Wheeldock Easy up center stand
Road Captain
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 554
Likes: 0
From: SoCal
I took my wife for a ride today as planned. I raised the preload to max on my Progressive 440 shocks. I was able to confirm that the stand hits before the floorboards on the right side and I didn't feel like I was all that far over. It kind of startled me to be honest. I didn't get to try the left since the r/s hit freaked her out! Now the big question: I really, really like the stand so I don't want to take it off but after having had the r/s touch down so easily I was kinda nervous in corners the rest of the day which is not a good thing. I think I'm going to mull it over for a few days 
Marc
Marc
I would agree with that statement. If you consistently touch your floor boards down you're probably going to be dragging the centerstand as well. I'm taking my wife for a ride in the mountains on Sunday. I'm curious how easily things will drag with her aboard. I'll be sure to increase the shock preload accordingly. I was also thinking to touch up the areas that have hit and then do a controlled experiment where the floor boards just start to touch and then stop and see if the centerstand had hit. Another possibility would be to grind down the areas that are problematic. I need to get the bike in the air so I can get a good look at the underside and see if that's practical. Rod, if you happen to read this do you think removing some material on an angle from the touched areas would be feasible without compromising the stand's performance? I really like having this stand so I don't want to give up and take it off quite yet.
Marc
Marc
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 2,458
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Hmmmmmmmmmmm....
Now I gotta wait for some warmer weather to go out and try it myself. I like the stand too and hope that what I experience is livable (for me). Having rode allot of Metric Cruisers I know that harleys typically had /have a better clearance and maybe I won't find this set up to be too bad for me.
My bike has stock suspension and is not factory lowered like a Street Glide so I have a feeling it will be totally fine. Time will tell...
Now I gotta wait for some warmer weather to go out and try it myself. I like the stand too and hope that what I experience is livable (for me). Having rode allot of Metric Cruisers I know that harleys typically had /have a better clearance and maybe I won't find this set up to be too bad for me.
My bike has stock suspension and is not factory lowered like a Street Glide so I have a feeling it will be totally fine. Time will tell...
Last edited by RODEO; Dec 7, 2008 at 09:40 PM.
Advanced
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 54
Likes: 0
From: Georgia
Well i for one really enjoy these forums,People are nice and a lot of info and warm wishes.
I use to have mmmm a 76 Honda 750k and i remember what a pain it was to get on the center stand,i prefer center stand over the kick stand for safety reasons(Of course)
Im just saying like others that my bike is over 800lbs,and i just dont see how easy it would be to get it on the stand alone, Plus id have to be sitting on it(Even with the kick stand down)to feel comfy trying to back it on the stand,Im no weekling but still seems like a tough time.
Like to hear more comments re:the ease of use,
Ride safe and enjoy.
I use to have mmmm a 76 Honda 750k and i remember what a pain it was to get on the center stand,i prefer center stand over the kick stand for safety reasons(Of course)
Im just saying like others that my bike is over 800lbs,and i just dont see how easy it would be to get it on the stand alone, Plus id have to be sitting on it(Even with the kick stand down)to feel comfy trying to back it on the stand,Im no weekling but still seems like a tough time.
Like to hear more comments re:the ease of use,
Ride safe and enjoy.
Former Sponsor
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 119
Likes: 0
From: Stillwater Ok
I took my wife for a ride today as planned. I raised the preload to max on my Progressive 440 shocks. I was able to confirm that the stand hits before the floorboards on the right side and I didn't feel like I was all that far over. It kind of startled me to be honest. I didn't get to try the left since the r/s hit freaked her out! Now the big question: I really, really like the stand so I don't want to take it off but after having had the r/s touch down so easily I was kinda nervous in corners the rest of the day which is not a good thing. I think I'm going to mull it over for a few days
Marc
Marc
And no I am not dodging this or any other issue. It seems some folks want to panic first and get facts later. I have tried to offer the members all the support and information I can possibly provide and will continue to do this.
I dont know if the progressive shocks you have on your bike are allowing the rear of your bike to move down lower under G-forces on cornering at the same rate as the H-D air shocks. I dont know what the combined weight of you and your passenger is and I dont know what the road conditions were. I am not assuming anything here just saying I dont know.
I do know this, the reason nobody else is making a center stand for the 09 is because there just isnt much room to add anything with the H-D crossover pipe being in the way. I know that on my testing with my 09 ultra I never experienced this corner scraping after I made the changes to the foot positions. I took the time to describe the engineering in detail on this forum. Another thing I know is that you are the first customer with an 09 stand which has mentioned this issue. I am not sure it has anything to do with you using the progressive shocks or not but this is one variable we must consider.
