Good catch. I formed the habit on leaving the bike in first gear when on the side stand.

 

Oh I normally do but this was just a hop off lock box, get back on and go.

 

I have owned many motorcycles except for a Harley, and none of them had a locking kickstand.......ugh that's a sucky way to learn something about a new to you bike.

 

The defining difference between a jiffy stand and a kick stand. Sometimes semantics matter more than others. Glad you came out as good as you did. Better than flat out forgetting to put the kickstand down which of course I've never ever done....

 

Had a buddy fall over on his Harley in front of me at a light. I jumped off my bike took 2 steps, spun around took 2 steps, caught my bike in mid air and flipped the stand down. Then helped my buddy.

 

Rules for MC riders to live by:

1) Never park in neutral.
2) Never park facing downhill.
3) Never trust a vehicle at a side street.
4) Never ride in a vehicle's blind spot.
5) Never pass up a bathroom.
6) Never trust a fart.

 

Haven't we all!!

 

Also..... The kickstand on my 1250GS is too damn long. When parking on even a slight incline, sloping toward the bike, it sits way too upright. I have to yank it toward the stand to get it leaning a bit more to prevent it from falling . Is anyone else having this issue? Any replacement stands or bending it maybe an option?

 

Is your bike lowered, or do you ride in minimum preload setting?

 

One of the first things to learn about riding a big-ass GS, as opposed to a chromed out Harley, don’t be afraid to let it fall over. Once beyond a certain point, better to let it go and save yourself some major back, or other kinds of pain. It‘s a spendy bike, but scratches and dings give It more character and comes with riding it the way it was meant to be ridden anyway.

 

Never leave your BMW in neutral. Always use the side stand to turn your engine off. Then you know that the side stand is down and the bike is in gear

 

Just remember to press the "Engine Stop" button if you have the keyless ride instead of switching off a key and removing it from the ignition.

 

I refused to label myself by the brand of my vehicles, otherwise I will be SubarudocatiBMWGuzzi guy....

 

I’m currently looking at a used Ducati…to add to my BMW/Kawasaki/Suzuki stable lol.

 

Rules for MC riders to live by:

1) Never park in neutral.
2) Never park facing downhill.
3) Never trust a vehicle at a side street.
4) Never ride in a vehicle's blind spot.
5) Never pass up a bathroom.
6) Never trust a fart.

5 and 6, so true. Made me laugh. Thanks 😆

Regarding the sidestand, look on the bright side, the GS is one of the easiest to get back up, given its size.

Also..... The kickstand on my 1250GS is too damn long. When parking on even a slight incline, sloping toward the bike, it sits way too upright. I have to yank it toward the stand to get it leaning a bit more to prevent it from falling . Is anyone else having this issue? Any replacement stands or bending it maybe an option?

You must have the suspension set to minimum, raise it to maximum you'll find it too short. I do the same as you, yank it against the stand. Haven't dropped it, yet. Knock on wood.

 

Not always practical to stop the engine every time you stop. I have 4 locked gates between home and pavement. That would be 16 starts on the bike every time I go out and back. In each direction I have one gate that is on a significant down slope. I've just learned to roll the front tire against a hillside or a larger rock when pointed downhill. Hold the front brake, get off and then ease the brake off to see if the bike want's to roll. It's certainly taught me to never just dismount the bike after putting the sidestand down without a check.

If the bike needs to be left in gear at a stop I just flip the stand down to kill it. Pretty foolproof.

On my 2012 GSA the sidestand is angled forward enough to force the bike upwards a bit if the bike tries to roll with it on the stand, which requires quite a bit of force to overcome.

The HD "Jiffy" stand was patented in the 20's and that expired in 1945. You would think everyone would use them given the simplicity and effectiveness of the idea.

 

You can also keep a small velcro strap wrapped around the bar to apply against the front brake when needed. Handy for picking the bike up when you can't get to the shift lever to put it in gear.

 

I just have a free tip for you. Stay away from Moto Guzzi. The kick stand is mounted way at the front of the trans case. Hard to secure even you own it for the last 20 years. Not sure if the design was changed.

 

I own both hd and bmw. Never had an issue with bmw kickstand. Dropped my hd once when kickstand didn't lock for some reason