Bonding Steel to Aluminum (solved with a hockey puck)

[willowstreetguzziguy]

After living with my modified side stand for 11 years as it causes my 1200 Sport to Len a bit too far. I would like to add 1” of aluminum to the under side of the side stand base plate. Adding 1” will make a world of difference! Next week I plan to visit a fabricator and get them to cut a piece of 1” thick aluminum in the shape of my side stand base plate.

Is it possible to bond the aluminum plate to the side stand plate using a strong epoxy or will it need to be welded? Sounds like welding these two metals might be tricky? Any thought?

[Guzzidad]

   I used JB Weld for my 1100 Sport.

[John A]

They won’t weld together. I bolt on extensions but I’ve only done that on centerstands. I formed 1” aluminum strips around the curve and bolted them to the flange. As I remember, 3/4” would have been better .

[normzone]

Just a guess here, and maybe impractical ... build up some steel weld bead on that surface? Probably not practical.

[Ncdan]

Most any decent fabricator could put a steel foot on your existing steel kick Stand.

[John A]

You could make a plate out of steel , drilled and tapped for the aluminum spacer to bolt to and have that welded on. Or you could just glue it….

[moto]

An inch sounds like a lot. You can go too far so that your motorcycle won't be able to stand up when you're at the edge of a crowned road surface. Also, you might need to watch out more for wind blowing it over if your bike is too upright. Finally, the side stand being too long may force you to lean the bike too far to the right when you deploy it. I found out that could be a problem when I filled up my 6.5 gallon gas tank and then leaned the bike over to the right too far when deploying the stand and dropped it due to the unexpected extra weight.

You might make hardwood blocks of different thicknesses and glue those on as experiments. That way you'll have a better idea of the final thickness to use. As for attaching aluminum to iron, you could tap the current foot and screw down the extension. I prefer welding, and I prefer a professional to do the welding. Not expensive, and welders are interesting, by and large.

[willowstreetguzziguy]

The Reason I decided to possibly go with a aluminum was because I thought maybe the steel, 1 inch thick might be a little too heavy and the kickstand might have a chance of wanting to flop down slightly over bumps. I will attach a 1 inch piece of wood and try parking it in various locations to be sure 1 inch is the correct amount that I want. Thanks for the advice.

[Dukedesmo]

You can't weld aluminium to steel and I'm not sure I'd want to rely on any glue to hold.


I doubt the extra weight of a steel extension would cause any problem (other than adding a little weight to the bike).


I needed around a 20mm extension to the steel side stand on my Monster due to excessive lean (and that the stand was from another model so probably too short in the first place?).


I cut a piece of steel to the same profile, welded it on and ground back the visible weld so that it looks original and the stand stays where it is when riding.


Depending on the design, it may be easier to cut/extend the stand rather than modify the foot?

[Dirk_S]

What does the foot look like? Can you buy or make one of those foot pads with a cover that sandwiches the kickstand’s foot in between? You would want to mill/rout a space that looks like the foot recessed into the bottom; the thinner top plate screws down over the foot.

[mechanicsavant]

I’ve added extensions on my side stands on a number bikes . Adding steel may cause the stand to droop because of the added weight . Aluminum & JB weld should work also . If I were going this route I’d add @ least one machine screw to the assembly. Personally I’ve been quite successful with plastic foot expanders . I cut up an old cutting board . First I made a template out of plywood scrap . Once it seemed to fit I transferred it to plastic . Then fastened it to the sidestand  using at least 2 stainless (sometimes 3)fasteners . Ain’t lost one in over 100k Mi. On several bikes . Your results may vary!

[Kev m]

I’ve added extensions on my side stands on a number bikes . Adding steel may cause the stand to droop because of the added weight . Aluminum & JB weld should work also . If I were going this route I’d add @ least one machine screw to the assembly. Personally I’ve been quite successful with plastic foot expanders . I cut up an old cutting board . First I made a template out of plywood scrap . Once it seemed to fit I transferred it to plastic . Then fastened it to the sidestand  using at least 2 stainless (sometimes 3)fasteners . Ain’t lost one in over 100k Mi. On several bikes . Your results may vary!

Yup, that's what I did on the V7III. You probably gave me the idea. Works a charm.

[Stevex]

Rather that make an ugly 'foot', why not cut the side stand and get an insert welding into it?

[Moparnut72]

I need to do this on my Mandello. It leans too far over. In the owners manual there is a warning not to use the peg to mount the bike on the peg if there is a passenger on board. When camping I have quite a bit of weight on the back and increased height due to the gear. I don't like to mount from the right side due to physical reasons. So I think an addition to the stand would take a lot of weight off it and reduce the danger of breaking something. Unfortunately the stand is aluminum and I don't have the equipment to weld aluminum. I'll have to rummage through my scrap metal pile and see what I can find.
kk

[nwguy]

I’ve added extensions on my side stands on a number bikes . Adding steel may cause the stand to droop because of the added weight . Aluminum & JB weld should work also . If I were going this route I’d add @ least one machine screw to the assembly. Personally I’ve been quite successful with plastic foot expanders . I cut up an old cutting board . First I made a template out of plywood scrap . Once it seemed to fit I transferred it to plastic . Then fastened it to the sidestand  using at least 2 stainless (sometimes 3)fasteners . Ain’t lost one in over 100k Mi. On several bikes . Your results may vary!

Plus one on the old cutting board. I was going to suggest a chunk of high density Polyethylene. Easy to cut/drill/mill, very light, very tough, resistant to splitting and cracking, and you can get a piece in black

[MG_rider]

One more thing to consider: if/when you get a flat tire the bike will lean more to the right, some bikes a lot more.  Worst case is bike falls over unattended from a leak overnight, seen it happen.

