get tired hearing it spring back up and hit the stop every time you drive over a bump in the road if that happens... As for testing, I'd probably settle for trying to bend/break it at the welds with a small sledge. If it holds up to almost as much force as you'd expect to need to bend it permanently, it should be fine...
Reply:bike is a 96 yamaha yzf600r twin headlight.here is an ebay auction with a pic of the stand.http://www.ebay.com/itm/YAMAHA-YZF60...50976a&vxp=mtrid rather not cut both stands but i see the logic in that.but then i would want to buy a 3rd as i want to have a non molested stock on incase i put the suspension back to stock.  i have seen others extend these on my forums in past so it must be able to to be done.but those threads are really old so i have no one to ask over there.
Reply:hello fellas, the job is done.  add 1in and 3/8 to it, using a section of 1/2in CR rod.  this was done using a 110v wire feed using 0.035 flux core wire at 110amp setting. i ground a taper at both ends, aligned in a vice and cold tacked it together.  then figuring it couldnt hurt did some preheating with a MAPP gas torch.  then ran beads areound the circumfurance cleaning between and building, then some longitituanal welds expending past the tapper in an attempt to tie everything together.  the ground down to a more conssistant look.  remeber im a newbie, and all but the welding i felt went well, it layed out nicely and the entire piece was glowing cherry, so i feel the heat made it through.  it was a slower process being the many passes and cleaning.  then reeated again when i cut the rod to length and added the foot.to test it, i clamped it in the vice and stood on it and bounced, it flexed some but it did not break.  cleaned it up a bit more with the grinder and added some paint.  currently it is on the bike, and i have rigged some ratchet straps to the rafters as a temporary backup if the stand breaks.  id really rather my bike did not fall over and damage it.i figure i will let it sit that way for a couple days, and if it doesnt fall over, or show any cracks, it should be good to go?  does that sound reasonable to you?
Reply:forgot to follow up.  for anyone interested. i wasnt happy with the angle of the foot, so i cut it off, re beveld, re preheated, and went again.  spent more time pretty-ing it up with the gringder after for a more uniform round look.   anyways.  been standing upright for 5months.  so i will call that good.  thanks for the tips! i promise not to do anything life threatening wth my 115v though.
Reply:It looks like you did a very good job; the preheat was a wise decision for extending the ability of the small welder.And then, after so much work...... you have it in your hand, and you look over to your side...... and the runner has run off. Leaving you holding the prize, wondering when the runner will return.
Reply:Out of curiosity, what kind of bike is this on? Got a pic of the whole bike? I have a feeling it's a dirt bike or a Dual Sport. Just wondering. Not many street bikes get the suspension raised, usually the opposite if anything.
Reply:The bike is a 96 Yamaha yzf600, with a few goodies mechanically.  For track use I raised the  rear by 24mm using shorter dog bones that I had made. This also changed the shock angle increasing preload. The front its lowered by 10mm plus a  3mm taller rear tire. This makes it more flickable or twitchy. It's pretty heavy by today's standards so anything to  lean it over faster I like.  Heavier to pick up but not to bad.Here's a very not exciting pic of the stand in action, bikes sitting in storage in garage. It be winter here.Old random bike pic
Reply:Nice looking bike there. But when I think of Yamaha anything starting with YZ I think of a totally different type of bike. I bet that one is a real bear to handle in the woods on a trail compared to mine. Mine can go anywhere that one can and many places in can't. Here's a shot of mine. I wont have to raise mine any, the seat height is already at 36", just right for me. Probably the highest seat height of any production bike made today without mods. It's a Honda XR 650 L, 2012 model. Attached Images
Reply:Looks like a beast!  I have never been an off road guy. Even though I grew up in the country.
Reply:Even though it is an off-road bike it is still street legal. That's what I like about it. I can be going down the road and see a little trail going off through the woods, just downshift a few gears and head off to see where it goes. I don't have an ATV, this serves the purpose of that. It's what is considered a Dual Sport bike. It can be a little bit of a hand full on some really tight trails, but is really great on pipelines and power line right of ways and gravel roads. Plenty of all of those around here. Quite a few 4 wheeler trails too, not too bad on most of them. A lot of the 4 wheelers have trouble keeping up with it on their own trails. It can be a pucker factor moment when going around a turn on a 4 wheeler trail and encounter a group of ATVs going the opposite direction, Brake check time!