| Author |
Message |
    
Xbimmer
| | Posted on Saturday, September 16, 2006 - 10:18 pm: | 
|
... but at 4 cars wide and deep enough to park the Suburban on...
Geez Jm, make a CA guy drool with envy... 
Did not intend to design your front approach for you. Was thinking maybe a small slab maybe 5'x8' to the side, just for the Uly. Integrate with a (future) wraparound sidewalk maybe. I'd put a couple or more cycads or palms in big clay pots around the pad, frame that bike with some reverence Afrika style! 
Sorry, my Dad was a concrete/brick/mortar addict... built monuments around our homes as I grew up! |
Xbimmer
| | Posted on Saturday, September 16, 2006 - 10:33 pm: |
|
Oh yeah, four poles in the tree of your choice placed into sleeves sunk into the corners of the slab, supporting a roof of palm fronds over the Uly.
A comfy bench a few feet away positioned so that at sunset you could kick back with a cold one and just admire the bike.
OK, I'll shut up now...  |
Jlnance
| | Posted on Sunday, September 17, 2006 - 08:10 am: |
|
I have two problems with the Uly sidestand. First is no kill switch. ... I didn't get it up. That would have been nasty.
I've got good news for you.
It wouldn't have been nasty. The Uly sidestand is designed to automatically retract if you do this. Put it down, ride off and do a left turn. It will pop back up. Thats why the safety switch could be removed. |
Brat
| | Posted on Sunday, September 17, 2006 - 08:40 am: |
|
Daves, I'm sure selling Buells makes you an expert.....NOT
Direct your idiot remarks to yourself. |
Daves
| | Posted on Sunday, September 17, 2006 - 08:47 am: |
|
OK, I'm an idiot.
There feel better, I do.
The sidestand issue has nothing to do with warming the bike up on the sidestand. |
Electraglider_1997
| | Posted on Sunday, September 17, 2006 - 11:24 am: |
|
I park my bike on a cliff with the front wheel downhill. Darned thing fell 300 feet into a bunch of boulders. I'll never again let that thing idle while parked. |
Xbimmer
| | Posted on Sunday, September 17, 2006 - 06:33 pm: |
|
 |
Brat
| | Posted on Monday, September 18, 2006 - 05:40 am: |
|
Is it a "sidestand issue", not all owners suffer from it, and it appears as though other types of Buells can have similar problems. As we (Buell owners) rely totally on our sidestands I would have thought any rough usage may highlight problems that would be evident across the Buell range. The mechanic mentioned didn't try to deride the Buells, he has been very helpful.
I try to converse with people on this site as I would if they standing in front of me, Daves, your comment would have started a fight! |
Jmhinkle
| | Posted on Monday, September 18, 2006 - 07:03 am: |
|
"The Uly sidestand is designed to automatically retract if you do this. Put it down, ride off and do a left turn. It will pop back up. Thats why the safety switch could be removed."
Is that what that weird spring-loaded, rock back action is all about? I just thought it was to help stabilize it when parked. Learn something new everyday. |
Buelet
| | Posted on Monday, September 18, 2006 - 01:42 pm: |
|
I always have trouble when parking on grass... particularly when it's wet... and the coverage is sparse!
This morning I had to move the bike to another garage space that just has grass / mud in front of it. It's raining and I had to get off the bike, run & "wing" open the garage door and run back around to the bike... before it rolled over and played dead. I knew it'd be sketchy when I leaned it over on the stand and it promptly sank a couple of inches, but being "relatively young & agile", I went for it. Success! --It could benefit from a larger "foot print" for those times when it takes you off the beaten path!
Just my humble opinion! |
Treadmarks
| | Posted on Monday, September 18, 2006 - 02:49 pm: |
|
It could benefit from a larger "foot print" for those times when it takes you off the beaten path!
Like this:
|
Daves
| | Posted on Monday, September 18, 2006 - 03:01 pm: |
|
Brat,
No problem, I would've said the same thing about your mechanic thinking it had anything to do with warming the bike up on it's stand even if we were "face to face".And if that would've caused you to want to fight me then, well, I guess that's what would've happened. Wouldn't have been my choice though.
I would, though, like to hear why he thinks that letting the bike warm up on the sidestand is the cause.
Heck, I could be wrong and he could be right? I have been wrong before and I am pretty sure I will be again in the future.
As far as your crack about me selling Buells and how that does not make me an expert.
I guess technically, that is right. I would, however, be willing to bet that I see and hear about more Buell issues(both good and bad) than most people that sell, fix,design or anything else with Buell.
Does that make me an expert? Maybe not, but I am exposed to and involved with a lot more than "just selling the bike". |
Daves
| | Posted on Monday, September 18, 2006 - 03:05 pm: |
|
By the way, The reason I think(remember, I am not an expert) that the Uly stands are the ones with issues is because of the extra length of the stand and the extra height of the bike as compared to the other Buell models.
