New UK Skyteam V-Raptor 250 - Kick Stand
 

The Raptor only comes with a kick stand, no centre stand. The bike will not start if the kick stand is down - this is a legal requirement in the UK.

If you want to start it and leave it ticking over, you have to sit on the bike, which is a bit of a pain - sometimes you want to start it, leave it running and get your gloves, helmet etc sorted out.

There is a switch down by the kick start (substantial one, at that)

http://i908.photobucket.com/albums/a...d/P1010017.jpg

Wider view

http://i908.photobucket.com/albums/a...d/P1010018.jpg

There is a plug tucked up behind the frame, I separated the plug from the socket and this takes the kick stand switch out of the equation. It can be re-connected when it has to go for its safety check (not required until 3 years old, then annually)

http://i908.photobucket.com/albums/a...d/P1010031.jpg

Now it will start and I can leave it ticking over while I look around for all the things I should have got together before deciding to go out for a ride.

Jeff

One of my previous bikes... I can't recall... also had a side-stand safety switch. But you could start the bike in neutral on the stand and let it run. It was only if you changed gears out of neutral and if the side-stand was still down...the bike would die. Not a bad safety feature. Whereas your implementation...

Cheers!

This one has something similar if it is in gear, you have to pull the clutch lever in (which is very sensible, of course).

I would have preferred the one your bike had, in neutral the stand switch was disabled - I think I had a Honda like that.

Maybe I could rework the wiring so that the clutch lever / neutral / in-gear setting applied to the side stand as well - which would be a better solution.

The side stand safety switch is the first thing to go when I get my hands on a bike or scooter. You'll only ride away with the side stand down once...

Only my Honda XR650L has a side stand, safety switch. However, the bike will idle with the side stand down, as long as the bike is in neutral. I always let my bikes with carburetors idle for a while in neutral, with the side stand down, to allow the engines to warm up a bit before I start riding.

Many XR650L owners disable the switch, but I didn't do so with mine. The big engine launches the bike from a standstill in first gear, and I don't want to take off with the sidestand down on that motorcycle. :wtf: However, all my other bikes lack the safety switch, and I don't miss it all on the smaller motorcycles. ;)

Yep, when I started riding, all these new fangled doo-dahs like switches on handlebars and kick stands were a generation (or two) away from being invented. I have had a couple of graunching sounds in the past, but luckily never pole-vaulted off the bike as some have done. I think a neutral light modification is in order - but the wiring diabram is printed on a piece of paper 2" x 3" so I will scan it and enlarge as big as possible. I will post it in Dropbox when done for others to reference if required.