lowered bike, difficult to get on the centre stand

[stringman]

Hi all

Has anyone had their GT lowered ( with the dog bones)?

And if so do you find it more difficult to get it up on the centrestand?

I used to have a 17 tracer (FJ09) and it was fairly easy to get on the the centre stand. I could also ( in a tight spot) pivot the bike on the side stand to turn it 180deg

Now I have a tracer 900GT that has the lower dog bones and one of those plates that sit oin the foot of the side stand.

No way will it pivot, and its a complete bitch to get on the centre stand, so much so that this week I popped my calf muscle doing it.

My thinking is, that as its lower there is less leverage so you need more force.

Any Thoughts?

Thanks

[Grumpy Goat]

4 minutes ago, stringman said:

...

My thinking is, that as its lower there is less leverage so you need more force.

Any Thoughts?

You are absolutely correct.

With the bike lowered then angle between the centrestand and the gound is shallower and hence more difficult to raise up and over that point when the stand is vertical to when it is sloped the other way. No mystery here. The centrestand would have to be cut-rewelded to shorten it so that the angle when it first contacts the ground is the same as before the bike was lowered.

Also, a lowered bike on the sidestand will be more vertical. On the Tracer 900GT that may not be too bad as it does lean quite a bit to the left at standard height. Too much straightening up and you could have tipover events.

[stringman]

As I thought.

Im not that happy with the lowered position so I will put back the original dog bones on.

Thanks

 

[betoney]

10 hours ago, stringman said:

My thinking is, that as its lower there is less leverage so you need more force.

Any Thoughts?

Yes, absolutely correct.  It will be harder to get up on the center stand.

[Bimbim18]

as a shorter guy (5'5", 28" inseam) I considered lowering my 2019 GT for a while when I got it.

Glad I didn't, I rather not mess with the geometry of the suspension. It took some getting used to and couldn't flatfoot it, but other than getting used to certain nuances I was glad I didn't lower it in the end.

 

You can get custom side stands (shorter).

You could possibly get a custom shop to chop down/reweld new feet to the center stand, or maybe find a shorter center stand but I'm sure that'll lead to it's own set of issues.

Edited June 3, 2022 by Bimbim18

[stringman]

Thanks for all the replies.

Previous tracers werent lowered and i managed ok.

I am having the rear shock spring changed and some andreani cartridges fitted so I will get the shop to put the original dog bones back when they do that.

Just a thought. As he hadnt adjusted the front to compensate  would it change the riding position for the worse with regards to screen protection / wind buffering?

[Kchan]

I have a 2021 T9GT which has been lowered. Getting the bike on the centre stand is not an issue providing I remove the two panniers. If I leave the panniers on, then it becomes almost impossible, even if the cases are empty.

[stringman]

17 minutes ago, Kchan said:

I have a 2021 T9GT which has been lowered. Getting the bike on the centre stand is not an issue providing I remove the two panniers. If I leave the panniers on, then it becomes almost impossible, even if the cases are empty.

Interesting 

My bike has a topbox and , at the moment, 1 panier

[betoney]

I also own a Honda VFR1200X and it is HEAVY, it takes a LOT of effort to get it up on the center stand.  A method I use to make it easier is grab the handlebar and rear grab rail like normal, and roll the bike backwards and quickly kick down the center stand.  The momentum of the bike moving backward helps it pop up onto the center stand fairly easy. 

After getting a heavy bike on the center stand, the FJ/Tracer is a non issue, almost effortless in comparison.

[stringman]

3 hours ago, betoney said:

I also own a Honda VFR1200X and it is HEAVY, it takes a LOT of effort to get it up on the center stand.  A method I use to make it easier is grab the handlebar and rear grab rail like normal, and roll the bike backwards and quickly kick down the center stand.  The momentum of the bike moving backward helps it pop up onto the center stand fairly easy. 

After getting a heavy bike on the center stand, the FJ/Tracer is a non issue, almost effortless in comparison.

thats good advice but my issue is I have an easyturn turntable so I have to be accurate where the centre stand goes down. I suspect putting the bike to standard height will improve things.

Until then its the left leg on the stand!!!

[KrustyKush]

When I bought my Tracer I had first looked at a Hayabusa and commented on the lack of center stand on that bike to the sales guy, saying that a bike w/o a center stand was a far bridge for me. A couple days later I migrated over to the Tracer and the sales guy pointedly said, hey, a center stand!  He then invited me to put the bike up on the center stand.

I knew he wanted me to humiliate myself in front of everybody, and so I said naw I know what it is like. This Tracer is not as bad as some I’ve seen, but it is a heavy lift for a 73 y/o.

wasn’t it Kawasaki that had a side stand on its Voyager 12 with a separate lever on it to help push the bike up?  Without that lever you could pretty much forget the center stand

[TomTracer]

I know a guy who lowered his KLR650 andxarried a short length of 2x4 to put under the rear wheel for the few times he wanted it up on the stand. Worked.

[bikerdup]

My 2019 Tracer GT has been lowered by 15mm.  The more you lower, the more mechanical advantage you loose for putting the bike on the center stand.  I'm not a big guy (160 lb).  To get the bike on the stand, step completely up on the center stand lever arm and drop your weight onto it.  Unless you've gone crazy with lowering, it should pop up onto the center stand.

[Heli ATP]

I lowered my Niken 25mm. The center stand is more difficult to use but doable with solid sole boots and plenty of body weight. The bike is almost vertical on the side stand so I will be lowering it by 1.5".... cut, insert steel rod, weld and powder coat.

In the meantime I opted for another solution, albeit an expensive one but worth it for the convenience.

Lifted from YouTube

 

[TomTracer]

Years ago a guy posted a mod he made to his hollow side stand on a lowered bike. Will see if I still have the writeup.