Wimpy Kickstand?

[Caba]

Only problem that I've had with the kickstand was my own damn fault. About a week after getting the bike I pulled up to a convenience store and "flipped" the kickstand down and stepped off the bike. The kickstand had snapped back and the bike fell right over when I stepped off. I am VERY thankful that the previous owner had put MOKO's on it. Saved it all.

After that I'm somewhat particular on the kickstand, but have not had any problems.

 

[Derek]

the second time i rode my fjr i stepped off after kicking the stand. once the bike has fallen to the midway point there is no stopping it. turns out that the stand sometimes comes back up with my boot.

i've compared it to several other fjrs and mine is very sloppy.

my mechanic never lubes it and i've made a habit of giving it a second nudge with the inside of my heal befor resting it.

wimpy? yes, but when i had an 83 landcruiser back into it he didn't snap the stand. it wasn't until he pulled forward with his hitch receiver locked onto it that he dragged it over.

derek

 

[onecooltngeek]

Amen to the once its halfway over there is no stopping it...

This isn't sidestand related, but does have apoint =) ( hope I'm not hijacking)

I was out for a short ride 2 nights ago. Saw a house for sale that I wanted to do a driveby on again, pulled onto a side street, looked for the first nice wide driveway and started to turn around in it. Didn't realize it at the time I started ( until i twas to late) but the driveway had a slight incline, and a slight step at the end of it. Tipped the FJR over. =/ My TOGs did their job on the front, can't say as much for the saddlebags...

Of course I didn't have the reflexes to hti the kill switch as it was going over, and as I came over to right the bike up, I did notice that my rear tire was still spinning.

Isn't this bike supposed to have some sort of gas kill switch to prevent that?

I hit the kill switch, then lifted the bike, then it wouldn't start for a few minutes. :angry:

good news no personal injury.

only saddlebag scratches.

 

[bikenut]

After reading all of the replies, I conclude that the FJR sidestand is, indeed, too wimpy for the job....and I think Yamaha knows it!! As the person who originally started this discussion 4 months ago, I left out some info that Yamaha actually fixed my bike when it fell off the sidestand. They officially never claimed responsibility, or that there is a design flaw, but fix the damage they did (all left side parts including muffler and crankcase cover).... and if I share details I have to kill you. Suffice it to say that the dealer I bought the machine from fought for me and I let Yamaha know my appreciation with letters to corporate.

As Paul Harvey says...."And now you know the rest of the story".....sort of....

 

[madmike2]

However nice they might have been and fixed your bike, the issue is "Wimpy Kickstand. Did your kickstand fail : i.e., break, collapse, fold on itself? Or di it simply return to its non-use riding position as the bike toppled.

While there have been reports of the early centerstands collapsing because of rust (the centerstands after '02 Europeans models have ben redesigned and there haven't been any reports of massive failures), I don't recall reading anything about failing sidestands before this. Yes, improperly extended and not locked overcenter into position. Yes, bike rolled forward off the sidestand. But, No, sidestand gave-way and bike fell, or, pivot bolt improperly installed and fell out, thus allowing bike to fall. Until now, if this is really the case.

 

[bikenut]

Madmike- You make a good point about clarification...to continue the saga....

I noticed that when the bike was started in neutral up on the centerstand, the rear tire spun with enough force to propel the bike at approximately 3 mph if it were on the ground (I did the math on rotational speed). I could stop the tire's rotation with my hand or foot, but it would begin spinning again when I let go. The rotational force was especially strong when starting it in cold weather (I routinely ride at 30 degrees if it's been dry). Because of the strong rotation, I always warmed up the bike on the centerstand, not trusting the sidestand when the bike was started cold and left to warm up.

I contacted the dealer and they had a hard time believing it spun more that a few lazy turns. They felt that the sidestand could be trusted because they had never heard of any problems.

I started the bike on 25 degree morning, walked away and came back to the bike down. My theory was that the rotational force moved the bike forward just enough to 'spring' the sidestand. I immediately called Yamaha and filed a complaint with them. Yamaha told me to return it to my dealer...who initially said nothing was wrong (I don't think they really seriouosly looked at it).

As I got ready to leave the dealer, I put the bike up on the centerstand to warm it up. As soon as I started it, the sales manager came walking over and said, Wow, your rear wheel really turns fast." I showed him how I could stop it with my foot, release it, and it goes right back to spinning.

He told me to give him 15 minutes to talk with the Yamaha rep. I went for a cup o' joe and came back to find that Yamaha was going to replace the entire left side, but I had to sign a form that this was a one time "goodwill" gesture and not an admission of any problem nor was it a warranty repair.

So, to answer your inquiry, parts did not fail. I believe that the sidestand, as engineered, is too wimpy for the vibration and torque of this engine/transmission. I wish there was a 'locking' notch on the sidestand like Harley uses on their big bikes. Hell, if the dinosaur company has one on their bikes, why can't Yamaha do the same, or better??!!

 

[Windjammer]

When my '05 was brand new, the clutch was a bit sticky, especially when cold. One of the results was the rear wheel spinning ordeal that you mention. As the machine broke in, the clutch smoothed out and now that rear wheel spins less.

Next question: Could the clutch drag actually drive the bike forward in neutral? It's one thing for it to spin the rear wheel on the centerstand, quite another to drive the bike forward. If you stood to the side of your bike, holding onto the bars without holding the bike back, and let it idle in neutral without any sidestand or centerstand down, would it try to drive forward, even a little? Mine wasn't that bad. If normal break in don't fix it, maybe some clutch work is required. :eh:

 

[bvail]

When my '05 was brand new, the clutch was a bit sticky, especially when cold. One of the results was the rear wheel spinning ordeal that you mention.

