is it safe to spin our 2008-2009 250s on their side stands? what is the stand made out of steel or aluminum ? anyone want to tell me how to spin it on their stand --- my driveway is a huge hill and would surely drop it eventually if i had to back it out...

not a good idea - if you're worried about backing it out, back it in instead

Don't.

thanks for the info guys.. how bout sitting on it with kickstand down... i saw a bunch of videos on youtube of spinning it on stand and thought it was completely safe cuz alot of people said it is, thanks for your tips or i wuda been sad to find my bike laying on the floor one day =(

I'd never even thought about spinning the bike on its side stand until yesterday, when at Alice's and STP I saw two different guys pull the maneuver. Looked pretty useful, but immediately I wondered, "That can't be good for the bike..."

ya, I've seen it done a coupla times on the SS's and while it looks cool I wouldn't trust my baby on a thin piece of metal.

Sitting on it with the kickstand on, though, I think is ok. It's designed to bear weight but not meant for twisting etc. actions - and plus if it fails you're on the bike to save it.

every now and then is probably fine. doing it everytime you park is not a great idea. learn how to do it with the throttle instead :D

So sitting on the bike with the kick stand down would be A-Okay?

i think that would depend on who is doing the sitting ;)

if you're ginger about it, and don't weigh much over maybe 150 lbs, then its fine. i wouldn't go bouncing around on it though. think of the liability issues Kawi would have if their kickstands wouldn't hold up an average sized rider. they have to be designed to hold a fair amount of weight.