I wonder if it would be possible to weld something to the stand which would cover or at least prevent the gear lever moving when the stand is down?

The other great thing with the ole Duke is the false neutral, green light on everything ok, yep, go to fire her up and bingo she shoots off away from you. Never suffered any damage but nearly took out mine and four other bikes!! Now I sit on her start her and warm her up for a few minutes still on her. Have seen the bike move on the side stand with the V pulses and various road/pavement cambers, brown trouser moments!

Flanners,
good working practice on any manual gearboxed engine is to dis-engage the clutch prior to hitting start button/turning key etc. Not only does it avoid the take off in gear scenario but by pulling on the clutch lever/depressing the pedal, you are ensuring that the starter only has to turn over the engine and not the gearbox and associated sub assemblies. Thereby reducing the load on the starter motor, economising on battery drain and subsequent re-charge and makiing a tit of one's self in busy car park.
On a cold morning this method pays big dividends.

Cheers, yes I usually do both on my bikes and cars but have been known to be lazy, BUT not anymore!

Don't like the idea of the flip up stands, they're hard enough to get at anyway without the added doubt it'll snap back up when you ain't looking!

My 748's of the kind that won't start with the stand down (shuts it off if you put it down too) - OK cut the engine if I knock it in gear (like my 'busa does) but please, let me run it in neutral with the stand down to warm up while I finish getting ready instead of making me sit there like a lemon for a few minutes!

NM,
there is an unofficial mod that does away with the stand cut-out and also doesn't need you to spend £30-odd for a nice little conversion kit from Ducati Performance. It involves shorting the OEM cables at the first junction from the stand cut-out switch to give the bike the impression that the stand is permanently up. Also saves 75 grams or so (very important!!) cos you can bin the switch unit.
Just make sure you remember your stand/in-gear drills though. Good luck.:saint:

About £25 off ebay and worth every penny. Also means you can warm the bike up on the side stand.

Let's not confuse the two ....

The kit for the later bikes (those that won't start with the stand down) that allows you to start the engine with the stand down but kills it if you go for a gear = £25 or so off eBay.

The kit to upgrade older bikes (those that will start with the stand down) to this type of operation = £300 or so off your Ducati dealer

Kitz, Schmitz- short the wires out and be done with it all!!!!!:devil:

Anyway all well and good, but just wait till the stand snaps like a twig and your bike is on the deck looking a bit second hand.
I fitted the clip and bolt on my old 916 and its never been a problem, the standard stand was just looking a bit flexy, and sure enough it gave way (managed to save it though) and then invested in a cyclecat aftermarket stand which is 1" longer than original, so when the ride height is setup correctly the bike looks perfect on the new 1" longer stand. Always looked a bit too eager to drop on its side with the original stand.