[TomNook]

Hi!

I'm relatively new to riding and I'm a short guy. I had a mechanic friend lower my bike about 1.5 inches, but now my side stand (and obviously center stand) are too long. I'll need to fix that... I think the side stand stock height is 10.5", Would anyone recommend an aftermarket side stand I could install that would be ~8-8.5"?

Thanks!

Max

 

[Sidecar Bob]

I'd make a dimensioned sketch and start visiting local bike salvage places to see what might fit.

BTW: How did he lower it that much? The best wisdom here says that the rear end shouldn't be raised or lowered enough to cause more than a 4.5 degree angle at the U-joint...

 

[TomNook]

Its actually more like 1" in the back and lowering suspension in the front to match. Ok, so not something I'd be able to buy as an aftermarket thing and likely only something I'd be able to find as salvage? Do people also cut and re-weld their original one?

 

[Sidecar Bob]

That has been done too, but the design of a lot of Japanese bike sidestands in the '70s & '80s leaves a lot to be desired and you might be able to find something better while you're at it. Particularly, they tend to contact the ground too close to the bike so that the stand itself is so vertical that unless you always park on concrete the end of the stand will be driven straight into the ground.
Shortening the stand to correct for lean angle will make that worse.

From what I've seen Suzukis' stands were a bit worse than Hondas; I had a '78 GS400 and its stand was so vertical I always had to carry something to put under it, not to mention holding the bike a bit too close to vertical for my liking (on windy days I tried to park with it leaning away from the wind so it wouldn't be blown over).
I happened across a stand from a KZ440, which was much longer even though the attachment point on the frame was about the same height from the ground. I can't remember whether I had to modify anything to make it fit (it may have needed a different point for the spring to attach). I can't remember exactly how it managed it but it stuck out farther when deployed so it contacted the ground at a much shallower angle so it didn't dig in as easily while letting the bike lean at a sufficient angle for stability. And when it was folded up it didn't stick out any farther than the original one did either.

I don't know if a KZ440 stand would work on a CX but if you look for one that will do that for you without a lof of modification it would be a worthwhile modification.

 

[Randall-in-Mpls]

If you've got a torch, you could heat it up and bend it out a bit.

 

[muzza]

Cut the foot off and shorten the tube

 

[Sidecar Bob]

As I said, just shortening the stand will steepen the angle between the stand and the ground which will make it tend to be driven into the ground by the weight of the bike even more than it would in the original configuration.

 

[CXPHREAK]

i shortened the thingys {a 78} stand because the bike is lower.

It sits stably on the stand.

 

[bahn88]

You (OP) might also want to try to increase the "footprint" of the side-stand...especially if parked on soft surfaces (there are plastic discs you can just carry in your pocket and use when needed but a "welded/bolt-on" is more permanent....)

 

[TomNook]

@Sidecar Bob Thanks for all that info, I'm going to get a KZ440 stand and see if it could work! I know there's also those foot extender things too, which I might try if I end up going with my stock stand and just chopping it up.

 

[Sidecar Bob]

Note that I was describing what worked on my Suzuki. A KZ440 stand's geometry may not work on your Honda.

As I recall, the Suzuki's stand was a piece of tubing with the ends flattened (really cheesy but the rest of the bike was pretty good) but the KZ400 stand was a solid casting with a nicely formed foot. It was also longer and had a gentle S bend so that it stuck out to the side more when deployed.
AND I already had it ;-)