Firstly welcome on board Nick!

Your right, the best way to get the bike to lean at a "safer" angle is to cut a bit of length out of the stand. Just be mindful that you don't need to cut off as much as you might think!

If you cut the standard foot off (plus a little bit of the tube) to shorten it, you can weld on a slightly bigger foot while you're at it. It will make the bike much more stable on soft ground and save you buying a Camel Toe type extension at a later date.

Read this thread for some inspiration.

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