Stand Grounding

[Deleted Member Mtn]

has anybody had any problems with the centre stand grounding on the 650 gs?

bought mine in march this year and am more than pleased with the handling.
the dealer ground off some metal on the stand at the first service, but i still get the odd scrape going round left handers which does tend to put the wind up me a bit!!

i do have the lower chassis model as i am very vertically challenged

any ideas as to how i can stop sending sparks flying

 

[Jon]

Hi Marion,
The 650 GS Dakar version doesn't come with a centre stand, altho you can spend £100 with either Wunderlich or Touratech for one
(or buy a £30 for paddock stand for when you want check the chain, work on the rear etc )

The CS also doesn't have a centre stand.
Have you thought of removing your centre stand?

If that's what's causing the problem, do you really need it?

I know that in the dim-distant past it's been said that centre stands are preferable/stronger than side stands, but the bike doesn't weigh that much and they wouldn't make the Dakar & CS models like that if they weren't up to the job.

You can also spend a few quid to put your mind at rest & get the Wunderlich footpad thingy for the side stand - makes the stand footprint bigger so the stand doesn't dig in when in fields/sticky tarmac etc & so is less prone to fall over.

Just a thought.

Cheers

Jon

 

[Simon Eassom]

Marion:
It's a shame you've bought the "lowered" version because unless you are under 5' the standard is OK. Lisa is 5'2" and we bought the standard rather than the lowered version for precisely the reasons you're now experiencing. The handling is compromised, off-road capability suffers, re-sale tends to be to ladies only.
But . . . you can fix it with an Ohlins rear shock set up a bit stiffer. I'm assuming you've got the pre-load set up properly on yours anyways. However, if you've slackened off the pre-load to lower the ride height, then that might be where you're causing problems. Despite the temptation to use the pre-load adjuster as a ride-height adjuster, it should only be used for ajusting pre-load. If you've set it too soft you'll be bottoming out regularly and grinding the centre stand.
The secret is to build up your confidence and learn to ride without the security of getting two feet flat on the ground when you need them . . . watch Nick Plumb ride an 1150GS when he can't even touch the floor when he's sat on the bike.
Simon

 

[Deleted Member Mtn]

ooops!!!

eerrr!!!!..... you know i said my centre stand was grounding,.... well on further investigation, i have discovered that my centre stand has not seen a millimetre of moving road, it is actually my SIDE STAND.!!!!

Can anybody recommend a solution short of chopping it in for a standard model and buying a touratech low seat?

its actually becoming a bit of a nightmare now as i consciously wimp out on left handers, which really p***es off anybody following me

glad for any constructive suggestions

 

[Jon]

Marion,

You just gotta know this is coming.......................

Put the centre stand back on & take the side stand off...........

Just kidding, don't think that's a solution really, there are times when you're gonna need it.

Which part of the side stand is grounding? The foot pad?

 

[Spout]

Check your stand is fully retracting against its proper stop (compare with another bike if you're not sure).
Mine sometimes gets caught on the centrestand.

Good luck..............

 

[Deleted Member Mtn]

Marion,

You just gotta know this is coming.......................

Put the centre stand back on & take the side stand off...........

Just kidding, don't think that's a solution really, there are times when you're gonna need it.

Which part of the side stand is grounding? The foot pad?

yes the footpad is scraping away on left handers (well... there would be something wrong if it was right handers

As i dont know anybody in real life who;s got a 650GS i'll have to go to balderstons where i got it from (trying to find a route where i only turn right) and suggest to them that they compare it for me... i mean.... its only 3 months old... bless

 

[Kenny]

Hi Marion,

Most blokes spend their entire biking life trying to touch their sidestand down...and you complain !!

Bloody Hell, your my hero - LOL

Kenny

 

[Jon]

If Balderstones were the ones who recommended a lowered bike, maybe they should be taking some form of responsibility?

Did they warn you the side stand might ground?

Or did they expect you, as a girly, to only ride round upright at 30mph...........?

If it's only 3 months old, gotta be worth an approach. Is it fit for the use intended? If it's got to the point where you are very nervous going round left handers - nope. Could possibly constitute a safety risk for you. The stand grounds, you stand it up in a corner &................

