Commando centre stand

Hi guys, how are you? Just a general question.
I took the centre stand off my bike when I used to ride it daily years ago. It kept digging into the tarmac on hard fast left handers, couple of times throwing the bike onto the wrong side of the road and once straight across a round about I was coming into, so having enough of hair raising moments, luckily everytime it has done that there were no cars coming along the other way and I managed to control the bike quickly. Have you guys have this problem?
I was thinking this time when I put my bike on the road to put the stand back on, after all it is very helpful specially for punctures, but thinking of cutting off the bit that sticks out from under the exhaust that digs in the tarmac. Have anyone else down it and does it then make it very hard, if not impossible, to get the bike onto the centre stand then?
Cheers


http://s107.photobucket.com/user/kicker ... d.jpg.html

Have you guys have this problem?

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I used to but not anymore

The center stand seems poorly designed with insufficient spring strength to keep from slamming up and down

I took mine off many years ago and bought a rear stand that Pit Bull has for sale built for Commandos.

Takes less than one minute to slip it into place to do any tire or chain servicing with no assistant needed.

I think it was about $150, less than a new center stand and without all of its drama and issues.

here is the link, you also need to order the spindles it hooks onto that replaces your lower shock bolts
http://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/pit- ... n-commando

Yes , buy this item. Who wants/needs to carry around the extra weight ? Handy for flat tire changes in emergencys but why bother. Or maybe if you're getting on in years and need more stability to kick. Early Nortons had dreadfull stands with no feet and it was fun to watch the bike fall over slowly. Ouch.

Thanks guys, but I was thinking of reusing the centre stand so it's with me all the time, just cutting off the bit that sticks out under the exhaust, if you can picture it. Just wanted to know if it then makes it impossible to get onto the stand after and would it weaken/destabilize the stand after?

Have'nt met an owner who cut off that drop-down lug. The sidestand can scrape too. The worst is taking off with the sidestand out and doing your first left-hander. Good luck.

That's a hell of a side stand that sticks out about a mile... with the upturn bit at the end to trip everybody up!!!

OzT said:

Hi guys, how are you? Just a general question.
I took the centre stand off my bike when I used to ride it daily years ago. It kept digging into the tarmac on hard fast left handers, couple of times throwing the bike onto the wrong side of the road and once straight across a round about I was coming into, so having enough of hair raising moments, luckily everytime it has done that there were no cars coming along the other way and I managed to control the bike quickly. Have you guys have this problem?
I was thinking this time when I put my bike on the road to put the stand back on, after all it is very helpful specially for punctures, but thinking of cutting off the bit that sticks out from under the exhaust that digs in the tarmac. Have anyone else down it and does it then make it very hard, if not impossible, to get the bike onto the centre stand then?
Cheers


http://s107.photobucket.com/user/kicker ... d.jpg.html

Click to expand...

My Centrestand lost that whole "s" shaped part in an accident a long time ago, It is cut off and ground smooth level with the 45deg plate. I'll upload a piccie later. I can tell you that it makes it a bit harder to get the bike onto the centrestand, but after a few times you won't even notice the difference. If you can kickstart a Commando, you can do without the leverage the "s" bit provides!

I purchased my bike second hand in 72. It did not come with a side stand, only a center stand that had the arm ground off. I road it daily for four years. I was all of 130 lbs and never had an issue deploying the center stand or hoisting the bike onto the center-stand. Then agin I didn't know any better.

My 72 is also missing the tang to provide leverage and I also didn't know any better I have not tried putting a Commando up with a proper center stand so can't say how much more difficult the missing tang makes it.However my Ducati does have this tang and it does go up somewhat easier than the Norton.
Craig

The center stand on my 68 grinds in corners. The ones on my 71, 72, and 74 do not. A lot of people had that problem on the early frame/stand and took it off. I have been told you can add a later stand to an early framed bike and solve the clearance problem.
Stephen Hill

I haven't had this problem, but I put my bikes on the center stands during winter storage to prevent flat spots on the tires. They are also handy for cleaning and oiling the chain.
Wheels can be removed in a pinch to fix flats by laying the bike on its side after removing the axle nut. I did this twice for other riders with flats on the Al-Can. This is an old school technique, not recommended for show bikes.

Thanks guys for all your help, advices and tips. I will remove the sticking out bit and stick the stand back on the bike. after all I have a 500 Matchless single that only had the centre stand and I lug it up easily enough with my foot behind the centre stand and pulling to the right and up.


Think I will be happier with the centre stand back on.

And oldbloke if you can upload a picture of the stand it'll be much appreciated

Cheers again fellas!

No problem

My 69/70 never had a centre stand since I got it, but when I restored, I got one. I really like it although it's attached to the frame. The tab doesn't stick out like the 71, but you can catch your big toe under that tab you're supposed to put your foot on when raising it. Boy that's nice. I haven't had it rub, but then I don't go around corners to scrape the pegs any more like I used to. I'm sure the pegs would scrape before the stand unless the spring is weak.

Dave
69S

Cheers for the photo oldman, I've done as you've done instead of just taking the protruding bit off as I was going to do in the beginning. Decision made easier when I saw that the constant digging into the tarmac had already opened a crack where it joined the web bit. Bit of a job heaving it now on the centre stand without the sticking out leverage, but at least I have a centre stand in case of punctures or if I need to work on the fork/rear suspension.