I'm not sure if I would call it an ordeal, but my '03 still spins in neutral when the oil is cold and it has 27k miles on it. My Royal Star did it also when I had it up on a lift, as did my 77 XS750D.

I wouldn't worry about it. Never had a bike roll off the sidestand from cold oil. You can stop the spin with your hand, so not enough grab to be worried about.

Actually the spin is a good way to inspect the rear tire for punctures :lol:

 

[Windjammer]

I'm not sure if I would call it an ordeal, but my '03 still spins in neutral when the oil is cold and it has 27k miles on it.

Yeah, ordeal is prolly a strong word for it. My rear wheel still spins too, but it's now what I consider to be normal. When the bike was new, the rear wheel would spin much faster on the C'stand, and thumbing the starter in neutral (bike not on the stand) would lurch the bike forward just a bit. Once the clutch got broke in, all this minor stuff went away. By broke in, I mean the second oil change at 2500 miles.

 

[MrT]

I just finished reading this entire thread since my primary concern with my 'new' used 2005 1300T is the cheap sidestand.

I know there are some Beamer bashers amongst these ranks, but my 13 year old K75S had an excellent sidestand. In comparison, it allowed the bike to lean over a bit further (and the bike weighed nearly as much), it fully extended farther forward, had a larger base plate, and the footprong was almost part of the baseplate, making it almost impossible for the sidestand to sink completely into soft asphalt, gravel or dirt. Conversely, this FJR sidestand holds the bike at too vertical of an angle, doesn't extend far enough forward, and without something to widen the footprint, it's just a matter of time before it sinks into hot asphalt. Needless to say I'll be using the centerstand most of the time.

Over the years the main thing I paid close attention to with motorcycles and sidestands wasn't leaving the bike in gear or using the kill switch, but always pulling back on the bike to make sure the sidestand was fully extended, and making sure that if the bike wasn't level that the front end was slightly uphill, increasing backward pressure on the sidestand.

I watched a small mechanic easily put my 1969 T120R Bonneville on the centerstand, after I had previously wrestled with it during my first rookie months of ownership. What I learned from him was how to use my body weight and leverage to make the job easier. Left hand on the left handlebar grip, right fingertips in that narrow FJR gap meant for this purpose, lowering the centerstand until it touches the ground with the ball of my right foot, then in one steady quick motion - step down with full body weight while lifting the bike up and back. Once you get that 'rocking' motion down, it isn't that difficult to put a heavy bike on the centerstand.

Now for some wild assumptions and speculation.... IF the #1 cylinder is the main problem "ticker" as some threads here indicate, AND the #1 cylinder is on the sidestand side of the bike, AND the sidestand is always used, COULD there be a correlation?

 

[dobias]

MrT,

The sidestand can be modified very easily to rotate farther forward for a steady stance.

Just file or grind the "stop" surface of the sidestand to the lean od your liking. Even 1/16" makes a big difference. My bike is lowered an inch so it was standing nearly vertical until I filed the stop. I've seen others have added a plate to the side of the existing foot pad (on various bikes) so that when the sidestand is up, the additional footpad was above the sidestand to retain lean clearance.

I've just had my bike moved to the dealer on a flatbed trailer with it on the sidestand, so I can certify it's much stronger than it looks.

dobias <_<

 

[MrT]

Dobias -- Those ideas give me a good place to start. After taking a fresh look at the sidestand today, the good news was that the sidestand has room for various modifications when folded up, unlike some sidestands that form fit into an exhaust pipe or narrow spot. A local welder could probably widen the footprint of the baseplate pretty easily, provided the correct angle was known. Also noticed today the sidestand seems to have some side to side play (wiggle on the mounting bolt) in it, not sure if that was part of their intended design?

 

[chrisflock]

MrT,
The sidestand can be modified very easily to rotate farther forward for a steady stance.

Just file or grind the "stop" surface of the sidestand to the lean od your liking. Even 1/16" makes a big difference. My bike is lowered an inch so it was standing nearly vertical until I filed the stop. I've seen others have added a plate to the side of the existing foot pad (on various bikes) so that when the sidestand is up, the additional footpad was above the sidestand to retain lean clearance.

I've just had my bike moved to the dealer on a flatbed trailer with it on the sidestand, so I can certify it's much stronger than it looks.

dobias <_<

The real question is if the kickstand is strong enough to allow you to pick the bike up and spin it around on the kickstand like some people do with their sportbikes. I mean, come on, the FJR doesn't hardly weigh anymore than my wife's ninja 250 :blink:

Seriously, though, my FJR had a tip-over event right after I got it, and that was related to, as near as I can tell, my failure to fully extend the kickstand. Now I've lowered my bike, and I'll admit I'm a little worried about the rather small angle the bike sits at. It is sometimes a pain to find a place where it will sit at a safe angle. I think I'm going to try filing the stop so that the kickstand swings a little further forward.

 

[tcfjr]

This thread is back from the dead...

 

[odot]

We keep this up and the search nazis will be out of jobs.

 

[S76]

Dobias -- Those ideas give me a good place to start. After taking a fresh look at the sidestand today, the good news was that the sidestand has room for various modifications when folded up, unlike some sidestands that form fit into an exhaust pipe or narrow spot. A local welder could probably widen the footprint of the baseplate pretty easily, provided the correct angle was known. Also noticed today the sidestand seems to have some side to side play (wiggle on the mounting bolt) in it, not sure if that was part of their intended design?

I did this:

Tip Over Insurance

 

[Bounce]

This thread is back from the dead...

i'm sayin'! :dribble: