Tck,
If you are having problems getting the bike onto the stand, the first question to ask is "have you got the correct stand?" Machines fitted with the 'waffle box' silencer should have the wide stand - which normally doesn't present any problems. Machines with barrel silencers were fitted with a narrow stand that tucked away inboard of the silencers. These stands had a foot pad half way up the left hand leg - this should be used to drop the stand out of the spring clip. Once out of the clip, you can get your boot onto the bottom of leg of the stand - and again lifting the bike onto the stand is not a problem. With these narrow stands, a lot of owners try lifting it onto the stand with their foot on the foot pad - now this is almost impossible!! If your bike is fitted with the correct stand return spring, and the spring clip and backing plate (they bolt to the front end of the rear mudguard - on the front fixing for the mudguard and a second bolt through just the mudguard), lifting the bike onto the stand is an easy 2 stage operation.
Regards,
Eddie.