Topic: Center Stand vs Side Stand

[socalenduro]

i got an old oriental rug from a thrift store... my bike lives on that... makes for a kinda cool center piece...
also collects oil and gas quite well

[Old Scrambler]

MC.............almost fell off my chair..............and we have never met ; But I really only organize my wallet before I go to a swap meet

Johnie.................The center stand HELPS the floats to hang level as well as all of the other positives expressed by others. I nice shop-cloth or a shop-mat will protect your floor from the shiney new paint on the bottoms of your centerstands

And, Yes, I park my bikes on the centerstands in my garage so I can quickly check the chain, oil, spokes, and start the motor with level amounts of fuel feeding the patially choked carbs. By today's standards I guess its just a habit I have had since '66..........PS: CB77 models did not have factory sidestands.........and all of the ealry HONDA manuals tell the owner to 'place the motorcycle on the centerstand' to do any routine checkups or servicing.

[MCRider]

Glad I could brighten your day!   

And I have all the parts to an elusive, optional OEM CB77 sidestand. never installed it though, but i will.

[knowsnothing]

You need a rubber mat!!  Not only will it protect the floor, but it is easier on the hands and knees when you are crawling around looking for that little itty bitty thing that you dropped.

[LesterPiglet]

Nope, the oriental rug is the better option here as the itty bitty thing will bounce off the rubber mat never to be seen again.

[orange550]

My 550 came from the PO without the centre stand. The bike has an old 4 -1 pipe, so it's a but tricky to have one,  I figured I'd never miss it... but then as I did more work to the bike. Chain, sprockets, brakes, tires, etc. it killed me to not have it. I hunted one down and I put it on & off as needed when I'm working on it. I don't use the spring, just the long hollow shaft. I couldn't imagine living without it. I especially like to have the bike on the stand when adjusting the chain. And on that topic, I have become meticulious about keeping the chain adjusted exactly to spec. There's already so much drive train noise and clunks, that a loose chain just make it all the worse.

[CycleRanger]

i got an old oriental rug from a thrift store... my bike lives on that... makes for a kinda cool center piece...
also collects oil and gas quite well

Probably a 500+ knots-per-inch 100% naturally-dyed Persian silk Tabriz Palace Rug made in the mid-19th century and worth 15-20K at auction...

[lucky]

What if I organize my bills by size, wearing underwear with skidmarks while on a motorcycle - on the center stand with kick stand engaged?

Skidmarks?? You need black underwear. LOl..lol

[andy750]

Sidestand used daily (with block of wood to stop it leaning over so far).

A CS is not required for chain maintenance. In fact its better to use the sidestand for chain maintenance (as it specifies in many motorcycle manuals e.g. Suzuki VStrom for one) to prevent over tightening the chain (as can happen if done on CS).

CS is good for when you get a flat out on the road (and Ive had plenty).

Andy

[MCRider]

i got an old oriental rug from a thrift store... my bike lives on that... makes for a kinda cool center piece...
also collects oil and gas quite well

Probably a 500+ knots-per-inch 100% naturally-dyed Persian silk Tabriz Palace Rug made in the mid-19th century and worth 15-20K at auction...

You watch Antique Roadshow too?    

[myhondas]

I'm like Old Scrambler,

I almost always use my CS on the K4. I don't like the way the bike sits on the side stand.....seems to lean over farther than I like.  Also all the other reasons for CS use are legitmate and if the main reason you were worried about the use was for scratching the floor and the new paint on the bottom of your stand , I agree on the use of a rug or a remnant of carpet works great.

[CycleRanger]

i got an old oriental rug from a thrift store... my bike lives on that... makes for a kinda cool center piece...
also collects oil and gas quite well

Probably a 500+ knots-per-inch 100% naturally-dyed Persian silk Tabriz Palace Rug made in the mid-19th century and worth 15-20K at auction...

You watch Antique Roadshow too?   

How else am I gonna recognize that Tiffany lamp or that Stickley chair at the yard sale?

[dhall57]

I use my side stand more than my center stand on both my 750 KO and K6. But when it comes to cleaning the back wheel  and oiling the chain nothing beats spinning the rear wheel while its on the CS for easy cleaning and putting on chain lube. My K6 is fairly easy to pull up on the CS, but for some reason the KO takes more grunt and muscle to bring it up on the stand.

