So there I have my bike sat on the main stand which looks quite strong, but when I have it sat on the side stand this looks quite spindly and thin, so when on a ferry and it's strapped down I don't want to rely on this so will put it back on the main stand, what's the thought of the forum in removing the side stand and beefing it up a bit?
Alan
Quote from: BigAlan on December 30, 2011, 01:21:58 PM
So there I have my bike sat on the main stand which looks quite strong, but when I have it sat on the side stand this looks quite spindly and thin, so when on a ferry and it's strapped down I don't want to rely on this so will put it back on the main stand, what's the thought of the forum in removing the side stand and beefing it up a bit?
Alan
isn't the gtr heavy enough allready ;) to be honest never give it a thought. seems secure enough to me, I mostly use the full stand anyway. I'm assuming the kawasaki "boffins" would have designed the side stand to handel more than the 315kg the gtr weighs. there also would be a fair safety margin in that as well :)
Use the side stand on ferry & leave in gear. Some ferries say "No Mainstand". What if your (non-GTR) has no mainstand? Wasn't there a post from a guy on Santander (Britteny) ferry who's new GTR fell over (Bay of Biscay....)? Side stand is fine, strong enought to spin bike around on. Just make sure it's strapped down OK & nothing else is going to fall on it :) If you use the Chunnel you stay with bike :)
BA ... like 2K I have never thought of changing it as K must have tested different styles and weights and sizes before plumping for the one we all have ... I would leave it alone my friend ;)
Always used to 'not trust' side stand on ferries. Then realised that it was actually more secure on 3 points spread out (front wheel/rear wheel/side stand) than the 'two' points of the front and centre stand (I know there are two prongs, but they are very close together)
Think how easy it is to rock the bike on it's centre stand. Not so easy if you push it towards the side stand when on it.
Use side stand, get a mate to push down on the rear to take some compression up whilst you strap over the lowest point (seat - take an old towel with you so it doesn't cut into seat - doubles for wiping crap off when you are away too!)
If you do use the centre stand the bike can pivot around the centre stand as there is little weight on the front end. On side stand the weight is more evenly distributed and therefore stable.
No I dont think you should worry about the side stand, I'm sure the big K did there home work and fully tested its capability, I would leave well alone. Just one little tip I use when on ferrys get some strong elastic bands and fix them tightly around the front brake and throttle, so at least the bike wont move forward. :)
Never seen that before ... like it :) :)
You can also use your glove over the brake lever to keep the pressure on.
I found this trick as a side effect of drying wet gloves on an over night ferry!
Side stands on majority of large volume manufactrurers are OK. They have to be to pass the constructor regulation tests, unlike CCMs who were instructed to remove their sidestands before they would be given approval for their Chinese built bikes.
when i picked up my gtr in feb 2010 from the uk the ferry trip home it was galeforce 9/10 strapped it down bike never moved.
the gtr side stand is very strong .................
on the ferry ive seen guys cable tie the front brake on and also have a strap from the front wheel to the centre stand and nothing else, with the front wheel and centre stand tethered together the bike will not come off the stand
Quote from: viper on January 10, 2012, 06:32:03 PM
the gtr side stand is very strong .................
on the ferry ive seen guys cable tie the front brake on and also have a strap from the front wheel to the centre stand and nothing else, with the front wheel and centre stand tethered together the bike will not come off the stand
I would still feel better if I could strap bike so it could not rock sideways and meet the floor, suppose you could get the wife to hold the bike while you force a meal and a few bevys down your neck ;D or better still use the eurotunnel and let the gtr do the touring it was designed for ;)
Quote from: 2kwacks on January 11, 2012, 09:37:09 AM
I would still feel better if I could strap bike so it could not rock sideways and meet the floor, suppose you could get the wife to hold the bike while you force a meal and a few bevys down your neck ;D or better still use the eurotunnel and let the gtr do the touring it was designed for ;)
I have crossed the North Sea and the Channel many times on different ferries with different Bikes and haven't had a problem yet.
OK I haven't been on a ferry in a real storm yet, but I think that if I put the bike on the side stand and have a strap tight over the seat and fasten the front and back to the deck as well it won't fall over even in the worst imaginable conditions. And I mean conditions where they actually have to tie even cars down.
BTW if you are using the tunnel and somebody pulls the emergency brake I don't think you would be able to stop your bike from falling over.
I've did a North Sea crossing (Newcastle to Ijmuiden, Holland) in a force 10 back in 1985 and the bike was fine.
Was a Z1300/6 (big heavy beast of a bike) on the sidestand.
They strapped the front wheel down through the wheel, did the same with the rear wheel.
Then ran a strap from the sidestand to the front wheel, another strap hooked around the front forks and compressed them about an inch. They ran a strap each side to the grab rails and compressed the rear shocks by an inch too.
When I asked them why the heavy duty strapping, they grinned and said "We're going through a force 8 later tonight".
They were wrong, was a force 10 but the bike was fine.
Me on the other hand I puked until I thought my feet were coming out of my stomach.
I was fine with the motion of the ship, but the stink of puke was bad and when I saw it swilling back and forth on the floor of the toilets, I decided to add to it myself.
Give 1/100000th of a chance I'll take the Le Shuttle every time, but just recently it has gotten quite expensive.
As for the Emergency stop on Le Shuttle, have been through 2. Bikes are fine so long as they are wheel in to the kerb and in gear. They lurch quite badly but don't get anywhere near vertical.
The problem with centre standing a bike is that neither front nor rear wheel are in proper contact with the ground, at least not enough to provide any real grip. So the bike can slide around quite a lot.