Cruiser
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 157
Likes: 0
From: SoCal
All I can say is that Rod and Wheeldock Rock
Guys,
I have to pass along what a great vendor Rod is at Wheeldock. I received my stand last week and just getting around to installing it tonight. So here it is 9:30pm EST and I had an issue with install so I send Wheeldock an email with a couple of questions... Get this
Not 3 minutes later my phone starts ringing and it is Rod asking how he can help me with my problems. Holy $hit...3 minutes and I'm getting a call from the owner! This is the type of customer service I dream of being able to provide my customers. Needless to say, my issues are well taken care of and Rod just created a walking advertisement for Wheeldock products & service.
A+ for this vendor and wish we had more like him.
Rod - you ROCK !!!
FYI - I am blasting this across the forum because of the outstanding product and service Rod offers. We tend to go over board when a vendor doesn't perform as expected and I feel this is warranted based on Rod's obvious concern for his customers.
Guys,
I have to pass along what a great vendor Rod is at Wheeldock. I received my stand last week and just getting around to installing it tonight. So here it is 9:30pm EST and I had an issue with install so I send Wheeldock an email with a couple of questions... Get this
Not 3 minutes later my phone starts ringing and it is Rod asking how he can help me with my problems. Holy $hit...3 minutes and I'm getting a call from the owner! This is the type of customer service I dream of being able to provide my customers. Needless to say, my issues are well taken care of and Rod just created a walking advertisement for Wheeldock products & service.
A+ for this vendor and wish we had more like him.
Rod - you ROCK !!!
FYI - I am blasting this across the forum because of the outstanding product and service Rod offers. We tend to go over board when a vendor doesn't perform as expected and I feel this is warranted based on Rod's obvious concern for his customers.
Road Captain
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 554
Likes: 0
From: SoCal
Good morning Rod,
I'm not one to panic easily to say the least so don't worry. I also don't give up on a problem easily. The fact is that I do like to ride on the aggressive side which undoubtedly has everything to do with why I've experienced the stand touching down. And I certainly wouldn't think that ANYONE would think you'd be the kind of guy that would dodge any issue. Since most Harley riders ride conservatively I wouldn't imagine many of your customers would experience the stand touching down like I did unless they overload the bike or neglect to set the preload correctly.
To answer your questions:
1. The combined weight of myself and my wife is about 310 lbs give or take. The bags were empty and there is no top box.
2. The road conditions were twisty on smooth, even asphalt.
3. This is a SG with 13" Progressive 440s which brings it to the height of a normal EG. As to whether the Progressives have the same spring and dampening characteristics as HD air shocks, that I doubt since air when compressed is much less linear than a progressively wound spring can be. So, it is quite conceivable that the rate/depth of compression with the Progressives might be greater than the stock shocks. Of course I don't know this. Just saying it's possible.
For me the issue I'm wrestling with is not so much that the stand touches down as much as the fact that it touches down before the floorboards precluding any forewarning. That made me nervous yesterday. A simple solution is to just slow the heck down. And believe me I'm considering that since its probably the most rational approach. The only thing I'm really using the stand for is parking it in my shop. It isn't so much to save space as it is that I like what it looks like. Kinda silly, I know, but that's the truth. I have a jack and a Handy lift for when I want to work on it so I don't need the stand for that. I also found myself back to using the side stand yesterday when we stopped for coffee and lunch so I don't need it for that. I sit on the bike when I gas up as well. So, its really just parking in the shop so I have to decide how important that is. Besides, like I mentioned before, I don't like to give up.
Thanks,
Marc
I'm not one to panic easily to say the least so don't worry. I also don't give up on a problem easily. The fact is that I do like to ride on the aggressive side which undoubtedly has everything to do with why I've experienced the stand touching down. And I certainly wouldn't think that ANYONE would think you'd be the kind of guy that would dodge any issue. Since most Harley riders ride conservatively I wouldn't imagine many of your customers would experience the stand touching down like I did unless they overload the bike or neglect to set the preload correctly.
To answer your questions:
1. The combined weight of myself and my wife is about 310 lbs give or take. The bags were empty and there is no top box.
2. The road conditions were twisty on smooth, even asphalt.
3. This is a SG with 13" Progressive 440s which brings it to the height of a normal EG. As to whether the Progressives have the same spring and dampening characteristics as HD air shocks, that I doubt since air when compressed is much less linear than a progressively wound spring can be. So, it is quite conceivable that the rate/depth of compression with the Progressives might be greater than the stock shocks. Of course I don't know this. Just saying it's possible.
