Rode my bike into work yesterday and as I have been doing lately I parked my bike far out in the parking lot, away from the small area designated for motorcycles.

As im going in another co-worker who rides tells me I shouldnt park out on the asphalt anymore as the kickstand can sink into it when its hot, it was only about 75 so I wasnt really worried. But I had forgot all about being told that kickstands can and do sink into hot pavement.

What do you guys use when you park? Ive heard keep a crushed soda can and toss it down when you park but that doesnt seem like its solid enough to stop a kickstand from sinking. Im sure they sell metal plates or something of that nature in motorcycle shops, just seeing what people usually do.

 

H-D sells a plastic disc for about $8. I've seen guys use a small piece of wood, a square of ceramic tile, a small piece of diamond plate. Anything that has enough width to disperse the weight from that narrow piece of jiffystand that touches the ground should work including the crushed can you mentioned.

Primo

 

I actually just bought a pad from the dealer, 6 bucks isnt' going to kill me. It's a good size, I don't have to cut anything, and it's lighter then wood, it won't slide, wood might slide a bit. I've used a smal peice of plywood or shelving wood in the past, I wouldn't use a crushed can. I actually read on a Suzuki forum that a guy actually used a hockey puck, that he routed a groove into. He must have been Canadian or something. But a puck's diameter is fairly small.

 

Crushed beer can.

 

Just about anything will work.

I got a plastic disk from the school where I took my MSF.
I got a square hard-plastic plate with rubber on the bottom to prevent slipping from a Geico rep (this is my favorite === works great)
I got a stiff leather disk at a local motorcycle show.

Go to a rally or motorcycle show and companies are usually giving these things away. Otherwise, a few bucks at ANY motorcycle supply/parts place should have something.

I don't like the crushed drink-can idea. I wouldn't trust the can to NOT slip.

 

wifes boob!

 

It is. Your bike sinks because its full weight is concentrated on just a couple of square inches of kickstand and your kickstand sort of "punctures" the asphalt. The can distributes the weight out over a larger area. You won't see any can-sized holes in the pavement.

 

Did you hear the one about the blonde that thought asphalt was rectum trouble?

 

Park on the concrete.

 

I can get the plastic disc at my local dealer for $5. It's the one thing that they sell in their accessories department that I think is a good deal. It slips right beside the quart of oil I keep in my saddlebag. I put it down without getting off the bike and pick it back up without getting off the bike.