Yeah, I think a sidestand is an excellent accessory, but it's not an all-the-time answer. I use the new sidestand quite a bit, but not all the time. If you have to park on a slanted surface, the bike can easily roll "downhill" off a sidestand. If you have to tinker with the throttle while the bike is running, you need the back wheel to be free, off the ground, to spin as throttle is increased. One twist of the throttle while parked on a sidestand absent mindedly and the bike will take off and ulitmately fall (can't say quite how I know this!
). The centerstand is the safest way to park and it's not that hard even for a small gal.
So petite GF needs to learn how to get it on the centerstand safely and without strain. Yes, the bike is heavy, but it easily favors the centerstand maneuver by all body types if done correctly. First of all, it's instinct (especially if you've owned a sweet little Met) to merely push your foot sideways against the centerstand and just heave the bike up. NO:
do not stand on the left side of the bike facing the right side, with your body looking over the seat to the other side. Stand on the left side of the bike FACING the REAR of the bike. You must provide leverage directly to the foot access of the centerstand and also give a helping PUSH rearward. That means face the centerstand pedal directly and apply the pressure on it with your right foot and
bear your body weight towards the back of the bike. At the same time, grab the passenger hold-on grip with your right hand while keeping the left hand on the handlebars, and the front wheel straight, not turned. There is much greater strength in pushing (using your legs) than pulling (using your arms and shoulders). That makes it easy. Gals have little upper body strength but plenty of power in the legs, no matter how little they weigh (I'm heavy, but I'm an aging 64, so it isn't strength being "zoftig" that helps me, it's using my legs and a proper body position).
So PUSH on the centerstand with your right foot, and towards the back of the bike with your legs, facing the back of the bike while aiding the momentum with your hands/arms in the right places--right hand at back of the bike, left hand keeping the front wheel straight. If you face across the bike there is not enough power in your legs and you wind up trying to lift the bike. You must face the centerstand and do the pushing.
One other thing to keep in mind,: it cannot fall on you you if you push the centerstand down with your foot and face the back of the bike and PUSH, not lift. Once the centerstand actually makes contact with the ground--a matter of a few inches, you are no longer pushing the whole weight of the bike, you are only overcoming the spring tension on the centerstand so the bike will roll back onto the stand. Keeping the front wheel straight means it rolls straight. If it rolls straight back it can't fall since the centerstand will take its weight as intended. Fear of dropping the thing is probably a bigger deterrent than lack of strength.
Keep that in mind, too. It won't fall once the centerstand comes down the few inches to the ground--then just some momentum gets it steady past the spring.
If I haven't made it a positive set of instructions in words, I will have a video made of me doing it properly. Any woman, short or tall, heavy or petite can put this Elite 110 on the centerstand if she pays attention to the physics, and does not treat the centerstand like a sidestand, where the action is sideways, not back. My 8 year old neighbor kid can do it on my elite by herself and she weighs <60 lbs. I taught her how to do it and she does it with finesse, not strength.
Hope this helps the GF. Help her with the PUSH the first couple of times so she is not afraid of being rolled over by the bike, making sure she positions her body, legs and hands to maximize her leverage and does most of it herself, and the next time she tries it alone she will do it confidently.
