Sidestand pivot is quite stiff

So this is no big deal but just a little annoyance. The sidestand on my 1100 is quite stiff to deploy and retract. If I lift the bike off the stand and push the stand back, it does not snap back onto the stop as I assume it should, and I have to push it 80% of the distance before it will move on its own. I disassembled, cleaned, re-painted and then greased the stand when I first got the bike a few months back. Is there some trick to spring orientation or bolt/locknut tightness that I'm missing? Or are they all like that? TIA.

I cleaned and greased mine right after I got it (1991 model). It moves freely enough and is not floppy at either end of its travel. Make sure nothing is tight enough to crimp the side stand. Make sure nothing is bent.

A shot of WD-40 on and around the pivot bolt then work the stand a few times should clear it right up, at least for a while.

Oldbikefixr said:

I cleaned and greased mine right after I got it (1991 model).

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A procedure which should be done at least once a year BTW...

Free movement and easy/full retraction of side-stand plus function of switch are safety relevant thus a checkpoint on the mandatory, annual MOT check-up over here.

BTDT Shoot some good grease into the joint/pivot and GO RIDE!

John

TerryS said:

I disassembled, cleaned, re-painted and then greased the stand when I first got the bike a few months back.

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Maybe a new spring as well? With the bike on the center stand you should be able to work the side stand up close and personal and see if there's no play whatsoever (possibly a bad thing) but you probably didn't over torque it on re-assembly. If it's cleaned greased and nothing bent it might mean a spring is in order. Without the spring in place it should move by hand pretty easily.

I recently got a '98 with the same issue. Cleaned and oiled it, and it still kind'a sucked. It would also hit the muffler shield. Tried squeezing it closed a bit, without much luck. Bought a new kickstand and pivot bolt, and now it's fine again. Wife says I am too picky... She probably is right.

Hibobb said:

I recently got a '98 with the same issue. Cleaned and oiled it, and it still kind'a sucked. It would also hit the muffler shield. Tried squeezing it closed a bit, without much luck. Bought a new kickstand and pivot bolt, and now it's fine again. Wife says I am too picky... She probably is right.

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Interesting comments Hibobb, my stand also hits the muffler shield so maybe it is bent?

So I disassembled, cleaned, greased and inspected the stand. I have a lot of slack in the pivot, even with the bolt and locknut snugged up, and the spring tends to pull the stand inwards which causes the pivot to bind. I might start with a new pivot bolt on the assumption that it is worn where it passes through the frame tab, but actually I suspect the hole in the frame tab is the worn part.

TerryS said:

I have a lot of slack in the pivot, even with the bolt and locknut snugged up....

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I had the same issue. I read somewhere about inserting a thin shim to take up the slack due to the worn parts. I found thin round electrical connector with the appropriate diameter and cut the lug off so I had essentially a thin metal washer. It took some work to get the right thickness but it snugged up the pivot nicely so that the stand works like it should.

MV_Dave said:

I had the same issue. I read somewhere about inserting a thin shim to take up the slack due to the worn parts. I found thin round electrical connector with the appropriate diameter and cut the lug off so I had essentially a thin metal washer. It took some work to get the right thickness but it snugged up the pivot nicely so that the stand works like it should.

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Most electrical connectors are plated copper - and while it will sand easily to the appropriate thickness, it is soft and will wear quickly if you don't keep it lubed. You might try a moly grease, but I would think you will be replacing this 'washer' every couple of years (just a guess). I've seen stainless steel washers at Hopot that are thinner than mild steel washers. You might try one of these, and if it is too thick, take a wood dowel, drive a nail in the end so the head protrudes only a little bit, and use the dowel w/ nail to press and hold the washer against a belt sander to take its thickness down a bit.

WD-40 is a good penetrating oil - not the best, but good, and while it will lube things, it does not last very long. Use grease instead.

Thanks folks. Last night after posting my findings, I started thinking about slipping a shim into the gap between the stand and frame. I have shims intended for fork dampers which are spring steel and I suspect the right i.d. for the job, so I will try one/some of these.

I have a 2002 ST1100 and I need to replace the springs on both sidestand and centerstand. My sidestand is sagging. Have had people motion to me while driving that my stand is down and have hit the street when making left turns. One time I was trailering my bike and when I got there, found that the spring had come off. I put it back on after locating it in the trailer, but I don’t know if I put the spring on properly. Does it matter if the hook on the spring goes either way? And on the Centerstand, while driving I found my Centerstand was dragging on the street. Spring was missing, so I used a strap to hold it up and got home. Wired it up and ordered springs for both side and center. What is a good technique to replace the springs?

Winfried said:

What is a good technique to replace the springs?

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I remember people saying its a lot easier if you extend the spring somewhere you can get good leverage on it, and then put pennies/nickels in between the coils to keep it extended. Then place on bike and remove coins. Not sure how you know exactly how far to stretch the spring before putting the coins in the coils though, but its probably easy enough to just measure it with a ruler.

I will try that. Maybe someone else will have a technique to get that leverage. When the spring came off the first time, it was a mother putting that spring back on.

Winfried said:

I will try that. Maybe someone else will have a technique to get that leverage. When the spring came off the first time, it was a mother putting that spring back on.

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after I thought about it I now remember that they put the coins in when the spring was extended on the sidestand, which then made it easier to remove and re-attach later. Can't recall why they were removing the spring in the first place.

Now that the spring is off I'd try attaching one end to something secure and then attach some weight to the other end with a wire or hook.

No need to extend the spring to get the coins in. Just bend it enough to force them into each coil and work each one in side to side, so that the spring extends straight, rather than curved.

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Bush said:

No need to extend the spring to get the coins in. Just bend it enough to force them into each coil and work each one in side to side, so that the spring extends straight, rather than curved.

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I've used this method many times for installing new parts and reinstalling stands and it works fine. The coin choice isn't magic, just choose one that won't become lodged inside the spring and that are small enough to not create an interference problem. Pennies and nickles work most of the time, so would flat washers. Put enough whatevers between spring coils that the spring will fit at or near the 'up' position, swing it down and most coins will fall out and roll all over the floor.