Another I Was Wondering Question:

[huntly2]

I was wondering if any Center Stand challenged owners use an extendable mirror, while sitting on their bike, in order to check their oil levels rather than hauling their bike up on the Center Stand?

[210Pilot]

That seems a lot harder to do than to get the bike on the center stand. I used to also have a hard time with this but if you get the technique down, it is super easy and you can do it without exerting any force at all, by just using your weight alone. Youtube has video tips on center stand usage.

To answer your original question - no, I never used an extendable mirror. I think if you were to do it this way, you would have to stand the bike up between your legs for quite some time for the oil to level out evenly at the bottom....

[orsolomeo]

Agree, it took me quite a while to figure out the centre stand, at the very beginning I thought it was purely an aesthetic accessor it was so hard to use it.
The issue was that I was actually trying to pull the bike up by the handle bar and the rear handle.
The it dawn on me.. basically you just need to step on the centre stand leg pushing down and forward a bit and the bike goes up, you can even do it with one hand only with little to no effort....

[huntly2]

I guess maybe not everyone is aware that the 2005 and I think the 2006 models had different balancing aspects for the Center Stand and are particularly difficult to use, so much so that BMW changed the hinge point on the frame. I own a 2005 and can use the stand, but not without trepidation, as I rest my entire weight, both feet, on the stand tab waiting for the bike to rise-up to stability.

[gdayjr]

I have a 2005 GS, and the first time i put it on the centre stand i thought i was doing something wrong, but like a few have said its all about using your own weight.
I am 6ft 4 tall (193CM) and weigh 110kg, so i don't have too much trouble. I also have Motech panier mounts on the bike, so i have a very handy place to grab hold of.

I don't often leave the bike on the side stand, but i can imagine some smaller built people having issues.

[30yGS]

Hey gdayjr, I is a shorter person, a slight 170cm here and I have absolutely no problem getting my 2010 GS on the center stand, in fact one of my first comments when I bought the bike was that "finally somebody put some time into designing the center stand properly" she comes up so easily on the centre stand that it is actually a pleasure and not a chore to park my baby that way.