HOW TO Refit a mainstand
Hopefully this approach makes it a little easier to refit a main stand.
We all know about the washers in the spring to make it easier to fit. But what if the spring is off and there are no washers in it? Simple. Put your 14 up on a paddock stand and fit the main stand without the spring. Once fitted, put the spring on the top fitting and then put the bottom of the spring around a screwdriver shaft. Now lever the spring down after putting the screwdriver under the cross piece of the stand. If you have a small hammer to hand, just tap the spring down the shaft of the screwdriver until it touches the main stand, the spring will open more, and it will be easier to hold. Make sure you have an ample supply of washers handy and fit them in either side of the spring.
Ok, that will get the end of the spring to within about 3/4" of the main stand. And it still won't fit easy. So......
Remove the stand. Find a bolt the same size as the main stand bolt. Now offer up the main stand and fit the spring. Push the spare bolt you have found through the other side (to the way the normal bolt fits). Now use the size of the stand to lever it back and push in the normal main stand bolt. Easy, across it goes, may need a tap on the way to help.
Finally (and this is for the boys who swap their later model 14's to twin can and want a centre stand - I've found that a 3mm deep strip of alloy araldited across the back of the main stand (at the top where it rests against the stops under the frame) gives you just that little extra bit of clearance necessary for the stand NOT to whack your link pipes - and hold the stand in the right position.
hi how is it that some 1400 main stands ive seen on the org pic , when the bike is on the main stand the back wheel is off the ground
but when mine is on the main stand my back wheel is still in contact with the floor and i cant rotate the back wheel ;; ie cleaning or chain work :confused1:
Thats a strange one !!!!! ,when on the main stand the rear wheel should be off the ground ,perhaps yours is a bit bent or something,hopefully someone will come up with the answer. :onya:
Quote from: Mrg on Tuesday, 21 February 2017, 05:57 AM
hi how is it that some 1400 main stands ive seen on the org pic , when the bike is on the main stand the back wheel is off the ground
but when mine is on the main stand my back wheel is still in contact with the floor and i cant rotate the back wheel ;; ie cleaning or chain work :confused1:
Do you have a jack up kit fitted or have your shocks been changed?
Its possible if you shocks have been changed that whoever fitted the shocks fitted taller than normal rear suspension - standard is 330mm eye to eye - some fit taller suspension to give a higher tail end and (arguably) faster turn in to corners (the taller suspension is the same as fitting jack up blocks).
Either of those would cause your rear wheel to sit on the ground when on the mainstand
gsxbarmy you have hit the nail on the head
the bike id fitted with jack ups ... this was on the bike before i got it so .. ive never really took this into consideration
so i take it all i can do is remove the jack ups if i wont to get the bike off the ground with just the main stand
at the moment i use a nice thick block of wood to do the job
overall the bike is steady when its on the main stand,, and when on the main its ok but should it be of the ground more
Quote from: Mrg on Tuesday, 21 February 2017, 06:49 AM
gsxbarmy you have hit the nail on the head
the bike id fitted with jack ups ... this was on the bike before i got it so .. ive never really took this into consideration
so i take it all i can do is remove the jack ups if i wont to get the bike off the ground with just the main stand
at the moment i use a nice thick block of wood to do the job
overall the bike is steady when its on the main stand,, and when on the main its ok but should it be of the ground more
Take the jack ups off, and you would return to normal and yes your rear wheel would be off the ground then when you put the bike on the mainstand - you may even prefer it as many found with jack ups that it could lead to weaving at speed. Personally I was never a fan, the higher backend looked good but I hated the faster turn in and the wobbling at speed. So mine lasted about 2 miles when I had them before they came off and stayed off.
If you do remove them, then do check your chain adjustment afterwards.
On the old org, I think it was AlfaDave suggested that they also led to higher chain/sprocket wear, but I couldn't comment as I don't know.
