center stand again REVISED

MikeM · Aug 26, 2016

Got an Andover stand kit from Old Britts.
This unit is quality and I installed it today. It mounts to the engine cradle and not the frame.
I should have drilled the cradle but did not want to remove the thing and the holes were still good after all these years.
I used the regular bushes in the new stand and bolted it up.Its much stronger than the OE unit and mine was wasted. See photos. I highly recommend this stand. Easy install fits and works great. I can now walk away from my bike with confidence knowing it will not fall over.

Ron L · Aug 26, 2016

Re: center stand again

The 750 cradle takes the straight bushes. The 850 cradle takes the stepped bushes. The holes in the stand are the same for each.
However, with either cradle, make certain the holes in the cradle are not worn out. If they are, you can either weld and redrill the holes or drill the holes square and make some custom bushes.

ormondgs · Aug 26, 2016

Re: center stand again

I don't mean to hijack your thread but I have a centerstand issue as well. Just bought my first Norton, a '74 850 Interstate - on the centerstand the bike has a noticeable tilt to the right side. At first I thought it was on uneven ground but it appears to be a centerstand issue. The stand does not seem to be "loose" nor is the bike "wobbly" when on the stand. Is this repairable, or necessary to buy a new centerstand?

kommando · Aug 27, 2016

Re: center stand again

Depends, eithe the hole is worn on the short side in which case the hole needs filling with weld and redrilling or the center stand is bent, heat and brute force could fix this. If a bit of the stand is missing then its a new replacement or off to the welder.

Brownymark · Aug 27, 2016

Re: center stand again

Mike,
Just drilled my cradle this week, only using stepped bushes now and it works a treat. If you take a look at page 7 of "Marks Norton Commando rebuild" thread it gives more details.
Cheers, Mark

frankdamp · Aug 27, 2016

Re: center stand again

Those of you with very early models may have a different center stand than later ones. When we were riding the two prototypes they didn't have any kind of stand. We had to lean them against something if we wanted to get off! As the bike approached production at Plumstead, they "adapted" the Atlas center stand for the Commando. I wasn't a good fit and grounded easily when cornering.

By the time a stand specifically designed for the Commando appeared, I was working at Boeing, so I'm not sure when that occurred, probably sometime in the 1969 model year. I think the side-stand (known to we Brits as a "prop stand") appeared first.

MikeM · Aug 27, 2016

bump for new info

kerinorton · Aug 29, 2016

MikeM said:
Got an Andover stand kit from Old Britts.
This unit is quality and I installed it today. It mounts to the engine cradle and not the frame.
I should have drilled the cradle but did not want to remove the thing and the holes were still good after all these years.
I used the regular bushes in the new stand and bolted it up.Its much stronger than the OE unit and mine was wasted. See photos. I highly recommend this stand. Easy install fits and works great. I can now walk away from my bike with confidence knowing it will not fall over.

My Goodness me. That new stand looks like the one on my 850 .Mine is a really strong one because I have modified it twice now. HOW STRONG IS THE CROSS BAR.

See old posts on these problems.

Dereck