sherry's valk has a custom kickstand and the spring broke....HELP!!

[RedValk]

We were riding yesterday....and Sherry's kick stand spring broke on her Valk. Thank goodness she noticed it pretty quickly...we pulled over...and bungied it up.

here's my situation/problem:

Her bike with the STOCK kickstand....leaned over WAY TOO much....making it hard for her to get the bike up level...especially on hills. So we got a custom kickstand that is just a BIT longer. the kickstand (i got it from Mike from Valk bling...we love the kickstand!)....has the notch on it that the spring mounts to (on the kickstand itself)....just a bit closer to the mounting point than a stock one. thus, the STOCK spring, will not work....it is too long. ok, we did get the Honda shop to cut it and bend it to work..........sort of. But it never seemed to have enough tension to really feel right...and...after just a few months, it has already broke.

so now, i'm looking for a spring that will work correctly...and last! i tried some common extension springs i got from tractor supply....but....NONE of them worked. for one, it seems you need to have the longer "arm" on one side...the side that mounts underneath at the frame...in order to clear the frame and hardware under there. a "normal" extension spring will drag on there due to clearance issues. So we need a spring with that longer "arm" that kickstand springs typically have.

my problem, is finding one that is SHORTER than the stock one...that will work...with enough tension. i THINK the custom kickstand looks like MAYBE it came off of a 1200 series Gold Wing...perhaps. like some i've seen on 1987 model 1200 Wings? It sure looks like that? So I'm thinking about getting one of those Wing springs and see if it is shorter than a stock Valk spring...and maybe work?

but if that doesn't work, what should i do? I thought about going to bike dealers....bringing a ruler...and laying on the ground and looking at various return srpings on different bikes and seeing if i can find one that is SHORTER...that may work? I just don't know how hard this is going to be to get one...with proper tension? The modified stock one never seemed to have quite enough tension? Maybe they cut it too long? Maybe the new stand is heavier, and needs more spring tension?

any ideas?

[fudgie]

E-mail mike and see what he says. What about brake drum springs off your vehicle? They look like our ks springs.

[shortleg]

  I know Sheery has been rideing quite a while, but ask her if
when her bike is on the stand is she in the habit of turning the
forks to the right. I have to do this myself. It will make the bike
standup for you .
                    Shortleg[Dave]

[RedValk]

  I know Sheery has been rideing quite a while, but ask her if
when her bike is on the stand is she in the habit of turning the
forks to the right. I have to do this myself. It will make the bike
standup for you .
                    Shortleg[Dave]

no, it's her bike. Sitting side by side with mine....forks turned the SAME WAY...hers sits noticeably lower to the left towards the stand side. I looked to see if frame, kickstand, etc....was bent. no damage seen. it just leans WAY over. so i got the longer kickstand. it sits PERFECTLY now....just need a spring that will work properly! i noticed a 2003 1800C VTX looks like its kickstand has a very short connection length to the "nub" where the spring connects....it MAY be a "fix" for a shorter spring???

[Charlie]

Try putting the kickstand up against the bike.  Measure the distance from the post on the stand to the mounting post.  Assume tension is needed on the spring in that position, so you will need a spring slightly shorter than that length.  You should use one with the same size wire.

One thing.  I am assuming the spring is in it's shortest position when the kickstand is up.  You may want to check the dimension in a few places to be sure.

If you bring the spring and the dimension to a dealer, they may have one that will work.  Otherwise, there are lots of spring manufacturers around.  Do a search on the internet for one and check their catalogs.

[Sneaky Snake]

Try looking at    http://www.hdlparts.com/fiche_section_detail.asp?section=147644&category=MOTORCYCLES&make=HONDA&year=1996&fveh=3460    for various bikes and compare the spring pictures from the parts breakdown to find some likely replacements.  Here's a few.  The '96 GW is listed under "Pedal" ???  Valk and VTX as "sidestand"

'96 GW 50541-MB0-000  Looks like what you're describing that you need
'97 Valk  50541-MT3-610
'08 VTX 1800  50541-MK3-000

Chris

[Thunderbolt]

that girl is tough on kickstand springs!!!!!!!!!!!
Shocks could be adjusted differently than yours,tire type or inflation could be different, just thinkin ya know.  Can't help with the spring.

[R J]

Put it on the stand and then call me.

I'll get your address and come down and relieve ya of your problem.......

Take your stock spring and go to the Tractor Supply store and get a sales rep.

Don't let them leave till they have tried every avenue to get a spring.

Someone suggested a brake drum spring, just might work if ya can find the correct length spring.

What branch of the service were you in?

Apparently, ya never had to improvise.

In da Corps, we improvised all the time.

Even stole a Army General's Jeep and repainted it and gave it to our Captain, his old Jeep, we painted it up as the General's.

Was midnight fingering a stack of lumber one night.   Had it almost loaded when this officer came along.

We saw him in time to take a few of the pieces of lumber off the truck.  He asked what we were doing, told him delivering a load of lumber.   He said hold on a minute.    He run through his papers and said there wasn't any lumber to be delivered, so get that lumber back on your truck and get out of here.    Yes Sir, exactly what we did.......