A quick tip if you do decide to remove them. Place a shovel under the rear wheel when it is on the mainstand, then remove the jackup kit. if then you push down onthe handle of the shovel, it will raise the rear wheel up, making it easier to re-insert the lower shock bolts :onya:
thank you you are the man :clapping:
i will be taken them off as you pointed out ref the handling yes i think you right ;
and thanks you for the tip on the removal job to that will help cheers :onya:
My main stand has some blocks welded on the feet from when a previous owner had jack up blocks fitted. I only fit the stand to get the rear wheel up but it makes it a bit more awkward with the jack up blocks off now.
well the jackups have being taken off
and the use off the spade was a good tip thanks gsxbarmy :onya:
checked the chain and re adjusted , and now i can feel the ground with a solid foot, nice :onya:
and it feels better in the ride to so all good this end
and yes the main stand on and the back wheel off the ground cool :boogie:
cheers guys beers on me :cheers: :cheers: :cheers:
The centre stand was the very first thing I refitted to my frame when I rebuilt it earlier this year...It's still a b*stard even with the frame upside down :furious:
Quote from: Mrg on Wednesday, 22 February 2017, 05:47 AM
well the jackups have being taken off
and the use off the spade was a good tip thanks gsxbarmy :onya:
checked the chain and re adjusted , and now i can feel the ground with a solid foot, nice :onya:
and it feels better in the ride to so all good this end
and yes the main stand on and the back wheel off the ground cool :boogie:
cheers guys beers on me :cheers: :cheers: :cheers:
Well done MRG, glad all is well - think I'll grab an Adnams IPA with you buddy, cheers!!
Recently I fitted the main stand with another method learn from here:
http://www.vstrom.info/Smf/index.php?topic=1619.0
as I have no (mucsle) special tools or other related equipment on the job, I tried this method several times (diff pulling angles/ fitting way) and finally i got the skill and get the job done. :)
1. At first I want to pull 2 springs at once, but it was too hard for me (and the string?) ;
2. Put some grease on the string and the spring make the thing easier a bit;
3. I do the smaller spring first then the bigger one.
(Beware should use a strong string or if it break suddenly it may let you pulling arm hitting something.)
what coins did you use EUROS? BAHAHAHA
I did this a week ago.
Found it easier to offer up the stand with the springs in place, then use a screwdriver or podge bar in the opposite side the bolt does in to hold in place then pull the stand and push pivot bolt into place .
2p
Quote from: oldskool on Monday, 10 April 2017, 08:46 PM
what coins did you use EUROS? BAHAHAHA
Actually these few coins didn't help much and it's difficult for me to put more coins into both springs together. :whatever: :whatever:
Jack up kit for sale then???if so how mutch inc postage?,ill try anything rather than get rid off NELLY
Quote from: saggy0000 on Wednesday, 28 June 2017, 04:07 AM
Jack up kit for sale then???if so how mutch inc postage?,ill try anything rather than get rid off NELLY
You'd be better off pm'ing mrg direct then posting this here given its almost July and he took them off back in February.
This is how my mainstand and the frame looks like. Issue is that rear wheel does not come off the ground. This is after just 20'kms. Anyone had the same issue and has a fix?
I don't see that this section of your mainstand is causing the issue. Even the slight bend in the rod (with the flat iron welded to it) couldn't be it IMO as the stand is not touching the bend. Appears to be resting on the ends of the rod.
Edit: At second look it looks like the right weld could be cracked. As long as the rod is not loose at the end(s) it should not cause that issue.
Hard to tell not seeing it in reality.
Other reasons for rear wheel not off ground? Jack-up kit, 190/55 tires, Shock preload to set to max?
After talking to erbas and comparing pics and real life samples it is clear that stand has to rest on the whole rod and not just at the ends.
Agreed Andre, the problem is that bent rod with the stiffener on it. Because it's bent upwards it's allowing the stand contact area to go further than it should, changing the angle of the main-stand legs to a more inclined position, which gives less lift at the rear.
How that got bent in the first place I just can't think of how?? Either fix it to std or add some 'packing' to the stand area that contacts the stopper. This would have the same effect as straightening out the bent bit, probably much easier to achieve too.
The rod on mine is bent as well. The rear wheel spins free though but can't put the small finger between ground and tire. The rod should get a big impact when I put it on the stand. I guess Suzuki should have put a bigger rod in there and/or made the welded-on plate over the whole length of the rod. Erbas thinks that it is a bad design. Looks like he is right.
