Centre Stand Bushes

Speaking as one old bloke to another Cam, but not having knowledge of Ducati's I can confirm that my Lavs have bushes for their center stands.
 
In case anyone is wondering what Chris is talking about, I replied saying that I thought they didn't have bushes. But then I checked the parts list and saw that they did, so I removed my post, thinking nobody had seen my error. But Chris was too quick for me.

I reckon I was confusing it with my Bevel Ducati which doesn't have bushes on the centre stand pivot. It has a pair of special bolts with shouldered shanks. I think Fabio Taglioni was heard to say at the time "Bushes? We don't need no stinking bushes"
 
Just to piggyback, do the Kawasaki side stands have bushes, mine is pretty flogged out and needs a rebush.
 
Without going to take mine apart for a look, I can't be sure, but I don't think so.
If it's worn do much that it's sloppy, it would probably be possible to machine it out to fit a bush.
 
just mild steel, the bushes provide a rotation without pinching since the bushes are wider than the fixing wleded to the frame, if you use hardened bushes the frame holes will elongate much more than as stock, they do that without much help all by themselves, dont make it even easuer to shag the frame, I use a small painters brush to get a bit of grease on them every now and then, but since fitting a Bushman/Lawton/Joe /Kawsasaki side stand, the centre stand only get used for chain lubing and when on the work bench.
CLEM
 
AJ said:
Brass is for decoration, bronze for bearing surfaces but you would be best off with a hardened steel bush with grease.
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I wouldn't go with hardened steel bushes. It's a bugger to machine for a start. Also, the bush should be the part that wears, not the bore or the shaft (bolt). It's a simpler to replace a worn bush than reclaim a worn pivot bore in the stand. I reckon I'd use bronze (probably because I already have a big bar of bronze bush material lying around) but mild steel would be preferable to hardened steel.

If your stand is really flogged out, you may already need to reclaim the pivot hole in the top of the stand. Just weld it up, grind the welded surface flat again and re-bore the hole. Then with a new bush and bolt, your stand will be as good as new. Probably better than new.
 
It needs a bigger foot as well, I have no idea why side stands usually have a way too small a foot that sinks in and destabilises the bike, I guess it's good business to sell mirrors and blinkers after bikes fall over.
 
Stock centre stand bushes are hardened steel and are bolted rigidly to the frame, the stand pivots on the bushes.

Experience has shown both the stand and bushes stand up well, even with negligable maintenance, as long as the bolts are tight. Once these become loose everything starts to wear dramatically, as well as the stop for the stand in the frame lug of the triples. I've repaired dozens of knackered stands and frames. Personally, I don't understand how owners put up with poorly working stands for more than 10 minutes, yet I find bikes with squeaky, flapping centre stands that have been so for years. A common argument is that the stand won't retract when the bolts are done up. It doesn't retract because it has been ignored for a length of time and is therefore bent!

I have often needed to resort to fitting oversize bushes after machining the bores of the stand. Triple lugs often require bashing back into shape, along with a bead of weld to restore the stand stop, engine needs to be out though.

Not really sure that bronze bushes would be entirely sacrificial, reckon the mild steel of the stand will wear a lot quicker. Brass would work in this respect, but you'd have to renew them twice a season... :LOL:

Ideally, the fixing bolts should have a shank in order to locate them better in the frame lug. Fully-threaded bolts are just too loose in the lug bores, sacrificing crucial millimetres.

piet
 
Vince said:
It needs a bigger foot as well, I have no idea why side stands usually have a way too small a foot that sinks in and destabilises the bike, I guess it's good business to sell mirrors and blinkers after bikes fall over.
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Simple enough welding job while you have the stand off. Then you can call your bike Bigfoot.
 
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