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Center Stand Mod ? For easier use ? ideas needed

Andrew Vanis

Andrew Vanis

Forum Mentor
Past Site Supporter
Center Stand Mod ? For easier use ? ideas needed

Please share your ideas on how to modify the center stand so it is easier to hoist the bike up. I was thinking of making longer and maybe parabolic ground contact rockers. Also thinking of extending the foot press lever for more leverage.

There are other interestingly shaped ground contact rockers on other bikes and lifting them was easy. Don?t remember what models they were and its not like center stand mods are sexy enough to get Google results, tried.

The center stand needs to be modified/repaired anyway for the straight HD exhaust and to repair the left PO bashed contact rocker anyway so this may be time for doing this.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts.
 
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It's amazing how much easier it is to lift a bike onto the center stand if you simply use proper technique. :-k

On the other hand, if you have shorter shocks on the rear, you will have farther to lift, which does make it harder.

Other than the "straight Harley pipe"
cus.gif
, are there other modifications that might affect centerstand operation?

.
 
That motorcycle is sitting low. Sagged springs, shortened springs, for some reason it's very low. Raise the bike back to it's original hieght, it will jump up on the stand as it did originally.

Or, shorten the stand to a length that corresponds to the bike's new lowered stance.
 
no other mods.

Doubt it is lowered, both wheels touch the ground when on center stand.

And to be clear, the "straight Harley pipe" is a Harley muffler that is straight back rather than up-swept (I am considering angling up the flanges at the muffler crossover to up-sweep some)

Would love a stock muffler but seems that the Harley muffler works well for others on GSR.

Attaching (old) bike pic for reference. The Harley muffler is replacing the JCWhitney megaphones you see in this pic.
 
Andrew Vanis said:
Doubt it is lowered, both wheels touch the ground when on center stand.
Click to expand...

Then your springs are sagged. To be expected with thirty year old springs kept under compression the whole time. They still stretch to full length when up on the stand, when they are supporting the weight of the bike it sits much too low.

You are just dead lifting the motorcycle up, the lever is not working as designed, not doing much at all to help you get the bike up.

Just as a comparison, I just put the 1100G up on the stand, it took no lifting at all, just a foot on the lever and up it comes.

This bike is only a few pounds lighter than your 850.
 
tkent02 said:
Then your springs are sagged.
Click to expand...

Is there a specification that we can confirm sagging? Like distance from ground to top shock/spring bolt?

I'd like to check before committing to replacement springs/shocks as these are less than 30 years old.
 
Check the sag with you sitting on the bike. It should be roughly 1/3 the available travel.

Less sag with the bike's weight only.

There are specs in the book somewhere.

The front fork springs have probably sagged too.
 
tkent02 said:
Check the sag with you sitting on the bike. It should be roughly 1/3 the available travel.
Click to expand...

- ground to top shock bolt -

25 ?“ - on center stand (both wheels touch the ground)

25” – off center stand, no rider bike vertical

24 ?” - off center stand, with rider bike vertical

Not a big difference. I’m unsure how to test available travel to determine 1/3
 
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When the bike is on the center stand the rear wheel should be able to spin freely and off the ground. That's the point of a center and after all, to ease rear tire removal and maintenance. For some reason your bike is lower than it should be.
 
For reference, here is an picture of when the center stand just touches the ground (with no force) [flip-flops are for demonstration purposes only]

Appears about 50 deg down from horizontal
 
Tim Tom said:
When the bike is on the center stand the rear wheel should be able to spin freely and off the ground. .......For some reason your bike is lower than it should be.
Click to expand...

If the wheels touch when on center stand, wouldn't that mean that the bike is higher (or the center stand shorter)?
 
Andrew Vanis said:
If the wheels touch when on center stand, wouldn't that mean that the bike is higher (or the center stand shorter)?
Click to expand...

Or the front is higher... Something is definitely funny.

Those aren't stock shocks, so they're probably a little long. Probably about 1" longer than stock spec. They may have short springs to lower the bike, which would explain the center stand troubles.
 
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akckhim said:
Install hydraulic lift cylinders ;) sorry couldn't resist
Click to expand...
You would have to have a hydraulic pump and a 12vdc electric motor to drive it. Scaled down version of a sno-plow lift.

Maybe just a small hydraulic pump jack.

or a little manual scissor jack :-s

How about a 12vdc screw gun motor turning a screw jack ? :-k
 
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