There are at least 3 different designs of the stopper. The 1st pic is from the manual covering the K2. The 2nd pic is also from the manual but for the K5. When looking at my pic in one of the previous posts it looks to me that they had discovered the problem quickly and "fixed" it by welding a plate on it. As this still did not remedy the problem completely, they extended the plate in the K5 over the whole length of the rod which required the L-braces to face away from each other (maybe in K3-4 as well but doesn't show in the manual).
It appears that the one hole where the rod is stuck through has "ovalized" on Erbas bike. He doesn't know yet what the weld there looks like.
The packing you mention Col has been done by others. I doubt that it would be a long-lasting (in my definition) solution in this case.
@erbas As you asked somewhere else: The diameter of the rod is 10 mm. Using a larger diameter might give you the "opposite" problem. A rod of higher strength-rating and a longer flat-iron with cut-outs welded on the L-braces might do the job.
From now on I will play gentle when I put mine on the center stand and prepare myself mentally for when this becomes a problem on my 14 (or I get the frame powder coated).
Thanks for the call, Andre... and the great analysis.
Good to see that finally there was a fix for K5, mine is a K3, with the plate welded onto the rod ( see the pictures). Which did not fix the issue recognized by Suzuki as the rod still bends.
Why the rod bent, is a good question, as the stand initially rested on the whole rod.
In order to fix the issue I believe that just replacing the rod with plate as it was delivered is not a solution as the issue will come back sooner or later.
Isn't the mainstand design for the K5 also different because of 4-1?
The plate has to cover the full lenght of the rod, but on K3 this is difficult because the left hand side L-brace is on the "wrong" side. Maybe the L-brace has to be cut and some reinforcement has to be added
As Andre's rod is also bent, I expect many more K3 out there with this damage.
In a German forum the proposal was to fix the issue by welding a plate onto the STAND. It may somehow work but the approach is as bad as the Suzuki one to weld a plate onto the rod which is not long enough.
I was asking for the diameter of the rod to put few hose clamps around it to increase diameter but infact it is not possible as the plate is there :boogie:
Quote from: erbas on Friday, 07 June 2019, 06:05 AM
Thanks for the call, Andre... and the great analysis.
Well, you most certainly had a great part in creating that analysis and clearing up a few misconceptions of mine. :onya:
Quote from: erbas on Friday, 07 June 2019, 06:05 AM
Isn't the mainstand design for the K5 also different because of 4-1?
Yes
I'll be removing my centre stand soon to clean and re lube the pivot as it's seizing up..
So good advice above
@gsxbarmy :onya:
I do miss my centre stand but it fouled on the Akrapovic
I am thinking of removing mine to have it sand blasted and powder coated..
Its got a fair bit of surface rust on it..
Quote from: Speedy1959 on Monday, 08 July 2019, 04:35 AM
I am thinking of removing mine to have it sand blasted and powder coated..
Its got a fair bit of surface rust on it..
I just used black hammerite so didn't have to take it off :)
Agree, not a part that concerns me too much Paint can makes it pretty. Spray lube up around moving parts helps.
Quote from: Del on Monday, 08 July 2019, 04:20 AM
I do miss my centre stand but it fouled on the Akrapovic
Don't know if mine has more tolerance but I can make full Akra fit with centre stand. Just move the muffler fixing band on the other side of the fixing point and voila you can have both, Akra and center stand. If your is as mine the centre stand will stay in tucked in position with a 1.5 mm gap to exhaust pipe. I do keep this configuration when touring. On track I move the band to "normal' position and take the stand away. If you got stock footpegs those will scrape before Akra hits ground.
Quote from: Speedy1959 on Monday, 08 July 2019, 04:35 AM
I am thinking of removing mine to have it sand blasted and powder coated..
Its got a fair bit of surface rust on it..
Not worth doing Simon, it won't last long. As Froudy did, you are much better using Hammerite, much more durable
@gsxbarmy I was going to say the same
Powder coating goes very tatty quickly due the damage it gets from being used.
@Speedy1959 A good few coats of hammeritr black smoothrite will look as good and last much much longer.
:cheers: