Ive been struggling with getting the spring on when reinstalling the centre stand after an oil change. I got feed up with hanging off a spring puller like a monkey that I sat down with a brew in order to try and think of a better way suitable for one person. Anyhow, this is what I came up with and wished I had found it 12 month earlier... I used an old brake cable from a push bike to make a small cable loop. I tied up the centre stand so its in the full upright position. Connected the centre stand spring to its post and then put the cable loop through the other end of the spring. Next I put a metal rod through the rear axle and secured one end of a ratchet strap to it and the other to the looped cable and then cranked away. With the stand up and using the rear axel its in perfect alignment. Once the spring is where you need it simply push it over the welded loop on the stand and back the strap off. Too easy now. Thought I would share.
Happy to hear it. I spoke to the mechanic at Snell's thinking they had some fancy elaborate way of doing it. Turns out they just use blood, sweat and tears also.
Mine hasn't got a centre stand so I can't speak from experience but on many bikes I've found that it's easiest to fit the spring before fitting the pivot bolts.
Holy crap, I use a tie wrap and a screw driver? I fit the springs on the post then make a tie wrap into a loop hook the spring over it and leaver it back onto the stand loop with the screwdriver from the foot of the stand. Cut the tie wrap and pull it out. Simples.
+1 - I do something similar with some nylon cord and a screwdriver. The spring isn't that difficult to extend enough to lever it onto the post.
Old metal coat hanger, bend it into a hook and a loop like a handle. Put the left pivot bolt in, pull the spring onto the stand, then swing the stand up and put the other pivot bolt in. It's actually easier to do than it is to explain.
Been contemplating getting a centre stand fitted to my '10 Sport, but it has been mentioned that they can grind out when cornering hard? Anyone had one fitted then regretted it - Don't want to spend £200 only to remove it?
I've got the touring. When I first got it, I thought I'd remove the centre stand but now I'll defiantly be keeping it on, even if it's just for the ease of oiling the chain. It's also dead handy on crappy surfaces when parking the bike up. I ride to <5mm from the edge of the tyre on the road and I'm usually grinding my toe sliders before the stand, but maybe that's just how I have my feet. On track it would have to come off, but then I'd also be thinking about track rear sets. I do plan on cutting mine down and re-welding it so my heel doesn't hit it and I can go back to riding with my toes on the pegs.
Thanks for that, sounds like not too much bother on the road, although the foot thing sounds a bit of a pain. If in doubt, do nothing - I've managed 5 yrs without one I suppose!
The foot thing was a pain for about 2-3 rides. I have always ridden sports bikes on my toes. Now it's quite natural to sit with my feet 50/50 on the pegs. It's purely the toe slider scraping that I want to go back to toes. You'll be able to pick up a second hand centre stand for a little over £100. Check the sale & wanted or ebay. You might even get one pre chopped.
I've cut mine down, surprisingly it's no harder to get on the center stand even with a short leaver. My stand did scrape when cornering but since I fitted a Mivv decat pipe and can it comes up higher, now I either scrape my toes if I don't have them far enough back on the pegs, or I scrape my pegs on the odd occasion, to be honest it's a bit un nerving.
I scraped the pegs round clearways at Brands on my old 848. Shat myself and sat the bike upright and ran wide [emoji23] That was on my first ever trackday and I still didn't get my knee down. The worry with scraping pegs is you'll lever the tyres off the Tarmac. Did you cut and weld your own then or find someone else to do it? Did you cut out a section and re-weld the original foot press plate?
Looks a bit of a mess because it's covered in chain lube. But I knifed off the support bar then cut the bit out between the foot tread, put a piece of bar inside the tube and welded it all back up and sprayed it black again.
I wore away my gear-lever at the Ring and have found that even tip-toeing on the pegs still gets toe sliders down on faster sweepers, but as I have the full cat system, the idea of a scraping centre stand makes it a 'no' from me - bit of a crappy design really.
OK, so I have a 2014 PP. I bought a centerstand form someone who wasn't using theirs. Not positive of the model, may have been a 2012. I went to install it, no issues with the bolts, but the spring would take Hercules to pull to the welded loop. No way a cable tie is going to make that pull. I'm wondering if their was a spring length change form year to year. With the stand in the up position, there's a solid inch/25mm of stretch to the loop, and it will take more than that to hook it. WTH
Some springs like that in my work. A spring hook is a lifesaver and I often do a job at work that I think will be the end of my spring hook but it always endures. Something like a butchers meat hook would be perfect too.
What I do when I change centre stand springs (on other bikes, ain't done it on a Multi yet) shorton, is to hook the spring up first and lever the centre stand into position and then fit the bolts.
I don't ride with centre stand on my DVT had a bad experience some years ago with one grounding out and lifted back wheel mid corner I just use it for winter and maintenance but must admit the spring is a B##tard to fit I broke a Yoshimura Spring puller fitting it I use a huge pair of Vice grips with a tool steel hook works ok for me Neil
