I'm an idiot...

[bkmaxvrb]

...although, I don't think I'm alone in this.

Last night, I was getting ready to ride home after a long fun day hanging with a friend. It was a long ride and it was after 9pm, so it was dark. I got ready, double checked a couple of things to make sure all was well.....(No one wants to be broken down or searching for something on the side of the road in the dark, do we?)

Anyway, I hop on the bike, fire it up, check to make sure everything sounds and feels right, pull in the clutch and drop it gear......bike dies! Hmm, that's weird, but, it's colder now than it was earlier...so maybe that's it? I hit the starter again, cranks, fires and dies. Hmm....I'm forgetting something.....

Oh Yeah! Put the kick stand UP, dummy!!!

Oh well, old age has it's downside. I had to chuckle about this. Putting the stand up after lifting the bike off it is like tying my shoes after putting them on in the morning. I don't think about it, I just do it, each and everytime.

I guess I need to check and see if my shoes are tied.

Later everyone, check the kickstand!

Russ

[coloradontexas]

been there many times partner LOL.

[indianapilot]

You didn't forget to put the kickstand up, you were just checking to make sure the kickstand switch worked. I've done it before myself several times, gotta make sure all the safety devices work. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

T.L.

[nomad561]

Been there done that.
It beats riding off and then figuring out you left the kickstand down (the hard way)

[dogdoc]

done that too, but I was thinking if the kick stand is down, i thought it wont start at all?

[dogdoc]

done that too, but I was thinking if the kick stand is down, i thought it wont start at all?

[paulo]

I think we have all done it...

[buckeye]

been there, done that!

[jonsamson]

done that too, but I was thinking if the kick stand is down, i thought it wont start at all?

If it is in gear and the clutch pulled and the kick stand down it will start, than when you let out the clutch is dies. Yup have done that also.

One time I got frustrated and worried when I mistakenly hit the kill button ( I never use it) and the thing wouldn't start. I check the kick stand, I had power, but no starter. Dang I thought I melted a wire or something looked all around, (Holding up traffic entering gate to a bike rally none the less). The guy got out of his truck offered to help me push the bike to the side, then when we started, he suggested I turn the kill button back on. I was as red as the button.

[Jared]

Not the first. Not the last.

[cactusjack]

done that too, but I was thinking if the kick stand is down, i thought it wont start at all?

Wow Doc, an answer so nice, you posted it twice.

It will start with the kickstand down in neutral, but the minute you pop it into gear, it kills the engine.

[macmac]

I did that last Saturday night righ after hitting the jeep that hit the moose. My brain was in neutral fer sartin!

[ells]

So, how many of us have had a bike without the the KS safety switch and ridden of with it down? Count is one so far. It just put itself up but I've heard worse can happen.

[cnc]

Did the same thing just this morning.
pulled in for gas, put it in neutral, l put the kick stand down and the car in front pulled away, so I popped it back in gear to advance and bingo, looked like an idiot in front of the gas attendant. Could have been worse, pull in and forget to put the kick stand down before getting off! http://s2.images.proboards.com/grin.gif

[macmac]

Ells, My 81 yammi 850 has a kick starter and no KS safety switch. I used to fer git that stand all the time, and like you it touched down and kicked up, but it could spell disaster.

[isaiahsdad]

I have a very small garage, actually it is a 2 car converted into a studio except for about 5 feet. Just big enough for my bike on one side and Kim's on the other. A few days after I got my bike, I went to park it in the garage. Now where I park mine there is a wall about 2 and a half feet from the left side of my bike. Well something distracted me and for the life of me I can't remember what it was but I forgot to put the kick stand down and away she went. Now I have a perfect hole in the wall the shape of the left hand grip and mirror. A constant reminder to put the kick stand DOWN.

[lasse]

I think 99% of us has done that... ::)

[ridemslow]

Did the same dam thing just today ::)

[skeeter]

Went in for an oil change today and the mechanics told me he lubed the kickstand for me.

Didn't realized it needed it but, it really surprised me how easy it operated. I guess gradually over time I'd become accustomed to the resistance.

[macmac]

OT maybe but the external shift linkage up under the engine would like a few drops of oil in the bell cranks from time to time.. Most of that linkage is in plain sight if you are layin on the ground on yer back.

Umm to me a bell crank is a ball and socket fitting on linkage.. There is 2 under there.

[psychocycle]

Went for a ride out to Elk Island National Park today with some buddies. I was riding shotgun when we came upon a line of cars stopped for a herd of buffalo. The guys rode past the line of cars, nice and slow. The lead guy was going to ride through the herd, so I came in behind shut of the bike and put down the kick stand. I wanted to get some pictures of this. A guy in a tow truck thought he would save the bikers and passed us a started ridding through the herd. Those big buggers started stampeding every where. I slammed the camera back in my pocket started up the bike and went to take off and stall. I thought I had a vapor lock (hot temperatures), tried starting three times in panic mode with these buffalo's running all over the place. Anyways, I realized what was wrong and got out of the way with no damage. It was funny after the fact. http://s2.images.proboards.com/shocked.gif

[bobhamlin]

On my current trip, I've begun using it as a rather convenient kill switch. I usually leave the bike in gear when I dismount.

More and more, I stop in first gear, then simply put down the kickstand. Feels like I know what I'm doing--even though it started accidently.

[jmax]

At least you were able to figure out the problem by yourself. After installing my new Venture trunk I backed out of the garage to take some pictures. Decided to warm it up sense I hadn’t run it in a couple of weeks. Took the pictures and was going to drive back into the garage sense it was raining, drop it in gear and it kills did this a few more times with the same results. So I push it back into the garage. I went on the Kawasaki forum and ask why my bike would die when I put it in gear. It took about a minute and a half to get a few responses telling me about the kickstand switch. The bad part was that I knew about the switch but it never registered. I think I was too excited about my new trunk and couldn’t think straight.

[AlabamaNomadRider]

Saw an article where someone either got killed or hurt real bad when the side stand or kick stand as we used to call them was left down and it dug in on a curve to the left. The rest is history. I love the safety feature of the side stand being down and the bike not moving. Another feature is that if your bike is running and you drop it as I did mine back in April, it immediately kills the engine. The problem I have with side stands is that I sometimes park and forget to put them down. I drop my Honda Goldwing and the Honda 650 before it by not putting the side stand down. So far so good with my Nomad.

[dougster]

I wonder if there is a difference in the bikes, depending on the year. My 2003 WILL start when it is in gear, but will kill if you let out the clutch.

[ringadingh]

On one of my old Suzukis I would always take off with the stand down, it would put itself up most times after a scrape.

[socwkbiker]

Yeah, been there, done that too.

[jamiep24]

Haven't done that, yet. But I have gotten off my bike without putting the kickstand down. That doesn't work, either. Jamie