how strong are GS side stands

[mot]

My drive way is on a slope and trying to get the bike onto the centrestand and exactly lined up for the ground anchor is a pain in the arse. So it spends most of it's parked life on the side stand.

Given they are heavy old things is there any histroy of GS (1100)sidestands giving up and people finding bikes on their side in the morning?

Not keen for this to happen!

plus if it did the ground anchor bracket would probably wreck several spokes in the back wheel, or worse.

 

[Bolk]

Never heard of a side stand breaking but I managed to let mine roll off the stand on a slope the other day. D'oh!!!! Own fault, but I did watch it to make sure it was ok before turning away and it rolled off a good 15 seconds later. First gear would have prevented a smashed indicator.

One of our work bikes was mostly left on the side stand as the rider was too small to comfortably use the centre stand. Eventually we had problems with oil seeping through the seals. Might be worth watching.

Bolk

 

[Iain Hogg]

The side stand is held on by a standard bolt - with all the pressure on the threads

After a little use, the threads crush leaving excess play in the bolt and the bike leans more and more to the left.

This, I think would be the weak point, but I don't know of any failures as such.

Oh, and as Bolk says, never leave it on anything resembling a slope facinng forwards without using first gear (I nearly wiped out all the GS's at the first Princetown meeting by doing this at the end of a long line. Luckily for all the others, I was at the left hand end of the line )

Iain

 

[mot]

cheers, it points up the slope with the back wheel resting against the ground anchor so can't roll anywhere, but i'll keep and eye out for play in the stand.

 

[skybluebird]

Never heard of a side stand breaking but I managed to let mine roll off the stand on a slope the other day. D'oh!!!! Own fault, but I did watch it to make sure it was ok before turning away and it rolled off a good 15 seconds later. First gear would have prevented a smashed indicator.

I did the exact same thing a couple of weeks ago, managed to break both l/h indicators, the head protector thingy, spark plug cover, gouged the rocker cover and scraped the handguard. Ouch!

 

[Frisky]

I did the exact same thing a couple of weeks ago, managed to break both l/h indicators, the head protector thingy, spark plug cover, gouged the rocker cover and scraped the handguard. Ouch!

Heyup #3 you kept that quiet!

 

[Cestria]

I did the exact same thing a couple of weeks ago, managed to break both l/h indicators, the head protector thingy, spark plug cover, gouged the rocker cover and scraped the handguard. Ouch!

Aye, kept that very quiet indeed!!
Just dont park that Jurassic behemoth of yours next to my fragile little bike on downhill slopes any more.....