[trapperdog]

We have both an '09 Vee and Wee. I will be putting an Oem centerstand on the Vee but have concerns on putting one on the front and rear lowered Wee.
We are riding both bikes to Prudhoe Bay Ak. in mid July and would like the parking stability and ease of maintenance for my GF's lowered Wee also. She will only ride fire and gravel roads so clearance other than speed bumps is not an issue. She's never scraped the pegs so lean angle isn't an issue either. I've already cut and welded the side stand to gain the proper lean and we've done a few camping trips fully loaded so any lower weight addition shouldn't be an issue.
At 115lbs I realize that she won't be able to get the bike on the stand but I'm wondering whether I will be able too. Any thoughts, comments? Thanks!

 

[griffin800]

parking

On a long trip awfully nice to have a centerstand for maintenance, but for parking you're way better off using the side stand, far more stable. Centerstand works great in the garage for parking, but no big winds in the garage

I'd fit the centerstand without the springs and see if you can get it onto the stand ok, if not easy to take back off, if you can get it up on the stand, then put the springs on.

Bill H.

 

[chicago]

Might take both of you to put the lowered bike on the center stand. Still useful for tire/chain maintenance.
For parking on dirt and gravel it can be unstable. Good for concrete/pavement. Side stand works best for that.

 

[Columbo]

I've read that rolling the bike onto small planks of 3/4" plywood will make putting the bike on the center stand easier.

 

[greywolf]

With proper technique, getting a lowered bike onto the center stand is not a problem. The Strom is one of the easier bikes to work. There are a lot of videos on the subject. This one is as good as any. I would not pick up the side stand though. It isn't necessary and it lets you put the bike down if you have a problem. Watch the left foot. Notice it comes entirely off the ground. That puts all the body's weight on the tang which helps a lot. It's basically a matter of putting all your weight on the tang and straightening your leg. The arm stays pretty straight so it really isn't a matter of arm muscle at all. Pulling back doesn't really happen or the steering would swivel. The left hand is there to steady the body.

 

[Gorby]

I'm lowered 3/4" and it's still easy to get up on the centerstand. My VFR at 550 lbs is a different story..... it's pretty tough to get up.

 

[Ranger Ron]

The legs of the center stand need to be shortened just like the side stand. Generally, you shorten them about the same amount as the bike has been lowered.

Ron :mrgreen:

 

[water warrior]

Had the rear of the Wee lowered 1 1/8 inches and the front about 18-20 mm. Had trouble a couple times until I realized how heavy 3 hard cases were when loaded for the road. Park the bike using the side stand, remove bags and put it up on the center stand. Center stand was not modified.

 

[manleytoulin]

i don't know exactly what it is about my bike ... but i am convinced it has been lowered by the previous owner (i can touch flat footed on my bike but am on tippee toe when i sit on any other stock bike). i have a center stand which i believe is OEM. it too had been installed prior to me buying.

after watching the videos i am now able to get the bike up on the stand most of the time (still takes 3-4 tries and some grunting). but unlike what i hear from others, both my front and rear tire are still in contact with the ground when the bike sits on the center stand.

in my case the arguement in favour of the center stand for applying chain lube/chain maintenance doesn't apply since the rear tire won't spin freely.

this might be some quirk unique to the set-up on my bike. the suggestion of putting the center stand on and trying it before fighting to install the springs seems like a very good idea.

 

[Gorby]

i don't know exactly what it is about my bike ...

Man.... it sounds like your bike is lowered about 1.5" or so to go from tippy toes to flat foot. Are the forks raised? If not it's probably impacting handling a bit. Sounds like your center stand was modified as well. The wheel should be higher off the ground than stock with longer links in to lower it.

 

[trapperdog]

Thanks for all the responses. Great video Pat. I'm going to go ahead an install one and just go from there. If It dosen't work out well or I need to cut and weld, so be it. I'll report back later. Roger

 

[WeeVee]

My wee is lowered 1.5"-2" (I can't remember exactly, it was done by the previous owner), and I have a center stand from V-Stroma. Even following the correct technique like in the video above I can't get my bike on the center stand without driving up on something.

I carry a small square of 2x4 in my tool tube. If I drive up on it, I have no problem getting on the center stand. On a recent trip, I accidentally left my block in the garage but I was able to stack up some wood chips and drive up on them with the same end result.

 

[greywolf]

More than ~1-1/8" and there is a real danger of hitting the tire. Check under the fender for marks.

 

[WeeVee]

I may be off on the lowered amount. Is there a post somewhere that gives the drop for a given link length? The only time I've hit the fender was when I was on the lowest setting of the lowering links and I think I had my wife on the back too. I quickly rectified that situation, by changing the ride height and buying my wife a bike.

 

[ST114ME]

I have the bike lowered myself , Kuba links #2 & the fork tubes dropped 3/4 inch. The bike goes up onto the center stand easily. Why did you shorten the side stand instead of just grinding the side stand stop?

 

[greywolf]

The stock link is 140mm between hole centers. Each mm longer lowers the bike about 2.8mm.