BMW R1200RT/R1250RT Forum

Just lying here in bed wondering if it’s possible to adapt the centre stand to be able to get the bike on it from the right side not the left ?.
I’ve not even looked yet but due to my small shed and having to back the bike down a ramp close to the wall it woukd make things so much easier for me.

Which side is the foot ‘lever’ thing on for countries that ride on the right. Is it on the left, the same as us, or on the right?

Steve398 wrote: Sun Aug 03, 2025 6:50 am Which side is the foot ‘lever’ thing on for countries that ride on the right. Is it on the left, the same as us, or on the right?

I’m not sure Steve, be great if you could just reverse it !.

The position of the muffler could make that difficult, but not impossible. A good fabricator could weld on a foot bar on the right side. Getting the positioning correct would be critical to making it work right.

Panman40 wrote: Sun Aug 03, 2025 7:24 am I’m not sure Steve, be great if you could just reverse it !.

I got the question but not sure if I've read and understood Steve's reply properly.I was intrigued to see just what side these continental types have there side stand and was looking at every bike I saw parked up(yes i know,sadsack )
Anyway,whether or not I've managed to get Steve's reply knotted,the results are in(or not)




The pesky Europeans are wired the same as us.Nice 1250 it was.

It is historically based on right-handed majority of people, who wore sword in a scabbard on the left hip, hence they mounted horses from the left side. The sword didn't have to go "over" the horse's back, so it was easier to mount from the left side.
That went to become the standard (inherited) behaviour for normal horse riding, with overlap of technology to bicycles and then later to motorised bicycles.

Being semi-ambidextrous, I do intentionally practice symmetry in all my activities (well, apart from writing, unless I have an injury), which includes mounting/dismounting my bicycles and my bike from both sides.

As ride on both left side and the right side, I am aware of the possible danger of dismounting into the traffic, and I do practice right-hand mounting/dismounting with my pillion on regular basis, before we head to the mainland Europe.

I hope, @Panman40 , you'll find a good fabricator to construct and weld the centre stand holder to satisfy your needs.

I was actually thinking of the way the bike leans in relation to the camber of the road.
In the UK we have the lower camber on our left and the side stand leans that way minimising the possibility of the bike tipping over, with the camber on the right and the side stand on the left it would leave the bike leaving out into the traffic and in a much more upright position.

Steve398 wrote: Wed Aug 27, 2025 2:20 pm I was actually thinking of the way the bike leans in relation to the camber of the road.
In the UK we have the lower camber on our left and the side stand leans that way minimising the possibility of the bike tipping over, with the camber on the right and the side stand on the left it would leave the bike leaving out into the traffic and in a much more upright position.

Often making hard work to lift off the side stand when fully loaded or on a steep camber. This thread now has me wondering how hard would it be to have a side stand on both sides

The answer is to ask/approach the fellas that do the disability rider conversation. Sure they have dealt with this issue.I was offered the opportunity to have my RT modified after me accident but declined.In hindsight I'm now not sure if did the right thing,and it would have included mounting the bike from the right.Oh well.

You can also consider a stand foot extender, as is being sold for off-road based bikes. That will lift the centre stand a bit.



Otherwise get a local engineer to extend it welding an extra piece.

The camber of the road got my starfish exercised this weekend, when I went for a rainy shopping ride on local roads. My tyres saved my bacon, but I did slow down a bit.