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Climbing on

mblue240

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When I did a BMW demo day I was kicking the side cases as I got off and on the bike. The rep taught me a trick of mounting the bike like a horse. Left foot on the peg, squeeze the front brake, throw your leg over. Do the opposite order to get off. It made a world of difference and I've done it successfully on BMW and Triumph adv bikes. I didn't have side case on my NC, so I never tried it on my bike, until now. With two new adventure cases I'm kicking them more than I did on the Bimmer. I tried the mounting trick and the kickstand feels pretty wobbly.

Anyone mount this way on a regular basis and know I won't snap the side stand off the frame?
 
Since this is the internet and opinions are free I'll put mine out there :) I think the stock stand is well engineered so feel it will hold up. I wonder about after market stuff. I don't mount this way often but have been known to spin the bike around on the stand or sit on it with the stand down. With my gear I would weigh in at over 190lbs.
 
I have a trunk instead of a pillion on my GL500
The GL500's seat is lower, but stepping on the footpeg helps me clear the Trunk.
Doesn't seem to stress the kickstand much

1-68580337_10156406080242057_635718171273199616_n (1).jpg
 
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At 80kg in full gear I'm perfectly happy to mount using the left rest. Only a topbox on my S but my hips 'ain't what they used to be.'

If you look at the sidestand angle with the bike leaning on it the load would go down the stand leg without much bending tendency. The sidestand being mounted onto the frame is also a good feature. Some bikes, like my Buell, have the sidestand bolted to the alloy engine unit and in those cases I think it's best not to climb on using the left rest. Fortunately I don't need to with that bike because the seat is just that bit lower and narrower. My S has a Shad seat which is too grippy for my right knee to slide over it.

This being a US forum I'm reluctant to give my weight in lb. because I don't know if all pounds weigh the same! Ditto litres versus gallons. Why doesn't everyone use the simple decimal system?
 
Why doesn't everyone use the simple decimal system?

We use decimals more and more. Most measuring tapes here now come in feet and tenths, for example.
As to why we don’t change base units (pounds to kilograms, for example); We weren’t deceived by Napoleon into thinking that you had to change base units just to use tenths instead of fractions. :p
 
There's a member that goes by greenboy......Advrider forum as well.
He had to replace his side stand ( kickstand) due to bending.....BUT , I believe he used a stick type jack thingy on the 700x for maintenance......it "attached" / was used on the brake pedal side on the swing arm IIRC ( opposite of kickstand).....hence , put alot of weight on the kickstand. He may chime in and refute that being the reason for changing the kickstand.......we'll see?. I could be in error of course on my speculation, but , seems logical.
 
I'm over two hundred pounds and very short and mounting can be difficult. Sometimes I do the look away and snake my right leg over technique and sometimes I step on the left peg and swing a leg. When i step on the peg, I try to lean way forward over the bars. That helps keep some of the weight off the kickstand. I think my kickstand has bent a little or is getting loose. One of my winter projects is to pull the stand and check out the pivot, maybe reinforce. Someone suggested that the hole gets expanded and makes them loose. I know that it doesn't feel sturdy when I put my full weight on the kickstand.
 
OCR gave us a tutorial on standing next to the bike on the left, put your right instep on the seat, then straighten your right leg and you're on.
 
I noticed my bike seemed to be leaning more and more. Replaced side stand and now when I mount up using the peg I make sure and get my center of gravity to opposite side of bike fairly quickly! Clock in at 200 lbs.
 
I weigh 280, currently addressing that issue:rolleyes:, and step up. I place my left foot inboard on the peg, bars turned to the left, reach and lean far over the bike and hold the right grip and step up with my weight centered over the bike, and depending on what's behind me, swing a leg or plant a knee and pivot the right leg. You know your doing it rite when the suspension actually shifts right as you mount. This way weight goes to the tires and not the side stand. Learn to mount from the right and you'll figure out there proper technique real quick, or you'll pull the bike over on yourself.
 
I have an alternative suggestion:
Get a center stand and park the bike on that. It’s ENORMOUSLY handy for maintenance and tire changes, too, and then you can mount by stepping up onto the peg, and swinging (or however you like) your leg over.

From there, _remain standing_ (on the pegs), and after starting the engine and selecting a gear, shift your weight quickly forward and ‘push’ or ‘nudge’ the bike forward. This will cause the bike to come gracefully off the center stand (which will automatically fold up), and then you feather clutch and throttle to smoothly pull away like a boss.

...or possibly you stall the engine or tip over or otherwise crash, and thus look very foolish, but it’ll be one of these that happens...

:)
 
A trick I saw online dealing with big bikes, mount the off side, or right side peg.
I do this all the time on my big bikes, I'm not challenged in the leg length department, but I am in the years.
I've been using the same off side method on my new to me NC700X with no problem.
I think it's easier to center my weight over the bike and then step on.
Seems like I put less stress on the side stand.
 
There's a member that goes by greenboy......Advrider forum as well.
He had to replace his side stand ( kickstand) due to bending.....BUT , I believe he used a stick type jack thingy on the 700x for maintenance......it "attached" / was used on the brake pedal side on the swing arm IIRC ( opposite of kickstand).....hence , put alot of weight on the kickstand. He may chime in and refute that being the reason for changing the kickstand.......we'll see?. I could be in error of course on my speculation, but , seems logical.
If the Honda sidestand can't handle the below it is a lame sidestand indeed. I suspect I just had a bad sample.


2016-08-29 13;29;17
by greenboy, on Flickr

Here's comparison of original and newer (which incidentally had a wider foot)


2018-06-12 16;56;51
by greenboy, on Flickr
 
A trick I saw online dealing with big bikes, mount the off side, or right side peg.
I do this all the time on my big bikes, I'm not challenged in the leg length department, but I am in the years.

I saw my dad do that on his VTX1800 the other day. I don't recall having seen him do that before. When I asked, he said it was easier for him to mount from the off side (just like you said). I don't recall why, but I suspect you and he have the same reason(s).

I've mounted the NCX from the 'off' side before, but only occasionally and generally only for reasons specific to the moment and situation. It works fine, though I seem to always have a thought tickle the back of my mind that something's amok here and if I'm not careful I'll pull the bike over. Probably won't. Don't know why that thought tries to surface.
 
I saw my dad do that on his VTX1800 the other day. I don't recall having seen him do that before. When I asked, he said it was easier for him to mount from the off side (just like you said). I don't recall why, but I suspect you and he have the same reason(s).

I've mounted the NCX from the 'off' side before, but only occasionally and generally only for reasons specific to the moment and situation. It works fine, though I seem to always have a thought tickle the back of my mind that something's amok here and if I'm not careful I'll pull the bike over. Probably won't. Don't know why that thought tries to surface.
\
It is a bit off putting at first, like getting on a horse on the wrong side.
It is less concerning doing it on a heavy bike, but once you get used to it there shouldn't be a big difference.
I think the key is centering your weight over the bike first, helps steady the bike and it seems like it's less stress on the side stand.
 
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