How does the Side Kicker work?

My side stand mount doesn't look bent. The stand sits up nicely when not in use, but Ill check it out.

I had some serious "fun" yesterday. I wanted to park near some shops but there were no spaces on the road so I parked in a a few feet into a snow covered and empty (wonder why) car park area. Getting out was a nightmare of steep camber into the kerb and zero grip.

I could not get the bike off its stand while on the snow - too much lean and not enough feet grip. had that been possible I could have driven out. Eventually, I got the bike down to the road using the snow filled gutter as a railway line. Great, I'm now on clean tarmac. Sorted? Erm, no! :(

The road was too steep to face downwards as the bike would roll off the stand. It was also cambered too much to the left so facing up leaned the bike at a crazy angle and no way could I haul it off the stand. I ended up manhandling the bike to face uphill at 45 degrees across the road. Only then could I haul it off the side stand and drive away.

A 1" or 2" hockey puck would have been way too little.
The Side Kicker might well have got me out of trouble, but its still a silly price.
 
Try ...

... a Rugged Roads Fat Foot for a packable sidestand extender; if memory serves it has a number of packing plates to suit.
 
I'm sure its useful on soft ground but its also nowhere close to solving the the problem of a stand that's too short..
 
Bendy toy said:
A 1" or 2" hockey puck would have been way too little.
The Side Kicker might well have got me out of trouble, but its still a silly price.
Click to expand...

If 2" would be too little, then you have a big problem. Maybe you have a short stand on a normal height bike. Your signature says you have a GSA, so maybe you have a GS sidestand?

How much clearance is there between the bottom of the rear tyre and the ground when the bike is on the centre stand??

All bikes that have long travel suspension DO lean over more than, say, a sports bike with minimal suspension.
 
Sidestand

As Pablo1 said in post 18, I have a 2010 gs and made a 20mm thick extension and found that I had a hard foul on the silencer with the stand up. I made another 15mm thick and find that is ok. I have short legs and found it raised the bike enough to make a difference when trying to get it upright off the sidestand when astride the bike. However be careful if you go abroad because you may find that with the camber rising on the left the sidestand can hit the floor before it is fully forward and taking the weight (you will only do it once:eek:) and the bike is too upright when you get off it.
 
I'll do some proper measurements when its less cold. The 900 is on its side stand so easy to measure at 50mm from the floor with bike vertical.

The GSA is on the centre stand with side stand measuring 140 from the floor so I guestimate its 100mm when on its wheels.

Full luggage makes more difference to the GS tilt than it did on the Diversion 900, but its still leaning one heck of a lot.
 
+1 for the hoof, it was so good I even done a quick review and fitting instructions in the thread.

3 Months on the hoofs lost a little of its height due the the fact that I ride every day so it gets a lot of use but I really wouldn't like to ride without it, I'm 5 6" and about 10 and a half stone so find it harder to right the bike when it's leaning and loaded of fuel up.
 
...the hockey puck works well, I've put one on my last 5 GS's, 1150/12.
Drill 4 holes in the steel plate and use stainless self tappers, make sure puck won't foul anything in the 'up' position before drilling.

Easy fix
 
Bendy toy said:
The issue is that the stand is way too short so the bike leans over too much. Its a maul to haul upright on level ground. With even a slight LH slope its impossible to pull it upright. A new foot on a too short stand will do approximately nothing whatsoever to fix that!

The Side Kicker fixes the problem, but its silly money so I'm asking if anyone knows how the tube telescope locking system works.
Click to expand...

Sounds like you have made the mistake of buying a bike thats too big for you just because its fashionable.:rob And if that sounds a bit unfriendly - it isnt. I've done the same thing. :eek:

At a guess, the side kicker is a slightly complicated set of inner springs and sliding locks. Its not something your mate with a welder could just knock up for you.
 
How about posting a "head on" pic of your GSA on it's side stand ON LEVEL GROUND. Then maybe other GSA owners will be able to tell you if it's leaning too far or not.

You have checked that the sidestand bolt is done up tight, haven't you??
 
birdseye said:
Sounds like you have made the mistake of buying a bike thats too big for you just because its fashionable.:rob And if that sounds a bit unfriendly - it isnt. I've done the same thing. :eek:

At a guess, the side kicker is a slightly complicated set of inner springs and sliding locks. Its not something your mate with a welder could just knock up for you.
Click to expand...

The bike is a bit tall in the leg reach but that's fixable. Its actually less weight than my Diversion 900 (owned for 7 years and 50K miles) so no issues on that front. The GS is also a lot easier to handle at low speeds.

The side kicker must have springs and stuff inside but their advert says if it gets sticky with grit just wash it out with a pressure hose. Its unlikely to be complex or precision parts - they soon wouldnt work for long with grit etc.

When it stops snowing I will post pix of the bike on stand.
 
Honestly,......... your gonna fart around trying to copy the construction of the telescopic sidekicker side-stand.............so you'll have to buy whatever materials are needed and pay a mate to build it, test it only to discover it don't work:blast. Now you gonna have to buy a side mirror and maybe an indicator.:mad:

I recon that's about £200.00 already:eek

Really,....... why don't you just buy the Sidekicker.:thumb2
 
Outtomunch said:
Park the bike the other side of the slope or at an angle to the slope :nenau

Most of the larger 'feet' you get for the stands are two plates that bolt together giving you the opportunity to pack them out a bit to help, as in reality, the stand on the 1200 is not too short and you wouldn't (shouldn't) need to add much to the height of the stand (you may need longer bolts?).

Andres
Click to expand...

+1.

This Side Kicker thing is a solution to a problem that really doesn't exist.

Even when parked at a silly angle on the stock side stand, it really isn't a drama righting the bike and then walking the bike to a flatter area allow easy mounting.

Use a combination of sensible parking and getting down the gym!

Or learn to hold the bike upright, kick the stand up, let the clutch out whilst standing on the LH foot peg and ride off, whilst swinging the RH leg over, lke this:

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/kRFyw57o_Ic" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>


Simplez !
 
WindyChuffer said:
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/kRFyw57o_Ic" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>


Simplez !
Click to expand...

note how the rider simultaneously nudges the seat with his hips as he pushes the bike upright with the bars. makes a huge difference.
i've seen plenty of riders miss that out, and then make it hard work wrestling the bike with arm power alone.
 
Nippy Normans supply Touratech, Wunderlich, Desert Fox and many other makes of accessories.
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