Thruxton Oxford Premium Rear Paddock Stand Mod

In this thread that I started, a tangent touched on paddock stands.

To conclude this discussion with better visibility for anyone else seeking advice in the future, here's the issue and my solution.

The issue was that because my Oxford Premium rear paddock stand lifts the Thruxton 1200 far more than is needed to have the wheel clear the ground (a function of the lifting bobbins being underneath the swinging arm), the effective leverage is reduced. Although I can do it by putting a block of wood under the side stand to get the bike nearly vertical, I really don't like lifting it by myself so am in the habit of asking for help - and my 58Kg wife wasn't heavy enough to use the paddock stand (she just became airborne) and didn't (and still doesn't) want the alternative job of holding the bike whilst 76Kg me does the lifting.

I therefore got a local engineering company to extend the stand as shown below. To get the necessary step for one tube to slide inside the other they used an inner and outer tube, the former beautifully welded to the latter but protruding the correct amount. The result is a double walled extension that is immensely strong and I am pleased that I accepted their advice not to extend the handle.

Now to sand, clean, prime, paint, and lacquer it. Oh; and put some washers under the bolt heads and nuts!