As I understand it, the lowered option was a no cost factory job, where they moved the suspension, for want of a better description, along on notch, so the bike was lower. Happy to be corrected on this point!

If that's how it's done, then surey they can retro it back to normal? If so, how much & will they take the hit for bad advice? That & maybe a lowered saddle if you still think it's too high after Simons advice.

 

[Andy Leeds UK]

Conversion back will be expensive. If they'll bite, ask the dealer what it'll cost to trade for a Dakar or standard height GS as well.

What about springs? How far does the bike drop when you sit on it? Does it bottom out if you get some lardy bloke to ride it? I just thinking that this sounds odd and might be down to wrong bits getting fitted when they lowered it. Try this one on the dealer if they try the "they all do that" tack.

Engineering solution might be to bend the stand. Take it off and get it to a proper tube working shop who'll tell you what its made of and if it'll bend rather than crush or snap. Be aware that the bike will lean over further on the stand, you may need to fix the sidestand switch as well and a bent stand will go rusty a lot quicker. This isn't a great idea, but it's possible. I bent mine with an 8 foot bar and bench vice to improve the angle and that lasted 5 years, but I was trained to abuse metal!

Andy

 

[jackwabbit]

I have just spotted a thread on the F650 web site http://www.trevorgeorge.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/
That might be of interest. Under the heading (Altering supension to stop the bike wallowing around)


“Yes. I have the lowered version of the GS, so needed to tighten up the suspension to stop everything hitting the floor when cornering erm.... enthusiastically! Rear suspension is wound up on max preload, which is fine for road riding. I changed the oil in the forks from 7.5 to 10 weight fork oil and put in 1/2 inch of washers to increase the preload.

Makes a great difference, the ride height is higher (less sag) and the front is much more controllable during braking and cornering.”

This looks like it may be a common problem with the lowered version of the GS !!!

 

[Deleted Member Mtn]

now have my pre load on full tilt, handling phenomenally better but the bike is lik a bucking bronco when i go over bumps at speed (even with my 10 stone frame) spoken to balderstons and they say that the bike isnt built for carrying pillions or heavy loads, but they will look at it . they have offered to bend the centre stand up . 3 months old and £5,500 worth of bike.... will they my a*se!!!!. taking it over to them next week to 'look at it' .... watch this space

p.s. came back from oakham with 2 cans of emulsion in the tank bag the other day, you are right about putting weight on the front to make it corner better. thought it would mess up the handling,... it improved it no end...

 

[Andy Leeds UK]

....spoken to balderstons and they say that the bike isnt built for carrying pillions or heavy loads...

Try this:

BMW manual says the F650 will carry 2 people (it has a seat and pegs) plus 10 kg of luggage. Speed in this condition is a reccomended maximum of 130 kph (17 kph over UK speed limt). The warrenty is two years or 20000 miles all of which may be in this load condition.

EC/98/12 (the brake regs) define a person as a 75 kg load. This is your standard 1.7m Euro person, so BMW designers should be working with the same numbers.

So, your F can carry 160kg (2@75kg +10), or they should revise their own literature and remove the pillion pegs. You weigh 65 kg or so, so if it doesn't perform at 40% load, what hope near 100? You have not exceeded the bikes design criterea, therefore your expectations of its performance are valid.

Andy

 

[MikeO]

The warrenty is two years or 20000 miles all of which may be in this load condition.

Well the warranty on my bike is 2yrs, unlimited mileage.......

Mike

 

[Deleted Member Mtn]

Try this:

BMW manual says the F650 will carry 2 people (it has a seat and pegs)


got in touch with balderstons today and quoted all the stuff you wrote (i have to say that i pretended that i had read it all)

after refusing to let them near my stand with a blow torch, they now say that it is a matter for BMW to sort

Have to say that they are doing all of the chasing with BMW. i cant knock them for being efficient. maybe they think i'm in the running for an 1150 when i get my rise next year.

watch this space ..........

 

[Deleted Member Mtn]

well... taken bike to balderstons this morning.
they plied me with coffee whilst messing with the stand and done a major modification.... screwed in the stop on the frame where the side stand comes in to contact...

seems ok now but i will have to try it 2 up, with warm tyres and with a dry road before i am satisfied.

thanks for all of your comments