Sidestand fix?

[FJRottie]

The side stand on my 04 has its attitude. After a little while I figured it was sensitive. Maybe it is a design flaw, but I filed down the stop, and always park (and roll it) in gear. I also always take care when deploying the side stand as well. After 2 1/2 years, no worries.

Fred you are right, it is not the perfect machine, but nothing is, and some of us adapted so it is not a problem anymore. That doesn't take away from your concerns though.

I think many here just went at it and fixed it, because we doubt Yamaha will address this.

I have had many bikes with similar and worse side stands. I found some of the side stands on Harleys terrible, where others don't.

I have no doubt when the FJR stand is down and out, and I make sure it stays there.

 

[HIGHLANDER]

Let me offer this: Yamaha should put a detent on the '07 side stand so that it makes a positive CLICK when it is fully deployed. ,,,,,,

Naw , you won't here it with ear plugs in! Maybe we need another ***** light on the dash..... Yaeh that's it, a new LED ***** light !!

 

[v65]

Thoughts?

I think thats where you went wrong Fred

 

[Toecutter]

Sorry if this is a repeat, but how 'bout just making sure it's in place, in gear, with all forward slop pushed out before lowering the bike. Oh, and make sure your toe isn't under it (not how I got my handle, that would be ToeMangler, aka anonymous).

 

[twowheelnut]

Sorry if this is a repeat, but how 'bout just making sure it's in place, in gear, with all forward slop pushed out before lowering the bike. Oh, and make sure your toe isn't under it (not how I got my handle, that would be ToeMangler, aka anonymous).

Hey, it was just a bruise and the bike didn't fawl down go boom, either!

 

[Scab]

Has anyone got some marshmallows for this roast?

 

[DaveT]

Well, I have to agree with Fred on this one and look forward to seeing any possible solution -- in addition to really being careful. Sidestands can be a tricky item on most bikes and they really vary. On my Valk, the sidestand was great and the bike really leaned to the left (always park in gear, as for all bikes) -- just don't park with it leaning downhill to the left or you'd have a chore bringing the hunky beast back to center. My 1800 Wing is just the opposite -- it almost sits straight up on the sidestand and I always prefer a slide downslope to the left, thus ensure that it is leaning enough to keep a strong wind from blowing it over.

As for the FJR, I find that I need to be very careful with the sidestand, really ensure that it is deployed fully, that the bike cannot roll forward even the slightest when it gear and on the stand, and also prefer the slide downslope as it sits very much upright on the sidestand. Yes, I am do all of this everytime, but I can also make a mistake and screw up. So, I'd prefer if it leaned left a little more and if the sidestand was a locked in position a little more when deployed.

So, look forward to any suggestions.

 

[S76]

Fred,

You are absolutely right about the side stand. It is not designed right. I had the same problem with mine.

Shortcomings:

1. The bike is to close to vertical when on the side stand.

2. The sidestand is almost vertical when deployed.

3. The spring does not go far enough over center to assist much in the deployed position.

4. The spring is too weak.

I filed the stop on mine to allow the foot to be about an inch more forward than normal when extended.

1. This gave the bike more lean angle putting more weight on the sidestand.

2. This gave the sidestand a more forward and more secure postion.

3. It helps the spring be a little more over center.

4. I didn't change the spring yet, but every bike I have had has had a much stronger spring, which helps in both directions.

And as for the hecklers don't even think twice about them for they:

1. Fail to realize that the 06 may be different than theirs.

2. Fail to realize that being a cast and ground part there may be differences in each one.

3. Fail to realize that some people enjoy analysing and making things as good as they possibly can be.

4. Fail to realize that even though the FJR is a fabulous bike it is not the end all in every aspect.

5. Fail to realize......Yeah, Just fail to realize.

It is illogical (sp?) to say it's just opperator error, no action required. Because using that theory nobody would be better off with ABS. If you skid it is operator error. But what ABS is for, is the time you make a mistake and do skid. Likewise with the sidestand. Yes, we all know what you are supposed to do when parking your bike, but by improving the way the sidestand operates it just may save you from the time you do make a mistake, or, are on poor footing.

Forget the knotheads, they will never understand. I appreciate your input.

 

[boogahboogah]

FJR Sidestand Instructions:

1) Choose your parking spot carefully

2) Make sure the bike will not lean to Starboard because of ground angle

3) Make sure bike is in gear

4) Extend the sidestand.