Only some, not all, of the Ulys are affected by the recall.
Bad batch of bolts? I do not know. |
Buelet
| | Posted on Monday, September 18, 2006 - 03:09 pm: |
|
That's it!!
Now, where can I get one?! 
Just kidding!
Thanks Treadmarks, I'll have to look into getting one of those! |
Adrian_8
| | Posted on Monday, September 18, 2006 - 03:43 pm: |
|
Buelet.. I bet that is not the last dumb thing you will do in your lifetime...it gets worse.. as Tonto told the Lone Ranger: "Too many moons over the horizon Kimosabe" Just be sure the kickstand is rocked in the forward position. or... Maybe a renegade mole dug a tunnel under it...Caddie Shack style. |
Buelet
| | Posted on Monday, September 18, 2006 - 04:10 pm: |
|
Adrian_8 - I think you have a slight case of mis-identity w/ me and another BadWebber. I knew the risk, went for it, and succeeded. (Probably not a great risk from your Uly burying its stand in the mud and doing a slo-mo tip-over.)... It was more like trying to see how long you can get your spoon to stand straight up in a hot bowl of oatmeal!
I've never had a problem with the "disappearing" or auto-retracting side-stand issue... (not saying that it can't happen)  , unless it was the result of an insufficient surface such as mud or hot asphalt! (Although I didn't loose it in the hot asphalt this summer, once I came VERY CLOSE. *Sorry Cheeseburger in Paradise...) I now carry a Bloomington H-D/Buell plastic puck on all of our bikes for just such an occasion!) |
Buelet
| | Posted on Monday, September 18, 2006 - 04:19 pm: |
|
I was once told that Kimosabe translates to "soggy cactus"??  |
Arthurc
| | Posted on Monday, September 18, 2006 - 04:29 pm: |
|
An alternative to the H-D puck would be one of these (I have one on my Xmas list):
http://www.aerostich.com/product.php?productid=16813&cat=345&page=1
http://www.aerostich.com/product.php?productid=16814&cat=345&page=1 |
Treadmarks
| | Posted on Monday, September 18, 2006 - 05:14 pm: |
|
An alternative to the H-D puck would be one of these.
HA, I like the ribbon that comes with the deluxe model. "Remove before flight"
My poor Uly is sitting in the garage with a broken clutch lever and turn signal, while I take turns riding the softail and the motard back and forth to work.
It is easy to remember just how comfortable the Uly is, when you have monkey butt from riding 30 miles in rush hour traffic on a motard in the Hell hot republic of Miami. |
Adrian_8
| | Posted on Monday, September 18, 2006 - 05:48 pm: |
|
Buelet..are you sure I have you confused?...are you a member of the Hoosier Thunder Club? My kickstand gave me problems about 2 weeks ago in a McDonalds parking lot...I parked bike, got off, kickstand did not self-erect..bike fell over...this must be Eric Buells's fault somehow..or another reason..another day older..another day dumber. Clutch lever assembly required..AL |
Dave
| | Posted on Monday, September 18, 2006 - 10:33 pm: |
|
..... Dave S is a Buell Expert on my short list.
DAve
...no sucking' up solicited. Dave just knows his Buell shiet. |
Arthurc
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 19, 2006 - 06:48 am: |
|
Treadmarks, seems you need some of this:
http://www.aerostich.com/catalog/US/Anti-Monkey-Butt-Powder-p-17484.html |
Brat
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 19, 2006 - 07:03 am: |
|
I agree that Daves is very knowledgeable about Buells, I have purchased from him previously and highly likely to do so again, but nobody know's everything! In fact I will be phoning him today!
The mechanic in question made his remark based on the amount of vibration/weight placed on the sidestand when at idle, and that other Buell models have been bought in to be fixed, this would be magnified on the Uly as it's sidestand is longer. |
Buelet
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 19, 2006 - 10:25 am: |
|
Buelet.. I bet that is not the last dumb thing you will do in your lifetime...it gets worse.. as Tonto told the Lone Ranger: "Too many moons over the horizon Kimosabe" Just be sure the kickstand is rocked in the forward position. or... Maybe a renegade mole dug a tunnel under it...Caddie Shack style.
Are you saying that the calculated risk I took with the mud was dumb?  I hope not! Just kidding!
Now I'm really cornfused. I thought by your post, that you thought I was the one who's bike fell off the stand. I was just adding in another story *somewhat along the same lines*. Treadmarks is the owner of the "Original & Patented Auto-(and at will) Retracting Side-Stand". (Just poking fun!)
Oh & by the way, I am a member of the HTC. No confusion there! Just thought you thought I did something I didn't was all. See you on the 30th? |
Daves
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 19, 2006 - 12:16 pm: |
|
Brat,
I can see where that may be a possibility.
I do not think it is the cause though.
I feel it would be more widespread along the XB line if that was the cause.
