Sidestand - is this normal?

[OHRoadrunner]

I have searched, but haven't been able to find anything specific to my issue. I have noticed my Kat seems to lean over extra far when on the sidestand compared to any other bike I've seen. It feels like it takes its inital set, then leans over another few degrees, for lack of a better way to describe it. I took some pics of the stand yesterday when I had it up on the centerstand while I was installing some new rear turn signals. The "tabs" on the stand seem to have a "vee" shape to them rather than aligning straight. Twice now, my stand has sunken into the pavement at work when I didn't use my stand plate, while my coworker's CBR-1100XX (540 lb.) doesn't, and he doesn't use a plate. Is this normal? Do I need a new stand? Also, does anybody know what the bolt that is circled in yellow goes to? It's super tight, yet not threaded in all the way. The last pic is with the stand "pulled out" to its usual position when parked. Pics:




Thanks!

[jgust25]

my 2000 does the same thing, but i haven't sank into anything yet. i set the stand, put the bike down, and then have to pull it out farther with my foot and roll the bike back a bit.

[The CyberPoet]

The sinking is strictly a result of the weight - more weight on the sidestand than a GSXR.

The bolt appears to be the mounting bolt for the side-stand sensor switch (which appears to have been removed?). The switch prevents the bike from starting in gear when it's on the side-stand, and kills the engine if the side-stand drops while in gear (such as if you're moving, to keep it from catching something at road-level and tossing you).

As for the angle -- suggest you remove the springs and unbolt it, then examine the hole underneath. It's normally a circle, but if previous owners (or you) often use(d) the sidestand to spin the bike around, it often gets oval and no longer works reliably (also usually the reason people remove the side-stand switch -- when the hole is oval, the switch doesn't get engaged correctly). Fixes are to replace the subframe that it bolts into (I have one here for sale for $25 +S&H), or weld up & redrill the hole.

Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet

[loudnlow7484]

Do you have an oil leak, or did you intentionally spray oil all over everything?

[The CyberPoet]

Do you have an oil leak, or did you intentionally spray oil all over everything?

That's chain oil coated with rain-borne sand/road-crud. Not unusual in rain-soaked states like Florida.

Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet

[OHRoadrunner]

Thanks for the replies so far. Jgust25's reply pretty much describes my issue exactly.

The side-stand sensor was removed by the previous owner; the wires coming off the left handle bar have also been cut - led to a nice set of scratches/cracks when I accidentally started it in first gear! I wanted to hook it back up but couldn't find where the wires ran to; I guess it's because the switch was taken off. I will remove the stand and check the condition of the holes - I may be in touch again, CyberPoet. The part about the weight that I don't get is that my coworker's bike weighs more, yet his bike has yet to sink in the pavement like mine, although his leans at a shorter angle than mine. I guess it's due to the the increased angle and the resulting gravity vectors.

The only oil leak I'm aware of is where the head meets the block, and it's a small, slow leak. The crappy chain lube I've been using tends to get everywhere! It's the Bel-Ray Chain Lube; I guess it's their standard chain lube. I bought a can of Honda "HP with Moly" chain lube that I plan on switching to next time I clean my chain. The stuff I'm using now drips everywhere; you can tell where I park the bike at work! There's crap all over the roads where I live; not necessarily sand, and I try not to ride in the rain yet, but my chain gets dirty constantly and the lube doesn't seem to help!

[jday240]

My bike sinks into the pavement when it's hot too. I bought a small pad to put under the sidestand during the summer. As far as the lean angle, my bike raises a few inches as the suspension settles after riding (my bike has been lowered also).

[Sundowner]

yeah my 750 did that before the tear down- it will still do that if i dont correct it. Options might be changing the sidestand out. If you want to keep that stand your only other course of action maybe to lower the bike around 1/2 an inch and it might correct itself. (it is something im considering on my 750) lower the frame of the bike but not the lenght of the stand will make the bike more upright when it is on the sidestand.

[Sundowner]

From the pics it looks like the head of the stand has expanded a bit this may also be a cause of the issue.

[whitecl0ver]

Dont waste money on those kick stand pucks....go by a nice cold coke, drink it crush the can and magically you just saved $10 lol

[Electrical_Tech]

Dont waste money on those kick stand pucks....go by a nice cold coke, drink it crush the can and magically you just saved $10 lol

Or an ice cold beer ... but only after you park for the night

[OHRoadrunner]

Actually, I got it free when I finished my MSF course!

[ken123allen]

my 2000 does the same thing, but i haven't sank into anything yet. i set the stand, put the bike down, and then have to pull it out farther with my foot and roll the bike back a bit.

me too!!!!

[98Blue600Katana]

Actually, I got it free when I finished my MSF course!

[Vandil]

I parked at work the other day, and then realized I needed gas. So I left my crushed up can on the ground and quick rode over to the gas station and back. In that 5 minute period some do gooder picked up my beer can puck!

Had to go park under a shade tree that day.