Can I shorten the centerstand on my Prolink?

[Terry]

I saw one of those working up at Alices one day. Saw a Wing operating in reverse too. Both would be very convenient in their own way, a nice easy lift for the BMW, and for a half ton motorcycle, a way to back the Wing out of a parking space.

[Mike Barone #123]

Wondering.....would this work....and if it would ....the centerstand height would be adjustable.

1. Cut the centerstand tubes right above the centerstand foot (part that touches the pavement). Now ...cut 1" or so off each eenterstand tube.

2. Thread the inside of the centerstand tube where it was cut

3. Weld a short threaded solid steel rod (2" or so) to the centerstand foot.

4. Loctite and thread the centerstand foot into the now threaded centerstand tube.

Would it work?
:suspect:

[EMS]

It would probably be easier to weld/braze a large nut on the bootom of the stand legs rather than trying to thread the inside.

[Mike Barone #123]

It would probably be easier to weld/braze a large nut on the bootom of the stand legs rather than trying to thread the inside.

Better and yupppp far easier.......plus still adjustable

Improved procedure would be

1. Cut the centerstand tubes right above the centerstand foot (part that touches the pavement). Now ...cut 1" or so off each centerstand tube.

2. Weld a large nut to the bottom of each centerstand tube

3. Weld a short threaded solid steel rod ....2" or so..... to the centerstand foot. (threads to match nut on centerstand foot)

4. Loctite and screw the the centerstand foot into the large nut on each centerstand tube...adjust to where you want it.

Would it work?
:suspect:

[cbxtacy]

The feet wrap around the center stand and come up it about 2". I take the metal out almost at the very bottom, cut the feet loose and reweld them further up. You also have the lever that you step on to raise the bike. Taking 1/2" out I also ran into another problem. The stand did not line up with the rubbers where it stops. And the stand hits the pipe and does not tuck up as far as stock. Affects ground clearance in turns. A hammer fixed that but now there are dents in the bottom of my pipe. Removing 1/4" would still help considerably and the stand will hit the rubbers. I'm gonna remove 1/4" and send the stand to Terry. If he likes it good, if not he can put his stocker back on. I'm happy with my 1/2". It's soo easy I can put my bike on the center stand in my bare feet. Besides Kayeboo says bigger is better so 1/2" is better then 1/4" .

[Highmileage]

Different brands of tires that have the same size do not have the same measurements. Also, the more wear on the tire the smaller the diameter, obviously, and the smaller the diameter the more difficult it is to put the bike on the centerstand.

I noticed that when I put the Conti 130/80 rear on my old '82 that it was significantly more difficult to put on the centerstand than the previous 130/90 (don't recall the brand that was on it when I got it).

My current '82 (all stock) is not difficult to put on the centerstand and it feels stable on it, but I only do this in the garage.

My new BS S-11's (100/90-19 front, 130/90-18 rear) arrived yesterday afternoon and I hope to get them on later today. We'll see what happens then...

[cbxtacy]

It's fairly easy to do 1/4". I believe 7/8" pipe fits inside the center stand legs real tight. When I did 1/2", I notched the cuts for strength. I had to shape them and it took a while. Doing 1/4" I'm just going to cut it out of the bottom. Should be a lot less time consuming. A lot of tire manufacturer web sites have the dia of their tires. The Kenda's are the largest dia I found. I don't use them for that, I use them because they're cheap, stick sufficient, and last.

[Mike Barone #123]

snip/mb
My new BS S-11's (100/90-19 front, 130/90-18 rear) arrived yesterday afternoon and I hope to get them on later today. We'll see what happens then...

Here is a link to Bridgestone motorcycle tires.....it is shown as "Karttire" in Google search results for some reason
http://www.motorcycle-karttires.com/

Here is the link for S11s showing sizes and diameters
http://www.motorcycle-karttires.com/gla ... LookupID=8

>>>>>>

S11 130x90x18 is 27.4" in diameter if I am reading the chart right. This is 1.3" larger in diameter than BT45 130x80x18 which is a size not avail in S11.

The S11 130x90x18 is 2.3" larger in diameter than the BT45 130x70x18 which again is not a size avail in S11

The S11 100x90x19 front is 26.2" in diameter.

My guess is the 130x90x90 rear tire size should cure your bike sitting up too straight on the sidestand or difficulty in getting it on the centerstand.

Let us know how it all turns out.

BTW......saw your CBX article in the regional mc magazine (forgot name of it)...congratulations.


Mike

[EMS]

130 x 0.9 = 117mm. 117 x2 = 234mm = 9.2"

18+ 9.2" = 27.2" diameter nominal

130 x 0.8 = 104. 104 x 2 =208mm = 8.2"

18+ 8.2" = 26.2" diameter nominal

130 x 0.7 = 91mm. 91 x 2 = 182mm = 7.2"

18+ 7.2" = 25.2" diameter nominal

[Larry Zimmer]

Just stumbled across this one. A couple comments: 1) Any shortening of the centerstand might just add considerably to the 'fun' when you remove the rear wheel; 2) be sure to park on flat ground (at least) or, better yet, park with the back end lower than the front. That works good (from the school of experience). Also, that parking with the back end 'downhill", it makes certain the bike won't roll forward off the sidestand. Believe me, that can happen if there's a little too much downhill with the bike forward. Believe me! (Don't ask how I know.) Especially, if you're carrying a touring load.

[ericfreeman]

Do what I do with my old Harley Sportsters with centerstands (normally impossible to get on the stands without help): I have 2 strips of 3/4" plywood that I stagger in front of the rear wheel. I roll the bike forward until the rear wheel is on the doubled section of the plywood, effectively raising the bike 1-1/2" and it's a piece of cake to get it on the centerstand then.

Eric