I don't have another bike to compare to so I'll ask here. My side stand swings down normally however it has some play and I can wiggle it up and down. This results in the bike leaned waayy over. The fork like part on the stand that attaches to the frame appears to have opened up. Would it be safe to take a hammer and close it up a bit? Or is the play supposed to be like that?

There's not supposed to have any play.

You're right, take it out and hammer the fork so it gets more tight on the frame. I had to hammer mine twice in a couple years. It gets like new again!

Same problem with mine. I wasn't ever sure if it was normal or not, but it's definitely not. I've hammered mine shut a little, but it still wobbles. I can close the gap at the top, but it's worn a bit over the past 19 years and it's definitely never going to go back to normal.

One thing you can do to help it get tighter is hammer the place where the spring seats. Hammer it to other side (not the spring side) so it gives a little pre load to the spring and in closed position keeps the sidestand more fixed.

Yeah I can understand some wear from friction after years of use but can't really see a reason why it would open up. I'll get to hammering  

could also be some wear where the bolt goes through,maybe drilling out and fitting next size bolt,or fitting a sleeve.

So I tried hammering this tighter earlier today and didn't go so well. One thing to note, on my bike the fork hadn't opened up. After years of use, the metal had actually filed away in an area contributing to the wobble. With the fork pinched together the holes didn't line up and the bolt wouldn't thread in. I drilled it out slightly larger, but somehow stripped the bolt (what was left of the threads must've been enough to cross thread). If the tab on the frame is also worn, a new side stand wouldn't help anyway. It looks like its something you gotta live with. Fortunately, I can still use the center stand.

you could put a washer in there to take up the extra space

Not enough worn down to squeeze a washer in. Making it fit seems like more work than its worth. I suppose I could try and get my hands on a newer side stand and hope that the tab on the frame isn't worn.

Quote from: Deros514 on June 29, 2010, 10:29:27 AM
Yeah I can understand some wear from friction after years of use but can't really see a reason why it would open up. I'll get to hammering  

It's gonna be hard to make myself understandable...... Let's try anyway:

My two cents:
When you lay the bike on the sidestand not all the forces go in the same direction the sidestand is. There's also a momentum being transfered through the sidestand. This momentum generates forces that try to open the fork, and after years of use it finally gets a little open....

Strange you got that wear on the frame. That place is usually oily (from chain oil) in my bike.

Aligning the holes of the sidestand and frame isn't really easy, the springs make it hard to get it set....

Good luck, anyway!

And the

Is the play enough that it is hurting anything?  is it rattling or anything?  if it still holds up the bike and there is not enough space for a washer then it seems like it is not much of a problem

Quote from: kman on June 29, 2010, 09:47:04 PM
Is the play enough that it is hurting anything?  is it rattling or anything?  if it still holds up the bike and there is not enough space for a washer then it seems like it is not much of a problem

If it's too loose you can have huge backfires every bump.... remember it has a switch that turns the engine off and on again in case it's loose. Even if you don't have backfires you'll feel your engine not smooth in bumps.

You could try steel shims instead of washers.  With thick moly grease. 
Better yet: delrin.  Because I never get a chance to say "delrin". 

















Delrin. 

yeah I've been down that same road you are. Hammering didn't fix it, washers wouldn't fit. In the end mine still moves.

I also had the problems with my bike cutting out. Not so much backfiring over bumps, as much as my bike would just magically shut itself off and would take a couple tries to get it started again. I eventually wrapped a ziptie around that metal tab that hits the kickstand switch. It's an extra couple mm's that it holds the button in even with the extra play in the sidestand.

In the mean time if you drilled out the hold already, you'll probably just have to go to the hardware store to get a new bolt and a locking nut with the nylon ring in it, then just check it every so often to make sure it's staying tight.

Pretty much anything to do with the side stand is worn. The bolt, the hole it goes through, the tab on the frame, and the fork. It's not much by themselves but all together you've got a big floppy mess. Machining some delrin washers and bushings would be nice but I have no access to those kind of tools and its expensive to have done.

My side stand switch also appears to not work. I left it as is and rode off without any trouble. The gremlins have started to come out lol.

I am sooo paranoid about my sidestand it always seems as if the bike slides about two inches when I put the full weight of the bike on it. Can someone show me a pic of where I'm supposed to hammer it. I will try to post a pic tomorrow and see if you guys can see if there is anything abnormal.

Mary