Center stand issues

When I first got my 73 Mk I 850, it didn't have a center stand so I bought one used and put it on. The attachments are as they should be but it is extremely difficult to get the bike on the center stand. Once on the stand, the bike is higher than other Commandos I have seen. My center stand measures 10 3/8 inch from the center of the pivot bolt to the bottom of the center stand. Would anyone know or be able to measure and let me know if my stand is too long and what the correct measure is? Thanks.

Got 2 mainstands here, one on the 850 Mk2 measures up at 10 1/2" and the other brand new also fitted and then removed on another 850 measures up the same. The bike up on the stand has front and rear tyres just touching the ground with original 19" rims and TT100 tyres.

Is your gearbox Iso cradle original to your bike? I don't know if the mounting points changed on various models?

Mick

My center stand (1975 Mk III) measures 10 5/8" from the pivot center to the bottom of the "foot". I expect to have issues as I have gone to an 18" rear.

RS

I am measuring my stand with it mounted on the bike so it must be the same as stock based on the measurements being posted. I'm almost positive that the gearbox Iso cradle is original to my bike since my bike is pretty much in original shape.
For the life of me, I cannot figure out why my bike is so hard to get on the center stand. Pivot pin is in good shape, both wheels are 19 inch, and I am running TT100s. I do have saddle bags mounted so the grab spot isn't perfect but friends with Commandos agree that mine is much harder to get on the stand. If I roll the front tire up on a 2X4, it is then reasonable to get on the stand but not before.

Yellow Cad, if you bought your stand used, does it have the usual foot lever welded to the base of the left foot of the stand, and is it intact? Send a photo if this would help. And is it at the right angle? When you put your weight on the foot lever, as you are pulling on the bars and the underside of the frame rail, it should help you hoist the thing onto the stand. I lent my bike to a friend who somehow managed to bend it. Until I straightened it to its correct angle, it was a pig to get on the stand. The tip of the foot lever should not be touching the ground when the bike is on the stand. That could be your problem — if everything else is as it should be.

Also, is the centre stand spring correct, or is it being stretched too much when the stand is extended? Get a friend to lift the back of the bike by an inch or so, and see how easy it is to extend the stand. You mention a pivot pin. On my 850 Mark 1, there are two pivots which fit into either side of the cradle, and if I remember correctly, each pivot is stepped so that it fits into the eye of the stand (larger diameter), and then into the cradle (smaller diameter). If the pivot bolt is a sloppy fit in the cradle, it won't help. I presume the feet of your stand are still 'semi-circular'?

maybe some one has lowered the bike? shorter shocks or forks? how far off the ground are the wheels when its on the stand?

When putting the bike on the center stand, it helps to have both feet of the stand firmly on the ground (bike is level), and it helps greatly to have a hand under the rear loop of the frame to help lift up the bike while you stand on the center stand lever.

Smaller wheels will increase the effort, but should not make it too hard.

I think the effort to put the bike on the center stand is easier than the effort to kick it.

Thanks for all the advice. My bike is the standard height, there are two pivot bolts and all that is in tact, the spring is right, and the ends of the feet are semi-circular, but, Daveh, where you say that the lever that the foot pushes on should not touch the floor, mine comes within 1/8 inch of the floor. How far above the floor should the foot lever portion of the center stand be when the bike is on the stand? I did need to bend this lever to clear my muffler when I first mounted my center stand. Maybe I over did it.
Right now, mine takes considerably more effort to get on the center stand than to kick over.

Yellow Cad, sounds like your centre stand is fine. (You could confirm this by comparing with a standard Commando.) Now that we know this, it is probably because of the height of the front/rear of your bike. Mine takes more effort to put on the stand since I fitted softer front springs, which lower the front ride height, and I have slightly shorter rear shocks, which raise the rear wheel about 1/4 inch more off the ground than normal. Before, the rear wheel would be just touching the ground with the bike on the stand and it was certainly easier to haul up then.

You say you can't grab the frame rail in the best place because of the saddle bags. Could you make up a handle clamped to the frame rail so it clears the top of the saddle bag to get a good grip? Perhaps you have springs that have sagged over the years, effectively lowering the front ride height. Is the fork extending fully? Mine didn't when I first got it, and it turned out to be a slightly bent stanchion that was sticking near the top of its travel, but it wasn't obvious at first. You could also check the length of your rear shocks against the factory spec.

Let us know what you've discovered.

once again, how much room do you have between the ground and the rear wheel? that is a good reference point to start from. you should NOT have more than a 1/2 to 3/4 inch if it is more than that start looking at sagging fork springs. shorter shocks for a starters.
the best technique that was taught to me many years ago was to grab the frame, put foot on stand than push with foot and pull with arm like you are trying to separate the two parts.

sorry to hijack this thread but I'm currently having center stand difficulties.

Where does the spring locate on the rear cradle?

Is it okay to keep the bike on the stand while assembling?
I'm just starting to put it back together, and only have limited access to a good jack.

It has been a while so I'm not sure about the spring anchoring point. But it is much easier to put the spring on first before bolting up the centerstand. Then you can get one bolt in loosely and then use the centerstand as a lever to stretch the spring while putting the other bolt in.

The spring should locate through a hole in the cradle on the left plate just above the pivot bolt, in fact the uppermost part of the stand where the pivot bolts go through can touch the spring slightly where the bent end goes through the hole from the inside.