Modern Vespa

As I am in the process of figuring out(ordered new battery) why my Vespa is misbehaving and not wanting to start, I am looking into the side stand switch as a possible culprit. In my case the side stand was replaced with one that is used on Harley's, it was there when I got it.
As I was looking into this, I was reminded that I rarely ever use the side stand. The only time I know I use it is when I am doing an oil change, it helps remove the oil filter easier as the center stand when down blocks the access a bit.
Question for the forum is how often do you use your side stand and do you consciously prefer using it over the center stand?

I use mine for periodically for short moments and the center stand for parking. I could easily do without the side stand, but not the center stand.

Removing the side stand doesn't resolve the possible switch issue does it? You would need to disable it if you remove the side stand and you could do that even if you kept the side stand.

Most of my side stand use is when I move the Vespa in and out of the garage because I have to get around my van that is parked in front of the garage, door opener is in the van, etc.

I have hit the side stand on a few corners.

I avoid the side stand on my GTS like the plague and removed POS spring loaded OE one from my Sprint
Side stands = 🛵☠️

"I have hit the side stand on a few corners."
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I ground my GTS side stand hard on the test drive,
immediately after handing the previous owner cash a bent it up and haven't ground it since

the only time I use the side stand is on the ferry. the bike is less like likely to swing around when it's strapped down with two bits of rubber touching the steel deck

Right, just the right conditions are needed to ground it. A good lean to the left with a slight rise in the ground work, especially on switchbacks.

They let you park it near the real bikes?

Whoa! I gotta see a picture of this setup. Harley makes the best side stand of any I've seen. Way over engineered and very stable. How did they fit it to a Vespa? Seriously, I'd like to see a photo so I can see how they did it!

If your scooter has a sidestand nanny switch, and you think it might be preventing it from starting, the best thing to do is bypass the switch. Those switches are down under the bike, where they are constantly exposed to dirt and water, and are very failure prone.

I've never heard of a Harley sidestand on a Vespa before. It would be very interesting to see how it was installed.

I only use mine if I need to get under the seat, e.g. to grab an extra layer or switch glasses, while I'm riding.

It's interesting being in Asia, because I'm one of the only people who uses the center stand. Everyone here uses the side stand, even on hills. Nobody locks the steering either - it's routine for someone to move someone else's bike while it's parked.

First guns, ammo and bikes, now nanny switches. Uh, ok.

I am very happy to report that my Vespa carries neither and that the switch on mine is a valiant safety feature.

I very rarely use my GTS's side stand. It is so easy to pop it up on the center stand that I use it exclusively.

Rarely use the side stand.

I use the side stand most of the time. Except parking on a hill or during fueling or maintenance.

It must be spring, as all the trigger posts are coming out.

Sigh.

On my HPE, I only use the main stand when checking the oil.
All other times I use the side stand.
I find it easier to fill the tank without spilling.
I am thinking of fitting a side stand without automatic retract to my 2013 GTS but I am not certain if having one without the ignition cutout is such a good idea.

I don't currently have a bike. But when I had my Vespa, I used the center stand far more than the side stand. Part of that probably had to do with the fact that I lived in Colorado most of the time I owned it, and damn near everything is on a slope around there. It just felt safer to me to use the center stand. The GTV is just on the edge of being too big for me to safely handle, but I could rock it on and off the center stand pretty easily most of the time. I really only used the side stand for just a few seconds when I needed my hands free before putting it on the center stand, or in the few scenarios where I knew I wouldn't be able to get it off the center stand due to a particularly tricky parking slope.

I shall take one and send it as soon as I can get to do that.. I was told by the previous owner who was/is maybe still a forum member who was a avid harley rider, he bought this Vespa for his 80th birthday but did not like the side stand and had it replaced. When he sold it to me, he said he wanted to make sure the Vespa went to a good home.

While making even slight left turns around roundabouts if I go a bit to fast and lean over I scrape the side stand, several times it has happened and I always hope I am not doing it on surfaces where in there are steel plates on the road covering up roadwork. You find those a lot in NYC.
Only reason I have left the side stand installed is for that off chance that I may need to park it on a slope and for the twice a year oil change that I do.
I wonder if one doesn't have a side stand, how does one park it while taking the ferry as "SteelBytes" states or when one has to park on a slope etc or needs to change oil(guess one could have someone hold the bike while removing the filter).

