C-stand = Crash

Im taking mine off once im ready for track days, its a requirement down under.

I already have a rear stand from my previous bike, vtr250.

At the moment it just hangs unloved in my man cave, centre stands maybe ugly but theyre incredibly handy, i always get a bit nervous popping bikes up on a race stand.
 
Wow, fair bit fire in this thread. Seems to be plenty of 'tree falling in the forest' type thinkin too.
I don't have my centre stand on as I have a race stand and got sick of feeling it under my left heal. On occassion it did scrape when hooked under my heal. At least I think it could have been the stand. It was scraped like my pegs(no feelers). Took it off at the track one day a few years back and it's still sitting there in the parts locker. Do I miss it? Yeah, when changing tyres or forks but in general? No. But it was real handy for hanging the feet over the bars, laying back and sleeping on the bike with a big softbag and bundled sleeping bag on the tail ;-)
 
The convenience of being able to pop the bike up on the center stand when touring far outweighs (pun intended) the additional pounds. My last bike didn't have one, and I specifically wanted a bike with this "feature" so that I could lube the chain while on the road. I take much better care of my chain now that it's easy, convenient, and takes less than a minute. Stock chain has 13K miles on it, and I've only adjusted it twice -- still plenty of life left in it.
 
PapaGeno21 said:
So true.


As far as removing it to save 5lbs, I will just take a big dump before I leave to go riding and we can call it even.
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I was going to reply with another answer but your reply says it perfectly. 5 lbs or so down low on the bike isn't going to make a whit of difference in the handling, people are kidding themselves when they get hung up on these weight savings. Remove the stock passenger peg hangers and you can lose another 4-5 lbs. If you really want to ride faster do a track day and get some training and instruction, you'll be able to ride a box stock bike and blow your buddies away. Riding fast is part bike and part technique. We tend to focus on the bike and ignore our own training.

For us oldsters who remember when all real bikes had centerstands it is a great feature, imo. It makes maintenance easier and storage in the garage is easier because the bike is straight up rather than leaning. The first time you get a flat rear tire out on the open road you'll be glad you have it, pop it up on the stand and using that plug kit and reinflating your tire is a LOT easier. It's hardly noticeable when it's folded up. More bikes should have them but cost cutting efforts have eliminated them from most bikes. The FZ8 doesn't have one but you can get one for $170, same one as on the FZ1. Yamaha's pencil pushers figure saving $100 or so off the MSRP is worth it (probably is for marketing purposes). I suspect the next Generation FZ1 will not have a centerstand. Pity.
 
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I'm pro center stand. It's handy, doesn't hardly show and a few pounds doesn't mean too much to me. I agree it's very nice to have at home, but wonderful if you need it away from home.

Of course, I'm somewhat pro rear fender. I don't really care for the looks (I know most people really hate it), but I don't hate it as much as most. I do hate muddy water up my back, so my rear fender will stay stock. I don't intentionally ride in the rain, but you never know, and sometimes you can't avoid a nasty puddle.
 
PapaGeno21 said:
So true.


As far as removing it to save 5lbs, I will just take a big dump before I leave to go riding and we can call it even.
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Not to offend but a dump weighing 5lbs means someone was really full of shit! lol Same goes for sledding, had friends spend thousands of dollars to save 10lbs I used to tell them instead of loading 8 beers into your pack bring a micky and you just saved 10lbs.
 
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