Installing center stand springs

This topic comes up all the time on many sites so I thought I'd share the way I did it when I put mine on the last time. I secured the bike with straps on my HF lift and used a scissor jack to get the rear wheel off the ground. Then took a piece of small dia. chain and put hooks on both ends and with the center stand bolted in place I put one hook in the eye of the center stand spring and the other on one of the spokes of the rear wheel (I covered the hook with shrink wrap to protect the spoke). Then had a friend rotate and hold the rear until the spring was stretched enough so I could insert the tip of the spring into the centerstand. It took some fiddling but it worked very well. If I had no assistance I probably could have slid a broom handle into the spoke or dropped it into 2nd but it was easier with a friend. It really does not take much to stretch the spring using this method.

Dave

I do not trust or like the spring approach.
Mine is now held up with a strong velcro strap attached to the swingarm.
No quite as convenient, but I seldom use it so no big deal for me.

Tomspro is right

the center stand spring itself is weak, causing the stand to bounce up and down while riding and especially over bumps

if, and it does happen, the spring breaks while riding then the stand is dragging the asphalt and if leaning could be dangerous

I like tom's velcro approach or something else as secure

some of us do away with the stand completely and use a rear paddock stand for servicing the tire and chain

tomspro said:

I do not trust or like the spring approach.
Mine is now held up with a strong velcro strap attached to the swingarm.
No quite as convenient, but I seldom use it so no big deal for me.

Click to expand...

Why the swinging arm ???
Surely as it moves (depending on exactly where your strap is) it is in danger of damaging the strap and releasing the arm.

Just a convenient place to loop it.
Toward the front - not much movement there.
And not snugged up super tight.

toppy said:

tomspro said:

I do not trust or like the spring approach.
Mine is now held up with a strong velcro strap attached to the swingarm.
No quite as convenient, but I seldom use it so no big deal for me.

Click to expand...

Why the swinging arm ???
Surely as it moves (depending on exactly where your strap is) it is in danger of damaging the strap and releasing the arm.

Click to expand...

1. Atach the spring to the frame and to the centerstand and let it hang.

2. Menouver the left side near enough to the left hole to slip the bolt through as a place holder only.

3. With hardware ready, the adapter/spacer if used, along with the bolt, washer and nut, you can now lever the rightside in position by hand and assemble the right side leaving it untightened.

4. With the right side ready, you can now remove the place holder bolt from the left side and assemble the hardware on the left.

5.Tighten both sides and you are done.

This was straight forward for me and what is nice is that it is safer and you do not have to stretch the spring beyond it's limits. Yes, it will still tend to bounce a little but not as bad if one stretches the spring too far during assembly.

Slip washers or coins between each coil to extend the spring, bending the spring makes it easy, fit it and remove the washers, or put the bike on it's stand and they'll fall out.

Dave

[video]https://youtu.be/Mx_OWSEfeak[/video]

pete.v said:

1. Atach the spring to the frame and to the centerstand and let it hang.

2. Menouver the left side near enough to the left hole to slip the bolt through as a place holder only.

3. With hardware ready, the adapter/spacer if used, along with the bolt, washer and nut, you can now lever the rightside in position by hand and assemble the right side leaving it untightened.

4. With the right side ready, you can now remove the place holder bolt from the left side and assemble the hardware on the left.

5.Tighten both sides and you are done.

This was straight forward for me and what is nice is that it is safer and you do not have to stretch the spring beyond it's limits. Yes, it will still tend to bounce a little but not as bad if one stretches the spring too far during assembly.

Click to expand...

This is the best and easiest way to do it. For those whose spring isn't tight enough, braze a nut or a pce of ordinary chain [ not bike roller chain ] on the cross bar in a better place and refit as above.

Dereck

naw that just DIY solo way to do it but if Tom Sawyer enough can snag a friend so weakest one aims spring end while stronger or more incentive one pulls the spring to length with a T bar and hook avoiding nasty mounting fittings to boot. If using pliers or vise grips to hold, helper not again. Some springs still allow center stand to clang.

The T handle hook is luxury , a piece of fencing wire works well .

Yes T bar is for wimps who have almost pinched finger flesh to the bones trying to pull hard long enough while holding still enough to get om the poor angle hole. When I tried the washer/coin slip in method I was able to get spring long enough but was so stiff by then any bending to engage the hole released enough spacers not to reach no mo, ugh. Real he-man forces or smarts required which stresses enough to add more disdain of being an obsolete clunker mechanic.

My Trixie spring tension holds stand up good over rough ground but something keeps slightly twisting one or both legs so RH side 1/2 lower leaning. I only start on tires and only use center stand in garage which is even easy force lift up being aware of its weaknees. I frst tried sledge bashing failure to 3xs now used 6 ft fence pole to stick betwen and strain both legs even again. This is not the usua of legs bending at their weak knees but more splaying outward one forward one rearward. I have Trixie engine and gb out to reseal and was balanced fine on tire and centerstand for seasons but durring 2wk crisis garage clean out d/t rats d/t not getting around to repair racoon through screen event, brush by Trixie to fall to R luckily landing on plastic cooler chest and temporary place moving pads. I swear just time or summer heat made leg skew out like warm wax. To add to my humor SuVee repair finished but no time to ride so race tire air leaked too flat causing off center of side stand to also topple over on its own but thank goodness I had foresight to temporary kick some carbord boxes out the way so cushioned falled to have two cockroaches with legs sticking up view.

Beside brake safety spring one should pack wire for hot stuff * cord for cooler things that out blue clanging.

cash said:

Slip washers or coins between each coil to extend the spring, bending the spring makes it easy, fit it and remove the washers, or put the bike on it's stand and they'll fall out.

Dave

Click to expand...

+ 1

Done it that way for years ;-)

johnm said:

cash said:

Slip washers or coins between each coil to extend the spring, bending the spring makes it easy, fit it and remove the washers, or put the bike on it's stand and they'll fall out.

Dave

Click to expand...

+ 1

Done it that way for years ;-)

Click to expand...

I love it when you almost get it.....all most there......you pull it just a little bit more.......then all the coins fall out. DAMN! Try it again.
Yes, I 've been there too. :cry: