OK! I got my CW home yesterday. First thing I noticed was the kickstand is quite bent just below the mounting tab at top.
Does anyone have a good way, which isn’t too ugly, to reinforce the kickstand so it doesn’t bend so easily? It’s bending upward away from the frame. Straightening it isn’t an issue. But I know bendingvit back into shape is going to weaken it further.
I do have a wire feed welder, so I’m open to ideas which will work. Do I just need to add welding to the front side after straightening it? Or to the back? Or both?
My welding skills aren’t that strong yet, but ivthing I can handle it. Maybe someone has a picture or 2 of what they’ve done?
Victor, most reinforcements I have seen, the best ones used a better metal piece of pipe and cut end off bottom and slipped the pipe over the original leg, and re welded them together, and while your welding, double check for cracks around welding at top and make sure bolt hold is not ob longed in anyway and then put a better foot on the bottom. When done repaint. should be just fine, and almost when done right, you cannot tell reinforcement has been made except for a bigger diameter. Good luck. Bruce
victor im not that good at welding either so i call my 4 inch angle grinder my eraser , weld grind weld grind pretty soon looks and holds good. kick stands a great learning project. any thing that has to look good or is structural ill take it to my welder guy . just saying ...albert
Thanks Albert! Yeah, I was thinking that I would straighten it, then try to weld a bead on the side facing out. I’m hoping it will strengthen the area where it tends to bend. Laying down a good bead is still tough for me. I’m going to practice first. I have an extra kickstand which someone else welded, on which to practice.
Bruce suggested that I sleeve it with a larger diameter tube to fit over it. But, it’s the top, where the tab joins the round stock, which bends. So I’m hoping that if I can lay a good “C” shaped bead there, that it will strengthen that section. Wish me luck! Victor
Just welding a bead won't do anything. You need to weld on some form of reinforcement, such as some strap, angle iron or a piece of pipe than fits over the original.
You don’t think adding a weld bead will strengthen the kickstand by adding additional thickness where it wants to bend? It was always my impression that thicker metal bends less easily than thinner metal.
I’m going to try adding a bead in the area shown as grey in the rough sketch attached. Victor
Victor