Really, you only need to do this stand shortening on a Special. When Yamaha made the Special model with the 16" rear wheel and more angled rear shocks, they didn't change the centerstand. It's the same stand used on the previous Standard models. The 18" rear wheel on the Standard already sits about 3/4" lower, and the more upright mounted rear shocks move it even closer to the ground on top of that. But, you do want to add the grease fittings to the pivots and brace the tang. I can't stress enough the importance of keeping the pivots greased. It literally makes an amazing difference in how easily the stand operates. I think the braced tang improves the stand's operation as well. When you step on the braced tang to deploy the stand, it doesn't flex as much. More of your downward stepping force is transmitted into the stand and not lost to flex.
