---CENTRE STAND----???

[NIBS]

Hello

  Just a quick question I am sure has been asked before but I couldn't find it in the mass of hits that this search brings up.

  Was the centre stand and optional extra on the purchase of a new BMW K1300R or K1300S. I can't believe how many K's I have looked at that don't have one or that have an aftermarket stand fitted if they do. If you are touring I would have thought it was a must have for punctures etc.

Your thoughts......

[raesewell]

The centre stand was not standard on the R and S it was standard on the GT.

[NIBS]

The centre stand was not standard on the R and S it was standard on the GT.

Well that explains it then.

Thanks very much.

[NIBS]

In that case I have just looked at the belly pan on the K1300S and it would appear that there isn't any room to fit a centre stand without modifying the belly pan. Interestingly enough there appears to be marks on the inside of the belly pan that would indicate that it needs to be cut out to accommodate one. Is this correct or am I missing something?   

[raesewell]

The belly pan on the R and S is marked where you need to cut. It's not difficult.

[NIBS]

The belly pan on the R and S is marked where you need to cut. It's not difficult.

Thanks again.

[chriscanning]

Center stands are for oiling the chain, you sure as hell don’t need one to plug a tyre and if it needs repairing or replacing those that can do such have a paddock stand.

[richtea]

Centre stands are for:
- stability
- checking for nerg nails in the rear tyre
- easy rear wheel cleaning

I like them and had one fitted specifically.

[black-k1]

Center stands are for oiling the chain, you sure as hell don’t need one to plug a tyre and if it needs repairing or replacing those that can do such have a paddock stand.

Absolutely!

Centre stands are for:
- stability
- checking for nerg nails in the rear tyre
- easy rear wheel cleaning

I like them and had one fitted specifically.

There's no accounting for taste!

[Matt]

After having a centre stand on the GS I was a little sad to realise the GT doesn't have one. But then I often think the only reason I put it on the centre stand in the garage at home is because I can!

Things to do when not having a centre stand:
 - Look at the Abba stand again
 - Try and translate sparse Italian prose to make my K paddock stand work with the KTM
 - Return to having a 'good side' for bike photography

[NIBS]

Center stands are for oiling the chain, you sure as hell don’t need one to plug a tyre and if it needs repairing or replacing those that can do such have a paddock stand.

Having been lucky enough not to suffer a puncture while touring I am also glad that I wasn't carrying my paddock stand with me around Europe just in case. Also some punctures can't be plugged, for those that can it's a temporary get you home reduced speed measure,  so removing the punctured wheel for tyre replacement is the only option. A relatively easy task with a centre stand. Good luck with that without one.

[chriscanning]

What you’ve missed it’s 2021....your post would have had some kudos posted 25 years ago, single sided swing arms are the norm now, any with the ability to fix a motorcycle puncture will have one.

I currently run 6 bikes, 2 shaft driven, 4 with chain, 2 have single sided swing arms...2 have centre stands and the only time they get used is when parked up in my garage.

As for what can be fixed and what cannot...,have carried a plug kit, gas cylinders,electric pump for years, after that it’s a phone call to break down and off to a motorcycle shop, both motorcycle and rear wheel....

[black-k1]

My main bikes for most of the last 23 years have been without center stand (VTR1000, K1200S, K1300S, K1300S). I've toured significant distances on all of them and while I haven't yet had a puncture while touring, I've had my fair share will long distance commuting. At no point did I ever miss not having a center stand and that's despite the fact that every bike I had for the 20 before that had been fitted with a center stand.

As Chris says, anything that can't be repaired at the roadside gets the whole bike taken by the recovery service. Gone are the days when you'd whip the wheel out and hitch a lift with a passing motorist to the next town to get a patch on the tube before hitching a lift back to the bike.

What I definitely don't miss is the center stand grounding out on the tarmac as the springs get "saggy" or the foot pad grounding on enthusiastic left handers.

If you've not had a bike without a center stand and are worried about getting a bike without one, then don't worry. Living without a center stand is IMHO actually easier than living with one. A decent paddock stand for home use is really all you need.

[Matt]

....

As Chris says, anything that can't be repaired at the roadside gets the whole bike taken by the recovery service. Gone are the days when you'd whip the wheel out and hitch a lift with a passing motorist to the next town to get a patch on the tube before hitching a lift back to the bike.

....

This is one of those moments I'm glad to be a millennial :p.

[Phmode]

for those that can it's a temporary get you home reduced speed measure,

Two schools of thought here guys. I've never treated a tyre repaired with sticky string as anything other than a perfectly good tyre. Plug it and forget it.