Na springs are good dogt, just with that with couple of inches of centre stand sticking out horizontal out the side of the silencer, that used to dig in quite well into the tarmac on a sharp left handers.

Now just get those screws for the front brake lever, change the brake fluid and get a nut to fit the seat holder, I have had to hacksaw the knurled knob off as the thread was gone and the seat wouldn't tighten onto the frame, it's ready for the MOT and then if passed on the road, yay!

Feeling bladdy good. Norton's passed it's MOT, quote the tester. 'flew thru', well worth the hours I spent on it getting it back on the road. Now off to the Post Office with my docos to get tax disc and I'm on the road again, yay!!

Just need to adjust the clutch, seems to have got tighter those years just standing about, but that should only take 10 minutes. Thanks for all your help and answers to my questions guys!

btw, just one more, any suggestions on tyre pressures? I'm running super venom am20, web seems between 30-32 front and 30-37 rear, what's your experience on those tyres please?

Edit:

After a good few hours shakedown run at speed and traffic, a few things after I got home I think that needs doing but wonder if they're vital or reparable

1) Clutch centre bearing's worn, clutch drum wobbles quite a bit. (have belt drive) Is this vital or think I can get thru till winter? Have they been known to break up all together?

2) Right pot smokes at tickover after a hard run like a Jawa or CZ of the 70's. Coudl it be a) rings b) valves or hopefully c) is there a metering adjustment to the head for the oil feed?

3) Carb still not right, but I know that and that's an ongoing assingment. Opening the throttle quickly in 1st, when warm, to get away from traffic gives symptoms of out of petrol, but quick blip of throttle with clutch pulled in cures it. A VM38 mikuni carb, there's only pilot adjustments on those carbs is there not?

4) trivial things but will fix as I go on, drive chain on last legs, wheel adjusted far back. Leaking petrol tap, not gushing but now giving me about 35mpg. Various things needs tightening up. Been concentrating on getting the bike going and passing the MOT smaller stuff were neglected.

Other tha that really pleased with the bike, so happy to have got it on the road after such a long time.

OzT said:

Feeling bladdy good. Norton's passed it's MOT, quote the tester. 'flew thru', well worth the hours I spent on it getting it back on the road. Now off to the Post Office with my docos to get tax disc and I'm on the road again, yay!!

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"MOT"? Sorry for the ignorance; I'm a Yank.
So glad to hear of another back on the road. I just got all the rubber bits in the mail this afternoon, so I'm hoping for about one more week and I'll be with y'all.

Quote for wikipedia:
The Ministry of Transport test (usually abbreviated to MOT test) is an annual test of automobile safety, roadworthiness aspects and exhaust emissions required for most vehicles over three years old used on public roads in the United Kingdom.
The MOT test covers the following aspects:
Lighting and signalling equipment
Steering (including suspension)
Brakes
Tyres and wheels
Seat belts
Body, structure and general items[clarification needed]
Exhaust, fuel and emissions
Driver's view of the road
confirms that at the time of test, the vehicle has met the minimum acceptable environmental and road safety standards. It does not mean that the vehicle is roadworthy for the life of the certificate. The test does not cover the condition of the engine, clutch or gearbox.

The test is a thing they have here in the UK to allow motor vehicles to be on the road. It's like a Pink slip back in Oz. The test checks brakes, lights, tyre treads, exhausts, swing arms, forks etc to make sure it's at least road legal, emissions, nothing dangerous etc. BUT cars and motorbikes made before 1960 are exempt, so my Matchless for example does not need it, but if stopped by the police on the road and any of the parts are not road legal you'll still get prosecuted.
For example I had warnings on chain worn but not excessive, and exhaust noisy, but it was not blowing and was original fitments. Does not test the vehicle actually really goes but just the parts that are tested are safe and road legal. Without it you cannot get a tax disc, which is a straight road tax, and you need an MOT certificate, road tax and insurance to be on the road here.

Hope that helped??

Yes, it does help. It also makes me appreciate the loose laws available to us out here in Idaho. I'm surprised to hear they'd give you grief about your chain.

In the US each state has a loose equivalent of the UK's MOT. Here in Texas it's called a "Safety Inspection" and is more of a tax revenue generator for the state than a legitimate inspection. They check your tire tread, lights and turn signals if you have them. They may even have you ride it across the parking lot to show them it will stop. Unlike the UK, here in Texas you can have worn out everything and still get a Safety Inspection. I pulled over to help a stranded rider once. He said his chain had jumped off. I had never seen anything like this. His chain had about 4 or five inches of slack, the rear axle was pulled all the way back and the sprocket didn't have any teeth, only little rounded hills where the teeth had been. I'll bet it would still pass inspection!

My center stand broke. I was pulling the bike up on the stand, in the garage, and all of a sudden it started to go away from me. My brain was confused because the bike was falling over and yet I could feel that it was up on the stand. I hung on to it as best I could and tried to slow its crash into the garage floor. Inspection of the stand showed that the center tube had broken. The left side of the stand failed to hold up its end of things and over it went. I welded it up and did a bit of re-engineering to assure that it does not happen again. I still have the "S" attachment but I don't corner hard enough to dig it in. I do like it for easy foot access unlike the side stand which requires a long hand reach under hot pipes to retrieve.