The International CBX Owners Association

Well folks:

I finally got around to fixing the side stand on my 1980 CBX.

When I got the bike it only had 8500 km on it. It now has about 11,000 km. The previous owner must have left it on the side stand for many years (last ridden by him in 1984) and as such the metal stand had bent over time.

So today I was able to use my friends 3000 lbs press to bend it back into proper alignment. Keep in mind that I had to put lots and lots of heat with my high output blow torch in order to make the bend without breaking the stand.

It is now perfect. I have have primed it and painted it again with black caliper paint. (The original paint is really tough though. I wonder what it is)

Anyway here is a few pictures of before and after.

I will post another couple of photos tomorrow after the paint dries and it is back on the bike.

I am really looking forward to having the side stand hold the bike in a position that does not seem like it is going to topple over at the next light breeze.

Keep in mind that I only use the side stand to dismount the bike and then immediately put it on the center stand.

Hope this post will help others with their bent side stand issues.

Bill

It's great having friends with tools.

He is a great guy. He owns a musical repair shop and has many things I have used. Band saws, lathes, milling machine, routers, lots of assorted clamps etc etc.

I have lots of tools myself but not the big stuff like a milling machine or band saw

It's straight now! Although you shouldn't have had to use any heat, actually not recommended, the press will straighten these quite nicely cold.

Dave

It's amazing to me that just being on the side stand bends it
over time.

Good 'stuff'. Now, go have fun!!!!

Hey Dave:

I did not want to take the chance and just try and bend it cold. If it snapped I would not have been a happy camper.

Plus it still took a lot of leverage even when heated with a blow torch to get it straight.

Just my thoughts though.

Bill

Two coats of primer and two coats of brake rotor paint.

I will install it tomorrow and see how much better the lean angle is when on the side stand.

Bill

These don't necessarily bend from just sitting on the side stand. They bend from sitting or leaning on the bike while on the side stand, and most often from hauling the bike with the side stand down. When you tie the bike down with the stand down, you put a lot of stress on the stand. Two things you should never do - haul a bike with the side stand down and haul the bike while it's in gear. Two no-no's I still see all the time.

Dave

I don't know how mine got bent. As I stated earlier I only bought the bike a year ago.

I bought it from the estate of the previous owner. I was advised that he bought it in 1982 and last rode it in 1984. There was a 1984 sticker on the plate that would confirm this. (No updated one).

The bike was stored in the previous owners garage until I bought it. It was on the side stand when I picked it up so I can only assume that it was like that for many years. Perhaps over a period of (1984 - 2022).

Any way all I care is that the stand is now straight and I will put it back on the bike today.

Perhaps in the next few weeks after all the rain and it warms up I can finally get out on a bike.

Bill

Another possibility is that it was bent by an unschooled, wanna be, not quite a mechanic back in the day. I have seen too many guys
pull the bike onto the side stand to pivot the bike around. This WILL bend your side stand.
Best,
Phil

When I got my early 79 the side stand had quite a bow in it causing the bike to lean over too far. I took it to a welder who straightened it and welded a thin steel rod onto the back side. It will never bow again.