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Someone with a brain please design a new kickstand for POS 2007-2009 model

5K views 25 replies 16 participants last post by  Rotorhead 
#1 ·
Ok this is driving me nuts... This is the third time I've dropped this piece of crap bike cause of ****ty designed crap stand.

I'm not entirely sure what's up with those Jap engineers and why they have to keep the bike straight up... maybe those asian dudes need to work out a bit more to be able to pick a bike that's leaned more than 2deg from the vertical but this is completely retarted...

Bike somehow managed to get low on rear tire air this time around and bam, in my freaking garage it dropped.
I'm not even taking about the damage but rather a way to fix this ****ing mess.
I've had bikes for years and so far the Z is the one that's dropped the most while ****ing standing!

The stand is so ****ing poorly designed I can't even think about shorting this piece of garbage... What am I supposed to do, go on a ride lugging a freaking padlock stand on my back???

Anyone knowing any alternatives or with pictures of working modified stock stand would be welcome.
I'm not entirely sure what else to try but to put this bike on fleabay cause this is just getting me mad... I'll go ahead and trade it in maybe I'll have more luck with something else less ***!
 
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#3 ·
You could cut and reweld like mentioned above, or heat it and bend it out to make the bike lean more on the sidestand.

Another alternative is to raise the rear ride height with shorter dogbone links for your shock. This would also sharpen the steering unless you raised the front ride height to compensate. There are threads on both shorter dogbones and lengthening sidestands if you do a search.
 
#4 ·
I'm probably going to have to figure something out. I've already looked at it, it's poorly designed because of the exhaust... it's going to take some thinking to get it done right...
Wish someone in the Kawasaki design team had thought about it before.
Seriously a bike shouldn't tip over if the rear tire loses air... that's plan dumb.
 
#6 ·
Take an angle grider to the bottom of the kickstand and shave some of it off. That's what I had to do on mine when the welder put it on angled too strait up.
 
#7 ·
The kickstand isnt the best design but I've never had an issue with it. With a flat tire the bike is nowhere near tipping over on its own. Perhaps you are not swinging it all the way forward. I dont see how the kickstand can be the issue here unless it is somehow different than mine or you haven't been riding long enough to know kickstand etiquette. Every time you get off the bike always kick the kickstand forwards before you let go of the bike. It needs to be all the way forward. In 8 years of riding and over 100k miles, I have never dropped a bike. It takes a conscious effort.
 
#8 ·
maybe those asian dudes need to work out a bit more to be able to pick a bike that's leaned more than 2deg from the vertical but this is completely retarted...
I'm not entirely sure what else to try but to put this bike on fleabay cause this is just getting me mad... I'll go ahead and trade it in maybe I'll have more luck with something else less ***!
what a dik. must have been because of asian engineers, cuz you know, kawasaki is the only asian moto company. dont complain til you see the stands on the r6 and cbr600 - like toothpicks... sorry, chopsticks

go ahead and put it on ebay. when the buyer asks you why you are selling tell him "no matter how good the bike feels/accelerates/looks, i cant get over the fact that it fell over with a flat tire"
 
#9 ·
Ha, take it easy. He is obviously pissed off and venting, like I am sure you have a time or two in your life. I dunno if you have been involved with other forums or not but name calling and flaming doesn't really fly around here.
 
#10 ·
Sounds like a much bigger problem. Was the bike ever in an accident? Any frame damage? My 'ol Z took a hit that, for the life of you, you couldn't see any tell-tale signs. It was bad enough however, that when we parked an undamaged Z next to it, it was 3" lower!!! Never did get the problem straightened out. FWIW, always make sure the bars are turned all the way to the left and pull back on the bike when setting the kickstand.
 
#11 ·
Guys this is THE solution.
A hydraulic bikestand! :headbang:
With height presets like
- "I did checked my rear tire! doh!"
- "I didn't check my rear since last Xmass"
- "damn! it's flat already?"



I'm sure you'll find a way to tuck that compressor under the seat. ;)
 
#12 ·
nah that's cool, i'm going to shave 1/2 of that stand... hopefully it'll do the trick.

I bought the bike with 300mi on it bone stock, mint conditions from a guy in his 50s, obviously that was too much for him

i'm not gonna lie, i love the Z but seriously, a bike should not EVER tip over should one of the tires go flat... that's just crazyness!

The only think I can think off is that it wasn't put together right... maybe the from fork is too low in the trees...

I never changes anything suspension wise... how much fork is coming out of your top tree? i think mine's around 1/2" maybe a bit less... that might be the problem right there but the way the bike is handling I can't see myself raising the forks back, even is adding more preload (which will do essentially the same for the ride height anyways).
 
#13 ·
The only other people I have heard with this complaint are those that have lowered the bike.
 
#15 ·
Mine does set a little upright for my taste too, it is not lowered either.
Mine has not fell over but it is a little awkward at times when parking, I take more precautions how and where I park it compared to all other bikes I have owned.
Even with the handle bars completely left, just the slightest nudge and the bike compresses to the right, I hate that!
Will shortening the stand eliminate this to some point?
 
#16 ·
This is with the bars straight... how much more do you need?



 
#21 ·
Definitely more lean that mine... But hopefully my cut stand will help.

Ahh... I see your problem. Your house is so much bigger than mine that it's tilting the landscape to the left causing your bike to stand up straight. Obviously the solution is to buy more furniture for the other side of the house... your welcome!
 
#20 ·
thats what im thinking, his sag must be set too low and the overall ride height has decreased.

I have the opposite problem. my bike leans too much hahah. I raised the rear, and have my 636 forks maybe 1/4 to 3/8" above the triple clamp instead of the normal 1 1/4"
 
#19 ·
...Jap engineers and why they have to keep the bike straight up... maybe those asian dudes need to work out a bit more to be ...
Maybe you need to step back and watch what the f--k you say, you ignorant wretch. You can take your bigoted statements and inbred, racist agenda elsewhere. Come back with a motorcycle-related gripe.
 
#23 ·
I used the wrong term - if you're concerned about your bike falling off its kickstand when parked, you need to worry about your "free sag". (not static sag, which is measured with the rider aboard the bike)

A baseline for sport bikes is 5mm free sag and 30mm static sag.

My experience with the '08 Z was that the shock spring was very stiff, and that the factory preload was very little. Not only was there too much static sag, but that's a recipe for way too much free sag.

If your bike's rear suspension sinks more than 5mm under its own weight, that's too much, and would contribute to funny/scary kickstand geometry. The free fix is to add some shock preload until it only sinks 5 mm under its own weight. The more expensive fix is to get a shock spring and/or linkages that allow you to have both 5mm free sag and 30mm static sag with your weight when the preload is adjusted properly.
 
#24 ·
Sidestand Issues

My '08 has tipped on me once (caught it - but just barely.) I also find that it sits too high - I've not had another bike that had this issue. I'm always careful to lock the steering and pull back on the bars once it's parked, but it is way too touchy and will begin to tip/dive to the right without very much pressure at all. I don't even like to detail it without having it on a rear stand. Mine has never tilted as much on the side stand as Black Sheeps - and I've bought it new with no suspension mods.
 
#25 ·
What do you guys do to your bikes that makes'em flip over that easily?? I don't get it... :doh

I've changed my preload too and it didn't change much how the bike stands. Surely not enough to make it tilt, even with a flat. mmm...
 
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