I did a ridiculous amount of research on this before settling on stands from Steel Horse Fabrication. http:/www.steelhorsefab.com
Their web site appears to be down -- not sure they're still around. :surprise:
The threads for the spools on DL650 and DL1000 are 8mm (thread pitch is standard 8mm X 1.25mm)
Anyway, the Pit Bull stands are nice, but pricy. I wanted a stand that could be easily switched from spool to a padded perch for bikes without spools. I also wanted it to be extremely strong in either mode, without separate pieces to get loose or get lost. And of course, I wanted a one-piece design -- no wobbly bolted-together crap. The Steel Horse was the only one that met all my needs -- hopefully the site issues are just a glitch.
T-Rex stands were a close second place:
Motorcycle Race Stands, Sliders, Spools, Chocks
Pit Bull makes a "convertible" stand, but for some unfathomable reason it has a crappy removeable handle that you then have to buy separately, and the whole setup costs a ridiculous $165.
http://www.pit-bull.com/product/F0028-000.html
I got a front end stand as well, but I confess I've never used it much -- it's much easier on my Vee to simply jack it up under the skid plate. Not the stand's fault, of course.
As far as centerstands, there are in fact several reasons not to have one. Every rider's priorities are different, but in my case it came down to:
- Expense - my Vee came to me with some centerstand hardware attached, but no centerstand. The former owner had no idea, so it appears some other PO removed and lost or sold the stand. It wasn't worth $200+ to me to replace it.
- Weight - some won't care, but a centerstand is a large chunk of steel you can't ignore. That said, I suppose I could have a salad more often...
- Reduced cornering clearance - this was the big one for me. Some riders won't care, but to me the Vee's cornering clearance is already compromised enough without adding more hard-mounted crap to drag. Again, this is not a priority for many, but it is for me.
For on-the-road chain maintenance and rear wheel stuff, I carry a trail stand (
Enduro Star / Trail Stand ). With a little practice, it works beautifully to raise the front or rear wheel.