diff --git a/src/lib/base.html b/src/lib/base.html
index 9b3945df7f..46870a9529 100644
--- a/src/lib/base.html
+++ b/src/lib/base.html
@@ -67,6 +67,7 @@
       if (settings.disableUpgradeEnabled) {
         if (this.hasAttribute('disable-upgrade')) {
           this._propertySetter = disableUpgradePropertySetter;
+          this._configValue = null;
           this.__data__ = {};
           return;
         } else {
@@ -314,6 +315,7 @@
       if (!this.__hasInitialized && name === 'disable-upgrade') {
         this.__hasInitialized = true;
         this._propertySetter = Polymer.Bind._modelApi._propertySetter;
+        this._configValue = Polymer.Base._configValue;
         this.__initialize();
       }
       origAttributeChangedCallback.call(this, name, oldValue, newValue);
diff --git a/test/smoke/bind-smoke.html b/test/smoke/bind-smoke.html
index e3eadb2e91..dd7a807f03 100644
--- a/test/smoke/bind-smoke.html
+++ b/test/smoke/bind-smoke.html
@@ -10,8 +10,6 @@
 -->
 <link rel="import" href="../../polymer.html">
 
-<x-trivial></x-trivial>
-
 <style>
 
   x-trivial {
@@ -21,25 +19,28 @@
 
 </style>
 
-<template>
-  <input on-change="inputChange" value="{{value}}"></value>
-</template>
+<dom-bind id="x-trivial">
+  <template>
+    <input value="{{value::value}}"></value>
+  </template>
+  <script>
 
-<script>
+    Polymer({
 
-  Polymer({
+      is: 'x-trivial',
 
-    is: 'x-trivial',
+      ready: function() {
+        this.value = 'spoo';
+      },
 
-    ready: function() {
-      this.value = 'spoo';
-    },
+      inputChange: function(e) {
+        this.value = e.target.value;
+        console.log(this.value);
+      }
 
-    inputChange: function(e) {
-      this.value = e.target.value;
-    }
+    });
 
-  });
-
-</script>
+  </script>
+</dom-bind>
 
+<x-trivial></x-trivial>
diff --git a/test/unit/element-disable-upgrade.html b/test/unit/element-disable-upgrade.html
index f070c248fe..c82fc47b81 100644
--- a/test/unit/element-disable-upgrade.html
+++ b/test/unit/element-disable-upgrade.html
@@ -94,10 +94,17 @@
 
 <dom-module id="x-complicated-not-lazy">
   <template>
+    <!-- the <x-non-lazy> element here ensures there are other elements on -->
+    <!-- the host-stack to trigger "configuration", to ensure the disabled -->
+    <!-- element handles that code path correctly -->
+    <x-non-lazy></x-non-lazy>
     <x-complicated-child id="child" a="{{a}}" disable-upgrade$="{{b}}" c="{{c}}"></x-complicated-child>
   </template>
   <script>
   HTMLImports.whenReady(function() {
+    Polymer({
+      is: 'x-non-lazy'
+    });
     Polymer({
       is: 'x-complicated-not-lazy',
       properties: {