center stand

[Jean]

Center Stand: This in NOT a place for needle bearings.
Needle bearings are for rotating, rather high speed applications and do not have the static load carrying capability of plain bushings. Using them in the new swing arms was questionable, too! They do not even rotate!

I've heard a lot of people complain about getting the bike on the center stand and notice they are wearing shoes with soft bottoms. (Running shoes, for example) It is very difficult to press on the foot plate with soft soles! Not a problem with REAL shoes/boots!

[Duane Ausherman]

If you fix the stand and use it correctly, it will last a very long time. Nearly everyone mistreated them and guess what, they failed.

Having replaced three badly worn/broken stands on past and current airheads I've become obsessive about "correct" use. The manual is actually very clear on this:



Typical misuse occurs whenever someone ties to use the flimsy BMW item as you would any other bike's stand, namely sitting on the bike and rocking it off the stand and putting the bike back on the stand by standing on the tang.

The manual is correct, but doesn't go nearly far enough. One must also catch the bike as it goes over center. This keeps the bike from hammering the frame stops. After all, isn't that what this post is about?

All of this has been written about many times, it may even be on my website, I don't remember. Owners have only themselves to blame, or the PO.

Well, actually, it is a quite poor stand. It should be designed to tolerate humans and it wasn't.

[twist]

If the stand goes too far over centre Twist, make sure you put some weld on the pivot area before altering the legs, then you'll see if they need alteration too, when in the correct position.
ME109 has a picture of what looked to me like the definitive stand-weld ...

Sunbeem.

Sunbeem, when you suggest weld on the pivot area, are you thinking of the hole foe the bushing? Not sure what you mean. The stand was most certainly mistreated by PO. I have had this bike a while but just getting 'round to taking care of the little things that have bothered me since I bought it.

[twist]

Center Stand: This in NOT a place for needle bearings.
Needle bearings are for rotating, rather high speed applications and do not have the static load carrying capability of plain bushings. Using them in the new swing arms was questionable, too! They do not even rotate!
!

Jean, I replaced the nylon bushing in my clutch lever with a needle bearing. Drilled the hole out to size and pressed a bearing in with a socket. That area always wore the nylon bushing too fast for me. Since installing the needle bearing there, I have better-smoother pull on the lever and it hasn't worn out. In my thoughts, the center stand rotates about the same amount on the bushing. Could it be made better with installation of needle bearing pressed into the stand? The grime issue kind of escaped me and would be a good reason to stay with the bushing.

[chasbmw]

BMW use a needle bearing on the clutch rod lever pivot......

[Jean]

Nylon bushings are rather poor substitutes for a good plain bushing made of bearing quality metal.
Everything has a propper engineering place, I think this isn't one of them.
The clutch lever doesn't see any great load...nor is subjected to road grime.
Some people enjoy installing needle bearings in all the places they can...It's just not in my schedule.

[Sunbeem]

It's a case of building up the surfaces which meet and form the stop, to reduce the travel Twist. Sorry if I wasn't clear.
The stand needs to go far enough over centre to stop it rolling off too easily, but any further seems counter-productive.

Sunbeem.