Side Stand vs Center Stand

rich1 · Active Member

I have only used the center stand once ... and that was so I could remove the side stand and paint it! I can read this entire forum in less time than it takes to put down the center stand ... probably me but it is still cumbersome at best.
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Rich
2005 Majesty owner 5500 miles and climbing!
Mike's Mirror extenders

JBC · New Member

Center stand (up on the jacks) is almost always more stable. The one exception I know is putting it up on jacks on steep hills, especially sideways on the hill.

For the side stand, especially on dirt, gravel, grass, carry an old coaster, piece of thick leather same size as coaster, piece of artificial rug or astro turf or carpet, what have you, in your small glove box. When you put the side stand down on the soft surface, just slide the coaster or whatever you are using, under the side stand before you put the weight of the bike on the stand. This will keep the stand from sinking into the ground and prevent the bike tipping over five minutes after you walked away.

You will find that extensive use of a side stand on concrete or asphalt will wear the paint off the stand and the stand will rust from the bottom up. If you chrome it, the chrome will break off the bottom and, again, rust. The coaster, used even on concrete and hard surface, will keep the paint intact and thus help prevent it from rusting.