Quote from: mecki on January 11, 2012, 12:21:28 PM
I have crossed the North Sea and the Channel many times on different ferries with different Bikes and haven't had a problem yet.
OK I haven't been on a ferry in a real storm yet, but I think that if I put the bike on the side stand and have a strap tight over the seat and fasten the front and back to the deck as well it won't fall over even in the worst imaginable conditions. And I mean conditions where they actually have to tie even cars down.
BTW if you are using the tunnel and somebody pulls the emergency brake I don't think you would be able to stop your bike from falling over.
Suppose you've have a point there, never thought of someone putting the yankers on! from now will get the wife to stand along side. she's only a size 10 ::) so theres no way she would prevent it falling, but it would cushion the fall landing on her instead of the deck ;D besides have got a excess on the gtr, the mrs I don't :)
we crossed with the gtr from hull to rotterdam last sept. I fixed my bike as i said in my earlier post and in addition i used the abundant ferry ropes they leave out for you to secure the bike to stop it moving sidesways , plenty of anchor points available. I too was worried , but evrything was fine , the bike never moved a mm. Dont expect the staff to assist, they are not allowed to get involved anymore, due to liability and false damage claims!
I think on euro tunnel you have to put it on main stand..was about 3 year ago when last used tunnel. Main reason being if bike on main stand & facing forward like it would be, then the braking motion of the train can rock bike forwards..need I say any more.
But I am no expert & plenty of experts on here will no doubt tell you different & get away with it....l
TIC ;)
On Eurotunnel we had to put bikes on side stand and angle diagonally across the train.
Quote from: patrick on January 13, 2012, 11:45:41 PM
On Eurotunnel we had to put bikes on side stand and angle diagonally across the train.
In some cases the bike is parked diagonally and at other times it is parked parallel but it is always using the side stand
Steve
Eurotunnel policy is now to park diagonally against the curb, in gear, on the side stand. I always sit on the bike for the last five minutes as it aproaches destination, sometimes the drivers brake erratically.
Quote from: Ubertours on January 14, 2012, 08:44:18 AM
Eurotunnel policy is now to park diagonally against the curb, in gear, on the side stand. I always sit on the bike for the last five minutes as it aproaches destination, sometimes the drivers brake erratically.
Yup! With motor running and ready to take-off in dust!!!! 8)
Best fun I ever had on a bike was in the Shuttle just after it started running in the early 90's.
There were about 5 cars on the train, plus me on my GTR1000 and a friend on a K100RT.
We were right at the back and the cars were right at the front.
So, once the doors were opened I gave it some beans.
I had Motad N-Eta silencers that were mostly rusted through and she sounded GORGEOUS!
Hit nearly 90Mph before I noticed the frantically waving staff member warning me that I had to turn to get off the train.
She waved her finger at me as I pulled off the train but I was laughing so hard I didn't care.
Big Stu did the same but all his K100 did was whistle a bit. <LOL>
Early on they mounted the bikes front wheel in a wheel clamp type stand.
That lasted about 2 years when they moved to the current method;
45 degree angle, front wheel touching the "kerb", on sidestand and left in 1st gear
Quote from: Boomer on January 16, 2012, 05:41:31 PM
Best fun I ever had on a bike was in the Shuttle just after it started running in the early 90's.
There were about 5 cars on the train, plus me on my GTR1000 and a friend on a K100RT.
We were right at the back and the cars were right at the front.
So, once the doors were opened I gave it some beans.
I had Motad N-Eta silencers that were mostly rusted through and she sounded GORGEOUS!
Hit nearly 90Mph before I noticed the frantically waving staff member warning me that I had to turn to get off the train.
She waved her finger at me as I pulled off the train but I was laughing so hard I didn't care.
Big Stu did the same but all his K100 did was whistle a bit. <LOL>
Early on they mounted the bikes front wheel in a wheel clamp type stand.
That lasted about 2 years when they moved to the current method;
45 degree angle, front wheel touching the "kerb", on sidestand and left in 1st gear
not anymore
I use eurotunnel quite a lot as it is on my doorstep. They used to make you ride down the righthand track then cut across the metal centre strip at 45 degrees, now you have to ride down the lefthand track and just turn your front wheel into the kerb, side stand and first gear. this is due to some riders slipping and dropping the bike on oil dripped on the metal centre strip.
Think it depends on the 'conductor' of the day! Been shown both on recent trips!
On my last trip to the continent with my mates, Kev broke the sidestand off his Ducati 916 in the Pyrenees. Spent the rest of the holiday at every stop looking for a wall or tree or bin to to lean it against.
Weren't sure what to do when we came back on the Chunnel. In the end Kev drove it on and just leant it against the side of the train. Conductors werent that bothered.
By the way, think the Chunnel is brilliant but showing it's age now. Needs a total revamp of all the trains.
Essex Boy.
The Dover to Calais ferry operated by Sea France was fab. They had proper bike slots. You ride in. They strap in down with one at the front and one at the rear, whilst you are still sat on it to steady it. No stand needed, as both wheels were lodged in the slot.
They ask if you are happy with it, and if not they re adjust it. All secure. All ferry good.....
Just one problem.. Sea France has gone bust!!!
So next week using P & O where they just lash it to the bulkhead of the ferry. Not looking forward to that.
Was on the train last Saturday and they loaded us down both tracks, first time I have had that.
Am on DFDS good friday, this should be fun, i will of course let you all know the results, but i am taking a ratchet strap with me just in case.
Alan
Quote from: patrick on January 13, 2012, 11:45:41 PM
On Eurotunnel we had to put bikes on side stand and angle diagonally across the train.
Correct. And of course you can "stand by your bike and show the world you love her.........."