[GUNR]

Actually, it's not so bad...Luckily it flicks up as soon as it touches the road. I agree that's it's not an ideal solution but it's not a life threatening condition to be in either. Better than random no starts or cutouts on the freeway.

I'm more concerned with the way the side stand bracket and the exhaust header touch down through bends. That causes more problems. The bike jacks up and runs wide. I've never been comfortable with that.

Your account reminds me of back in the 1970s when one of my bikes was a CB350 which I regularly caned while trusting the Dunlop TT100 tyres of the day. There quite often was a scraping sound to be heard during certain left handers and I found out what that was outside work one day when I flicked out the side stand as per normal and the side stand arm shot forward past the ground off stop and ended up pointing forward like a 3rd lower frame rail. I can't remember whether it was a 'save' or if I landed on my arse but I can laugh about it now!

[axman88]

First of all, if your bike still has the side stand switch installed, remove it and toss it in the trash.  That switch is more of a “Leave you stranded on the side of the road” switch.

A strange comment, coming from an insurance professional.

Seems like your recommendation could also leave one's wife and kids stranded, when one's insurance company decides to take the position that the accident that left you requiring 24 hour nursing care was entirely your own fault, having modified your machine to be non-compliant with OEM safety standards.

We didn't have that sort of "nanny" circuit watching over us when I started riding motorcycles in 1980, at least not on the used machines I could afford, but I can see the point.  The switch protects the rider, but mainly it protects the manufacturer from liability.  People have died, and it seems that human life has a monetary value whose limits are only set by the greed of lawyers and the naivety of juries.

But, I can understand your point regarding what a nuisance it is, that RE specified a less than totally reliable component.  It seems like, with a bit more effort, one could keep the switch, but have it turn on a warning light, rather than killing the engine.  At any rate, is it that difficult to bypass the switch when the fault occurs?

[Geoff Vader]

He was a forklift truck driver a few weeks ago! 😵‍💫😵‍💫

[KD5ITM]

I guess if you pootle around at under 4000rpm and never lean the bike beyond 5 degrees from vertical then that’s ok.

For those of us who actually ride quickly through corners, what you’re suggesting is downright stupid.

What are you talking about??

Its a very well known fact that the these side stand switches are very well known to malfunction causing the bike to think that the side stand is in the down position, even when its not, which cuts the power to the ignition keeping the bike from starting and or running.  I knew about this side stand switch issue even before I bought my ‘14 GT from the dealer.  First thing I did when I got it home was remove that switch and toss it in the trash.  That switch has left countless number of people on the side of the road scratching there head trying to figure out why the bike wont start. 

I dont know what RPM speed or how far you lean the bike into a corner has to with it.  The switch is going to sooner or later crap out regardless if your doing 2000 rpms, 4000 rpms or banging the rev limiter and if your scraping the pegs all day long or ridding in a straight line for 100 miles.

[KD5ITM]

A strange comment, coming from an insurance professional.

Seems like your recommendation could also leave one's wife and kids stranded, when one's insurance company decides to take the position that the accident that left you requiring 24 hour nursing care was entirely your own fault, having modified your machine to be non-compliant with OEM safety standards.

We didn't have that sort of "nanny" circuit watching over us when I started riding motorcycles in 1980, at least not on the used machines I could afford, but I can see the point.  The switch protects the rider, but mainly it protects the manufacturer from liability.  People have died, and it seems that human life has a monetary value whose limits are only set by the greed of lawyers and the naivety of juries.

But, I can understand your point regarding what a nuisance it is, that RE specified a less than totally reliable component.  It seems like, with a bit more effort, one could keep the switch, but have it turn on a warning light, rather than killing the engine.  At any rate, is it that difficult to bypass the switch when the fault occurs?

Your goofy.  I’m sure you wouldn’t be making fun of me being a life insurance agent if you saw what I was going to make this year.  I just helped a client with a $1.15 million dollar annuity 3 weeks ago.  My commission is going to be $51,750.  Not bad for a life insurance agent.

[KD5ITM]

He was a forklift truck driver a few weeks ago! 😵‍💫😵‍💫

Its funny how forklift mechanics some times have to drive the forklift there working on. 

Hope the next time you take your car to a shop, the mechanic takes it for a spin when he’s done working on it before giving it back to you.

[KD5ITM]

In the 13,400 miles that Iv put on my ‘14 GT since new, Iv used the side stand 2 maybe 3 times. Once was when I had to park on a gravel parking area.  I didnt want the center stand sinking into the gravel.  The other 1 maybe 2 times was when parking at a curb on a road that had a good slant to it.