For me the issue I'm wrestling with is not so much that the stand touches down as much as the fact that it touches down before the floorboards precluding any forewarning. That made me nervous yesterday. A simple solution is to just slow the heck down. And believe me I'm considering that since its probably the most rational approach. The only thing I'm really using the stand for is parking it in my shop. It isn't so much to save space as it is that I like what it looks like. Kinda silly, I know, but that's the truth. I have a jack and a Handy lift for when I want to work on it so I don't need the stand for that. I also found myself back to using the side stand yesterday when we stopped for coffee and lunch so I don't need it for that. I sit on the bike when I gas up as well. So, its really just parking in the shop so I have to decide how important that is. Besides, like I mentioned before, I don't like to give up.
Thanks,
Marc
Marc, I just sent you a PM with a few ideas.
And no I am not dodging this or any other issue. It seems some folks want to panic first and get facts later. I have tried to offer the members all the support and information I can possibly provide and will continue to do this.
I don’t know if the progressive shocks you have on your bike are allowing the rear of your bike to move down lower under G-forces on cornering at the same rate as the H-D air shocks. I don’t know what the combined weight of you and your passenger is and I don’t know what the road conditions were. I am not assuming anything here just saying I don’t know.
I do know this, the reason nobody else is making a center stand for the 09 is because there just isn’t much room to add anything with the H-D crossover pipe being in the way. I know that on my testing with my 09 ultra I never experienced this corner scraping after I made the changes to the foot positions. I took the time to describe the engineering in detail on this forum. Another thing I know is that you are the first customer with an 09 stand which has mentioned this issue. I am not sure it has anything to do with you using the progressive shocks or not but this is one variable we must consider.
And no I am not dodging this or any other issue. It seems some folks want to panic first and get facts later. I have tried to offer the members all the support and information I can possibly provide and will continue to do this.
I don’t know if the progressive shocks you have on your bike are allowing the rear of your bike to move down lower under G-forces on cornering at the same rate as the H-D air shocks. I don’t know what the combined weight of you and your passenger is and I don’t know what the road conditions were. I am not assuming anything here just saying I don’t know.
I do know this, the reason nobody else is making a center stand for the 09 is because there just isn’t much room to add anything with the H-D crossover pipe being in the way. I know that on my testing with my 09 ultra I never experienced this corner scraping after I made the changes to the foot positions. I took the time to describe the engineering in detail on this forum. Another thing I know is that you are the first customer with an 09 stand which has mentioned this issue. I am not sure it has anything to do with you using the progressive shocks or not but this is one variable we must consider.
Last edited by marcparnes; Dec 8, 2008 at 07:58 AM.
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Former Sponsor
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 119
Likes: 0
From: Stillwater Ok
To answer your questions:
3. This is a SG with 13" Progressive 440s which brings it to the height of a normal EG. As to whether the Progressives have the same spring and dampening characteristics as HD air shocks, that I doubt since air when compressed is much less linear than a progressively wound spring can be. So, it is quite conceivable that the rate/depth of compression with the Progressives might be greater than the stock shocks. Of course I don't know this. Just saying it's possible.
Marc
3. This is a SG with 13" Progressive 440s which brings it to the height of a normal EG. As to whether the Progressives have the same spring and dampening characteristics as HD air shocks, that I doubt since air when compressed is much less linear than a progressively wound spring can be. So, it is quite conceivable that the rate/depth of compression with the Progressives might be greater than the stock shocks. Of course I don't know this. Just saying it's possible.
Marc
I bought an 05 Ultra used with a set of progressive shocks already installed. They were the stock height and probably very similar if not the same shocks as yours. I sold the Ultra and purchased my 05 Road King Classic which had the stock H-D shocks and also my 07 Street Glide has the one inch shorter version of the same OEM air pre-load shocks. The shocks do make a difference in the travel and feel of the ride. The reason is just as you have mentioned with the coils being more linier in the damping than an air shock which has a rising rate of resistance as it is compressed. Good observation.
Road Captain
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 554
Likes: 0
From: SoCal
That difference in rate undoubtedly contributes to the improved ride. The 440s respond much better than the original air shocks did. Of course an additional couple of inches of travel wouldn't have hurt either 
Marc
Marc