I've had several BMW's including airheads. My new to me R60 is impossible for me to get on the center stand. I am aware of the proper technique (pulling rearward, not lifting) but for the life of me, I simply cannot do it. The side stand tang on this particular bike is welded close to the bottom of the stand, making the distance to the ground only a few inches. I am unable to get much leveridge with my foot.
I'm wondering if anyone can give me some alternative to try, some trick to try or some kind of workaround to use. I'd like to do some routine maintenance. I'm fairly frustrated so any ideas or discussion/experience is appreciated. Thanks.
Your'e putting your foot on the stand itself and not the little tang, right? The left side of the center stand is kinda mushroomed out specificly for the purpose of using your foot to create leverage. Left hand on the handlebar, right hand on the handle near the seat, step on it and pull up.
former Airmarshal, IL.
buy a brown side stand and forget the rest, they are a little pricey, but you will never regret it. easy to deploy while on the seat, easily installed on the rear motor bolt and exhaust pipe clamp .
Or, you can locate what's known as a Reynold's "Ride Off" stand. If you have the proper size tires, then the bike ends up resting on four points while on the center stand. To do work (like remove the rear wheel) you'll need to use the bars to lean the bike over both ways and kick a small scrap of wood beneath each side of the stand.
These stands are easy to spot as they are usually nickel or chrome plated, and have the cross-bar is at ground-level.
Owning an old Airhead is easy.
Keeping an old Airhead running great is the true test.
Well, it's barely 7 AM and my R60/6 is proudly perched on it's center stand. It's amazing how sometimes, when you think you have covered every possible solution to a problem, the answer is starring right at you. Yes, despite the proper technique, it helps to have your foot in the right place on the stand before you pull back. Now it's time to go have another cup of coffee and a rather wide wedge of humble pie. Thanks James, for your kind words of advice. A brown sidestand is on my wish list and it's good to know about the Reynold's stand also as a possibility. Thanks, again to everyone for your help.
The current 1995 R100RT is my 6th Airhead since 1981. The others were: 1976 R90/6, 78 R100/7, 79 R65, 79 R100RT, and 82 R100RT. The 95 had the worst side stand of all, and I replaced it early on, with a Brown. But it has the best stock center stand of all, and I use it daily. With the other Airheads, a Renolds ride-off was priority. With your bike, I'd also put the Reynolds as priority 1, and a Brown SS as 2. Both are excellent upgrades, IMHO. But installing both on the same bike creates some compatibility problems, i.e. the Brown won't retract all the way because the Reynolds interferes, so the Brown is first thing to drag in left turns. If you retract the Brown while the Reynolds is down, then the Reynolds won't retract all the way up, again, due to interference with the Brown.
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