There was a thread on here a while back asking "what do you keep in your saddle bags?" A very wise poster said his most important item was a jiffy stand spring. Made me think of what a problem it would cause on a trip if the spring went bad. I personally am a fan of the metric kick stand design that cuts the motor if you go into gear with the stand down. Great safety feature.

 

If your an everyday rider like many of us are, you use your jiffy stand much more than the guys who have the garage queens.
So, after 4 or 5 years of daily use, those jiffy springs do tend to get weaker and start to sag a tiny bit. The result is that the jiffy stand can start to vibrate against the frame because it is not being held as tight as it would be with a new spring. If you have never replaced the spring yet and the bike is 4 or 5 years old it might be a good investment ($8-$10) to pick up a new spring the next time you are going past your local shop. Or, you can always wait until such time as you decide to hop a curb someplace. For those guys I recommend carrying a nice, long zip tie in their saddlebags for the inevitable long ride home. Bye the way, holding up an 800 pound Harley while at the same time putting a zip tie around a jiffy stand and the frame is in itself a pretty neat trick, unless you have your posse close at hand. Back in the 1960s I didn't have much concern about leaning a broke bike up against a tree or building when I got off. But, with a $25,000 bike I kind of frown when I think of that.

 

Makes me glad I have a center stand

 

Absolutely!
I keep an assortment of zip ties in the bottom of a saddlebag for a host of situations that could come up.
While some folks will be fiddling under their bikes,
I shall RIDE!

 

50112-99 / $8.68 just yesterday

 

Harley makes some touring bikes that have the jiffy stand interlock. They are only available on bikes which export to Japan, so I read in my official Harley Davidson MOCO Manual.
For my part, I am glad the domestic bikes do not have the switch on the jiffy stand.
Years ago, I left a Harley store without raising up my jiffy stand. Back then we called them all "kick stands" and before I got out of the parking lot I must have had 5 or 6 guys jumping up and down in the parking lot while pointing to my jiffy stand. I felt like a newby A-hole, kind of like the time I pulled into the gas pumps and got off the bike before I even tried to put the jiffy stand down. That is an embarrassing happening, especially if your buddies are all watching and laughing.

 

I just replaced mine a week or 2 ago. I had noticed it getting weak. Between the jiffy stand spring and my battery (both 8 years old) I figure its time for some regular maintenance....

I still havent bought a new battery yet =}

 

Just replaced mine, less than $8 and took less than 5 minutes just like in "fix my hog" video. Bike only has 12k on it, just picked it up Sunday but noticed it would sag down an inch or so, now it's tight up against the stopper.

 

still have the original spring from 94 ... have had a spare in the toolbox since 99. One of these days I may need it and I'm glad I have an old one ...

 

I was riding 2up with my wife last year, and I heard "Sproing". I stopped and checked the Jiffy spring, and it was OK, and I thought "Whatever?".

Later that night, my wife's phone received an email, with her new notofication tone: "Sproing".

I bought a jiffy spring to carry as a spare, after that, but haven't had to use it.