Before I knew it, it’s 2020. You shouldn’t work thinking there’s always tomorrow…
but when I’m hard on myself saying “if there’s no tomorrow, then it doesn’t matter”
= a vicious cycle. My motto is basically to have fun and be persistent?
Continuing with the side stand.
Honda 50542-MV4 — looks like it’s from a CBR400RR spring.
Geez, what am I doing?
Basically I don’t use single springs, but I couldn’t find one with long enough legs.
This one came up when I did a reverse part number lookup.
The one on the right is stock.
Don’t you think it’s odd to use a stock spring after making a custom side stand?
Honda has a cover for it! I really like it.
That’s what the spring looks like. I hope this helps as a reference for making a side stand.
I ground down the pin…
But before that, an incident!
Huh? I don’t have an 8mm stainless steel rod.
The smallest I have is 10mm, and only about 60mm long (scrap).
So I went with grinding the outer diameter.
Don’t have it? Okay, let’s make it! But then there’s no material.
I need to write this stainless steel rod down in my ordering notebook.
So I welded it on.
Haven’t you seen imported bikes where the stand-out rod is a bolt?
When I see that, I feel really discouraged.
“DIY at home, so it can’t be helped, USA style,” I guess?
I went with a rare straight side stand.
When I bent it, it contacted the tail pipe. (I failed once before.)
The initially surprising
long, extended stand was also appealing.
But I think a neater fit is better if possible.
Well, I’m glad it turned out okay.
I can understand why they make it stock-sized but with different material. (Changing angles and such gets risky.)
A side stand is like the unsung hero — you absolutely need it.
• If the angle is too steep or too shallow, it’s no good
→ It’s heavy to raise, or it might tip to the other side.
• It should be easy to deploy and stow (position of the stand-out rod)
→ The bolt side is heavy, the sole side is light. Clearance from the frame, ease of deployment, etc.
• Ideally lightweight (tubing). Aftermarket parts are usually solid, so they’re heavy
→ Solid looks strong but is very heavy. Looks American? Surprisingly, the sole often floats. Adjustable types are pretty bad, I think. (They flex quite a bit.)
• How much spring preload? (How much to stretch the spring when using it?)
→ If you pull hard, deployment is heavy; if you pull a little, it’s light
• The sole should sit flat.
→ If it floats, it wears unevenly. Unstable
And so on — the worries never end.
I shortened the handlebar lock and added an R curve.
I added weld buildup for adjustment. (Glad it was weldable material!)
It’s a bit hard to see.
If I push the steering angle too far, the stem bolt seems to contact the fairing bracket.
I set it to just barely not touching. This should make it much easier.
That’s how it is. To be continued.
