Sidestand extension

Over the past weekend, I finally took care of one of those jobs that's been nagging me since last Summer. Ever since I upgraded the suspension on my bike, I have been reluctant to use the sidestand much. It was too short, and left the bike sitting at rather a crazy angle.




Not only is this angle tough on the parts, it is tough on my left leg when I try to stand the bike up. So I've been using the centerstand almost exclusively, which has been less than perfectly convenient.

So I pulled out a few tools and got to work. First, I removed the sidestand and marked it up. I scribed a straight line top to bottom (for later alignment) and scribed a circle around it at what I thought was a good location.





Then the irreversible:



Next up, I needed a piece of steel to put in the middle. Since A2 tool steel is what I have on hand, that's what I used. Makes for a very expensive side stand...




That was easy enough with the mini-lathe. I ground chamfers all around the areas to be attached and test-fit them:



Welding time! My welds aren't nearly as pretty as I'd like, nor as free of voids... But I think this will hold. The grinder helps with the look, and the shoulders on the insert should help to keep things seated.



After several alternate passes of grinder and welder, I had something I think was strong enough and decent looking enough to paint. So I primed and painted the thing and had it installed by dinner time.




And now, my bike finally isn't ready to toss itself over when on the stand.