If you are some one that uses the side stand on a more regular bases, It would be a pretty simple and straight forward job to remove the crappy factory side stand switch and replace it with a better quality switch.  Now you have a safety switch that wont leave you stranded somewhere trying to figure out why your bike wont start. 

Not too shabby for a life insurance agent if I do say so my self 😂.

[axman88]

Your goofy.  I’m sure you wouldn’t be making fun of me being a life insurance agent if you saw what I was going to make this year.  I just helped a client with a $1.15 million dollar annuity 3 weeks ago.  My commission is going to be $51,750.  Not bad for a life insurance agent.

I wouldn't make fun of anyone for doing any job whether it rewarded them with high or low pay.

And, I wouldn't make fun of someone if they were severely injured in an accident because they rode off with their side stand down.

I might however, laugh at someone who took the time to remove a perfectly functioning switch, and threw it in the trash, specifically to avoid a "head-scratching moment" later, rather than simply disconnecting if and when it malfunctioned.   That doesn't sound like a joke to you?

Here's another, in the same vein:
Two young boys are watching, fascinated, as a cowboy ride into town.   As they watch, he reaches down between the horse's legs, pulls out a handful of something, and rubs it on his mouth.  "Hey Mister!", one of the kids says, "How come you rubbed horse crap on yourself?"
The cowboy says, "Well, I just rode in off the range and my lips are really chapped.  I sure wouldn't want to lick them!"

[Geoff Vader]

Your goofy.  I’m sure you wouldn’t be making fun of me being a life insurance agent if you saw what I was going to make this year.  I just helped a client with a $1.15 million dollar annuity 3 weeks ago.  My commission is going to be $51,750.  Not bad for a life insurance agent.

I’d have thought someone earning that sort of money could afford a better bike or at least to pay someone to fit a better switch to their 535.

You talk some real BS, W⚓️

[KD5ITM]

I might however, laugh at someone who took the time to remove a perfectly functioning switch, and threw it in the trash, specifically to avoid a "head-scratching moment" later, rather than simply disconnecting if and when it malfunctioned.   That doesn't sound like a joke to you?

Not sure how long you have owned your GT 535.  I bought my 2014 brand new from the dealer in mid 2015.  I joined this forum in February of 2015 when I started getting interested in getting a motorcycle and interested in the GT 535.  Before I pulled the plug and bought my GT, I did quite a bit of home work.  Back in 2015, the guys on this forum were learning, a lot of times day by day and a lot of times by trial and error.  This forum was the only source here in the US for guys to post issues they had with there GT and get same day answers from people that already experienced that same issue and how to go about fixing it.  Someone found the solution to an on going issue that no one seemed to be able to trouble shout, they would post what they did to figure out the issue and what they did to fix it.  Back when I bought my GT from the dealer, a lot of the dealers were over there head with the GT and not being able to trouble shoot quite a few of the bigger issues these bikes had.  The dealers were not getting very good support from RE because RE wasn’t prepared to handle a market as big as the US. (the US market is a totally different beast compared to the EU market). 

By the time I bought my ‘14 GT in late summer 2015, the wanky side stand switch failure issue was pretty well known. So the day I brought the bike home from the dealer, I removed the side stand switch as well as spent the weekend addressing issues that I already knew would sooner or later become an issue. 

In todays world, the common issues and problems these bikes had / have, are pretty well known and in most cases, have been addressed by a previous owner. 

Lets say you just bought your first GT 535 and your a newbe to the RE world.  The GT you just bought still has the side stand switch installed. A month after you bought your GT, your out for a nice long ride.  During the ride, the engine stalls and wont start again.  You check the obvious fuel, spark, fuses, relays, battery connection.  If you had not clue that the side stand switch is prone to malfunctioning and not allowing the engine to start, Im sure you would be scratching your head too after all the obvious things check out ok.  You’d probably never think that the side stand switch could have gone bad.  And heaven forbid it happens to someone that doesn’t know a wrench from a screwdriver.

I guess over the past 13,500 miles, Iv been pretty lucky, not having a side stand switch and running the risk of driving off with the side stand down.  If your worried about driving off with the side stand down, replace the factory switch with a better quality switch that wont cause problems down the road. Simple 15 - 20 minute swap if your taking your time.  But what do I really know?  Im just the guy that rids around with no side stand safety switch.

[KD5ITM]

I’d have thought someone earning that sort of money could afford a better bike or at least to pay someone to fit a better switch to their 535.

You talk some real BS, W⚓️

🤦🏻