Center Stand

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steveyacht

steveyacht

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My center stand flops around like an elephant's ears in a hurricane every time bump or depression in the road, sometimes scraping the pavement. Has a new spring, properly installed. This thing bugs the crap out of me. I don't remember it ever doing that before, but those are 38 year old memories..... damned sure don't trust those. Any solutions or suggestions short of tying it up with some bailing twine?
 
uGH,until ya do figure it out you better carry something to tie it up or may have it fracture to drop one side down on the road with the spring held half bouncing even more than before. Besides holes getting sloppy and tendency to fracture, the RH leg tends to bend forward/twist and likely the whole thing, to remove spring tension closed. I had to tie up Peels, thank goodness for curious farmer with hay twine, later removed it and felt the weight improve a tiny bit. I never replaced it so await the solutions offered you and me too.
I don't think there are two different spring lenghts.
 
If you ride with a flock of Nortons the centerstands will mostly all be flopping around like that. On my 72 I just replaced the centerstand with the latest type and the new spring was different and much stronger. It does not bounce at all now. My bushings and also the holes on the centerstand itself were wallowed out and loose which was not helping either. It was so bad that it was hitting my muffler on the left side.

71 and onwards all have the cradle mounted centerstand.
 
steveyacht said:
pvisseriii said:
There are 2 different springs. One for the stand that is mounted to the frame (early) http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Center-S ... 563c4ac54f and the one for the stand mounted to the cradle (late) http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Norton-C ... 4840c540af .

I suspect you have a early spring on a late stand.
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mmmmmmmm..... Don't know. Mounts to the frame now, 1973, SN 220406............ That help in determining if it is an early or late
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73? Mounted to the frame? Although that is a very early 73 number, it's still a 73. Not that it means alot cause my bike is one of the ever growing popular Italian models "Mucha Bitza", but my frame is 149xxx and my stand is mounted to the gearbox cradle.

I realize that you are in that gray area of changes from 750 to 850 but they seem to call for the same spring, 064643 and NOT 062514. Do you know what you have?
 
steveyacht said:
pvisseriii said:
There are 2 different springs. One for the stand that is mounted to the frame (early) http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Center-S ... 563c4ac54f and the one for the stand mounted to the cradle (late) http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Norton-C ... 4840c540af .

I suspect you have a early spring on a late stand.
Click to expand...

mmmmmmmm..... Don't know. Mounts to the frame now, 1973, SN 220406............ That help in determining if it is an early or late
Click to expand...

Make sure you are not confusing the cradle for part of the frame. If your center stand is truly mounted to the frame there is something amiss with the year of your frame.

Russ
 
Late 850 type stand and spring:
Center Stand
 
I have the long spring on it now, just ordered the shorter one from EBay. Pretty sure the the short one is what belongs on there and (if memory is any good) the hole is in the transmission cradle.

Thanks
 
I want to say thank you! Ordered a new Stainless Steel Spring in the proper configuration. Got it on (that's another story) by myself. Now I no longer have a floppy center stand!! Without the assistance of those that responded, and this forum in general, I may have never known!!!
 
Yea for another happy $uccess story. What want to know is if any Cdo's don't sit level on level surface on center stand? I;ve pry'd Trixie's back to square with frame and pounded RH leg back under bike but she still needs like 1/2" under R leg to sit even. I don't start her on centerstand so seems just putting her on it bends it again, which makes in extra hard to get her up on stand and must care pick where I attempt it not to have her fall over or be very hard to push off onto tires. Side stand bolts was found too bent to hold side stand stable so yet to order another.

Its worth bragging about getting the spring on single handed. Worth it to me to hear your method and language that popped into head before springing it into holes...
 
hobot said:
Its worth bragging about getting the spring on single handed. Worth it to me to hear your method and language that popped into head before springing it into holes...
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Tools: Two Screwdrivers, One Medium Size Vice grips, bottle of Vodka, Ice, GLass and patience!!! Place on side stand. Put hook into the transmission cradle, use knee to keep center stand in "UP" Position. Clamp vice grip onto the lower end of spring. Pry up the end of the spring with hook with screw driver. Loose screwdriver when it slips out of your hand. Get up off the floor, walk to tool box, get another screwdriver, lay back down on garage floor, get up to answer phone, trip over "other" screwdriver, curse at "survey taker", slam phone down. Lay back on floor, get back up to retrieve screwdriver from near phone, pick up other one.

Get back into "contortioned position" with knee holding center stand,vice grip on spring, prying spring to near the "hole", Loose grip on vice grip sending spring sproinging across floor. Get up, lookiing for runaway spring, on hands and knees looking under roll away tool box. Find spring, get up again, walk over to get magnetic grabber, won't work on SS spring, get up again, grab friggin broom handle to hockey out spring, get up again, to walk out side where it endend up in driveway.

Walk back in to get in above mentioned position...... Vice grips attached, pry spring up into place with lucky screwdriver, holding in place with left hand as right hand guides vice grips to position hook in hole. Pick up tools and $3.00 worth of nickles from that failed attempt...... Look around to see what else I left laying around. Poured nice cold cocktail to cool off as it was about 93 degrees in garage!!!

VOILA!!!!! Simple!!!!!!!
 
VOILA!!!!! Simple!!!!!!!
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LOL! till tears in my eyes at being blood brothers in Norton worshiping postures enduring tests of our full faith, even to spilling blood sacrifices. I've heard good success with the coins or washers, but my attempt worked out like yours to resort to brute force instead of applied intelligence... I'd drink more too but for the dam hangovers, so just get stoned instead.

Next time, which is inevitable, I'll have hook on a big Tee handle to pull on with feet braced on frame and hopefully with helper to guide it in and share the event.
 
BTW great shot of photographic lighting and contorting to get it nice for us.
 
pelican said:
plastic sump?
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I think you must be referring to the plastic catch bottle (a "chalk line" refill bottle with a dust mask one-way air valve fitted to it) which is at the end of the oil tank breather pipe-and hangs low down in the open space in the cradle between the engine and gearbox so it's not visible from above.
 
hi steve, looks like our bikes may have passed each other way back in 73 as mine is 220419, may have been made on the same day
 
flibity said:
hi steve, looks like our bikes may have passed each other way back in 73 as mine is 220419, may have been made on the same day
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Awesome Must have been on the line at the same time!! What color is yours?
 
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