Author |
Message |
Cmgaviao
| Posted on Thursday, July 05, 2007 - 02:02 pm: |
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While I think the sidestand is just fine for every day use, I can see the usefulness of a center stand for extended travel. Especially in more isolated areas, where you might want to make your own repairs. Has anyone mounted/made/purchased one? |
Mchammer
| Posted on Thursday, July 05, 2007 - 02:09 pm: |
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That would be extremely difficult given the muffler placement and mount, but if one could be engineered, I would be very interested. |
Hughlysses
| Posted on Thursday, July 05, 2007 - 02:37 pm: |
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What about incorporating one into a modified muffler? The muffler is capable of supporting the bike anyway. Maybe Odie or Kevin would be willing to work with someone to develop one? |
Lorazepam
| Posted on Thursday, July 05, 2007 - 03:09 pm: |
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I miss having one for routine maintenance. This is the first and last bike I will own without one. If you are out on the road and need to remove a wheel, you are screwed. I know, IF you happen to have the hard bags on, you can lay it on the bags and get the rear wheel off, but they dont help much with the front wheel. Guess it just adds to the "adventure". |
Atoms
| Posted on Thursday, July 05, 2007 - 03:50 pm: |
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I would totally love a centerstand. A long distance tourer without a centerstand is like a day without sex. It is feasible I suppose, but... yuck! |
Reepicheep
| Posted on Thursday, July 05, 2007 - 04:18 pm: |
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That "built into the exhaust" idea is a great one. The VStrom guys have a cool homebrew setup where they built a triangle thingy that you set under one spool, lean the bike onto it, and the other side falls down (by gravity) and the bike is off the ground. They have no center stand either. For true emergency use though, why not just carry some strong tie downs on the bike. Find something (a) strong and (b) above, and just lift the bike with those. Then if you ever did really need a tow, you could flag down a truck and be confident you have tie downs with you. They would be a handy thing to have around for emergency repairs as well, are not heavy, and would not take up a lot of space. |
Dfishman
| Posted on Thursday, July 05, 2007 - 06:31 pm: |
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Ratchet type tiedowns & a tree work ok.I always carry them on a trip anyway.If I don't need them someone else might.They are mechanical aren't they?Anything can break down.I once used a crate I found at an abandoned gas station to put under the muffler as I lifted the bike in a prying motion on the kickstand,then slid the crate under the muffler & the front wheel was up enough to take off & replace my wheel bearings. |
Bertotti
| Posted on Thursday, July 05, 2007 - 07:47 pm: |
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Where I ride trees on the road are few and very far between. Off road you may have a better chance but the Dakotas are notoriously open. |
Lorazepam
| Posted on Friday, July 06, 2007 - 08:59 am: |
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If I have another header stud break and I am on the road, I will be at the mercy of a tow truck and dealer. It takes a centerstand replacement AND a jack to rotate the engine to get to the header nuts. Adventure touring takes on a whole new meaning when you are stranded and dependent on the crappy dealer network to get you going again. I understand that the focus of Buell has been bikes to go out and carve the twisties for an hour or two, maybe a track day. I feel a centerstand should be mandatory for a bike if I am going to be living and riding on it for a week or two. Something as basic as removing a wheel shouldnt involve scratching the crap out of your bike by laying it on its side. |
Ulendo
| Posted on Saturday, July 07, 2007 - 11:17 pm: |
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so you have a center stand, and now have the wheel off in the middle of no where...on a tubeless tire, there would still be limited resolutions, and unless you plan to run indefinitely at highway speeds, any patch will do just fine. Having been 150km from pretty much anything when a steel sliver from a cattle guard went through the rear tire, I can say that a center stand isnt mandatory, but a plug kit, and compressor help loads: ergo, the CityX now has a power socket just above the right passenger peg, and a mini-compressor in the saddlebag. as for the broken stud - even if you could rotate the engine, again, then what? if you carry a big ( complete) toolkit, you might get lucky, be able to remove the header, and grab the stub with vice grips...if not, I dont know anyone who carries a drill, and/or a bolt extractor kit on the bike: whats your secret to carrying that many tools?? |
Lorazepam
| Posted on Sunday, July 08, 2007 - 05:47 pm: |
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I carry the big buell tool kit. It will do most jobs you would need to do along the roadside, or even in your garage. It fits just fine in the bottom of a sidecase. |
Ulendo
| Posted on Sunday, July 08, 2007 - 11:46 pm: |
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rotflol - I hate to tell you, but my 'garage' has 3 full sized roller cabinets, and $40K+ in tools to do 'most jobs I need to do'. incidental funnies aside though, although I've got the gear, even I dont carry the necessary hardened drill bits and an extractor set on the bike. ( I probably would have them on say a trans africa, but thats a slightly different scenario) funny thing is, none of my MX'ers have ever had side stands, but no one says they're not dirt/adventure worthy!?!? they break down, they get fixed wherever they lie....difference in necessity vs the definition of adventure / roughing it?? |
Lorazepam
| Posted on Monday, July 09, 2007 - 12:24 am: |
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I dont use my uly as a dirt bike. I load it up and tour on it. If I want to ride singletrack, the Uly is very far down the list of bikes I would take. How many MX bikes do you own that weigh 500 lbs? I have yet to see anything in any Buell ad that calls the Uly a dirt bike. It is classified as an adventure sport bike. BTW, what is funny about carrying a tool roll to supplement the tiny stock tool kit? I would at least like to be able to swap out a fouled plug while on the road. Then again, if you follow the manual, you cant change the rear plug unless you rotate the engine. I tell you what would make me laugh, is watching an "adventure" rider trying to pick up, and get running a Uly they have dumped in a water crossing. |
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