Steamer Centerstand Dreamer

[97tiger885]

Harre from Sweden in his post regarding sprag failure mentioned putting on a centerstand.  A few weeks ago I talked to a former owner of a Thunderbird and it was his recollection that both the steamer and the Thunderbird had a bolt-on centerstand available.  He also recollected that neither worked very well.  He didn't say exactly what the problem was, but I am guessing it is the difficulty of putting the mc up on the stand.  I would really like a centerstand for chain maintenance and especially for tire removal.  I know that I am going to get a rear flat at some point and a centerstand will make the difference between being able to fix it and having to call a tow truck. I don't care if it works for everyday use as long as it gets the rear tire off the ground and doesn't create any other problems such as dragging in turns.  Was there a bolt-on stand available?  If so, anyone have one?  If so, would you care to sell it?  If not, could you post the dimensions and a description of how it mounts so that I could have a local shop make one for me?  

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Jon

[Stretch]

Here ya go...  http://tigertriple.com/forum/index.php/topic,3684 (http://tigertriple.com/forum/index.php/topic,3684)

[Mustang]

A few weeks ago I talked to a former owner of a Thunderbird and it was his recollection that both the steamer and the Thunderbird had a bolt-on centerstand available.  He also recollected that neither worked very well.  He didn't say exactly what the problem was, but I am guessing it is the difficulty of putting the mc up on the stand.
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Jon

The problem with the centerstand for the steamer was that unless your suspension is set up stiff as a board , as in zero, none zip , no sag whatsoever ,  they touch down hard on corners especially left handers .
People were actually crashing because of it , and was even worse 2 up with luggage .

If not, could you post the dimensions and a description of how it mounts so that I could have a local shop make one for me?  

The problem was because of the way they mounted , they attached to the front lower  part of the link for the rear suspension so ground clearance was severely limited . It is a complex pc of art work too . A lot of special little dimples in the tubing to clear the suspension bits

Heres just a shot of the stand with all the assorted hardware


Here's a pic of the stand mounted on a bike in the down position

[JetdocX]

I put the SW Motech centerstand available from Twisted Throttle.  No dragging on mine.  I hit the footpegs first.

[Mustang]

In all honesty I thought when we got the tigers many years ago that a centerstand was going to be needed .
Here we are with over 100 k on the two steamers combined and still don't have a stand on any of the tigers .
Guess I didn't miss the c stands much !
and Jetdocx you have an aftermarket suspension so it doesn't count that you can't touch down the stand , a stock steamer suspension will let the stand scrape in the corners .
That's good info for SW motech , I didn't think anyone was making a c stand for steamers anymore !
From the twisted Throttle site  :

The must-have accessory for sport-touring! Greatly eases basic chain maintenance, tire changes, parking, and bike cleaning. Super-strong steel construction features typical German design and high engineering standards. Superb integration with the factory exhaust and sidestand components -- retain all existing features without sacrificing lean angle or clearances.

All components are protected against corrosion by sandblasting and powdercoating. High-strength frame mounting points. Black.

We do not recommend installing centerstands on bikes with a lowered rear suspension because use on a lowered bike may result in:
- ground clearance & cornering clearance problems, and
- difficulty in lifting the lowered bike onto the centerstand.

[JetdocX]

Suspension has nothing to do with it.  My SW Motech stand will not scrape before the footpeg.  I'll post pics as soon as I can unless another happy centerstand owner come forward first.

[97tiger885]

In all honesty I thought when we got the tigers many years ago that a centerstand was going to be needed .
Here we are with over 100 k on the two steamers combined and still don't have a stand on any of the tigers .


I want the stand so that I can fix a flat on the side of a road or at least get the wheel off so that I can take it somewhere to get it fixed.   I was hoping that it would be easy to bolt on.  Then all I would need to do was carry the stand and bolt it on in case of emergency.   But if I have to have a shop to get the damn thing on... I have had a few rear flats over the past few years.  My experience in the Triumph community is limited but I don't get the impression that very many members are doing high mileage.  Doing 5000 miles or less a year greatly reduces your odds of picking up a flat.  

Thanks for the info.

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Jon

[Mustang]

My experience in the Triumph community is limited but I don't get the impression that very many members are doing high mileage.  Doing 5000 miles or less a year greatly reduces your odds of picking up a flat.  

