Easy kickstand question

Hello VFR700 owners. Mine has a kickstand that is bad. The previous owner had one honking spring on it that somehow wore out the pivot, and caused the kickstand to lay against the exhaust and start wearing a hole in that too!

One thing I'm wondering, is the kickstand shaft supposed to be straight? Mine has a curve in it, and I don't think that's right. Let me know; it is a pain holding my kickstand up with a bungee, and I want to get this fixed.

Oh, one other thing. Is there supposed to be a sleeve on the kickstand bolt? The shank of the bolt is much smaller than the hole, which is why this kickstand is so floppy...

 

kick stand

Very common problem even on new bikes, Toxic had to replace his with only a few thousand miles on it and that was a gen 6. Not with my bike now but a love bend would not be normal I would think.:biggrin:

 

Well, it turned out to be no big deal to heat it up and straighten it with a big hammer on an anvil. However the pivot is still messed up, can't see how to fix it. Looks like it was caused by 1) sloppy fit in the first place, 2) too-strong spring, 3) which was mounted in a way that puts strong sideways pressure on the kickstand (in other words, the hook-up points at both ends are far from the centerline of the stand, giving large mechanical advantage to the twisting moment). I guess I'm in the market for an aftermarket stand; if I bought a stock one I'd certainly modify it so it doesn't twist like this one did. But it's hard to imagine the aftermarket can't supply a better stand than this. I don't know why manufacturers can't build a durable stand.

<later>
If you look at the spring connection point at the lower end, it stands off quite a bit from the kickstand shaft. This could be improved by drilling a hole there next to the shaft, to make a new connection point, and then grinding off the excess. Or maybe make a hook like the original one, but shorter. This makes it harder for that part of the kickstand to contact the pipe, reduces the torque (and wear) on the kickstand pivot, and saves a little weight too. If you do this you should pay attention to how the spring will operate in the new position, so it doesn't bind too much. Try it out before grinding the old hook off!

I have been unable to find an aftermarket kickstand for this bike. Maybe I can fabricate one. For the moment I have found another way (without spring) to hold the kickstand up without it banging on the pipe. Not exactly pretty, but it works.

I did manage to straighten the kickstand by heating it and then wailing on it with a hammer on an anvil. Looks a lot better, and holds the bike up straighter as well.