Modern Vespa

In spite of the controversy, I went ahead and installed a sidestand from Scooterworks on my GT200. Some comments for those considering it:

1. Installation is simple, on the unit I had, the o-rings could be installed on the bolt before install, then grease the bolt, and push it into the stand and mounting boss on the scooter. No need for too much monkeying with the o-rings, they seem to fit thru the mounting hole on the stand just fine.

2. The springs are pretty low tension, and can be installed with needle nose pliers.

3. Before the final install, I did a test fit and decided to grind away about an 1/8 inch of material from the stand itself, where it hits the stop on the scoot. This lets it extend forward a bit more, leans the scoot over a little more and weights the stand a bit more. In my mind this makes it more stable. It still auto-retracts, but to grind enough away to prevent this would probably increase the lean too much. (For people considering this, grind on the stand, not the scooter, since screwing up a $29 sidestand is not too troublesome.)

I hate the auto retract, as it seems a little dangerous. But this may be more paranoia than anything. I think there are times when a sidestand is more secure than a centerstand and times when it is not. On anything other than hard surfaces, I would be inclined to use the sidestand, since it is far easier to find a piece of wood, beer can, etc., to put under the sidestand foot for stability than it is to find two pieces to stabilize the centerstand.

I went on a ride through the hills this afternoon and did not scrape, but was not too aggressive.

My thoughts for folks considering this idea...

Thanks for writing up your impressions. Just picked up some waterproof bearing grease today for my new stand. Maybe tomorrow.

Where's the lock washer supposed to go? The diameter is too small for the stand mount bolt and way too big for the rubber bumper bolt. Did you figure out where to use it?

The lockwasher that came with mine was also too small. I assume it was intended to be put on the threaded portion of the bolt, which seems a little odd, since the bolt secures the sidestand bracket to itself (as opposed to threading into a boss on the frame of the scooter). I did not have the right size lockwasher lying around, so left it off. I will check the sidestand bolt every couple of weeks and if it starts loosening, secure it with a lockwasher or Loctite (probably a better approach, anyway). Most single cylinder bikes need a check of the fasteners every few weeks anyway...

Good thinking. I only use mine for specific occasions when I'm off the scooter for a short amount of time.

The auto retract scares me too - I'm always really careful whenever I use it.

I left one of the springs off when I installed it. It still retracted just fine but not as quickly...

Yep, I did that too. Forgot which spring, but I found both springs was way too strong.

Hi cynic: I'm a little confused about where you placed your "O" rings. They sit over each side of the mounting points where the bolt goes in but your post said that you fitted them through the mounting hole.
Here's the instructions: http://www.scooterwest.com/item_detail/More-Info/320/show_info/yes/

Just wanted to make sure you had them in the correct place.

To be honest, I had not really looked at the photos in the installation instruction website closely enough to see where the o-rings were supposed to end up. When I got all the parts, I assumed that they were supposed to go in the grooves on the bolt, since that is the "right" way to use an o-ring to seal a shaft inside a bushing. I figured when the instructions were written, you could not get the bolt through the hole in the stand with the o-rings in place.

It is interesting, I will take a look at it again this week. If the o-rings are supposed to go on the ends of the bushing, then I wonder where the too-small lock washer was supposed to go? Anyone have any ideas?

I bought two of these for our GTS' and neither one came with the small washer that you have described.

Re. The "O"-rings. Just put some grease on them and lay them on each side of the hole. The grease will help to keep them in place until you get the sidestand housing around each one....then, insert the bolt. Without the O-ring, you will get too much play and the stand will rattle.