Laid up once again! Done my left knee, left buttock, left foot and the same elbow as last time. 'C'est ne pas possible," you may well scoff. Is the man a total incompetent? Inexperienced? Inattentive?? Physically disadvantaged??? In point of fact, I've been a regular motorcyclist since I purchased my first bike, (a Honda MT125), at 16 but I am currently the victim of a surreptitious and life-threatening plot perpetrated by the late '70's designers of the XS650 SE. I am, of course, referring to their kickstand design. In their commendable focus on rider safety, those designers developed a kick stand that tends to spring from the lowered to the raised position at the slightest indication that the rider is intending to mount or move the motorcycle. Even looking at my SE makes me nervous in case the stand chooses to snap up and deliver my pride and joy to the asphalt. My last three motorcycle incidents have occurred in this manner. Yesterday, after a rigorous 4 hour ride over the Tomewin ranges, most of it in the rain, I pulled into the carpark of my local for a celebratory libation. Kicked on the side stand on a level slightly uphill parking spot, checked she was in gear, moved my left foot from the peg to the ground and was beginning to swing my right leg over when the stand snapped up and everything dropped like a bag of sh*t. Just like last time. There must be some mod I can make to ensure that the old girl will stand up. A weaker spring will allow it to flop around like a dick in a shirt sleeve. Maybe some sort of locking washer system can be fitted or perhaps weld a coupe of flanges on the leg and frame that ride up over one another to give the assembly some resistance? I'm developing a twitch when I think about parking my bike. Any suggestions beyond being more careful to have the weight on the stand?
Cheers
Cheers