5) Stick your boot against the sidestand to force it to full extension

6) Hold boot against sidestand while letting sidestand absorb bike weight

7) Rock bike to make sure it will not disturb sidestand angle

The sidestand does not fully extend automatically, that is what Fred is saying. I have learned the above procedure after not making sure the sidestand is fully extended & having a 'gut check' similar to what Fred reported. Am I stupid ? Maybe. Could the sidestand be better designed so it operates in a more positive fashion ? Yes. Did I have this type of problem with my previous bikes ? No.

Any questions ?

 

[Bounce]

Actually, I kinda like the switchblade/stilletto sidestand idea. I think it'd be trick!

 

[Spedboy]

<Waah> My sidestand is a poopie!

/quote

Actually, it IS a design issue. Any good engineering design should be such that it eliminates or reduces the chance of operator error, not increase it. All I am suggesting doing is fixing it so that it works like it should. I don't understand why this seems to bother folks.

/endquote

Fine email Yamaha. If I had a nickel for every time I heard a guy say there was a design flaw with the "autodeployment feature" of his sidestand on bike X,Y, or Zed, I'd have like 47 nickels.

This a colinear, two-wheeled, 150 HP, human manipulated automobile. Operator error is inherent in the design. That's why we wear helmets and buy TOGs. If you try to improve the design, we'll simply breed better 'operators'. I am still waiting to meet the engineer who can out-think the ability of John Q. Public to do stupid ****.

And good engineering design? Give it a rest. If I swung a dead cat in this forum I'd hit like 47 engineers, technicians, and serious wrenchheads. All this package grabbing over the AE, "I can shift twice as many times in 30 seconds on the AE as the A." That'd be great if you had ten close gears, or the FJR was a bloody DRAG BIKE. I'm sure back in the day when you guys all got your FIRST FJR, after riding it for a week you thought to yourself, "Gee this is SWELL, but what I really want is pushbutton sub-100 millisecond shifts". I sure hope the firmware coders for the AE controller really exercised all the ways the sensors could fail. You enjoy those new model year bikes.

Just wait till you start hearing about the older AE guys who forget what they're riding and do a throttle blip at an intersection and find themselves left on their ***** watching as their bike unicycles crazily across 4 lanes of traffic to its utter demise (careful with that one guys!). Then they'll curse good engineering design. By Thor's mighty hammer I swear it.

The stand does work as it should. You fools don't honestly believe that grinding that tang or moving that spring is going to gurantee you push that sucker all the way out do you? Or that the stand, if deployed near vertical, will always fall towards the tang instead of folding up? For that bike to fall over (as you tools have admitted), the stand has to be on or before the six o'clock position, you let me know how grinding that tang or repostioning the spring is going to make that stand 'magically' fall forward over the fulcrum point. I smell **** and lots of it.

This is a problem of inattentiveness.

Maybe someday you'll develop the skill to understand that a motorcycle is truly an unstable system and when it is what we in the engineering business call 'stopped' is incapable of maintaining balance 'open loop'. Maybe someday you'll appreciate the value of your 11,000 to 14,000 dollar bike and really take the time to make sure the stand is down.

Maybe you'll learn to kick out that stand, rake your hair back, lean the bike over, take one last suck on that sweet, sweet Marlboro before you drop that big black boot on it (and incidentally directly behind the stand), and then drag that shiny blue missile backwards in neutral to really make sure that stand is against the tang before you release your grip.

You know, like the adults do. If you have a problem with this, please see the instructions below and get off yourself.

 

[Dwavey]

<Waah> My sidestand is a poopie!
/quote

Actually, it IS a design issue. Any good engineering design should be such that it eliminates or reduces the chance of operator error, not increase it. All I am suggesting doing is fixing it so that it works like it should. I don't understand why this seems to bother folks.

/endquote

Fine email Yamaha. If I had a nickel for every time I heard a guy say there was a design flaw with the "autodeployment feature" of his sidestand on bike X,Y, or Zed, I'd have like 47 nickels.

This a colinear, two-wheeled, 150 HP, human manipulated automobile. Operator error is inherent in the design. That's why we wear helmets and buy TOGs. If you try to improve the design, we'll simply breed better 'operators'. I am still waiting to meet the engineer who can out-think the ability of John Q. Public to do stupid ****.

