How to add a kickstand pad to your adventure motorcycle.
An “adventure bike” needs to have a kickstand pad. After all, this bike is not going to be parked on pavement much – right?
The foot print of the RX3 Cyclone kickstand is too small. So I created a larger pad. In addition, my RX3 also has the optional knobby tires and 19-inch front wheel. This effectively raises the bike over an inch, resulting in a steep lean when parked. If the bike is loaded or parked on soft ground it is going to tip over.
The picture below is the finished product. It solves both problems:
A larger footprint.
Increased height to keep the bike from leaning too far.
Here is how I solved the problem:
First, I traced the stock kickstand foot on a piece of cardboard. Then I added a margin of about 3/16-inch. This is the smaller oval in the picture below.
Second, I cut another piece of cardboard about 3/16-inch larger than the first oval. This is the larger oval in the photo.
Third, I traced and then cut pieces of 1/4-inch HDPE plastic in the shapes – one of the smaller ovals and two of the larger ovals. I glued the two larger ovals together using Gorilla glue and clamped until dry.
While this was drying, I cut out the center of the smaller oval to fit around the foot of the kickstand. I filed the end of the oval that contacts the bend in the kickstand so it would fit flush.
Fourth, I sanded the outer profiles of the larger ovals. I sanded the inside and outside of the smaller oval and then glued the stack together and clamped until dry. In the photo below you can see how I filed a taper on the back edge of the top ring to fit around the bend in the foot of the kickstand.
Fifth, while this was drying I drilled a 1/4-inch hole in the center of the foot of the kickstand. The RX3 kickstand is tough steel and this took some force, a sharp drill bit and some cutting oil!
After the glue was dry, I used a belt sander and file to smooth the edges of the plastic stack. I wanted a stepped finished product, but if you wanted a seamless product you could cut three identical pieces in the larger size.
Holding the finished pad in place on the kickstand, I drilled through the plastic. Then I created a counter-sink on the bottom side to accommodate the beveled head of the bolt I planned to use. This would provide a flat bottom pad.
I added glue to the cut-out in the pad and bolted it in place using a washer and lock nut on top.
After the glue had dried I removed the excess that squeezed out as the Gorilla glue cured. I then painted the entire stack with a coat of black truck bed paint. Finally, I cut off the excess length of the bolt flush with the lock nut.
The pad does not interfere with the kickstand when it is flipped up horizontal. The pad adds 1/2-inch of height to the kickstand and holds the bike at the proper angle. It also more than triples the size of the footprint.
Even more importantly, the larger kickstand pad works GREAT out in the real world!
Randy Reek is an Affiliate of CSC Motorcycles. CSC is the exclusive importer of the Zongshen RX3 Cyclone dual-sport motorcycle for North America. To learn more about the history of the RX3, see this article, Proven Reliability of the Zongshen Cyclone RX3
