Does the trail stand come with a plastic paint protector on the top or is that just a handy improvement we should make ourselves when we get our stands?
Very good eye there Emmbeedee! I had thought about that, what you see here is just a piece of clear vinyl tubing from the hardware store that was added by the owner of this one. I don't use any tubing on the cradle myself but if you like the idea go for it. You should see your stand anyday, customs can add a few days to the shipping time, let me know when you get it if you can, and thanks again for the order?
I'll probably add some tubing to mine, if I store the stand assembled, it might cushion that part and prevent it damaging other things in the tool kit. And I'll probably get another stand soon, I thought it would make a good prize for the "longest distance ridden" to a dualsport event we're planning this Spring.
A great product at a great price point that hits a key need for dual sport bikes! Two suggestions for a recurring issue I seem to face on most roadside (sometimes even garage side repairs): I have a bad habit of dropping/loosing small parts!!! Finding a small grey nut in a field of grey gravel at dusk is no fun...now I pack a medium sized zip lock bag....all removed nuts/washers/bolts go in the bag. I found some that are about 1/2 gallon and shaped to sit on ground and be "open"...very easy to drop parts in and retrieve them. Easy to store and useful for many other things. Small critical parts...like the cotter key clip and the cradle bracket for the TS Jack are a lot easier to find if you attach a small bright colored electrical zip tie to it and leave the "tail" long as a hi-vis tag BEFORE you drop it into the grass.
That tubing is clear vinyl tubing found in the area at Home Depot where the refrigerator icemaker plumbing parts are for reference. I'm sure you can get a foot of it cheap. The diameter of the cradle is .25 in. I'd probably take it will me, you need a size just a little bigger inside diameter to work it around the corner, and a little lube comes in handy, maybe just some a little water will do. Emmbeedee, send me and email and I'll work with you on how to get you a Trail Stand for a door prize at your event, I'm sure we can work out a good deal because it helps your group and it helps me make more people aware of the Trail Stand and where they can get one. Too bad we didn't do it on your order, the shipping would have not been any more because..
Hey, it would be great if we could work something out as a prize for the event. I'm thinking, if you can ship two in the same package, for the same price, that I may get another for myself. I'd have no problem paying for the shipping again, in that case.
Nice product works great and small enough to strore in my front bag. Great product and nice person to deal with. Fast shipping to the Philippines.
Thanks islano! Glad you like it and that it got to the Philippines in short order. Also thanks for the picture, be sure to use the hook and loop strap on the front brake and turn the front wheel to the left, it really makes the bike very stable when lifting the rear wheel. Since I wrap the cradle with the strap to ship I want to make sure that people don't think that is what the strap is really for. I'm sure you just took a quick picture to post but I thought I'd take the chance to make sure that others understood the function of the strap. Thanks again, I bet the Philippines is great place to ride, I'd love to see some ride reports from there, if you have some let me know. Steve
Thanks Goosefeather! I sent you an email to let you know I can ship up to 5 Trail Stands to Australia for the same shipping price. It is a flat fee of $15 up to 4 lbs so at 10 oz each plus packing that is the max for the box I use. If you know one or two others who want one you can split the 15 shipping price with them. I will ship your order at the time I mentioned in the email unless you let me know otherwise. I just thought I'd post it here too so others will know it's an option. Thanks again! Steve ESP llc
Got mine today, looks very well made and much more compact than I originally thought. I will give her a try tonight. Thanks!
Thanks intotheabis, it's compact enough pack out of the way but the best part is when "somebody else" has a flat you whip out the Trail Stand and get right to the supervising....."well there's your problem".....it's a dirty job but somebody's gotta do it
Yay - mine is finally here! Smaller and lighter than I thought, but perfect for the job! Thanks Steve!It was worth waiting for. Now, if I could just get the DR to start, I could go out and get a flat somewhere in the boonies!
To the Suzuki DR650 owners...how are you folks raising the front wheel off the ground? My skid plate doesn't have the holes in it as found on many KLR's and such.
Hi M1Jeep, looking at the pics above it appears the frame transitions from a double cradle to a single cradle behind the pipe. I would try and see if the cradle of the Trail Stand would fit in there and support it that way. I believe it is tall enough but it might be close. I'd have to try it to see. The other thought is to drill a small hole .25 dia + in a forward location, you could drill on one each side to balance out the look if it bugged you. Do you have a pic of your bike looking at the front skidplate/frame area you can post?
I'm not sure who made my engine guard/skid plate but I was under the impression it was stock, and it has two holes under the front mounting point. I think they might work to hold the front end off the ground on the DR650.
I would probably drill a hole 3/8 in. hole in one of these loacations if it would not work in the Y of the front of the frame. It might work in the large hole but it might be to far inboard to be very stable, you will have to try it and judge for yourself. When lifting the front wheel stability is always increased by preventing the rear wheel from rotating counterclockwise around the bikes kickstand.
Good suggestion but... That's ok if you're using the stand on your own bike, and are able to drill a hole ahead of time, but in the interest of finding out if this will work on the trail when I'm lending my Trail Stand to someone who hasn't had the foresight to drill a hole in either of those locations, I'm going to try the stand on one of those original holes tonight. Just for the sake of curiosity, if nothing else...