Centerstands

I'm writing to provide some information that will help resolve the SW-MOTECH centerstand problems described on your web page:

http://www.protomatter.com/nate/f650/centerstands.html

First, based on the photos on your website, it appears that the centerstand was improperly installed on your motorcycle. The improper installation caused the peg to touch the suspension linkage and decrease ground clearance. I've attached photos to this email showing the correct way to install the centerstand. When installed in the correct position, the centerstand does not touch the suspension linkage, and does not decrease ground clearance. We've also added these photos to our website to help clarify the proper installation method.

Second, I wanted to mention that SW-MOTECH has increased the pull strength of their springs since you purchased your centerstand. We are offering free spring upgrades to all customers that purchased the SW-MOTECH centerstand for the BMW F650GS/Dakar prior to June 2007.

...

Best regards,

-Erik (Twisted Throttle LLC)

Here is the picture that Twisted Throttle supplied me:

Note the position of the legs of the stand relative to the mounting points. Sorry for any confusion, this had me very confused for quite some time. Thanks to Erik for pointing out the problem, and it sounds like SW-Motech has fixed the spring-strength problem too.

Old Page, out of date:

There are a couple design problems with the SW-Motech stand:

1) When the stand is "up" (not supporting the bike) there's a little post that contacts a suspension linkage. What happens is that when the suspension compresses, it pushes down on the post, causing the centerstand to extend down. This causes it to scrape a lot easier, especially on rough roads or trails. Come down on a hard bump, and the stand will shoot down pretty abruptly.

2) On the left side of the stand, it's much wider than the TT stand. There's a foot lever there (which the TT stand also has) that extends out and up (when the stand is up). This is OK, except that when you're going hard left into a corner and your suspension compresses, the stand moves down because of that post and scrapes on the pavement. I've almost lost it in a couple corners when I'm really weighed down - the stand extends, makes contact and takes weight (and thus traction) off the rear wheel. Not a pleasant situation.

The downside of the TT stand is that it's narrower than the SW-Motech, so it's easier to tip the bike over if you're not on level ground, but it's not like it's unstable or anything, just not as stable.

Here's the SW-Motech stand:

You can see the foot lever sticking out there, and notice that even without much compression on the suspension, the stand is "down" quite a bit.

Here's a picture of the post, on the back of the crossbar on the stand:

It's a little hard to make it out, so here it's hilited by my best drawing-with-a-mouse skill:

Oh, also -- the TT springs are much stronger than the SW-Motech ones, so they are a bitch to get on. I ended up looping some 12 gauge wire through the end of a wrench, then pulling the springs on with the loop of wire and angling the hook on the spring into the little hole with a screwdriver.