What is that noise I hear?

One gets use to the various noises a Norton makes, but when you hear a new one your ears prick up.
I had this nocking noise coming from somewhere and I must have looked strange as I tried to listen and fault find the noise while riding along.
When I pulled up at the traffic lights a nice young lady wound her window down and informed me there was something dragging under the bike.
Well long story short my centre stand was dragging on the road.
Well at least half of it was, as it had broken in half and was now in two pieces.

Do you know how hard it is to wire up a broken centre stand on the side of the road when there is not a lamp post, rock or stick of wood in sight and no side stand fitted.

Anyway is there any mods to strengthen the centre stand or do I just take to it with a hammer and weld it up.
Is there anything I should be aware of.

Cheers
Peter R

Yep I know but lucked out by farmer with bailing twine. Just mild steel to bash back aligned and add gusett to weak joint. Might dunk it while hot or can expect heat softened leg to bend to uneven height over time. Run with it off a while to see if ya can detect loss of ~8 lb. Then put back on to feel it gained a bit. Center stand spring handling is a traditional initiation rite of long term Nortoneering.

Yep looking forward to fitting the spring.
I will count my fingers before and after and if I come up short then I'm in trouble.
The break is in the centre where the hole for the spring is/was, guess it just opened it up over time like a knife.
I will double weld some reinforcement around the hole.

Cheers

bluemax said:

Yep looking forward to fitting the spring.
I will count my fingers before and after and if I come up short then I'm in trouble.
The break is in the centre where the hole for the spring is/was, guess it just opened it up over time like a knife.
I will double weld some reinforcement around the hole.

Cheers

Click to expand...

Centre stand spring fitting made easy:

Hook a length of small-linked chain to the end of the spring with a D-shackle.
Tie or prop the stand into its up position,
Lie on ground with head near back wheel a pull on chain to stretch the spring. It's surprisingly easy to do when you can use your whole body on it.
Guide end of spring into hole, then disconnect chain by removing D-shackle.

The process took me all of about 5 seconds (not including attaching & detaching the chain) and with virtually no effort.

Cheers
Martin

Woo hoo! Same thing happened to me many years ago when I had my first Commando. I was bombing along some country roads so didn't hear a thing. Mine broke so the left centre stand leg was dragging. I didn't notice until I finally came up to an intersection and made a right turn. As I accelerated out of the turn and came up from the lean, I suddenly felt the bike leave the ground violently, jumping to the right onto the soft shoulder (this was back home in Canada). I didn't come off, thankfully, managed to control it and come to a stop.
I removed the stand on the side of the road, stuck it in my backpack and went home.
Later that week I stopped to get some groceries and as I lent the bike over on the sidestand it just kept leaning, beyond the point where I could stop it. Damn lug had worn round. Dropped the bike, scratched and dented the muffler, broke the footpeg and mirror. No damage when a stand broke at high speed, sending me into the air.

Good fun, being a Nortoneer

Arighty Cowboy, always wondered if center stand could pogo a Cdo,ugh.
A nod on foresight to carry tools enough for this. i was caught out in ignorance on 1st acquiring a Commando after having the P!! w/o any stands nor tools and never needed them so of course thought the Commando would have even less to deal with. Its takes all my strength for me to stretch that spring and almost magical-luck aim-fiddling to get the end in the hole while quivering in fearful effort. Have had the spring set in hold that traps my puller hook on, ugh. Tried the coin/washer spread method but made spring so stiff couldn't bend it to get end in hole, ugh. Have yet to try using the stand as spring lever method, one bolt in stand, spring installed then lever stand up to put in 2nd bolt. Last time was social-trust bonding time with Wesley, me pulling and Wes aiming while trusting me not to slip-let up and hook him too. While welding double check or back up the other seams as that is where mine fractured.

Trixie Combat center stand is a real mystery to me, came with RH leg spread out and backwards to let bike lean to RH. I"ve 3'x's used 6 ft lever to align again so stands vertical but very soon its bend again, yet I'm very careful never to start on stands and help bike up on center stand in smooth action and not sitting on bike on stand, yet it acts like wax and returns to a few obvious degree's cant to RH, ugh. I've giving up on it as afraid next levering will fracture it so letting sleeping dogs lay. I've about ground off the stand foot prong too so giving up on fouling LH leans.

hobot said:

Might dunk it while hot or can expect heat softened leg to bend to uneven height over time.

Click to expand...

What is this going to do to mild steel ???

Other than brittle it (slightly) so it'll crack again.
Last time I looked, once it cools off (naturally) its as strong as it was before ?

Ok Rohan then dunking it is no help so just bend beat and build back up by weld.

I had to weld mine up when it broke and started hanging down. Look at the MkIII stand to get an idea of what Norton did to strengthen it. I also added about 1/4 inch to the bottom in order to get the back wheel higher off the ground.

One buddy of mine said that one time when his spring was weak the stand bounced down going over a rail road track and stopped the bike instantly like an anchor!! He managed to hang on but his wife went over his head and landed on the road in front of him!! (just kidding.) Any way, I welded some little ramps on the front/bottom side of my center stand from the base to the up-right tube so that it can't snag anything if it bounces down.

Good idea motorson, my brother actually snagged a narrow gauge RR track with his T120's mainstand when it's weak spring allowed it to bounce down on the first rails bump and catch the second rail. It stopped the bike cold but not him, both got a bit of road rash. Now every time I look at a Triumph mainstand I see a boat anchor (no jokes please) just waiting to hook something...Mark

Mate how easy was that to install the spring
Thanks to Martin for the clue.
I think it took me 3 seconds to fit it.
It was in before I had a chance to think about it.

No small link chain available so I use a piece of rear chain, in like flyn.



Cheers
Peter R

Hm, very glad to hear your easy success which makes me wonder if your spring is up to stuff. Does its hold stand up tight on bumps/hand pulls or lets sag and bounce some, if so expect to repeat the repair again.

Well yes , you do have to use a bit of muscle, get down on the ground next to the wheel, easy.
The spring is a brand new out of the box one and the stand is held as snug as a bug.
Why don't you make one and see how easy it is to remove the spring.

Same with me Hobot. My stand wasn't giving trouble, I was just putting the bike back together and dreading installing that spring.
The chain idea just came to me.
And it happened just like bluemax described it: it was all over before I had a chance to think about it.

Cheers
Martin

I had the spring come off mine while riding. What a racket it makes while dragging. I thought the bottom end was coming apart. I was out in the country and pulled into a tractor dealer. We really did use bailing wire to fix it.
To fit the spring, I use a couple of long zip ties Make a loop and get under the bike and pull on. Then once it is on you can just cut the zip ties and pull them out. I used to use a spring puller with a hook but it was always getting wedged under the spring. I go through zip ties like crazy. I use them all the time as a third hand to secure parts that I am bolting on or while fitting things up. I also run them through assemblies that I have taken apart so the the nuts, washers, shims, spacers ect stay in the correct order.