Tech Tip: Fixing the kickstand auto-retraction

MattR

MattR

Super Moderator
New GasGas riders will quickly find out that our bikes come equipped with a "nice" feature... an auto-retracting kickstand of death. You can thank Spanish laws for this feature, most riders get wacked by it at some point and/or dump their bike on the ground.

The "auto-retraction" is due to the spring attachment point being rearward of the kickstand pivot. To prevent this, you could cut/reweld the spring eyelet farther forward. However, there is a much easier method using a chain link. Take a spare chain link and drill one of the holes slightly larger to accomodate the mounting bolt. Then, just attach the spring to the other hole... problem solved!

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I'm glad you liked it!

I can't take credit on the chain link idea, but I wanted to explain the issue and provide my photos. Many riders complain about the kickstand and this is such an easy fix that I had to make a Tech Tip for it.
 
Proud to say I do know who invented this trick - and I'm related to him! My brother (kx200 on Smackover) figured out this simple way to beat the auto retract within a month of owning his '02 XC250. Falling motorcycles have a way of ignighting ingenuity.
 
Man was that one spring a bear to stretch into place! I can't do it with my shoulder surgery so I got my neighbor to help. He had to try about 6 times to get it. Does yours make a loud clicking sound when U lower and raise the kickstand? Plus it makes a grinding noise. But that sucker sure stays put. :D
 
Sounds like U have had similar issues a I. I've banged my right shoulder four good ones since I was twenty and I'm just shy a month of 57. This last one was a doosey. And yes, I used to be able to swing my arm in a underhand softball pitching motion and hear loud pop-pop-popping. Back then I was in the army and the Doc. wanted to cut me open to see what was wrong so I let it heal on it's own.
 
flybars said:
Does yours make a loud clicking sound when U lower and raise the kickstand? Plus it makes a grinding noise.
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There is definitely more tension with the relocation. Maybe the newer springs are shorter than my bike year. You can compare my coil spacing to yours based on the pictures. My spring rubs a bit on the pedal now when deployed. Also, as you swing the kickstand down/up, the upper spring hook makes a bit of noise trying to reposition itself on the chain link. Maybe this is the source of the grinding sound???
 
Thanks Matt. Just good to know it's common to have a little noise involved with the deployement. I might bend my link towards the back a tad and see if it helps, I'm very happy with the outcome. I still have a dent in my right shin and a scab on the inside of my right heal from that sadistic little bugger! But not no Mo!!! :D
 
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Just another tip...

Check that your left side panel is not very close to the kickstand in the up position. If it is too close, you can break/chip the plastic as the kickstand hits it under higher spring tension. You can bend the lower mouting tab on the subframe (the one with the rivet nut) to make the side panel miss the kickstand. It is an easy tweak with some vice-grips. Just a little tweak is all it takes. This pulls the bottom of the side panel further outward.
 
MattR said:
Just another tip...

You can bend the lower mouting tab on the subframe (the one with the rivet nut) to make the side panel miss the kickstand. It is an easy tweak with some vice-grips. Just a little tweak is all it takes. This pulls the bottom of the side panel further outward.
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Thanks for the tip Matt. I have already damaged my side panel with my kickstand:mad: . I'll give this a try to stop it from getting worse.
 
!@@#$%%^
this stupid bastard is makin me mad.
i have an 07 300' and it looks nothing like this pic, i mean its similar, but i dant have anywhere near enough room to remove the bolt, i cant even get an open ende wrench to it, let alone on it, sockets and pliers are also waaaay out of the question. any suggestions? im to the point where im about to just take tha bastard off, between the shin damage and the radiator and plastic damage. all the damage on this bike has been caused by the !@#$%^ kickstand and it really is irritating to cause hundreds in damages to a 7000 bike because of a !@#$% 2 dollar spring that was put in a bad place.
showphoto.php
 
leave the kick stand mount in place. remove just the kick stand. My 06 300 has a small spacer/bushing that goes between the kick stand pivot bolt and the kick stand. This is so you can crank down the kick stand pivot bolt and it won't tighten down on the kick stand thereby allowing the stand to rotate freely. Grind this spacer/bushing down enough so that the pivot bolt WILL crank down onto the kick stand. TA DA!! crank down on pivot bolt which now cranks down on kick stand and the auto retract feature no longer works.

on a side note the kick stand springs are strong. I use a big long beefy spring puller designed for removing springs from snowmobile exhausts. one that can push and pull.

not mine but scroll down for hte push pull spring puller
http://www.hiperf.com/ATV/acatalog/Shop_Equipment___Tools.html
mine's better but I can't find it??

BTW the auto retract feature is an EU regulation.
 
mountain thumper said:
i have an 07 300' and it looks nothing like this pic, i mean its similar, but i dant have anywhere near enough room to remove the bolt, i cant even get an open ende wrench to it, let alone on it, sockets and pliers are also waaaay out of the question. any suggestions?
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Yeah, the '07 bracket looks different. The pics were from my old '01 XC250. When I did it on my '07, I was a bit frustrated too. You can back off the top mounting bolt a little ways, but then you find it is impossible to get the bolt out right? The trick that young grasshoppers don't initially see is the lower mounting bolt holding the bottom chain roller (under the swingarm). Remove the lower mounting bolt and chain roller. Now, the kickstand bracket can move around/dangle from the upper mounting bolt. You should be able to remove the upper bolt without further issues.

By the way, it also helps to use an inner chain link plate for this modification. The inner chain link plate has a larger ID from the pin that was pressed in. This minimizes the enlarging of the hole that you need to do in order for the upper mounting bolt to fit thru.
 
Just get rid of the stand, they do more harm than good. I do this from day #1 with a new GG. Throw it in your cooler with just a bolt for use at gas stops that are on the road. There are plenty of trees in the woods to lean on. Use a shop stand or triangle stand in the garage or at camp.
 
GMP said:
Just get rid of the stand, they do more harm than good. I do this from day #1 with a new GG. Throw it in your cooler with just a bolt for use at gas stops that are on the road. There are plenty of trees in the woods to lean on. Use a shop stand or triangle stand in the garage or at camp.
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I just may have to begin doing this. My kickstand bracket or the kickstand itself is slightly bent. It likes to rub on the swingarm occassionally during shock travel. Now, the swingarm has a few nice gouges in it. Stupid stand!
 
yeah, i got the nasty rub marks on my shiny swingarm too. sod :(
i got the whole assembly off, that lower chain roller bolt was hard to fenangle out, im going to cut the eye off and reweld it in front of the upper bolt on the kickstand mount.im sue itll drag on the peg a little, but oh well.
 
cut off the tab, to find out the whole 300 yd spool of wire unraveled inside my welder, so i went the chain link method. im only using the lighter of the two sprins now, and its more that enough to withdraw it, and hold it in place while riding!
as soon as my now cam is charged ill try to take pics
 
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