And people complain about the price of Plexus? Really?

For a kickstand pad, I carry a circular electric junction box cover tied with an elastized cord that I loop over the handlebar end to remind me to remove it. Total cost, < $2.00.

Tim

 

Sure hope it was made from some exotic metal.

 

Is aluminum exotic?

 

I bought this one, solid aluminum. Very pleased with it. Came in a little over a week. $18

Kickstand Foot Side Stand Extension Enlarger Pad Fit Honda Goldwing GL1800 18-20 | eBay

Fit for Honda Goldwing GL1800 2018-2020. 1x Kickstand Pad. Item Type: Foot Side Stand Extension Pad. We will provide you with the best solution.

www.ebay.com

 

Possibly the best addition to the Wing I ever made. A little blue Loctite to the setscrew and you can just forget about it. Been on down there since '05. Not worn down at all.

 

I either carry a flat piece of wood or a kickstand pad I got from Iron Pony for free with strings on them I put on the left grip to remind me to pick them up. Less than $2.00. It's less than $2.00 because the piece of wood came out of my scrap pile and not from the lumber yard. With the price of wood currently, that would make the flat piece of wood kick stand pad VERY expensive if you bought it now.

 

I bought the Traxxion kickstand pad, and it lasted 2 weeks before cracking at the inner top and coming loose (with the small set screws lock-tighted in 🙄). Seems this is a stress point as the aluminum hits/presses against the steel kickstand arm when deployed (with weight on it).

I work in aerospace quality control and the design has a flaw - the cosmetic grooves on top create a weak point of thin metal at the angle where the kickstand foot and arm meet....where this stress point is at.

Anyway, I emailed Traxxion about it and Max got back to me offering to send a new one....haven't received that one yet (and it's been 5 weeks now 🤔) but we'll see how that works.

The theory is solid, the part not as much.

TD

 

I don't understand why it would crack there. That's not a stress point. All of the stress would be on the bottom of the pad...

 

If and when you get your new one, put a large bead of automotive rtv inside the pad before you install it. then secure it. it will not come off again.

 

Good idea!

Mine didn't come off, but became just loose enough to rattle (errant rattles, squeeks, etc are major pet peeves of mine 🙄)

Adding silicone would definitely keep it secure, and quiet.

TD

 

An observation. Long ago I used to use a little metal plat attached to a leash o would toss under the side stand when I was parking in soft areas.

Pain in the tush to align the pad just right when parking. Took time to retrieve it and store it when leaving. But it was dirt cheap 😉.

Then came the nice hot summer day I parked on fairly fresh asphalt for a lunch ride. Came out and my bike was leaning against my buddies 😬. See, I didn't put a pad down because hey - it's an asphalt parking lot, didn't need it. WRONG !!

So then I bought a sidestand pad. Now, no wasted time, no aligning, no forgetting, always there. Worth the money.

Oh, and beware eBay pads. Many of the cheap ones, while listed for 18+, are actually for earlier models. Found out the hard way. Took a bit to get money back.

 

Moved to the general board

 

I am always amazed how many folks spend extra money for a kickstand pad, rarely need one but when needed use one of those free plastic pads insurance companies and vendors are usually giving away, have also lost a few from forgetting to pick them up but that’s no big deal.

 

Some say to buy American, but the problem with that idea is that America does not want to foot the bill for American products.

 

I really like my Traxxion kickstand pad. My second one, that is. The first one fell off as the little screws vibrated loose. So, on #2 I used some rubber cement to lock it onto the kickstand. Works great! I don't have to remember it; always there. Looks good. No breakage given it is glued in place; no shifting around as with pad #1 (with no glue). Worth every penney.

 

I'm still using the free kickstand pad that was given to me 40+ yrs ago at the first big rally that I attended in Steamboat Springs.

 

Was that by chance Americade West, or a GWTA rally, or a GRWWA rally ???

 

On all my bikes I cut a appropriate shaped piece of steel and lean the bike on it to check alignment and weld the SOB in place. with the bike resting on it when welding the angle is correct. Can't fall off and can't lose it unless I lose the whole bike.

 

just stomp down a beer can.

 

or trike out your bike

 

We've had a Rivco pad on our '06 since the first year. Noticed in really soft soil at Barber that it was still iffy. The next day, a plastic tray that was under the soap and shampoo in the hotel found its way under the stand. It is still stored in the saddlebag.

 

The guy who sold me the Wing last year works at a specialty fabricator. Several of the employees ride to work. When the company repaved the parking lot one year, the new asphalt wouldn't support the side stands in the hotter months, so he used scrap material at work to fabricate a batch of stainless steel plates. It's kind of a novelty, and I like it. Weighing in at just over one pound, though, it seems like overkill to have it stowed on the bike, so I still carry the MSF pad I was given when I took the class in 2002.

 

Some people are disciplined and some are not. Some people have a lot going mentally on and others do not. Some people care about the style of their bikes and clean after every ride, to others it's a mechanical tool designed to just be ridden.

I have a free plate with advertising on it somewhere, Premier Cycle Accessories now that I think of it (free advertising works). On my old work bike I had a metal plate like the one above tied to a long chord that I could use if necessary, it was stored in the side case. The chord made it easy to deploy and hard to forget. For a while on my 18 DCT I kept the yellow free stand plate in my cubby but never used it. I did decide to buy the same Traxxion pad mentioned above and installed with a good portion of blue loctite. Its always there, takes no thought or effort, has a nice style, and will never be left behind.

I guess to me this conversation could relate to just about anything we add to our motorcycles. Over priced items that we could do without or substitute something else for. I debated the value for a few seconds and then reminded myself that its going on a $20000 toy so why try and save $20 buying something made by a 10 year old working 12 hour days...that ofcourse is in jest but you get the point.

 

I too made my own out of a square junction box cover plate and glued (Goop) 1/4" ply on one side with nylon string attached. Been using it around twenty years now, never lost or left behind. Can you tell I'm a old KLR owner?

 

Yeah, I can't believe you did either but it's your money.

 

For some it is all about cost. Here's one that is not specially designed for a 6th gen. It's a generic one, made for any sidestand that it might fit. However, notice the gap at the heal, and the damage it's causing to exhaust shield. If someone gave me one like this, it'd go straight the to garbage can. I'm sure Amazon sells something similar. I'd rather pay $52 bucks for one made for my Wing.

 

A crude homemade version of the classic Duckfoot pad from way back.