Problem with mine it was nearly vertical and made for an unstable parked bike onn any uneven pavement. Needless to say after parking it the other day and i had taken a few steps away and heard that clump crash and soon as I got back home i made the cure. Put it on a center stand or have some one steady it upright , use a 2 lb. hammer and beat forward to it where it should be... tu the end with can blk spray paint. The side stand now has the proper rake to set the bike over [more weight on the stand] and less apt to try and follow you after a dismount. ;)

The only reason I could see for what you did to the kickstand was that the stand was bent when you bought the bike. I've NEVER heard of a stock stand on the Versys needing this. I put Speedy's lowering block on mine and had to cut 1 1/2" off the stand, but that's to be expected with that installation. You might want to check with whomever you bought the bike from and ask "What's going on with this stand?"

Just never stop riding and you will never need the stand . LOL . Just poking fun !!!
I wasn't there when you bike fell , so tough to tell what happened by your description , but I will say this .
I find it quite strange how some folks just sort of use the abanson ship method when parking there bikes . Ya gotta pay attention to detail here man . I always spend rediculous amount of time checking stability of the bike before I walk away . If I don't like it , I move it . BUT ..... I suppose that comes from living in the hills as I do and almost NEVER having a level spot to park .
Cagers will sometimes ask why I parked sideways in a parking lot with such a small vehicle . I will ALWAYS look closely at how they have parked . You can bet , 9 out of ten cagers can't park either . LOL . I just point at their ride and say " , mind if I ask why you parked sideways taking up two parking spots . LOL
It sort of leaves them with a blank look on their mugs . Sorry your bike fell man , but if it is falling and the stand ain't broke ..... UH.....UH....UH..... Gosh , not trying to be a smart arse , but ................ . Yeah , I agree , the Versys' one week area , design wise , is the kickstand , sort of a cheesy thing in my opinion , but what do I know at 5 a.m. anyway . LOL

This almost needs a sticky.

OnaRoll - I've got the same problem. I think the same guy that installs the kick stands only works part time and we got the bikes he's installed them on. This thread has come up many times before and we all get laughed at because people think we don't know how to put the kick stand down.

You'd have to see it to understand what is happening. Exactly what happened to OnaRoll happened to me AND my bike was parked in my garage on a flat smooth surface. The kick stand is welded to the frame at an angle that doesn't allow the stand to engage fully.

What I've done to fix the problem is when I dismount, I quickly put my foot behind the stand and pull it out fully. It's about 2-3 inches more than the initial contact point. Then I know it will stay. I've called the dealer about it and he said it was a known problem on a few bikes but didn't have a solution. He told me to keep doing what I was doing. I haven't felt like taking it any further and just gotten used to kicking the stand out after I get off the bike.

The problem is checking the oil - you have to lean the bike upright, look at the site-glass and set it back down. Now you are on the wrong side to catch it if the kick-stand won't engage. I've learned to jostle the handle bars until I hear the kick stand skitter into a fully locked position.

I'll have to post a video - do it this afternoon when I got a few moments.

Man, there's got to be something wierd about the way your stand is installed. Mine opens fully without any trouble, and in fact it leans over too much in some cases. When I park on a hill (like, always in New England) I have to make sure that the kickstand in on the uphill side or it feels like it's leaning over too far. Like Po-sloke I sometimes end up parking on an angle or just choosing a different spot to park.

Ocean and OnaRoll ,
OK . I am now thinking this thing is really to easy to resolve . I am getting a pretty good idea that although the 70's were good to me , but you guys either missed completely out on the 70's era , or that it was even better to you than is was some of us others . LOL
Naw , I must agree , Japan has gone the way of the western world with part time temp kickstand installers . LOL
Hey , if it weren't for silly stuff like this , we would all still be looking for a hobby . Ya reckon it ? lol
We ain't lafin' at ya brothers , we laffin' with ya !!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hey Po-Sloke - it's a cool. For me it was the 80's - I was only a kid in the 70's and didn't touch that stuff until later. Then everything went to hell.

I know - it sounds like a really silly matter. That you put the kick stand down and walk away and the bike should stay up. Simple.

But, on a few of these bikes the kick stand has been welded to the frame at the wrong angle and makes contact with the ground before it's been fully engaged.

On my previous bike I never gave a thought to putting the kickstand down. You just put it down and the bike stays, no big deal. But, this bike - definitely something wrong with it.

I've got to post a video so we all can see what is happening. Maybe this weekend, I'll have time.

I'm not sure I have the same problem here as I have never feared mine falling. What I can tell you is that this is the first bike that I have owned that the kickstand didnt skid out as the bike is settling on to it. Typically other bikes I've had will first contact the ground and then as I let the bike start leaning it's wieght over it will spread farther out and sometimes an additional time when I am getting off it and the bars move. This bike I have to actually either pull it out with my foot or turn and pull the handlebars to make that happen. Like I said no fear the bike will fall but just something I do when parking now.

OK You fellas with kickstands that have a good angle to them and not a bike that stands up too straight, forget about this post... I knew from day one it was an issue with mine and its usually only a matter of time before it bounces off the pavement anyway .... shouuld have addressed the issue before the fact. Just trying to help a fellow biker make a quick easy mod that may help his ride alot. It is excellent now and very simple to do...no big deal.

Thanks for the heads-up on this issue. I'll have to remember to check out the kick stand before I ride home on my new bike. I'm planning to trade in my old K1200LT for a Versys as soon as '09s are available.

My K1200 had a problem like this. The kick stand does not have much of an engagement indent and a little nudge from the back or parking on a slight hill can roll the bike off the stand. After I caught the bike rolling forward once I started leaving the bike in gear when I parked. It stays much more secure that way.

OK You fellas with kickstands that have a good angle to them and not a bike that stands up too straight, forget about this post... I knew from day one it was an issue with mine and its usually only a matter of time before it bounces off the pavement anyway .... shouuld have addressed the issue before the fact. Just trying to help a fellow biker make a quick easy mod that may help his ride alot. It is excellent now and very simple to do...no big deal.

Thanks onaroll.........my V stands up too straight ,.....when i park my bike i have to find a low spot to park,....if it's a level spot it's not very stable....

Leave it in gear and turn the handle bars to the left:thumb:

I to have noticed on occasion my V stands up very straight. I have allso noticed my fork tubes have about an inch or so sticking up from the top clamp, this will influence the stance of the bike. Does any one know if this is the proper amount the forks should stick up?

Leave it in gear and turn the handle bars to the left:thumb:

And also ALWAYS turn the steering lock ON. That protects stuff if and when the bike DOES fall.

Ed

I to have noticed on occasion my V stands up very straight. I have allso noticed my fork tubes have about an inch or so sticking up from the top clamp, this will influence the stance of the bike. Does any one know if this is the proper amount the forks should stick up?

John, I haven't checked to be sure for the V, but I know on KLR's they ship with the forktubes pushed up in the triple tree. Every now and then you run across one where the dealer did not prep them correctly by moving the forks down. My V had about 1/2" or a little less of the forks sticking above the clamp, so I lowered them down a bit. I lined mine up so that the chamfer on the top of each tube is level with the top of the clamp.

Again, I don't know if this is how it's supposed to be or not, but that's what I did.

I checked the manual and their should be 12mm sticking up above the top clamp. So ours were correct, weather or not you like the handling and more eager to wheelee is your call. I think I will leave mine stock for now.