Tools needed: hack saw, dremel with a grinding tip.
After modding my battery cover for a mo bigga 9-bs battery (see my other post), I decided to do something about my center stand to reduce scraping.
First, my take on the center stand scrape issue:
I really don't want to start another long discussion about why I "don't need to lean so much", to make the buddy corner well(I have a feeling its going to happen anyways
. It misses the point. My 07 Italia has stock shocks. I'm around 215 lbs, and ride very conservatively. I took the MSF. I check my tire pressure. I try to practice good technique and avoid leaning too much. Despite this, occasionally on left turns off of highly crowned roads, I still scrape the center stand. All it takes is a little dip or bump in the road. Riding two up makes the situation much worse. Personally, I see the scrape thing as a safety issue, particularly when executing an evasive manuever where a hard lean is warranted. It seems perfectly reasonable to me to want to reduce the scrape hazard and improve the buddy's leaning ability for safety's sake. If you can do this without causing any safety issues, why not? If this makes sense to you, read on.The goal is to maximize the distance between the street and the stand by 1) Trimming the plastic stand bumper, and 2) Shaping the metal foot at the scrape contact patch area.
All my measurements where made with the scoot on the side stand and the front wheel turned all the way to the left. Nobody sitting on the scoot. With the scoot leaning slightly to the left, this provides a convenient reference for measurement. All measurements are made from lowest part of the stand, the "scrape contact patch" (SCP) on the left foot. Yes, I understand that the slight lean on the side stand is not the same as a real-world lean. That doesn't make it any less valid as a reference.
Stock, my scoot has just 2 3/4 inches from the SCP to the ground. I could only imagine how much less it is with me on it in a real turn, with a moderate lean, with the shocks compressing to absorb a bump. No wonder it scrapes. It won't take much additional clearance to increase the scooters leanability.
Step 1: Trimming the plastic stand bumper
When in the tucked position, the stand rests on a thick plastic bumper. The bumper rests against a metal plate attached to the engine, so the stand actually "tracks" the rear suspension, but not much. The bumper is approximately 5/8" thick. The stand could tuck up significantly higher if the bumper were not as thick, so we're going to cut it down to about 1/4". The bumper slides out of the stand without too much fuss. Here's the before shot:
See pic below.
I used a hacksaw and followed up with my dremel with a sanding tip to get a slightly domed smooth surface with a final thickness of about 3/16". Here a shot after trimming:
See pic below.
Step 2: Shaping the metal foot at the scrape contact patch area
There is a distinct contact patch on the left foot of the stand where I scrape. This part of the foot kind of sticks out a little. I figure I can shave it down to gain clearance voodoo-style (on the street while riding), or I can grind it down in the comfort of my garage. I choose the latter. Here's a before shot:
See pic below.
Using the SCP as a guide, I used a cut-off wheel on my dremel and followed up with a grinder tip and finally a sanding tip to get a nice smooth contour. Ideally, the SCP surface should be shaped such that it is parallel with the street just before contact. It doesn't take much, you could probably do it with a file if you didn't have a power tool. Here's an after shot:
See pic below.
Finally, here's a before and after shot showing the stock and modded stand orientation. The increased clearance is visible. We started with 2 3/4 inches of clearance. After the mods, I measured 3 1/4 inches. That's about a half inch gain - 18% more clearance with nobody on the scoot. A more meaningful measurement could be made with a rider on the scoot in a turn. When you consider the additional clearance from shaping the foot (which really makes a difference near impending scrape), I wouldn't not be surprised if I had 25% more clearance in real world usage. That translates directly into more lean before scraping.
See pics below.
Don't forget to finish with a bit of black rustoleum on the shaped metal. This makes it easy to see where you scrape later on (hopefully not at all). Also, a dab of grease on the bumper where it contacts the metal plate. I'll report back with my observations. I'm not about ready to go out on a knee-dragging run, but I should be able to say if this makes a difference for me after putting some miles in. I'd appreciate any comments from anyone who does this mod, as well.
Stay safe!
And a mod I'm gonna have to do!
