Kickstand Tip

Rob · Post by **Rob** » Wed Sep 02, 2009 1:37 am

I know suggestions for using kickstands on hot asphalt have been offered many times , so this already may be out there. But this was new to me, so it might be helpful to others. Several of the guys I've been riding with use an electrical junction box cover under their kickstands. It's effective, they're cheap (maybe 50 cents at most hardware stores), and since they are flat, they are easy to carry.

Rob

Post by **Lostmycage** » Wed Sep 02, 2009 3:04 am

Nice tip. I still like my center-stands, lol.

jfrost2 · Post by **jfrost2** » Wed Sep 02, 2009 3:31 am

Plastic or metal cup coasters will also work fine. They gave us a 2 in 1 kick stand and cup coaster in the MSF back then.

Post by **Lostmycage** » Wed Sep 02, 2009 3:35 am

jfrost2 wrote:Plastic or metal cup coasters will also work fine. They gave us a 2 in 1 kick stand and cup coaster in the MSF back then.

Very true, but Rob's you can replace if you loose it, and for only 50 cents. Besides, I try not to combine my drinking with my riding, which you'd have to do with the MSF coaster, since you can't very well set your drink on it while the kickstand's on it.

jfrost2 · Post by **jfrost2** » Wed Sep 02, 2009 3:37 am

I can think of a cheap alternative which is much more of a hassle. A large sheet of ABS plastic from the hardware store cut into small squares will work also. More work, less money, and a mass load of uneeded kick stand coaster things.

charlie55 · Post by **charlie55** » Wed Sep 02, 2009 3:45 am

Crushed soda can: cheap, readily available, and recyclable.

SteMer · Post by **SteMer** » Wed Sep 02, 2009 3:47 am

an aluminum can crushed flat works great - and you can always find those laying around for free

SteMer · Post by **SteMer** » Wed Sep 02, 2009 3:48 am

I like your thinking and timing, Charlie.

Post by **Lostmycage** » Wed Sep 02, 2009 4:03 am

SteMer wrote:
SteMer wrote:an aluminum can crushed flat works great - and you can always find those laying around for free
I like your thinking and timing, Charlie.

You must park near a lot of drunks, lol.

SteMer · Post by **SteMer** » Wed Sep 02, 2009 4:08 am

Lostmycage wrote:
SteMer wrote:
SteMer wrote:an aluminum can crushed flat works great - and you can always find those laying around for free
I like your thinking and timing, Charlie.
You must park near a lot of drunks, lol.

Either that or over-caffeinated soda drinkers.

KRUSTYburger · Post by **KRUSTYburger** » Wed Sep 02, 2009 4:50 am

Wait, what's the point of putting something under your stand? Just to keep it from getting scratched-up or what? I ask cuz I use mine all the time with nothing under it but the ground and I've never had an issue.

pyrocpu · Post by **pyrocpu** » Wed Sep 02, 2009 4:53 am

Hot areas; asphalt can sink.

Sinking asphalt = quickly sinking scooter.

Quickly sinking scoot = tippy scoot.

Tippy scoot = unhappy Buddy owner.

KRUSTYburger · Post by **KRUSTYburger** » Wed Sep 02, 2009 4:57 am

I dunno, it gets REALLY FLIPPIN HOT here and the asphalt doesn't sink. I've lived here in the sunshine state my whole life and never heard of such a thing happening.

Since we're talking about kickstands though, anybody found a cool aftermarket one that fits the buddy and looks a little less... um... cheesy?

pyrocpu · Post by **pyrocpu** » Wed Sep 02, 2009 5:05 am

I think it's more relevant for heavier bikes, like a Harley or something. I wouldn't be too concerned about the Buddy, but as Lostmycage said, I'd probably hedge my bets and centerstand it...

TVB · Post by **TVB** » Wed Sep 02, 2009 11:01 am

charlie55 wrote:Crushed soda can: cheap, readily available, and recyclable.

But I'd lose the 10-cent deposit!

Vic · Post by **Vic** » Wed Sep 02, 2009 11:08 am

It seems to be the age of the asphalt also. I volunteer for a non-profit and we just paid big bucks to have our parking lot re-paved. I went to a meeting about a month later and popped my Buddy on the center stand. When I came out I found that there were 2 fairly deep divots in the asphalt.

I was very upset! My Buddy was standing upright, but the beautiful new asphalt was not perfect anymore.

I had another meeting the following week and used the side stand with a plastic "cookie" (whatever they are called) under it and it was perfectly fine. AND no damage to the fresh asphalt!

I park at my work and never have a problem, but the parking lot is old and faded. Even my new scooter parked on the side stand is fine and it is significantly heavier than the Buddy.

At home, I have a small sidewalk which is perfect for my Buddy but the RV250 is so heavy I can't get it back out of the sidewalk area. I park the RV on well packed gravel, on the side stand, behind my truck. When it is raining, I put the cookie under the side stand for extra stability.

-v

TVB · Post by **TVB** » Wed Sep 02, 2009 11:19 am

KRUSTYburger wrote:I dunno, it gets REALLY FLIPPIN HOT here and the asphalt doesn't sink. I've lived here in the sunshine state my whole life and never heard of such a thing happening.

All I can figure is that they use more melt-resistant tar in Florida, because an afternoon in the sun can make ours soft as putty. My parents' new driveway has a couple holes poked in it from where I parked my Buddy on the center stand on the 4th of July.

