Tag Archives: side stand

Honda patents telescopic side stand

Honda’s blitz on motorcycle patent applications continues with the latest a telescopic side stand.

Instead of a solid, sprung stand you flick out to prop up the motorcycle, this stand is like a telescopic camera tripod.

We can understand the need to make side stands more secure from flicking back and allowing the bike to fall.

Harley-Davidson resolved this years ago with a locking side stand.

Harley-Davidson LiveWire electric motorcycleClever locking Harley side stand

Telescopic stand

Honda’s telescopic sand plan is revolutionary, but we’re not sure it is any more secure than current solid, sprung stands.

It also seems complex to deploy as you have push it down and rotate it backwards.

To retract the stand the rider has to push the base forwards, releasing a peg from a slot so a spring retracts the tubes.

We have complained in the past about flimsy side stands and the lack of centre stands on modern motorcycles.

This hardly seems to address either issue.

Honda patents

This is one of a blitz of patent applications by Honda over the past couple of years.

Some are quite weird and impractical, but others may actually make it to market.

We suspect Honda is just trying to dominate intellectual property on motorcycle inventions, rather than planning to put them all into production.

The patents include:

Forks Goldwing patentGoldwing forks patent

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com

Another recall over faulty motorcycle stands

The second recall this week over faulty stands seems to point to a failing among modern motorcycle side and centre stands that are lightweight and flimsy.

Earlier this week, the Triumph Thruxton was recalled over a side stand spring that can break off and cause the engine to stall.

Now Yamaha has recalled 78 of their 2017-19 XP530A scooters because the main stand “may crack and break due to substandard welding”.

Yamaha XP530A 2018 Scooter standYamaha XP530A (Image supplied by Yamaha without the scooter miraculously standing without any aid from a stand!)

The official notice issued through the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission says if the scooter stand cracks, “the scooter could fall and cause a serious crush injury to the rider or bystanders”.

Yamaha will contact “all known affected consumers” directly to arrange for inspection and, if necessary, a new strengthened stand.

However, recall notices don’t always reach the owners, which is why we publish them.

No recall notification

British rider Randall Munroe says he crashed his 2012 Triumph Explorer after the side stand broke loose.

“When I went online to look up the part number I discovered that there had been a recall for the side stand bolt but I had never been notified,” he says.

“When I contacted the dealer they blamed me so I went up the chain and eventually contacted Triumph UK. In short, they did nothing.

“Wouldn’t even replace the broken and damaged parts – I had to pay for them myself. I did contact a lawyer after Triumph refused to deal with the problem but was told that I wouldn’t get anywhere with a claim unless I had missed work due to injury but I was retired at the time.

“Just a caution for every bike owner to keep informed of recalls as you can’t trust the manufacturer to be responsible!”

Other recalls involving side and centre sands in recent years include the Ducati Multistrada S, Honda CRF1000 Africa Twin, Kawasaki H2 SX and BMW G 310 models. 

Faulty stands

1948 Vincent RapideThe 1948 Vincent Rapide had not one, but two sturdy side stands

So what is wrong with modern side and centre stands – that’s if they even include the latter!

Remember when side and centre stands were big and chunky and made of steel?

Remember when you could actually have a sleep on your bike parked in the shade of a tree, comfortable in the knowledge it wouldn’t fall over?

And remember when you could pull your bike over to pivot on its side stand to turn the bike around on its own axis?

You wouldn’t try that with modern bikes.

It seems in an effort to reduce weight and therefore improve fuel economy and emissions, modern motorcycle stands are made of alloys or lightweight aluminium.

They are too flimsy and simply not up to the job of supporting a big bike.

Broken Multistrada side stands sidestandBroken Multistrada side stand

Welding issues

Welding issues seem to a recurring issue in side stand recalls.

Perhaps that’s because they are trying to weld lighter alloys and aluminium that simply don’t bond as strongly as steel.

We have complained before about the lack of centre stands on many modern touring bikes.

Honda CX500 with standard vinyl seat1980s Honda CX500 had a chunky steel centre stand

But what about decent side stands?

Two years ago we also complained about cheap parts being used on expensive motorcycles and included alloy and aluminium side stands.

Light parts are not only being used to meet emission and fuel economy targets but also to keep costs down.

However, it’s a false economy when they have to pay for the part to be fixed or replaced in a vehicle safety recall.

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com

Are modern bikes stands too flimsy?

The recent recall of Ducati Multistrada S motorcycles for a faulty side stand is one of many similar recalls that suggest modern motorcycles stands are simply too flimsy.

Remember when side and centre stands were big and chunky and made of steel?

Remember when you could actually have a sleep on your bike parked in the shade of a tree, comfortable in the knowledge it wouldn’t fall over?

And remember when you could pull your bike over to pivot on its side stand to turn the bike around on its own axis?

You wouldn’t try that with modern bikes.

Flimsy stands

It seems in an effort to reduce weight and therefore improve fuel economy and emissions, modern motorcycle stands are made of alloys or lightweight aluminium.

They are too flimsy and simply not up to the job of supporting a big bike.

In the case of the Multistrada, Ducati is blaming an improper weld joining the tube to the forged part of the side stand at the top.

Broken Multistrada side stands sidestandBroken Multistrada side stand

Yet they had a similar recall over a breaking weld in the side stand in 2015 for 2015 and 2016 Multistrada 1200 and 1200 S models.

We’re not just picking on Ducati.

Here are some recent stand recall issues:

  • Last month, Triumph Australia recalled various Thruxtons over a side stand spring that can break;
  • In 2018, BMW recalled its G 310 models over a faulty side stand that could break;
  • Honda recalled their CRF1000 Africa Twin adventure motorcycle’s accessory main stand kit which could come loose and fall off;
  • Kawasaki recalled the H2 SX super tourer over the centre stand falling off due to an improper weld in 2018; and
  • In 2014, BMW recalled seven models because water could get into the side stand and cause the cut-off switch to kill the engine.

Welding issues

Welding issues seem to a recurring issue in side stand recalls.

Perhaps that’s because they are trying to weld lighter alloys and aluminium that simply don’t bond as strongly as steel.

We have complained before about the lack of centre stands on many modern touring bikes.

Honda CX500 with standard vinyl seat1980s Honda CX500 had a chunky steel centre stand

But what about decent side stands?

Two years ago we also complained about cheap parts being used on expensive motorcycles and included alloy and aluminium side stands.

Light parts are not only being used to meet emission and fuel economy targets but also to keep costs down.

However, it’s a false economy when they have to pay for the part to be fixed or replaced in a vehicle safety recall.

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com