A kickstand spring is built to function differently than a standard spring. Standard springs extend and collapse at the same rate of tension. Kickstand springs become excessively harder to pull the more they are extended. They also have a significant amount of tension just before they collapse. These kickstand springs are made from a hardened steel to keep the spring working over an extended length of time and they should not be replaced with a standard spring for function and safety reasons. Having your kickstand extend unintentionally can be very dangerous.