Ever since I've raised my rear shocks from 340mm to 360mm, this project has been on my mind. Loads of Google searches gave me no definite answer on whether it was doable and worth it. And Thruxton sidestands don't turn up often nor cheap. I finally was able to grab one from the evil bay not too expensive (£29), and swapped them over the weekend. For reference, I have a 2011 T100, with rear TEC gas shocks of 360mm length, and a TEC Sprint 2-2 Short exhaust system. The procedure is simple, but not as fast as I was hoping. The location of the sidestand is hindered by the frame, sidestand sensor, exhaust, and footpeg. I was too lazy, and removed only the footpeg. There was also a lot of gunk in there, from both normal riding, and also dirt attached to the sidestand grease. I could not remove the spring first, as is supposed to be the procedure. It was way too stiff. The easiest way I found was to remove the bottom nut (surprisingly little torque there), and struggle to get the screw removed by sneaking a 17mm spanner somehow. Then remove the stand, and finally detach the spring. The sidestands are remarkably similar in length, to my slight disappointment. I dabbed the screw with a lot of copper grease, and then struggled again to get the new sidestand in place: easy to do if put in place first, but then I just couldn't stretch the springs into place. The solution was to attach the springs first, then try somehow to line up the stand into place, to allow for the screw to slide in fully and smoothly. It took a few attempts, but worked out in the end. Now for the results. As you can see in the pictures, there isn't much of a difference, although they are a bit deceptive: whereas before my helmet would slide off the seat with the bike on the sidestand, now it doesn't. (before) (after) That's the good news. The bad news is, the heel kick is much further in, meaning I have to look down at the stand to find it, and the movement is not as fluid (I suppose I will get used to it). Same for retracting it, as it is exactly under the gear switch, when the stand is deployed (I have to kick the tip of the stand instead). (can just about get my heel on that) (can't reach the heel kick, but just use the tip of the stand instead) Small inconveniences, for a small improvement. Overall I am happy with the change, and it was yet another part of the bike I got to discover and mess with.