Good thread Johnie, I like your new avatar pic

[Soulsk8r]

Love the oriental rug idea.  I'm running out to the nearest flea market first chance I can get.   For the record, I don't care how I stuff my bills in my wallet, and haven't inspected my garmets for skid marks so I can't say.

My bike came only with a SS, but I just paid through the nose for a CS on eBay.  My pipes won't accommodate one full-time, but I needed that CS for my fork boot replacement project.  I also cleaned and oiled the chain while it was on the CS.  Took the CS off again last night so I could put the pipes back on.  It goes on and off easily enough, and the crow bar idea is one I'll consider to make it even easier.

I can see its many advantages, and would run one full-time if I could.

What kind of religious spoke maintenance makes a CS handy?  Just a beginner here, and have no idea what I should be doing to check my spokes before a ride.

Also, how often are you guys riding your bikes?  If I ride at least once a week all year long do I need to worry about whether my fuel will evaporate and floats will stick while it's on the SS?

[LesterPiglet]

Also, how often are you guys riding your bikes?  If I ride at least once a week all year long do I need to worry about whether my fuel will evaporate and floats will stick while it's on the SS?

Just tap the spokes to see they aren't loose. You will be able to tell by the sound they make.
Don't worry about evaporation with that regime.

[CrankyOldGuy]

Hmmm ... how does MC know what the inside of my wallet looks like (do you work for Capital One?)... I thought it was an engineer thing, as my wife tells me.   

I used the side stand for daily motoring about town but always carried a small piece of plywood to set the side stand on to distribute the weight ... in the summer up here it gets quite warm and the asphalt becomes soft and pliable ... use to  have my friend's father complain about how I was ruining his driveway.  The center stand can also rip up a good chunk of soft asphalt

Center stand for parking overnight in the garage.  I also found it easier to check the oil level and the slack in the chain.

Harry O.

[Jerry E.]

My CB750 K3 is the first bike I've ever owned WITH a centerstand. Never had a problem. Personnaly, I think gas evaporates just as much standing upright, as it does leaning to the left. But, that's just me.

[new2bikes-again]

I went the first two weeks (after purchase) without a center stand. I didn't want to buy one from ebay for $50.00, then find out my exhaust was the reason the PO removed it. While I was buying coil brackets from my local boneyard, I saw one on a frame that looked like the pictures from ebay. He said "that's a cb650, it won't fit your bike" (mine's a 74 550). For $10.00 I got: the stand, pin, spring, and 1/2-moon spring bracket. I had to promise I wouldn't try to bring it back. BTW, he also said PO had to of removed it for a reason. 20 minutes later, I had a center stand on the bike! I think it's an inch or so too tall. I have to stand behind the left rear peg and pull the bike back. I love it though. After trying to get the bike road ready without it, it's not taken for granted.

P.S. I hate when the bank hands me bills facing different directions. "You do this for a living and I have to fix them before putting them in my wallet"! I don't really say that. So..Yes I use the center stand all the time now.   

[MCRider]

My CB750 K3 is the first bike I've ever owned WITH a centerstand. Never had a problem. Personnaly, I think gas evaporates just as much standing upright, as it does leaning to the left. But, that's just me.

You must have missed my explain. Its not that it evaporates differently, its that IF it evaporates at all, and its on the side stand, the floats are more likely to stick. AS they are over against the pivot.

[Johnie]

No, I was not worried about paint on the center stand. Just about scraping up the new floor. I had the guys make me up some floor pads that look like the floor. So that should take care of any scrapes. I had no idea this thread would draw so much interest and discussion.

[Old Scrambler]

We just like looking at your floor

[socalenduro]

Center stands fall into that magical catagory with tire sizes, oil choices, fender braces, cafe vs stock....
its the old school vs new (or something like that)

[LesterPiglet]

I don't use one because it saves weight and I can't ground it in turns if it aint there.

[Stev-o]

Two of the three bikes on my garage right now don't have center stands. And all three are held up by the kickstands.

Johnnie - I bought some nice door mats at Home Depot and the side stand rests on that (my floor is ceramic tile).

[BeSeeingYou]

100% all the time center stand user here.

But what about all that weight?  Don't you find that it makes the bike sooo much slower and harder to handle.

I use it often enough...can't imagine a good reason to remove it.