Ian (51% not evil)   |
| Sun May 25, 2008 1:58 pm |
| Open Road Moto-Stand by ShermWorks evaluation |
Hey everyone,
I just thought I would take the time to offer you some insight to a new product that is available for the New Generation of Ninja 250's to use.
Some people have grumbled a bit about not having a centerstand available on the bike so that they can easily work on chain maintenance, or to change the rear tire, or perform other simple day to day operations on the New Generation Ninja 250.
Well, currently, as far as I'm aware, there still isn't an option for a full time centerstand for this bike, but you do have a new option, that should allow you to work on your bike with greater ease, and without need to shell out big bucks for an expensive rearstand.
The admins were contacted by a friendly gentleman by the name of Sherm Gallay last week, asking if we might have a couple board members interested in evaluating his Open Road Moto-Stand product. He has a pretty decent reputation with the Suzuki V-Strom community with this rearstand, and we decided to give him the green light to ask a couple approved board members to give the product a test to see what they think.
You can read V-Strom user comments here:
http://www.stromtrooper.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2918
I received one of the sets, and had Bladecutter bring his '08 Ninja 250 over to my place for a thorough evaluation of the rear stand.
So what makes this product special?
Well, it is, in my opinion, an ingenious design.
It basically is a pair of legs, that screw into the swingarm spool ports.
They are small enough to fit into a large tank bag, tail bag, or saddle bags, and would be great for on the roadside work, like tire removal, chain lubing, and possibly even normal maintenance like oil changes.
So how does it work?
First, you screw in the right leg into the spool port on the right side of the swingarm.
Then, you adjust it so that it is mostly vertical.
Next, you then need to screw in the left side leg into the spool port on the left side of the swingarm:
Then, you take the bit of velcro he supplied with the kit and wrap it around your front brake lever to lock the front tire, so that the bike doesn't roll around on you.
After the left side is attached, you then stand the bike up right, onto the right side foot, and as the tire is levered off the ground, you then slip the left leg's foot firmly onto terra-firma, and voila! you have a bike up on a set of stands, ready for work to be done to it.
I even decided to pull off the rear wheel, because I knew BC wasn't going to need it anytime soon:
When you've got the wheel back onto the bike, and everything is properly torqued back down, its time to get the bike back off the stand. Sherm has another ingenious design to facilitate this:
A bungie cord on the left stand!
Just attach it to the left footpeg guard:
When you tilt the bike onto the right stand, the left pulls back forward, allowing you to put the bike back safely onto the sidestand. Great design!
I used my right foot to push it a bit further out so that I could put the bike back on the sidestand.
I also made a quick comparison to my trusty Vortex rear stand.
Now here's my overall opinions:
The Open Road Moto-Stand would be a great tool to add to the toolkit of a New Gen Ninja 250 rider.
It would be great for normal maintenance, like chain adjustments and lubes, to tire removal, and other service items.
Would I replace the Vortex stand with this?
No, I wouldn't.
I would want a more stable stand like my Vortex, if i was working on the carbs on the bike, where I know that I'm going to be applying moderate amounts of pressure on the bike, to get the carbs out and back in. The extra stability that the Vortex stand offers makes the difference, in my opinion.
But this stand would be fantastic for those who are doing a cross country trip, and need to adjust and lube their chain with ease at a gas station, halfway along their trip.
Unfortunately, I'm not 100% certain what Sherm is selling these stands for.
But I think it's a good product, and most likely is worth the couple dollars to pick one up if you don't already have a rear stand, and want something that is very easy to use, and quite portable for a trip.
Ian.
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Open Road Moto-Stand by ShermWorks evaluation — Ian, Sun May 25, 2008 1:58 pm -
Re: Open Road Moto-Stand by ShermWorks evaluation — sherm1, Sun May 25, 2008 2:58 pm