I decided to go with the OEM center-stand because of the large footprint and the probability that it will be used off-road often--I ordered it from my local BMW dealer and when I began installing it I noticed a decent amount of rust inside of the open tube. It also looks like there might be some rust pushing up under the exterior paint. Has any one else had this issue with the OEM center-stand? I'm not trying to sound like a whiner but shouldn't a $300 part come rust free?
You're right that a new product shouldn't be rusty. Try taking it back and see what they say. Bought mine with the bike and never looked inside. Now, almost 4 years later, it's mos def rusty on the outside from being sand and gravel blasted. I'm thinking of visiting my local Line-X guy to get it covered up and protected. Might even give the bottom a little more purchase on my garage floor.
So after riding with the SW Motech on for a few months I can say that the fit and finish is superb but the stand has a terrible tendency to deploy while riding on the road. It happens when the suspension compresses while going down into dips... not a reassuring feeling whatsoever. I would NEVER take it off road. Looks like it's going into the spare parts bin.
Just hit it with some truck bed liner from Home Depot, its about $8 bucks a can and covers everything.
