Side Stand Issue

[flth20]

I have a 2000 VFR800 that I bought in 2016 with just under 50K miles.  It has always leaned at a greater angle than any other bike I've ever owned while on the side stand, like around 20 degrees.  I've checked the front side stand mount triangle front bolt #15 and it is in place and tight.  What I did find was that with the bike on the center stand and the side stand down, if I pull straight out from the bike on the end of the side stand the foot that contacts the  moves about 3/4 inch, as if the shoulder bolt it rotates on is loose in the bracket hole.  

 

I'm talking about shoulder bolt #16 going through side stand #10 and bracket #2.  

 

I see now that when I put the bike on the center side stand and let it lean over, the side stand touches the ground then the bike leans further.  I have not yet taken the side stand off to check if the shoulder bolt or the side stand hole or the bracket hole look worn.

 

Has anyone seen this before?  Thx.

[Bren]

No never seen  this. I have a 98 and it doesn't lean over that far on the side stand.

 

You need to investigate further, either something isn't tight or its bent.

OR

the previous owner fitted a shorter side stand because he lowered it but that wouldn't explain the movement you're seeing.  

Hth.

 

[flth20]

Thanks very much for the quick reply.  I'll take the side stand off and check the shoulder bolt, side stand holes and bracket hole.  I thought it odd that the side stand would move like that, as if the shoulder of the bolt is worn or hole(s) are too big.

[flth20]

Found the problem and have fixed it at least for now.  The two ears at the top of the side stand (#10) had spread open a bit so the inner surfaces that contact the bracket were not quite parallel.  The shoulder bolt did not appear worn nor did the hole in the bracket.  There is a small clearance where the shoulder goes through the ear and the bracket so there is some play but once I squeezed the ears in a vise and used some feeler gages to verify they were parallel, I put the side stand back on and now there is only a very small. movement, maybe 1/8 inch max, when I pull the foot outwards.  I checked the lean angle with the bike on the side stand and it is now about 13-14 degrees and seems about right.  My 1976 CB750 Cafe Racer is abut the same, around 13 degrees.

 

I also read someplace that if you mount the bike by standing on the left side foot peg that it can put too much load on the side stand and cause the ears to open up.  I never do that and I don't know the first 16 years of history of the bike other than the guy I bought it from looked more like my size (tall, skinny and light...😊) and said he had only owned it for a few years and rode it very little.  It has a Works Performance rear shock and when I got it, I had absolutely zero sag and I had to back off the preload to the very top of the range to get a reasonable sag so whoever put that shock on was probably a lot heavier than me.  Some day, budget permitting, I'll get the shock rebuilt with the correct spring for my weight, 160-165 with full gear.

 

Anyway, the bike now sits at a reasonable lean angle on the side stand which has only slight play on the bracket now.  I'll check it periodically.  Thanks very much for your input.