ADVrider Project / BMW G310GS Build: T

Photo: Kate Murphy

Recently, while I was trying to fit an upgraded horn literally anywhere on the G310GS, I knocked the bike over in my garage.

I know, we’ve all done it, but this was extra stupid: I had left the saddlebags on the bike with (count them with me) two (2) 16-oz bottles of water in the uphill bag. The sidestand on this bike is long enough, and the extra weight made the bike squat enough, that a small nudge and the bike just fell away from me as I sat beside it, helpless and swearing.

That was the last straw.

After pulling the bike upright and checking for damage (one dented top-box, one loose mirror, and one slightly cracked air compressor housing, sorry air compressor) I hopped on the internet. The 310 forums had been singing the praises of the T-Rex adjustable side stand, so, you know, "buy now."

You’ll note, as I did, that this stand is available in several places online including eBay, but the T-Rex site itself has the best price. So, $119.95 USD with free shipping, and four days later, I had my replacement stand.

Getting the old stand off, of course, necessitated putting the bike on its center stand. Using that thing (you’ll remember here that it is a cheap, shitty off-brand thing) convinced me that I’ll be removing and replacing that, too. But first things first.

The bike comes with a small plastic side stand switch guard. Removing that involves a 10mm nut and washer, and a circlip. A wrench and some circlip pliers made short work. A 5mm allen bolt holds the side stand switch on; remove that and the switch can be removed and hangs out of the way.

Circlip pliers makes taking this off easier, or you learn why they’re called "jesus clips." Photo: Kate Murphy

The springs must be removed, and for this you need a spring puller. If you don't own one, they’re $6-$8 and are very, very useful. I recommend buying yourself one. Pulling the springs rearward off the stand is the way to go here, the large outer spring first. Try and pull them forward off the bike-side mount point on the bike and you risk pulling the bike off its center stand.

The bolt that holds the stand on is an 8mm allen head, and threads through from behind the stand's pivot point. There's barely enough clearance to get at that bolt with a socket wrench when the center stand is deployed. If you have trouble loosening that bolt keep in mind that it threads into the stand itself, so as long as you’ve set your wrench to "loosey" you can gain more leverage by moving the stand itself.

As shipped, the T-Rex stand is set at its lowest bolt hole. Too short! Photo: Kate Murphy

And that's it – the stand is off. If you compare the two stands, you’ll measure, too, that the new stand is as tall as the old one when the bolt is in the fifth hole up from the foot. Since I want the stand just slightly shorter, I set it to the fourth hole up, and snugged the 10mm bolt and 5mm allen-head screw (convenient!) until they were tight.

Options! Whether you’re installing a new suspension or lowering the bike there's a setting that should work. Photo: Kate Murphy

Installation, as they say, is the reverse of removal. First, though, I took a wire brush to the threads on the stand bolt.

Nice and clean. Photo: Kate Murphy

I wiped off the surface of the plain bearing where the stand bolt travels, and regreased it. Then I applied blue Loctite to the now-clean bolt threads.

Finally, I positioned the stand, put the bolt through, wobbled it to make sure it seated, and snugged it to spec.

The springs were way easier to install than to remove, oddly. Small inner one first and then large outer one, the spring puller made quick work. Pop the switch guard back on, snug that bolt down, and Robert is your mother's brother.

Snug up that bolt so the stand is solid. Photo: Kate Murphy

Before I took the bike down off its center stand, though, I grabbed the foot of the retracted kickstand and found that it wobbled in its upper half just enough to make noise when I pushed and pulled on it. So I snugged its nut and bolt down more, and kept checking, until that wobble was gone. Side stands are important, and I do not want this failing on me because I installed it stupid.