I have been riding and warming XBs up on their sidestands since 02 and haven't had any failures and I let them warm up like 5 minutes.
Yes, the extra height and/or weight may be the deciding factor?
But, if that is true, then why did the recall only affect a certain time period of production?
I still say bad bolts.
I think they were a "little" bit too long thus preventing them from properly "clamping" the stand before the bottomed out in the holes. This made them loosen and then break.
Either that or they were just weak bolts
Just my opinion of course. |
Treadmarks
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 19, 2006 - 12:53 pm: |
|
Ok, I took another look at the stand last night and I still don't get what the "S" thingie is supposed to do???
When the kickstand is up, it is loose and can be moved around.
When it is down it is loose and does not even try to hold itself forward.
I understand what everyone is saying about putting the stand down and rocking the bike back. I have been doing just that for 35 years. I have zero confidence in this sidestand and firmly believe it is truly a POS.
On my XR650, when you put the stand down, the stand is down-not dangling. When it is up, it stays up.
The same for my HD softail. That stand will not fold up, until you support the weight of the bike-period.
On the Uly, there is vertical slop where the stand connects to the mount. It has a pin, not a bolt. It feels like the pin diameter is too small, and or the spring is too weak.
You should be able to start the bike and let it idle with out it falling over.
You should be able to keep the stand down, while the passenger climbs aboard, even with fully loaded bags.
Is this asking too much???
Time to find a new stand.
Ya think it might be considered unAmerican to put a Honda stand on the Uly??? |
Buelet
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 19, 2006 - 02:22 pm: |
|
Can you post a picture of your dangling unit? (pun INTENDED!) Both up & down would be helpful. I'm just really curious how it could be so different from mine. After reading about this over & over and then messing with mine earlier this morning, I just don't see how, short of my own misuse, how this could happen??
From what I understand... 1. The stand is put down. 2. The bike is leaned over TO THE LEFT  3. Weight is placed on the stand 4. The bike moves left & down/over while moving slightly rearward. 5. The stand should now be over-center and stable. No?
After this is done... is the bike moving forward, taking the stand back over-center and dropping the bike with the stand now "up"? Or is the stand collapsing in the opposite direction?
From my own inspection, I find that my spring has tension on it at all times, and when the stand is placed up, it stays up... all the way up. i.e. - not floppy. Pretty much the same applies to when it is down. It goes down 90', perpendicular to the ground, and when the bike is leaned over onto it, the stand moves forward / bike rearward, thus putting it over-center. From this position mine has zero tendency to be coaxed forward or back up without standing the bike up first.
Ok (Hands dirty now) - Here are some more observations from my bike. The S piece is shaped that way so that it clears the primary chain adjustment bolt, but still provides an anchor point for the spring which is what powers & holds the stand both up and down. The distance between the two pins (kickstand pivot-point pin and the lower, spring anchor pin) on my bike is right about 6 1/2". The tensioned spring / installed length is about 4 5/8" as measured from the center of the lower spring anchor pin to the bottom of the hole in the S piece. The upper pin on mine has some movement that is transverse to the normal swing of the kickstand, but it is not loose and is solidly pinned to the kickstand. Also, my bike leans over between 13'-15' (degrees) when parked on a perfectly flat surface. I used a common needle style angle finder placed on the rear license plate light housing to get this measurement. I only had a variance of about 2' depending on which way the handlebars were turned.
I hope this helps shed some light... |
Treadmarks
| | Posted on Wednesday, September 20, 2006 - 07:20 am: |
|
I got my repair parts from Daves yesterday. Now that I am driving it again, I will spend some time with the stand. I have an oil change coming up this weekend, and I will try to swap a different spring for it to see if that helps. I will also find a way to compress the pivot pin to to eliminate the vertical slop.
Thanks to all for the helpful ideas and suggestions.
Hats off to Daves for the great deal and fast shipping on the parts
Back in the saddle again! |
Brat
| | Posted on Thursday, September 21, 2006 - 05:11 am: |
|
I just got my recall notice in the mail for the sidestand, then next week I'm home and sticking the Uly in a crate and off to Kuala Lumpur! |
Daves
| | Posted on Thursday, September 21, 2006 - 11:43 am: |
|
Make sure to keep us posted on your trip! |
Xbimmer
| | Posted on Thursday, September 21, 2006 - 09:07 pm: |
|
Did a small test today, with the Uly idling on a flat concrete surface and on its stand, I began to try pushing it forward, standing to its left and applying forward pressure with the passenger grabrail. This was with the front wheel straight forward, and I couldn't make the bike move. It seemed that the action of moving the sidestand from fully forward and over the "hump" toward the rear of its swing could not happen in this condition, preventing forward movement of the bike.
I can't vouch for the stand's behavior on a soft or forward inclined surface, but I feel pretty confident in the stand's ability to keep'r steady as long as I do my part to ensure it's fully forward.
My $.02 |
|
