Riding off the center stand?

[Mudhen]

Just wondering what the general feeling is about riding off the center stand?



There were always threads on this kicking around on the GS forums...some saying the stand isn't strong enough...



Does anyone do this on a Steamer?   :?:



Thanks.

[knarf]

Forget the stand, my legs are not long enough !    :lol:

[Patrick]

Just wondering what the general feeling is about riding off the center stand?



There were always threads on this kicking around on the GS forums...some saying the stand isn't strong enough...



Does anyone do this on a Steamer?   :?:



Thanks.

At a 955i it seems difficult, though not impossible. The advantage of a beemer is: Its centerstand is marvellous outbalanced. Normally, when on centerstand, the rear wheel is in the air. But if you take off the front wheel (e.g. for a tire change) the rear wheel comes down and the bike stands firmly on the ground.



Ever tried that with a tiger? Boy, that front is heavy! The center stand is located to far away (to the rear) from the center of gravity. Standing on a "centerstanded" Beemer, you can play rocking horse (i.e. shifting weight to raise front or tail). That makes riding off center stand quite easy.



If you want your tiger to ride off center stand too, you have to shift weight in a extreme grade. As I said: difficult, though not impossible.

(To be honest: I tried it four times and failed closely, as I think)



Have fun!



Patrick

[Mudhen]

I guess I usually don't ride it off the center stand under power.  More like, start the bike up, put it in gear but keep the clutch in, then shift my weight forward so the bike drops off the center stand.  Right when it drops down, release the clutch and ride off.



I'm only 150lbs so I can't imagine that I'd be stressing the stand all that much.

[ChrisN]

Can't understand why you'd want to ride off - is there some kind of rodeo influence here ?

I never use the centre stand except for cleaning or maintenance.

Always park the bike on the side stand as it's far more stable.

[Mudhen]

Can't understand why you'd want to ride off - is there some kind of rodeo influence here ?

I never use the centre stand except for cleaning or maintenance.

Always park the bike on the side stand as it's far more stable.

Actually, I'm in the northeast...very little rodeo influence here  :)



Here's the reasoning behind my use of the center stand (on my GS Adventure):



- at work because there are so many bikes stacked up, it just feels like it takes less room and won't be bumped into as easily by the next bike pulling in.



- at the gas station...on the GS Adv I get another 20 miles to the tank by filling up on the center stand (same on Tigers???)



- terrain depending, when I'm loaded up with camping gear.  My legs are short enough (and I'm weak enough!) that when the bike is fully loaded, if the ground isn't really flat, I sometimes can't get it 'righted' off the side stand.  So I heft it onto the center stand then do the rock it forward/ride away thing.



The other PITA thing is that I'm short enough that I rarely get on the bike without one of the stands down.  I dropped my 650 Dakar a couple times that way - trying to hold the bike upright and swing my leg over.  That makes the get on/ride away thing that much more convenient, otherwise I have to take it off the center stand, put it on the side stand, get on, put up the side stand, then ride away....

[abell]

I never get on a bike without it being on the sidestand. Why would you?



I would just walk it off the centerstand. If you can't do that then take it off the centerstand onto the sidestand, then mount the bike.

[Mudhen]

At a 955i it seems difficult, though not impossible. The advantage of a beemer is: Its centerstand is marvellous outbalanced. Normally, when on centerstand, the rear wheel is in the air. But if you take off the front wheel (e.g. for a tire change) the rear wheel comes down and the bike stands firmly on the ground.



Ever tried that with a tiger? Boy, that front is heavy! The center stand is located to far away (to the rear) from the center of gravity. Standing on a "centerstanded" Beemer, you can play rocking horse (i.e. shifting weight to raise front or tail). That makes riding off center stand quite easy.



If you want your tiger to ride off center stand too, you have to shift weight in a extreme grade. As I said: difficult, though not impossible.

(To be honest: I tried it four times and failed closely, as I think)



Have fun!



Patrick

Got some time yesterday to do some stuff on the bike...and wow - you're right!  They shouldn't even call it a center stand on this thing, it just sits right down on that front tire like you said.



But I found the opposite is actually true about the ease of rocking it down (when you're on it).  You can lean back a little to shift the bikes weight onto the rear tire, then that off-center-stand helps to transition the bike forward with enough momentum to drop off the stand.  Considerably easier than rocking the GS off the stand since it's 150lbs vs 550lbs....



Abell...good point.  The only time I do it now is sometimes off road...especially when the bike has gone down on the right side...

[looch]

Don't know about the earlier models, but there have been reports from 955i owners suggesting that the c-stand bolts merit a frequent verification for tightness. I suppose you'd first notice it putting it up, though.



Not too crazy about the c-stand on this bike - I haven't figured how to put the thing up without nearly soiling myself in the process. My F650 was so easy: just step on it and wait - it would practically go up by itself.

[knarf]

Not too crazy about the c-stand on this bike - I haven't figured how to put the thing up without nearly soiling myself in the process.

I agree its a very heavy bike and getting on/off  the c-stand can be nearly comical.

[Guest]

I always fill up with fuel by putting it on the centre stand. As has been said before you get more in that way.



Anyway, I do usually get on the bike still on the centre stand and take my weight off it by pushing the bike off the stand using my right leg on the ground. So basically I hop on, slide across and push off. There's no more weight on the pivots than if were just sitting there. It's also impossible for it to fall over because you're sitting astride it.



The point about the BMW balance is true. That's where the stand should be, i.e. right at the balance point. However, that's the ONLY good point about BMWs.  [/b][/i]

[Howlin]

Beemers on side stands like to smoke too! :shock:

[ChrisN]

I think the balance point is good on the Tiger centre stand, the positive weight forward keeps the bike stable. At the same time its not too much to pull down with one hand on the rear carrier rack to lift the front wheel up. I have a peice of 3x3 timber cut just to the right length to prop under the lower bash plate bolt which then allows me to work on the front end of the bike whilst off the ground. Makes cleaning the front wheel easy too. Again, the bikes natural desire to tip forward keeps the timber block in place and the bike reasonably stable.

[Guest]

That's a good point ChrisN. Of course, the BMWs balance is messed up when you load the luggage on the back.

How much luggage do we need on a Tiger to achieve balance?

[ridin gaijin]

How much luggage do we need on a Tiger to achieve balance?

An easy one, sir, I would think! You will need:



1 girl

12 six-packs Guinness

A bathroom scale



1. Put your Tiger on the centerstand. (Note: if you live in the USA you have to spend $220 before you can do this step. Dammit.)

2. Put the girl on the passenger seat. If she's wearing clothes you'll have to be careful for step 6.

3. Hand her a six-pack. Watch to see if the rear wheel touches down. If so, go to step 5.

4. If the rear wheel has not yet touched down, repeat Step 3. IMPORTANT: at this sensitive stage of testing, you must not start drinking the Guinness yet!

5. When the rear wheel touches, help the girl off the bike and escort her (holding the six-packs!) to the scale.

6. Weigh her. DON'T DRINK THE GUINNESS YET! If she has clothes on, don't take them off, either. She has to be weighed exactly as she was when the rear wheel touched.

7. The weight of the girl, any clothing, and the Guinness is how much crap you can put on to achieve balance.* Ta-Da!

8. Tidy up however you see fit. Something will have to be done with the girl and all that Guinness.



*For the Tiger that is! Your personal life is another matter which these instructions may or may not assist with.



BTW FWIW it would absolutely never have occurred to me to ride off the centerstand. This bike is too tall and top-heavy.