ProMoto Billet Kick Stand Review
December 5, 2003
Price
(msrp): $149.95
Available For: CR, KX, KTM, RM YZ
Like most people I never gave much thought to kickstands until I needed one and didn't have one. During the course of turning my YZ400F into a dual purpose SuperMoto/street bike it became painfully clear that a kickstand would be a huge asset.
So I searched the net and found a moderately priced ($80) generic kickstand that clamped around the swingarm. This seemed like the de-facto standard for add-on kickstands so I figured I was good to go. Once I bolted it up it became apparent that precious little thought went into the design of this generic POS.
The generic kickstand stuck out too far and gets in the way of my feet, the return spring was exposed and posed a crash hazard, and worst of all the design of the swingarm clamp pretty much guaranteed that the chain would hit it, making a ton of racket and trashing the chain in the process .
I ran it this way for a while but the poor design drove me nuts and I eventually resigned myself to the fact this was NOT the solution. Luckily for me along came Pro Moto Billet with their “Kick It” kickstand and my problems were solved.
Pro Moto Billet designed and built a super clean CNC machined internally sprung billet aluminum kickstand. Instead of clamping around the swingarm like the traditional add-on kickstands the “Kick It” kickstand bolts on using existing mounting locations on the frame. No BS drilling holes, welding tabs or kludging to make it work. Let's have a moment of silent thanks for REAL ENGINEERS.
The best part is the “Kick It” rotates almost 180 degrees up and tucks under the side cover. You don't know it's there when you are riding and the internal spring mechanism and detent mechanism is strong enough to keep it perfectly still while riding through whooped out sections or dirt or pavement. Even the infamous car-swallowing potholes in Chicago couldn't make the stand wiggle around as I went bashing through them trying to bend a wheel. In the down position the “Kick It” locks firmly into place and has a nice wide pad to keep the bike stable even on uneven ground.
The “Kick It” is incredibly well made with a build quality that is truly remarkable in an aftermarket product. Perfect welds, high quality fasteners, and even clear hard anodizing on the aluminum to keep it from discoloring. Kickstands usually look like a wart on any bike, but the sleek good looks of the CNC machined aluminum “Kick It” adds a nice touch style. All in all it's such a quantum leap over the generic kickstand designs that I can't imagine anyone wanting to run anything else.
If there is any downside to the product it might be the cost. At $149.95 retail , it seems expensive at first glance, but after suffering through an $80 generic kickstand the Pro Moto Billet “Kick It” seems like a BARGAIN to me.
I don't normally recommend products because I think a good deal of what gets sold in the aftermarket is complete crap, but this is one of those rare times I'll wholeheartedly recommend something I've tested. If you need a kickstand for your bike give the Pro Moto Billet “Kick It” a good look.
Contact Info:
http://www.promotobillet.com/
Pro Moto Billet
1103 N. Shamrock St.
Boise, ID 83713 USA
Phone - 1-208-377-8747
FAX – 1- 208-377-8713
General Information: sales@promotobillet.com
