side stand fix?

[albee]

Anyone have an easy fix to stiffen the kickstand. It seems like it wants to fold up too easy.

 

[majicmaker]

Not that I know of, Albee. Most of us have had our pucker moments with the kickstand. It's something that you kinda have to get used to. After a while, it'll become second nature to make sure you tap it forward before you lean it to the left. Never face it forward when you park down hill. You'll get used to it.

 

[dgiles]

I leave mine in gear. Peace of mind, and an old habit.

 

[JREW]

I've not noticed it on the 2013, maybe I'm just accustom to the issue, but on the 2005 I applied the side stand grinding fix. You file/grind some of the stop away so the stand sits just a little further forward. Gives that little extra protection.

 

[NightShine]

Not that I know of, Albee. Most of us have had our pucker moments with the kickstand. It's something that you kinda have to get used to. After a while, it'll become second nature to make sure you tap it forward before you lean it to the left. Never face it forward when you park down hill. You'll get used to it.

So the FJR kickstand doesn't inspire you with its solid, "down and locked" confidence? Have you so little faith? Ah, smart man!

Just keep aware and deal with the issue consistently, and you can avoid a nasty surprise. Some folks have made mechanical alterations to the bike; I've made behavioral ones to me.

I use the front brake to make sure the bike isn't going to roll forward. If the gradient is anything but uphill, I first leave or put it in gear and roll the bike forward until it stops (and if it's decidedly downhill, I find another parking spot). Then with the kickstand fully extended, I leave my toe pushing the kickstand forward until I've completed leaning the bike onto the stand. Release the brake, wiggle the bike to test it has solid footing, and then remove my toe from the kickstand.

That's the behavior I consciously follow every time, and it's second nature to me. Anything less now makes me uneasy.

YMMV.

 

[Donal]

IMHO the single best thing you can do to improve the stability of your kickstand is to fit a WynPro (Big-Foot) . This will not only give the side stand better stability in soft ground but because of it's increased surface area it will reduce the tendency for the bike to roll off the stand.

Since I fitted mine several years ago I haven't had a single 'pucker' moment (related to the side stand)..................

 

[Brodie]

+1 about leaving it in 1st gear and rolling the bike forward until it stops before setting it on the side stand. This IS your parking brake built in to most every bike out there. Get into this habit every time you park your bike, facing up hill, level, facing downhill - it will not roll forward off its stand.

Now if you are having issues with its shallow lean angle, don't grind the kick stand - just throw a car tire on back there. When leaning on its side stand the edge of the tire will raise the back end of the bike and make it lean even more. Problem solved.

Brodie

 

[albee]

Not quite ready for the dark side Brody. I'll try leaving it in gear, hopefully it becomes habit.

Brodie sorry

 

[fastpappy]

Since I lowered my bike I ground the stop on the side stand and lets the stand go father forward. Just my 2 cents.

 

[Twigg]

Learned early on ... like 40 years ago, to always push the stand fully forward and watch as you rest the bike on it.

Never had a "dropped bike" incident, but I did have a side stand completely collapse on the Big Tex Rally last year. At a small country gas station in Crockett, TX, the side stand sheared at the bolt and the bike went wheels up. It lead to an interesting next few hours

 

[Fred W]

IMHO the single best thing you can do to improve the stability of your kickstand is to fit a WynPro (Big-Foot) . This will not only give the side stand better stability in soft ground but because of it's increased surface area it will reduce the tendency for the bike to roll off the stand.

I agree. And the second best thing that you can (and should) do to ensure side stand stability is to get yourself into the habit of always parking the bike facing up any hill. The side stand will never roll forward and fold if it is pointed up the slope.

 

[FJRMGM]

park your bike in gear and never pointed downhill.

 

[TheZsdad]

Anyone have an easy fix to stiffen the kickstand. It seems like it wants to fold up too easy.

Viagra!

 

[Old Guy]

Not quite ready for the dark side Brody. I'll try leaving it in gear, hopefully it becomes habit.
Brodie sorry

If my bike's on the side stand, it's in low gear. I never bother with neutral except when the bike is on the center stand. I only use neutral then so I can turn the rear wheel to where I can get to the valve to check the rear tire.

I don't know why people bother finding neutral. Stop in 1st gear, kill the engine. To start, pull the clutch, side stand up, start the engine. it works fine in low.

I also never park facing downhill. On uneven ground I try to orient the bike so it's level side to side and pointed up the hill. If I can't satisfy myself with a parking spot, I park somewhere else.

 

[garyahouse]

Not quite ready for the dark side Brody. I'll try leaving it in gear, hopefully it becomes habit.
Brodie sorry

I don't know why people bother finding neutral. Stop in 1st gear, kill the engine. To start, pull the clutch, side stand up, start the engine. it works fine in low.

Ditto on finding neutral. Why bother? I always leave mine in gear when I'm out and about. Just start it in first, let the clutch out and go. No more clunking to slam it into first from neutral...

Gary

darksider #44

 

[Fred W]

As we already know, the FJR clutch has a certain amount of "normal" drag, especially when stone cold. This is part of the reason for the big kerchunk when shifting from N to 1st. We also know that the battery capacity is a compromise in power to keep the weight (located in a non-optimum place up high in the frame) relatively light. Starting in neutral reduces the mechanical load on the starter motor requiring less power from the marginal battery.

Having the bike in neutral on a perfectly flat surface is not a problem. The bike will not miraculously roll forward folding the side stand unless there is a hill and the bike is pointed down the slope. I leave my bikes in neutral parked inside my own garage all the time!!

That way if I have to move one, or put it up on the center stand for some sort of maintenance, it is already in neutral. I roll the bike out of the garage and start it in neutral. Sometimes I'll even put it on the side stand with the engine running (of course it is in neutral) and actually walk away to close the garage door!!

I know... I'm a big risk taker.

 

[Old Guy]

Agree to all, Fred

I park mine on the center stand inside my garage so I can lean over and look at the oil level before leaving. I even park my ZRX on a pit stand for the same reason. My first start of the day will be in neutral because it's already there, and oddly, I don't get the clunk when I go to low. That's when I'd have thought I'd get it. But then it's not likely to be in neutral until again I get back and center stand it. The rest of the starts of the day will be in low on an engine that's probably still not cold from when I stopped.

The concrete pad outside my garage door is sloped down slightly, and that's one of the few places I'll put it on the side stand in neutral. Then I go close the door, come back and start it, snick it in low, and go.

 

[wnyfjr]

I typically use the side stand as my kill switch when stopping most places. With the bike (an AE) in 1st or second, as I roll to a stop, I put the side stand down and that kills the engine. Every time I use the side stand, I give the thing a little forward kick with the toe of my boot before putting any weight on it. If the bike feels like it wants to move forward as I lean it on the stand I don't let it all the way down and go find a better place to park. That might be a few feet away or it might be across the parking lot.

I roll my AE into the garage under power in 1st, then use the kill switch just as soon as I get over the garage lip and am inside. That way it's still in 1st, but I can roll it to jockey it into it's parking spot. Then it goes up on the center stand. and the key goes off (I usually remember to put the kill switch back to run before this, but not always). The drawback to that is that I need the key to move the bike (have to turn it on, and then shift into neutral to move it).

 

[supertankerm60a3]

I only use 1st if facing down (very slight) hill but I have developed the habit of standing on the stand's "deployment peg". It gives me an extra 2 inches of height to clear the seat and bags with my foot and makes sure it is all the way down. It also adds 214 pounds of stability as I get on or off the thing.