As I was parking up the XT 600 today, the sidestand failed and we both fell in a heap. I wasn't hurt, but I was bloody annoyed. I've never had a sidestand snap, and when I looked at the broken bits I was unimpressed by the quality of it. The stand has snapped adjacent to the weld between the frame fitting and the (light) tubular section. A conversation with Yamaha led to the advice that I take the bike to a dealer so that they could assess the damage "in the context of the machine". I suppose they wanted to see the bike and work out whether it had been abused - gosh, I might even have gone off road, or attempted to ride round the world, carrying luggage (the audacity of it). If Yamaha want to boast about their tough adventure machine, they could at least fit a decent stand. I have ordered a spare as I need to use the bike. I could try another approach to Yamaha - but to be honest, by the time I go to the dealer (35 miles) wait a week or two for a decision, then go back for my new stand (if I get one), the whole exercise isn't worthwhile.
I accept that the 19000mile bike is three year old and out of warranty, but I still think that this is unacceptable. The point of this post (apart from letting me blow off steam) is to suggest that you have a look at your sidestands. (Now I'm going away to calm down - thanks for listening). When I work out how to get my photos smaller than 40k I'll post them.

Hi I am sure I saw some new XT side stands on e bay a few days ago I bought one a while back for about £10.
The stand on my XT 3AJ is fine even after 18 years the newer TTR has had 2 new stands so I am guessing they dont build them like they used to.

Here was my solution, I used double tubing.......



slip one inside the other.............



and weld it up SOLID. wont ever bend now!


Martyn

Thanks Bolla - but I've got on and ordered on from a local dealer (non Yamaha) just to get it done with. Had another conversation with Yamaha but the customer service people are stuck to the company line that I have to take the bike and bits to a dealer for a decision. They won't accept photos and the stand returned to them. Like I said , it isn't worth all the hassle. It's not what I expected from an XT.
To the bike's credit the only other damage is scuff marks on the bar end weight and the clutch lever.

Good idea Martynbiker. I wondered about something similar, so I might make up a spare when I can find a friendly welder. Then I can sell my new one to the next victim!!
Cheers.