When parking at state parks, I used both the center stand and the kickstand. Unless it was an especially hard and gravelly campsite, by the time I left the next morning it had sunk so that all three points plus both tires were supporting it.

brape · Post by **brape** » Wed Sep 02, 2009 11:40 am

KRUSTYburger wrote:I dunno, it gets REALLY FLIPPIN HOT here and the asphalt doesn't sink. I've lived here in the sunshine state my whole life and never heard of such a thing happening.

Since we're talking about kickstands though, anybody found a cool aftermarket one that fits the buddy and looks a little less... um... cheesy?

We had our driveway paved 2 years ago and when I got my scoot last year it was still soft enough that my center stand left divits in it on a hot day. This year didn't seem so bad, but it rained a lot and we only had a few weeks of hot weather.

Post by **Lostmycage** » Wed Sep 02, 2009 1:17 pm

Small areas of support will go right into fresh pavement. It has a lot to do with the age of the tar and the mixture of chemicals that are used in the asphalt. The older the asphalt, the more solid it becomes - then again, it's also going to have settling cracks and frost-heave cracks at that point.

The protector is more used for heavier bikes. The Buddy is generally only heavy enough to go into 1-3 year old asphalt on a hot day. When you take a 600lb motorcycle, it takes a lot less heat to go into it. MC's also tend to put more pressure since they lean further on their side stands.

Regardless of what you ride, it's not a bad idea to assess the surface condition and the temps when you park. As little space as something like a puck, coaster, crushed can or the junction box cover takes up, there's no reason you can't find room in your pack for one, at least in the hot months.

The one thing I'll say about the junction box if that those edges are sharp. You want to file them down a bit so they don't slice into things like a rain liner, your lunch bag or worse yet, your hands. Other than that, it's a close to perfect solution.

BeachBuzz · Post by **BeachBuzz** » Wed Sep 02, 2009 2:08 pm

At the shop I take my Burgman to they have round plastic 'pucks' with their logo scattered in the parking lot near the service bays. I use one when I park and pick it up when I leave. I carry one in the glove box and have a few in my scooter parking lot (gravel driveway) at the beach. Last time in the shop I noticed they had florescent orange footprint shaped ones on the showroom floor - so I grabbed one. It disappeared from my driveway when I was home at work during the week

. When my neighbor got his Kymco he went to a local dealer for a helmet and some other farkles and bought

a couple black footprint pucks for us to use. The black ones have stayed put for a month or so now, I guess they dont attract attention from the street. I almost always use the side stand and it would sink into the gravel, but the center stand seems more likely to get blown over with the unstable base of gravel. In the pas I have used shim shingles, crushed cans, a piece of a shoe sole - anything to spread the pressure of the kickstand foot.

iwabj · Post by **iwabj** » Wed Sep 02, 2009 2:12 pm

DennisD · Post by **DennisD** » Wed Sep 02, 2009 2:47 pm

KRUSTYburger wrote:I dunno, it gets REALLY FLIPPIN HOT here and the asphalt doesn't sink. I've lived here in the sunshine state my whole life and never heard of such a thing happening.

Since we're talking about kickstands though, anybody found a cool aftermarket one that fits the buddy and looks a little less... um... cheesy?

Ditto sorta. I have heard of some really really large, heavy, bikes being susceptible to this problem here in Florida. Just another reason to ride a Buddy.

Cheshire · Post by **Cheshire** » Wed Sep 02, 2009 4:45 pm

KRUSTYburger wrote:I dunno, it gets REALLY FLIPPIN HOT here and the asphalt doesn't sink. I've lived here in the sunshine state my whole life and never heard of such a thing happening.

Since we're talking about kickstands though, anybody found a cool aftermarket one that fits the buddy and looks a little less... um... cheesy?

I smell a class project.

Let me talk to my instructor, and maybe give me a month or two to learn the techniques needed...I'm learning blacksmithing starting this semester.

mayra · Post by **mayra** » Wed Sep 02, 2009 6:48 pm

weird i was just about to start a topic on this! i got a letter from the homeowner's association that i need to get a piece of wood or something to set the scooter on since it's leaving divets in the fresh asphalt. they do look pretty bad but my neighbor's harley was leaving huge holes in it. I'm running to the local hardware store to see if they have any free scrapwood.

my main concern is the buddy falling over. it's fallen over countless times since they repaved based on it being so soft. I always set it on the center stand. will wood be more stable?

Post by **Lostmycage** » Wed Sep 02, 2009 6:58 pm

Wood can potentially offset the center of gravity on the side stand enough (depending on it's thickness) where it might make the bike more prone to tipping. I'd try the conduit cover or a can. I don't think they'll have a problem with it as long as you're not making divots.

DennisD · Post by **DennisD** » Wed Sep 02, 2009 7:38 pm

Lostmycage wrote:Wood can potentially offset the center of gravity on the side stand enough (depending on it's thickness) where it might make the bike more prone to tipping. I'd try the conduit cover or a can. I don't think they'll have a problem with it as long as you're not making divots.

Try a piece of 1/4 inch plywood about 14 x 6 or 8 inches. Cut it down the middle, attach a couple hinges and throw it in the pet carrier.

mayra · Post by **mayra** » Wed Sep 02, 2009 11:58 pm

DennisD wrote:Try a piece of 1/4 inch plywood about 14 x 6 or 8 inches. Cut it down the middle, attach a couple hinges and throw it in the pet carrier.

thanks this sounds great!

ilektron · Post by **ilektron** » Thu Sep 03, 2009 5:10 am

Has anyone actually had their buddy fall over due to sinking? Or is a black swan?

olhogrider · Post by **olhogrider** » Thu Sep 03, 2009 8:10 pm

This is what I use on my 400 pound dirt bike. It doesn't even sink in sand, plus I always know where it is.

http://www.sinknobob.net/