Regarding oil changes: I used a trick I learned here on MV. Take the pet carrier out from under the seat and turn it upside down. It's a great height and shape to prop under the frame and hold the scooter up for oil changes.

I always use the side stand when I get off the Vespa. Plus, I use it often to shut the Vespa down.

If I'm going to put it in my garage, I just wheel it in and leave it on the side stand. If I'm anywhere else, I put it on the center stand to leave it.

i have never had a side stand and every time I have thought of putting one on I have been convinced not to from most of the posts about them

I am a pretty light person so I like to use the side stand when I get off, and then I put it on the center stand. I just feel more secure doing it that way.

Same here, with a '09 S150.
I've always wanted a lock-down sidestand, but also wanted to add an ignition safety interlock switch, slightly complicating the installation. So, so far, I haven't.

a scenario recently where the side stand wouldn't have been possible ...

I was on a 4wd track and had just reached a 18-20% decline. I stopped a few meters down as I realised that it was gonna be a hard one and I wanted to scout ahead a bit before deciding to continue or not. So I tried the center stand (as I normally do) and it slipped straight off. bugger. I rolled it forward a meter so the front wheel was resting against a tree root in the rut then was able to get it to stay on the center stand. could also have held the brake with one hand while opening the seat and grabbing a small strap and then wrapping it around one of the brake levers.

yeah, I do ride in stupid places. this road had started quite fine and level but degraded into a 4wd track after several kms.

as always with photos, they don't really show the slope very well. this was taken when scouting down 20m or so

Which GTS models came with side stands? My 2009 doesn't have one and I've been wondering if it is worth adding one.

I am thinking if I could live without the side stand given that I don't use it, I haven't been to places where I have to park on an incline. I use the side stand only when I am changing the oil. I am not sure should I take it off or leave it on, I have scraped it a few times and in those moments I am always saying to myself I should get rid of it, but I haven't done it so far.

I never use the side stand.
I have heard so many horror stories about them.
I like my Vespa rubber side down

When I had the GTS 250 that had the spring loaded side stand, I almost never used it as I didn't find it trustworthy. With the 2018 and now 2023 I use it quite a bit, more than the center stand since it no longer collapses and is as steady as the side stand on any other PTW I've owned or ridden.

another reason I don't generally yse the side stand is because we drive on the left side of the road here so the slight slope at the side of the road combined with the slope caused by side stand doesn't feel good

I saw this video yesterday. I mentioned above how I thought Harley-Davidson made the best side stand of any motorcycle I've run across. This video proves it. The motorcycle is on fire and it causes a short that activates the starter while the bike is in gear. It proceeds to make several circles leaning on the side stand and the side stand never folds up or collapses

I do that with my Xmax for the same reason.

As for side stands on Vespas, I don't care for them.

I rode a friend's Vespa many years ago and when riding with my speedy son Sam, I scraped it in almost every left turn.

I didn't like that.

When I bought Razzo, my 2005 Vespa GT, the first thing I did was to remove the side stand.

Not long after that a rider in Nova Scotia wrote in MV that she wanted one.

So I packaged mine and sent it to her.

Even paid for the postage.

That shows how much I didn't like the thing.

Bill

Holy cow. That's insane.

I used to work at a HD dealer. We would demo pulling the bikes around just on their side stands often. Once the weight of the bike is on the stand, it's not going anywhere.

This is nuts, but impressive. Thanks for sharing!

I use my sidestand rarely. As the OP pointed out, it's good to use when doing oil changes. I also use it when parking on an incline, leaning the bike uphill. On soft ground, I use it with a steel plate underneath. Helps to keep the stand from sinking into the ground.

I modified the spring location on mine so that it does not auto retract; that was historically the main issue with the sidestand. Takes about 20 minutes, a drill and good metal drill bit, and a few bucks in hardware to do this.

There are excellent instructions on this forum to perform this mod.

I'm not a fan of the auto retracting ones on some models.

I don't mind, and frequently use, the "manual" side stands on my bikes before I dismount, in case my dismount foot slips on something.

Then I put the bike on the centerstand and fold up the sidestand.

My 2010 didn't have a side stand and I never missed it. BUT the 2020 HPE does and I use it on rare occasions, mostly when I want to step off to get the mail, also when parking it in the garage before putting it on the center stand. I did disable the lockout though even though I had a crash on a Honda with a disabled lockout......hey, just riding is risky, I just added another level!