Sidestand Thread #1624: Finally a cheap fix!

I went looking through my garage for suitable bits of metal, slightly annoyed with myself for chucking out a load of spent brake pads the week before. But everything I could think of was quite heavy too. I'm not so fussed about weight as the Mille is a heavy old beast. More concerned about the pendulum effect from having a heavy weight dangling off the end of the stand. Potentially causing it to drop the stand by accident. No chance of that with the flimsy little plastic mount. I'm actually surprised how strong it is for how light and flimsy it looks.

Thought I'd revive this thread from the past as I recently found myself finishing my Gen2 Tuono refurb and after getting used to my aftermarket stand on the Mille I was less than impressed by the OE Tuono unit.

I haven't bothered checking part No's but a 2008 model T seems to use the same short,soft stand ( RS125?) that the Mille came with.

Being somewhat tight I decided to fix this as cheaply as possible

Firstly the fork in the end had worn so I cleaned that out parallel with a sharp file to + 1.5mm or so to accept a large,stainless penny washer which returned the stand to a close slide fit on the mounting plate ( new fulcrum pin on order)

Next I cut a V in the leg close under the fork end and bent the two concentric tubes the leg comprised of outwards by quite a way and then practiced my meager welding skills to reinforce the new joint.

Next step was to cut the leg in half under the pin the springs hook to, then I found a long HT bolt that I could cut the head off which I then drove the shank up into the top half of the stand. This was then tacked into place and the protruding shank then heated and bent downwards somewhat to suit.

The lower half of the original leg then had a large,extended nut fitted into the cut end and welded into place, this then only needed another nut threaded to the bolt projecting from the top half of the arm acting as a locknut to create an adjustable length stand with a wide footprint. There is about 2" of threaded bolt projecting down into the lower leg which closely fits into the inner tube providing even more support and rigidity.

I did form weld over the exposed bolt shank to strengthen it and return the profile to something more normal then quickly dipped the whole thing in a tin of smooth Hammerite before fitting ready for the Mot next day.

I have to say the stand performs incredibly well,the two testers were a bit concerned before they leant the bike over against the stand for wheel testing but they both commented about the rigidity and lack of movement afterwards.

It may look a bit Heath Robinson but it certainly works very well.

All I need to do now is tidy the form up,repaint it properly and fit the new fulcrum pin when it arrives and I have a free,adjustable to any needed length,stable stand that is stronger by far than the parent unit due to the external welded reinforcements and the welded internal HT bolt.   Also the now precision fit of the clevis fork removes any slop at source. 

Thanks Rick

 Expediency in it's purest form

I'd booked an Mot and forgotten about the crap stand so just broke out the angle grinder and the welder rather than take the aftermarket one off the Mille again.

I can't believe it's taken you this long to comment Ray!

You must be to miss your favourite topic 

Moonscape !!   You should try moving the Skylift when the Tuono is is raised up high

This T is on standard ride height as I don't think the oe Sach's unit is length adjustable?  Just a 190/55 S22.

Once the new pivot pin arrives I'll dress the thing up and paint it properly,this was purely a quick fix for the mot but I have to say it's the sturdiest stand I can ever recall using on a bike,the footprint is nice and wide,far more stable.

 and there is a sound reason for every bend in it.

On the raising the rear ride height issue,I think it may be not always wise move,could be better to keep the rear lowish and more weight on it?