Modern Vespa

Back in 2010, Bagel suggested "that if you're parking it on dirt, grass or other non-solid surface, you should put a plank of wood or a sturdy piece of metal under the feet of the center stand, to prevent it from sinking into the ground and falling over."
I've been doing a lot of exploring and sometimes have difficulty taking the GTS off the center stand when parked in strange places. It seems to sink into the ground.
Does anyone carry a piece of plywood or another object with them?
And how do you get it under there without dropping the scooter?

I carry a small piece of metal to slip under the right side of the stand when I park on warm tarmac. This stops it sinking in. The left side has the extension and does not sink in. I have often driven away and forgotten my piece of metal. Back to the scrap box for another!

Exactly!!!

It should be stiff and something like 4" by 4" (10cm x 10 cm for my metric friends).

If possible I attach some string or wire to it, so you grab the string, get bike off the stand and yank your thingamabob so you can put it away without having to drop or prop your bike.

P.

I carry an old license plate and use it under the center stand when the pavement gets too hot.

Metal Plate is the best if you know your going to need it

A flattened soda can makes an excellent under the centerstand/side stand (on the BV or Scarabeo) and it is often possible to scrounge one up if you don't have something with you.

I've got a few pucks I've picked up at various motorcycle shows that I tend to toss under the seat for use as well.

Note last year when I stopped in Walls, SD on my way to Amerivespa. I came out of my motel room after dropping the top box with my stuff off in the room to find a strip of wood flooring on the ground next to it with a note from the motel owner that the asphalt tends to get soft early in the morning when the sun hits it. Also, directions to the bucket of cloths and bike cleaner to remove bugs/road tar or whatever with hose, etc. for cleaning. Can you saw PTW friendly motel? Plus it was just a couple of blocks away from the main street so it was easy to go have pizza and beer without taking the scoot.

Making a stop at Wall Drug, huh? I did that when I went through SD a few years back. Still need to figure out exactly how I want to put that huge bumper sticker on my scooter, though...

One of the best things about the MP3 is that you don't usually have to worry about sinking in when parking 8)

At work, there's a parking area for bikes. Our facilities manager put out some little laminate-topped squares for everyone to rest their kickstands on. It looks kinda like cardboard, but I don't think it is. Probably just some sort of very thin particle board...

One of the tips I heard in my MSF class was to tie some fishing line onto your stand puck. You tie it so that it's just long enough to slip over your left handlebar when it's turned all the way left like it should be when you're parked. That way if you forget, when you straighten them back out, it'll pull the puck up and either you'll see it or it'll smack you in the leg...

Mark

Talk about exceeding customer expectations! 8)

I've parked on the grass a few times with my LX, no problem. Once I let the engine idle for a minute and that was enough to cause the scooter to tip over from the vibration being transmitted down to the stand. I broke the rear side reflector, so I guess it could of been worse.

We just carry one of these on each bike in the glove box. Not too often that it's needed, but when we do, it's easy to drop it under the center stand and fix the bike on top. Sixty cents at Home Depot. Stronger than a smashed soda can and thinner than a block of wood.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Steel-City-1-Gang-4-in-Blank-Square-Box-Cover-52C1-25R/202590472#.UeBqPVPbbM8

I got a GIECO pad that is a 4x5 ish oval that works great.

Came in rally packs.

+1

I keep a 4" x 4" piece of Ali, with string attached, in a top pocket of my m/c jacket. The plate goes on the soft ground underneath the side stand and the string has a loop for the left handlebar grip to facilitate removal when I want to leave and am straddling the bike upright. Much simpler to do than to describe!

John W.

I use the top lid of large mason jars. They're sturdy and have a lip that aids in removing them from the ground (or your could poke a hole through the lid and tie a string around it). I keep several of these lids in the "glove" compartment.

Ha! John, I need a demo video of this process!

I have a piece of starboard that I carry to use in soft areas with the center stand or side stand. Unfortunately, I did not use it when I stopped on a road to take a picture. I failed to see the broken concrete and it was my lucky day. The right side of the stand went right in the crack. I got the picture and then watched the scooter slowly fall before I could catch it. This was in a small town and people thought I had crashed and called the police who arrived in about 3 minutes.

thanks all. I'll check out some of the suggestion in the yard before I go out on the back roads.

My work did a similar thing. They put down big pieces of diamond plate aluminum for the bikes and that worked pretty well.

When I was a wee laddie (I may have posted this before, but we old folks forget things like that) I was at The Bluewaters Quarry in Devon with the Torbay Tigers Scooter Club (See? I remember details like that but not whether I have posted this before). One of the members, Luke Kitto, parked his Vespa 90 SS on some soft mud and left the engine running. When we returned to the scene a few moments later the vibration from the idling engine had softened the mud and allowed the rear of the scooter to sink in. It sank right in until the mud was level with the rear of the seat. The amazing thing was that the motor kept running - the fan was pumping all this liquid mud across the cooling fins.

The moral of this story is, um, is, er...

..where was I?

Liquefaction.

I keep a pair of flattened coffee cans in my 'pet carrier' I find it's not too difficult with care to slip them under the center stand feet.
I did once forget to pick them up when leaving a local park one evening and someone came running after me yelling and accusing me of littering......

I have buddies that use those" plastic cup things" you put under your sofa feet to stop them marking the floors/carpet 4 for a £ in £ store lol

I saw this whilst browsing on Amazon. Lightweight and under $7. Looks good to me. The bright color is a plus because your sure to not leave it.

That's exactly what I use! Cheap, sturdy, and easy to find.

Most all Harley-Davidson dealers carry something similar; theirs are round, though, but they do have the raised guides.

Cheapest I've used is a metal electrical junction box cover,
Found at most hardware stores for way under a dollar.