hi to all pasoowners near and far!!
One thing that I've done to my 907 back in '93 and still think its a good thing to have on any bike, was to fit a sidestand warning buzzer, specially when your bike gets into gear while your brain is still in neutral the results from forgetting to put your sidestand up while taking off can vary greately, from...thump! with a few sparks flying...warning you to be more alert to more serious consequences, like being thrown onto oncoming traffic and killing yourself (this has actually happened)

Like many riders I have removed the lug from the famous Ducati springloaded automatic stand retractor when I got the bike, and for peace of mind using a 12volt miniature relay, a buzzer and some wiring, I wired up the neutral light and sidestand warning light in a way that you can have the sidestand down while the motor is running in neutral, ie warm up the motor, but once a gear is engaged (neutral light goes off) the relay switches on the buzzer...this is a very simple and effective way to avoid this situation from happening.
I wonder what other fellowriders think about this idea...thumbup or thumbdown, and if anyone else has done it to their paso
CJM

On my old Honda Hornet, when the gear was engaged with the sidestand opened, the engine was turning off

Instead of the buzzer, I guess it's more effective and not too hard to realize.

Ciao.

thanks for the reply Frankie although, I think the motor switching off instead of a warning light or buzzer would be a bit extreme.....anyways!.... this is my 5 cent contribution on this forum towards the preservation of the PASO species

Nice idea. Thanks,
I was going to put a flashing LED light on my dash for the side stand for the same reason.
I have put a rubber foot on my side stand (a toe brake from a roller skate) to lengthen the side stand. It turns out its good for those times you forget to put the stand up. The rubber flexes, and doesn't spit you off the bike, and the side stand gets flipped up. All good. Honda used to put a big rubber bit on their sidestands for some of the same reasons. (at least in the US).

Cheers, Phil

...now that I think about it, I've seen rubber extensions on honda's stand before but it didnt click this could be the reason
this idea scores high with the KISS principle

907pasonut,

I have to agree on leaving the sidestand down can cause you to wreck. I did exactly that two years ago coming up on the end of this month. I had stopped to look at a map with some friends, was in a hurry, and took off. Before anyone could catch me came up on a left hand curve and leaned over and the stand caught in the fresh pavement and dug in. It leverage the tires off the pavement and I lost control and slid across the road into a ditch. Tore the bike up. I fixed the mechanicals last year, had the forks and front wheel straighten, new triple clamp lower, new subframe for the headlight and instruments, new headlight, etc. I had to buy some used body panels. The only panels I could use are the two side panels that run along the bottom of the seat, all others I had to replace. I ordered new decals from the UK. I am having the parts repaired and painted. I should get all the parts back this week and I will put the bike back together. I'll post pictures of the finished bike later.
This is what it looked like after the wreck. I could'nt move from a chair without help for two months. I still can't bend my knees well enough to ride hard or long distances like I could before. Going down steps is still hard to do.

You aren't the first to have been spit off. It was the end of Gary Egan's riding career, or at least the beginning of the end. Here's my solution.


(edit) and here's a link to finding some Toe Stops. Cheap insurance.
http://www.skates.com/rollerskate-toe-stops-p/bults.htm

but I think the blinking light and buzzer are good ideas too.

Cheers, Phil

I know I may sound like higgy but why not just leave the sidestand alone?
You won`t need a warning buzzer and neither can you crash as bad as demonstrated above.
The only things that can happen with a selfretracting sidestand is that you tip over if you`re not paying any attention and all that usually results in are some scratches and a broken mirror. Imho that`s way better specially as that can only happen while you`re standing.

choose yourself
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9M0mHhOY9xc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7miu0Mwm3Kg

G.

PS: a modified sidestand only makes sense if it cuts the ignition if it`s out.

Seeing as to the fact that this is an age old problem, and none of the solutions that the manufacturers have supplied are graceful, efficient, or user friendly, I think there is some room for invention here. I think there is room for a new product to be introduced here. Heck, Craig Vetter basically invented the touring faring, and sold millions before they came standard on bikes. How many sidestands did Cycle Cat sell for $150 each? Why not a safe and reliable side stand?

Just brainstorming here. How could we make a side stand that doesn't spit you off if you forget to fold it up?

- What if you made the side stand with an inline air cylinder, like the one that holds up your back hatch on the wagon?
- What if it was adjustable for length, and air pressure?
- What if we made a break away feature, like a shear bolt.
- would a spring in the shaft work? Would it make your bike more or less stable when on the side stand?
- Could you make something that retracts automatically when the bike is running and in gear? Most accidents happen after you are on the road, not in the parking lot. It doesn't need to be fast.

My roller skate toe stop is effective, but won't sell many in the market. We need something with a bit more pizazz and flash. Something with a bit more science built into it. What do you think? We have lots of creative folks on this list. We could come up with something worthwhile.

Cheers, Phil