[willowstreetguzziguy]

 Let me clarify a few things about my original post concerning my side stand…

1. Here are some pictures of my “modified” side stand and new base plate
  First picture shows the lean angle with side stand. Second picture shows the lean angle with 1 inch added under side stand.












2. It had to be modified because I lowered my foot pegs 1.5 inches and the original side stand would not clear the new foot peg.
3. I basically hacksawed off the extension and added the base plate so it leans the same amount as the original side stand.
4. I took a 1 inch piece of wood and tested it underneath the side stand in various situations and concluded that 1 inch added would be the best for me.
5. I do not want to cut and lengthen the side stand because it barely misses the shift lever as it is and Adding 1 inch thickness to the new base plate makes the most sense.
6. With The 2.75“ x 2.25“ current base plate, I believe a 1 inch thick piece of steel would add too much weight to it and that’s why I was thinking of having aluminum welded to the steel base plate for added thickness.

I very much appreciate all your input.

[Dirk_S]

That is so drillable, and I’m jealous of the real estate you have to attach a block underneath. The V7 III side stands are a deal more difficult to add an extension, not much foot pad space in them. Tap baby tap! Maybe do a Helicoil if there’s any concern the aluminum threading might strip, but you’ll be going pretty deep, so I probably wouldn’t personally.

[willowstreetguzziguy]

That is so drillable, and I’m jealous of the real estate you have to attach a block underneath. The V7 III side stands are a deal more difficult to add an extension, not much foot pad space in them. Tap baby tap! Maybe do a Helicoil if there’s any concern the aluminum threading might strip, but you’ll be going pretty deep, so I probably wouldn’t personally.

So are you saying you would tap and put two bolts down into the aluminum rather than welding or use JB Weld and two tapped bolts?

[willowstreetguzziguy]

Plus one on the old cutting board. I was going to suggest a chunk of high density Polyethylene. Easy to cut/drill/mill, very light, very tough, resistant to splitting and cracking, and you can get a piece in black

I only concerned with the high density polyethylene is that it would be very slippery on an asphalt surface.

[Cam3512]

How about one of these?  I have one on my V85.  There are many on ebay.

https://ebay.us/m/yq3b4v

[Dirk_S]

So are you saying you would tap and put two bolts down into the aluminum rather than welding or use JB Weld and two tapped bolts?

Heck yeah, although with that real estate you could do 3 or 4 screws, even better. Maybe toss in a lock washer and/or thread locker, too.

Considering your concern of plastic slipping, keep in mind you have two rubber tires gripping the pavement. Your bike isn’t going anywhere ;)

[wirespokes]

Cutting the side stand and welding in an extension isn't a good idea. A friend did that to his BMW GS and the first time deployed, the thing bent and down she went.

[Kev m]

So are you saying you would tap and put two bolts down into the aluminum rather than welding or use JB Weld and two tapped bolts?

Two or three screws countersunk from below the extension piece AND bond it ALSO.

[willowstreetguzziguy]

Two or three screws countersunk from below the extension piece AND bond it ALSO.

Sounds good. Thanks. Taking the side stand off today and will go see a metal fabricator tomorrow. I’ll inform you all of the results.

[Trialsman]

Different times I have extended the shaft with a spacer welded in place, screwed a spacer/plate to the bottom of the foot, but the best, seems to be just welding a spacer and wider foot to the bottom.  I hollowed this one to cut down on the weight as it was a 1" rise.  Works perfectly and makes the bike so much easier to get off the stand.  It still has enough lean to prevent wind from upsetting it and most times off cambers are no problem.

[SIR REAL ED]

a helpful site for adhesive adventures:

thistothat.com

[willowstreetguzziguy]

Problem Solved by a different method…

The other day I went to three welding shops and all said they couldn’t weld aluminum to steel and none had 1 inch thick aluminum. Each one gave me a different solution of which none I was really happy with. The last one calculated steel would weigh 1.8 pounds which I figure might weigh too much. He finally mentioned 3M VHB double face tape very high bond. He said he has used it with success on various projects and it was strong and the more pressure that is put on it the better it sticks. He even mentioned I could possibly use Trex decking material instead of aluminum.

My final last resort stop was my Ace Hardware store, helpful hardware, man. We tried to think of any material that would be 1 inch thick that could substitute for aluminum or steel but came up empty.

On my drive home, I decided to visit the welding shop that modified my side stand 12 years ago. It was a rather junkie place and when I walked into the small office, no one was there. I returned to my car dejected..
 I backed up and pulled forward to leave. There laying on the parking lot in front of me lay a 1 inch thick x 12“ x 6” solid piece of Trex decking there in the midst of all these metal parts in the welding shop yard. I pulled over and reached down and picked it up. It was a solid 1 inch piece of trek decking just what I needed! WHAT ARE THE ODDS OF THAT HAPPENING AT THAT MOMENT IN TIME? A billion to one? Probably not calculable.

I brought it home, cleaned it up and ordered some of the 3M VHB tape. I used my jigsaw to cut out the exact size shape, sanded it down, painted it and adhered it with the 3M tape today to my side stand giving me a 1 inch rise. I don’t know how long it will last but I’ve got that piece of Trex decking on hand if I need to cut another. Problem solved. I’ll let you know how it works out.

Necessity is truly the mother of invention!

[moto]

Sounds like one of the 12" samples Trex sells for $5.

[willowstreetguzziguy]

Sounds like one of the 12" samples Trex sells for $5.

Could be.. Just at the right spot!