alright. the second of my sure to be thousands of questions about my 69 xlh.
my bike has either 8 or 10" over front forks. up untill now ive had to use 2 2x6's to properly set the thing on its stand. im trying to look for a legnthened kickstand, but all i can find on jp cycles is a 1" longer than stock stand, which is good for 4-6" over forks. so.. i need something longer. or somethng wich adjusts the angle of the stand..
any ideas? is this something ill have to custom make(read: pay to have custom made)?
the stock stand is about 12.5 from center of bolt to contact point, it seems id need about a 16" one, unless the angle was changed.

or i could rake the bike. but thats a bit outta my price range.

thanks for any info you can give me!
-wes

 

You should be able to find a K/S at almost any shop that sells aftermarket items. Tell them what your fork tube length is. They may have to order it, but there are many stands available.
When my bike had 8 over tubes on it I bought mine from a Harley dealer, but this was back in 1973. Different now. Stick with the aftermarket guys. There should be someone in Reading PA, or close nearby. Whatever you do, don't try to make one yourself. The Sportster gives a kick stand a real beating around the pivot pin.
I have had and seen a number of stands split at the pin because of the stress it is under. The stand material needs to be somewhat on the hardened side to last.

 

right on. thanks. i was tryin to find something online, but that works. good to know about not making one myself. what i dont understand is that if i lean my bike over on the 2x6's and its sitting about the way id like it too, and i take a measurement at the same ange as the kickstand is, apparently id need a 23" kickstand. so how is a 15" kickstand going to do me any good? do they come off the bike at a different angle?

 

Good point. You are measuring in a straight line to come up with needing a 23 inch stand. We both know that ain't gonna happen. Think of how long the required stand will be if the stand bends down as it comes away from the pin. This is what you will find. The stand will be much shorter because of this bending and still keep your bike at the desired angle.

Let me give you an example. The stand for mine with 8 inch over fork tubes is 16 inches long overall. Starting at the pin, it is 12 inches to a 45 degree bend, and then another 4 inchs of straight to the end. (It almost hits the rear tire when up-See following paragraph)

Perhaps take a coat hanger and straighten it out. Then put a bend in it as you get towards the end opposite the pin. All swinging is done from the pin, and the angle of swing is constant also because that is goverened by the lug welded to the frame.
Another important consideration is where is this stand when it is in the closed position. Will the end clear the rear tire?
With a little trial and error here I think you will have something close to the length and shape of what you need.
Man, sorry to get off into Rocket Science on a kickstand, but I hope I helped some anyway........piniongear

 

right on man. i totally understand the physics of it. i just wasnt sure if it was what they used. since none of the aftermarket ones ive seen mention anything other than being 1" longer. and if thats the case, its not gonna do squat. good point about the tire, ill check out clearance, tho i think ive got plenty.