And good engineering design? Give it a rest. If I swung a dead cat in this forum I'd hit like 47 engineers, technicians, and serious wrenchheads. All this package grabbing over the AE, "I can shift twice as many times in 30 seconds on the AE as the A." That'd be great if you had ten close gears, or the FJR was a bloody DRAG BIKE. I'm sure back in the day when you guys all got your FIRST FJR, after riding it for a week you thought to yourself, "Gee this is SWELL, but what I really want is pushbutton sub-100 millisecond shifts". I sure hope the firmware coders for the AE controller really exercised all the ways the sensors could fail. You enjoy those new model year bikes.

Just wait till you start hearing about the older AE guys who forget what they're riding and do a throttle blip at an intersection and find themselves left on their ***** watching as their bike unicycles crazily across 4 lanes of traffic to its utter demise (careful with that one guys!). Then they'll curse good engineering design. By Thor's mighty hammer I swear it.

The stand does work as it should. You fools don't honestly believe that grinding that tang or moving that spring is going to gurantee you push that sucker all the way out do you? Or that the stand, if deployed near vertical, will always fall towards the tang instead of folding up? For that bike to fall over (as you tools have admitted), the stand has to be on or before the six o'clock position, you let me know how grinding that tang or repostioning the spring is going to make that stand 'magically' fall forward over the fulcrum point. I smell **** and lots of it.

This is a problem of inattentiveness.

Maybe someday you'll develop the skill to understand that a motorcycle is truly an unstable system and when it is what we in the engineering business call 'stopped' is incapable of maintaining balance 'open loop'. Maybe someday you'll appreciate the value of your 11,000 to 14,000 dollar bike and really take the time to make sure the stand is down.

Maybe you'll learn to kick out that stand, rake your hair back, lean the bike over, take one last suck on that sweet, sweet Marlboro before you drop that big black boot on it (and incidentally directly behind the stand), and then drag that shiny blue missile backwards in neutral to really make sure that stand is against the tang before you release your grip.

You know, like the adults do. If you have a problem with this, please see the instructions below and get off yourself.

Gosh, wouldn't it be nice if everyone could be as perfect as you are, graced with an over-abundance of intelligence and skill, seeing virtually everything beneath the glory of your footsteps and unworthy of even wiping your butt. Oh, exalted one, we should all be grateful that you have graced us with your astute observations and sage advice.

Seriously though,you smell **** and lots of it? Probably sniffing yourself; bet you have your head so far up your own *** that no one can see your shoulders. And the only time you pull it out of there is to criticize others for expressing their views. Sad to think that good men and women have given their lives so that f*ckheads like you could enjoy the freedom to express your view that others shouldn't express theirs. But the fact is they did it so everyone, including those who may think this is an engineering design. So lay off.

Frankly, I don't know why I'm paying any attention to a waste of rations such as you are. So let me say just one more thing:

Hey :******: BITE ME!

 

[Bounce]

<Waah> My sidestand is a poopie!

Actually, it IS a design issue. Any good engineering design should be such that it eliminates or reduces the chance of operator error, not increase it. All I am suggesting doing is fixing it so that it works like it should. I don't understand why this seems to bother folks.

Fine email Yamaha. If I had a nickel for every time I heard a guy say there was a design flaw with the "autodeployment feature" of his sidestand on bike X,Y, or Zed, I'd have like 47 nickels.

This a colinear, two-wheeled, 150 HP, human manipulated automobile. Operator error is inherent in the design. That's why we wear helmets and buy TOGs. If you try to improve the design, we'll simply breed better 'operators'. I am still waiting to meet the engineer who can out-think the ability of John Q. Public to do stupid ****.

And good engineering design? Give it a rest. If I swung a dead cat in this forum I'd hit like 47 engineers, technicians, and serious wrenchheads. All this package grabbing over the AE, "I can shift twice as many times in 30 seconds on the AE as the A." That'd be great if you had ten close gears, or the FJR was a bloody DRAG BIKE. I'm sure back in the day when you guys all got your FIRST FJR, after riding it for a week you thought to yourself, "Gee this is SWELL, but what I really want is pushbutton sub-100 millisecond shifts". I sure hope the firmware coders for the AE controller really exercised all the ways the sensors could fail. You enjoy those new model year bikes.

