How far to most trials bikes lean when on the side stand? My 1992 GT25 seems to lean really far (picture below). Is it bent or is that normal? And before someone asks, yes I did cut the bars down . In this pic they were full width, 32.5". They are closer to 30" now.
That looks pretty typical. Most Trials bike side stands seem to have been designed by lever and grip salesmen.
My 1980 Cota 200 leans pretty far. It was worse when I first got it but I heated and bent the stand to align it with the swing arm figuring that was the best place for it to keep it from hitting obstacles. Here it is on the lift with a 1" rubber mat under the stand... I was afraid it would roll off the side without the mat under the stand!
There has to be a picture somewhere on the internet (google) of your bike, new or semi new, on a kickstand, go search. Trials kickstands, are lightweight and weak, yet I see former dirt bike riders that like to stand on them, and kick start the bikes. This has been a NO NO (in my family) for trials riders since I was about 9 (like in or around 74) so I kind of cringe when I see that, lol. I think yours is bent, probably right at the pivot, that slight bend at the 4 or so inches from bottom is normal. FWIW! many times as not, they get bent the other way, & stick way to straight up and down, because the bike fell over in semi soft ground, that allows the bike to overcome the angle, yet hard enough that weight of bike bends the stand clear in under the bike, almost. I hit the Kick Stand, which is mounted on the swingarm, a LOT, when I jump onto big rocks, which bends on the mounting bracket part. Most of my buddies take the kickstand off and lean bikes on a a tree, just because how the kickstand can hang when you jump big rocks. I just dont like when at the Hauler, or in the shop, I have to find a place to lean the bike. so I just live with it.
My Scorpa kickstand/bracket has been bent/damaged/repaired at least once, and still doesn't work well. A previous owner wasn't able to start it without standing on the pegs while the bike was on the stand so she did what she had to do. I just took the stand off and have been meaning to repair it for a couple of years now. I mostly don't mind finding a tree to lean the bike on, but occasionally have to screw around at a section looking for a parking spot and wish for the stand.
I started with a '96 Fantic. Very upright. It fell over all the time. I went in and tweeked the kickstand a few times. As in cut and weld so it would swing further away but still tuck in nicely when folded. Got slightly better, which was a huge improvment. The Fantic would high side in the garage if the tires bleed down or low side if the kickstand sank more then an inch. Still the best thing was to lean it against a tree or a rock if possible. Then I stepped up to a new '12 Sherco. It leans way over. But stable as can be. I think if fell once in the past year. No longer do I need to find the right twig or rock to properly space shim the kickstand. It may lean, but is often more stable leaning like that then with me riding it. If it don't fall over and it swings up into a nice tucked away position then everything is fine.
That's mainly why I asked. I doubt it will get used much other than parked in the garage. But it just seemed to lean really far. And yes I searched for pictures, however I figured asking a trials related question in a trials forum was ok. But no matter what you ask Sting seems annoyed by the question LOL.
You may have the suspension spring preload set too high on the Gas Gas. It should sag a bit and then the bike won't lean so far over.
Good point. We have had so much snow I have only ridden it once so I haven't messed with the suspension at all. The previous owner weighed a good bit more than me so maybe he cranked it down.
Naw, you just read it that way. If I had a the picture I would hapily posted it, but what I "too annoyed" I guess, to tell you was the rest of what I bothered to tell you in the post, huh? jesus. Never mind, I can't help and can't even sugges? t not everyone might have thought of that... I guess I wont.
Sorry man I really was just joking about the annoyed part, I thought the smiley and "LOL" would show that. That's my fault for this misunderstanding. I always appreciate any help anybody takes time to give.
My montesa leans over enough that I put a 4X4 under it so it will get closer to my other bikes. The bent [end] part goes above the axel when up. My Gas Gas don't lean as much.
Here's pictures best I can do, of my 08 Raga not that much changed, very much on kickstands... FWIW. (bike is sold, I dont have any shots you actually could directly compare with your shot) https://www.dropbox.com/sh/bgcm5rfolfdansu/bD3_-jNkwY Other than tiny little things about it like how it is made I guess, they're interchangeable I bet you. They still end up leaning about the same, from 04 though the 11 & 12 raga's we have. FWIW, I HAVE had 8 bikes in the garage at one time, I still say until stand is messed up, they all lean pretty much, the same amount. it looked like a dealership at the time, lool...
Thanks for the pictures. If the snow ever stops I was going to check to see if it was bent like you suggested earlier (not in the middle but up by the swingarm) and check the shock pre-load. Awesome on the 8 bikes! I had 11 bikes one time, but almost half were non running projects in pieces. I got annoyed one day at the lack of working room I had and sold them all but two. I kept a road bike and a dirt bike. Since then I have tried to keep my collection small. Right now I have a dual sport and the trials bike (plus my wife's two bikes).
It is definitely bent. Right off of the bracket where it mounts to the swingarm you can see a bend. I'm going to pull it off soon and see if I can straighten it out. I'll get a picture then. It just felt like even for a trials bike it was leaning way too far. This bend is why because if I just push the lever back an inch or so to simulate where it would be if it was straight, the bike sits much nicer.
I believe that is what I told you in my first post, Paragraph 2 http://www.advrider.com/forums/showpost.php?p=21007406&postcount=5 Ya all just complain when I share my "wizzzzzdum" anymore...
What complaining isn't what life is about? (I know it really isn't but so many people do complain that some times I start to wonder.)
