on air commercial commado kick & bump starting

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Ha!!! Nice way to get a tax write off for using your bike in a commercial...
 
And another frame bent by another moron who isn't capable of kick starting a bike properly..... :roll:

Tim
 
Okay ,I will bite Tim .... what is the proper way to kick start a Norton ... and what is said moron doing wrong , thanks
Craig
 
it's about the hot button kickstarting on or with the sidestand down,

prob same thoughts go with the center stand,

looks like dude got his/all of the weight off the sidestand on the kick, also looked like he wasn't leaning on the stand with his weight, his left foot was on the ground rather than standing on the peg

i suppose if you're gonna kick with the sidestand down, there is a better way to go about it, i doubt the stands were intended or designed for or with kickstart use

the loong sidestands on the nortons in particular (= not much xtra force required to add bending/lever action or twisting force to the mounting point/frame) are prob intended for very light use, as in holding the bike lean, some prob lean on it fully with their weight including the kick action,

center stands are also known (or were) to come apart at the cross brace welds and the earlier ones had a weaker mounting setup
 
I don't have the leg length to start my Norton reliably without putting it on the centre stand, unless there's a decent-sized kerb handy – if anyone wants to buy me an electric starter feel free! :wink:
 
I have been starting mine on the centre stand for 4 decades , works for me .
 
I have owned 2 Commandos - one back when they made them and the one I bought in '06. Always kick started them just like the guy in the video. Started other kickstart bikes the same way. Heck, everybody I know/ever knew with kickstart bikes started them that way. Don't see a thing wrong with it and no evidence that there is a problem with it.
 
MexicoMike said:
Don't see a thing wrong with it and no evidence that there is a problem with it.
Click to expand...

4 out of the 4 Commando frames I own have (had...) bent downtubes due to being started on the stands, the two early ones had both downtubes bent as the centre stand is on the frame and not on the cradle. Not a lot and I suspect that it is not really obvious in assembled state but the evidence is clearly there.


Tim
 
Well Tim , just can't buy your reasoning .... I been starting bikes either on center stand or side stand forever ( 1968 ?) .... it's just , my legs are short , usually on center stand for Commando but I can get it going on side as well , lived a long time with this one and no evidence of any damage to stands or frame , maybe you a bigger lad , I can't straddle Norton flat footed , so stands it is , usually left foot kick on center , if I live long enough maybe electric foot is in my future but doubtful , mostly on the Italians now , Norton has become an occasional ride ...
Craig
 
I am a big guy - 6'1" 210lbs. The guy I bought my bike off of was similar.

He must have always started off the side stand, as he ovaled out the mounting hole in it and wore down the bush. I put it in a box it was so loose.

I started mine on the center stand for many, many years.

on air commercial commado kick & bump starting
 
If it's done properly, one can start the bike on the side stand easily. I do it all the time and have been for 40 years now, no damage. The damage comes when I try without it and drop the bike. It's all a matter of proper and careful balance.
 
If they were Mark 3 jeans they would start the bike for him :D

I've owned a lot of bikes over the years and finally got my Commando last December. I think I can safely say that both stands are the worst I've experienced. To extend the sidestand whilst on the bike you risk losing balance and dropping it, as you need to extend your leg so far forward. (and I have long legs), so how shorter folks manage it is beyond me. The treadplate on the mainstand is way to narrow and feels like it's going to come right through the sole of my boot, and for me is very painful to use.

The mainstand can be remedied reasonably easily, but are there any alternative sidestands available for the Commando ?

Cheers,

cliffa
 
To extend the sidestand whilst on the bike you risk losing balance and dropping it, as you need to extend your leg so far forward. (and I have long legs), so how shorter folks manage it is beyond me

cliifa: A pair of jeans with a 30" inseam is longer than I need, so my legs are pretty short, and I have no trouble.
Maybe your spring is not as strong as it need be, or it's not hooked in the right place?
Maybe you don't have the stock part? or the nylock nut needs to be adjusted?
You shd need to push it out only about half way, and the spring pulls the stand forward from there. I just give it a little "fling" and it jumps into position, no drama.

The center stand though, that's a challenge for me. It pulls the rear wheel up much farther than necessary and I think "hernia danger" every time I do it...
 
Read somewhere that the factory upgraded the center stand because too many were breaking in the US. The factory was dumbfounded to hear that people were starting the bikes on the center stand. In the UK nobody started their bikes on the center stand, and the stands were not initially designed to take those kind of loads.

Stephen Hill
 
I have never started a bike on the stand, centre or side including my beloved Shovelheads. But I'm 6 foot tall. Always kicked them leg over.
JUG
 
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