It may be worth checking the rubbers as they could be split only on the "outside". I removed mine and checked them with a dye penetrant and used developer on the inside. No sign of leakage so just filled the "outer cracks with clear silicon sealant and a bit of black marker pen to colour them in. £80 is still in the bank 😃

Stripped carbs last night and new parts came today so spent early part of the evening with carb cleaner and new O rings. 😃

Hi, I had the same issue with my 1999 fzs600. It turned out to be the forks had been dropped through the yokes by about 25mm. After lifting them through to correct position it raised the ride height and a breeze to get in to the centre stand. Worth a look as it costs nothing. 😃