Just wait till you start hearing about the older AE guys who forget what they're riding and do a throttle blip at an intersection and find themselves left on their ***** watching as their bike unicycles crazily across 4 lanes of traffic to its utter demise (careful with that one guys!). Then they'll curse good engineering design. By Thor's mighty hammer I swear it.

The stand does work as it should. You fools don't honestly believe that grinding that tang or moving that spring is going to gurantee you push that sucker all the way out do you? Or that the stand, if deployed near vertical, will always fall towards the tang instead of folding up? For that bike to fall over (as you tools have admitted), the stand has to be on or before the six o'clock position, you let me know how grinding that tang or repostioning the spring is going to make that stand 'magically' fall forward over the fulcrum point. I smell **** and lots of it.

This is a problem of inattentiveness.

Maybe someday you'll develop the skill to understand that a motorcycle is truly an unstable system and when it is what we in the engineering business call 'stopped' is incapable of maintaining balance 'open loop'. Maybe someday you'll appreciate the value of your 11,000 to 14,000 dollar bike and really take the time to make sure the stand is down.

Maybe you'll learn to kick out that stand, rake your hair back, lean the bike over, take one last suck on that sweet, sweet Marlboro before you drop that big black boot on it (and incidentally directly behind the stand), and then drag that shiny blue missile backwards in neutral to really make sure that stand is against the tang before you release your grip.

You know, like the adults do. If you have a problem with this, please see the instructions below and get off yourself.

:lol2: :rofl:

 

[FJRMGM]

P.U.E. - Probably User Error....

 

[DaveT]

Posts like the one from SPEDBOY amaze me -- sure glad he is perfect in all that he does and never makes a mistake with his bike.

 

[bmwhd]

I love the Internet. Dale trashes his new stator in 50 posts before so much as looking at the wires and he's a god. Fred offers some useful suggestions that might be slightly critical of the FJR and he's trashed. Fun stuff.

Keep it coming Fred, some of enjoy the debate and discussion.

 

[Warchild]

Posts like the one from SPEDBOY amaze me

No, no.... think of it as like, free entertainment. Kinda like the goofy-*** "I can shift 55 times a minute" thread. :lol: :lol:

Spedboy: while you certainly have some caustic comments sprinkled within it, the gist of your post is essentially spot-on.

That being said, I'll remind thread participants of Forum Rule #5. While name-calling can occassionally be entertaining if wrapped within a killer rant, it is still seen as a personal attack, and is therefore not allowed.

 

[BkrK12]

I've said it before and I'll keep saying it. No excuse in the world why all bikes don't have locking side stands a la HD. Still, having owned a K1200LT, I'm fanatical about kicking the sidestand forward to seat it and rocking the bike forward in gear. Even then, I stare at the sidestand as I dismount to see if it's moving. Long habits are hard to break...

I'm with Todd. Prior ownershipof a 2002 K1200LT is probably the only reason I have not dropped the FJR off the sidestand. Making a sidestand that doesn't cave is not rocket science. It isn't a matter of defect or not.

It's a simple act - putting the sidestand down. It shouldn't require a "Procedure" to avoid disaster. Having said that, I'm very careful with the sidestand every time I use it. If you think the FJR is fun, try picking up 850 lbs of top heavy BMW.

If someone can come up with an idea to make the FJR safer, I'd be happy to hear it.

Dan

 

[Geezer]

I'm in Fred's camp on this. If he can come up with a way to improve the function of the side stand (or anything else on the bike) then I'm all for it. Especially if it doesn't require permanently modifying the factory part like grinding does.

The factory engineers are constrained by cost, production techniques, reuse of existing components whenever possible, and etc. Even if they were perfect and never made a mistake, the parts would not always be the exact ideal thing for the application.

IMHO, the side stand could detent more positively in the down position if the spring were connected more forward. I'd like to see if Fred's idea is an improvement.

 

[C&C]

Regular cleaning and lubing of the pivot shaft can make the down position of the kickstand a more positive occurrence. As it gets grunge in it, it gets sluggish and can hang up a little. Kickstand down, in gear, is the easiest/best solution. Parking up to a front wheel stop, (e.g. bumper/wall/other immovable object) is good also, if available.