Thanks for the info.

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Jon

I think you will find quite the opposite  here .......I myself have over 12k this season and it aint over yet . And there are several here who do 15k + a year .
My steamer should have more miles on it than it does but I got 8 motorcycles that share my time !

If you are paranoid about flats seal your rims and run tubeless  (lot's of folks have done this )then you can plug it and use a CO2 cartridge to reinflate . no centerstand needed !

[harre]

I haven't had the chance of testing ground clearance of my SW Motech centerstand sice I've put it on (sprag clutch...). I looks as if footpegs will warn for earth contact before centerstand does. Install was easy if these steps are followed:
1. Lift rear wheel off the ground to release pressure on shock.For this, my father-in-law's 10 ton lift came in handy..
2. attach the small plate for the spring to the engine BEFORE the rest of the centerstand (someone should have told me). Otherwise easier than I thought. Not difficult to put on stand, just add some weight on the level and lift the bike up.

[97tiger885]

Somebody wrote(Sorry, I haven't figured out the quoting function yet.):

I think you will find quite the opposite  here .......I myself have over 12k this season and it aint over yet . And there are several here who do 15k + a year .
My steamer should have more miles on it than it does but I got 8 motorcycles that share my time !

If you are paranoid about flats seal your rims and run tubeless  (lot's of folks have done this )then you can plug it and use a CO2 cartridge to reinflate . no centerstand needed

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I was thinking about my tires this weekend and I don't think I suffer from flat paranoia.  In the past 14 years, I have suffered two flats which I repaired on the road and had three tires (holding air) with nails in them.  The last worn tire I pulled off the K75 had two nails in it.  I have no idea how long I had been running with those nails.  Chances are I have had more tires with nails as I was never very good about tire maintenance.  With tubeless, no problem-patch and go- or ignore and go.  With tubed tires that would be 6 flats...about one every 22 months.  Maybe it will turn out that changing tubes on the road won't be so bad.  I haven't done it for over twenty years.  I remember it being hard.  I don't think my road karma is that bad.  Maybe it is.  The few Iron Butt types I talk to seem to pick up nails fairly often also.  I see no reason for my tire situation to change.  In any event, I ordered the stand from Twisted Throttle.  I looked there several weeks ago and didn't see it.  Thanks again for locating it.  I'll let you know how the installation goes.  

The rim sealing is a very intriguing idea.  I have heard tales, but as yet it is always somebody who knows somebody.  I haven't yet talked to a person who has done it.  Being a paranoid, I want to know whether these folks are running off pavement, how much, how hard and how many miles and how much time they have had without failure.  And if anyone has had the sealing fail on the road, how difficult it is to fix.  (See-more paranoia.)  Anybody with first-hand experience here?  How are folks doing it?  Anybody posted the method on line with photos?

BTW, I don't determine people' worth by their mileage, their brand of choice, their experience or the gear they choose to wear.  I actually think the slogan "Go Your Own Way" is a good one except that it also allows for people to choose the way that lots of other folk are going as well.  

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Jon

[97tiger885]

I still am in denial about flat paranoia, but I admit to my problems with math.  Actually, my theoretical flat rate would be around one every 28 months.  A little better.  The stand went on yesterday.  Install time: 10 hours.  That includes one false start, two trips to the hardware store, lunch, a timeout or two and a fair bit of skin loss.  The BFH came out twice and the breaker bar once.  Thanks for the advice and the photos.  They helped quite a bit.  I am now looking forward to my first flat.  

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Jon

[iansoady]

The rim sealing is a very intriguing idea.  I have heard tales, but as yet it is always somebody who knows somebody.  I haven't yet talked to a person who has done it.  Being a paranoid, I want to know whether these folks are running off pavement, how much, how hard and how many miles and how much time they have had without failure.  And if anyone has had the sealing fail on the road, how difficult it is to fix.  (See-more paranoia.)  Anybody with first-hand experience here?  How are folks doing it?  Anybody posted the method on line with photos?

I did mine a couple of years ago - no problems after 10,000 miles or so. I changed the back tyre after about 5,000 miles and the sealant was perfect. The tyres don't lose any pressure at all.

Some details & pics here: http://www.triumphrat.net/tiger-workshop/46888-what-i-did-on-my-holidays-spoke-sealing.html

My riding is essentially tarmac only.