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Centerstand issues

Artie

CB750 Member
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Medford ma
My 1976 K6 is very hard to put on the center stand and it seems to go back over center too far I have other Hondas and Yamaha's that go up onto the stand much easier and down as well
it seems this is though the center stand goes back over center to far although the rear wheel does come off the ground about 3/4inch when up
It seems as though if the center stand was not as high and did not go back over center it would work better anybody done this type mod or is something wrong with mine?
this thing is really a bear to hoist up and push forwards as stand appears to be to far back over center making forward,can't believe that Honda designed this
I'm no weakling and have been hoisting various bikes onto center stands for 50 years
Seems as though somethings wrong
Ideas???
 
Taller tires to eat up some of the space you have to lift through. If front fork tubes not down in clamps as far as they can be then extending them a bit more buys more of the same.

You do NOT want to kill any overcenter action, the more you have of that the more stable the resting on stand is. Easier to rock off of often buys you bike blowing off stand in strong wind. If you must, look at bottom of the feet, if two angles there then removing a slight amount of the point in the middle where the angles meet will make going overcenter easier.

I'm 6'2" tall and lift easy all day long yet my CB550F is one of the hardest ones I've seen too.

FYI the easier they go up and down the easier they fall over by themselves. Those bikes were some of the heavy early fours, Honda was very concerned they would fall off the stand so they overcompensated.
 
Centerstand

Taller tires to eat up some of the space you have to lift through. If front fork tubes not down in clamps as far as they can be then extending them a bit more buys more of the same.

You do NOT want to kill any overcenter action, the more you have of that the more stable the resting on stand is. Easier to rock off of often buys you bike blowing off stand in strong wind. If you must, look at bottom of the feet, if two angles there then removing a slight amount of the point in the middle where the angles meet will make going overcenter easier.

I'm 6'2" tall and lift easy all day long yet my CB550F is one of the hardest ones I've seen too.

FYI the easier they go up and down the easier they fall over by themselves. Those bikes were some of the heavy early fours, Honda was very concerned they would fall off the stand so they overcompensated.

Stock tires stock height but it takes lots of effort to pull up and to push forward,can't believe that this is stock setup,
King Kong would grunt too!
Rear tire only 1/2 inch off the ground when up,not easy access to see how overcenter stop is accomplished but I feel that shorting overcenter stop and taking off 1/2 inch off overall leg height. Would make it just right,problem is access need to lift bike up about 1 foot or lay on its side to reconfigure
Any ideas how to get bike in position or hoist in the air,to modify
If I only shortened the centerstand legs rear tire wouldn't be off ground,it could work if stop was reindexed to a lesser angle and still be safe with forward stability,it now takes a lot of effort forward too!
Access without going to bare frame upside down seems to be the issue
 
The easiest approach I have found is not very intuitive. Standing beside the bike, facing the side of the bike, I use the following steps:

>Grasp left handlebar grip with left hand
>Grasp the edge of the seat, grab bar, or frame, near the top of the shock mount with the right hand
>I then use the ball of my left foot on the centerstand arm
>In one motion, I pull back on the handlebar (not a lot though, or you just twist the front wheel), lift with the right hand, and push down with the left foot. Most of the effort is exerted on the downward force of the left foot.

This is not a natural motion, kind of like patting your head and rubbing your belly. If you concentrate on applying most of your effort into the downward force on the left foot, I think you will find that this requires the least amount of effort. There are some that will resort to rolling the rear wheel up on a small block of wood (even a one foot 1x4 would help) to reduce the initial lifting height.
 
Centerstand

The easiest approach I have found is not very intuitive. Standing beside the bike, facing the side of the bike, I use the following steps:

>Grasp left handlebar grip with left hand
>Grasp the edge of the seat, grab bar, or frame, near the top of the shock mount with the right hand
>I then use the ball of my left foot on the centerstand arm
>In one motion, I pull back on the handlebar (not a lot though, or you just twist the front wheel), lift with the right hand, and push down with the left foot. Most of the effort is exerted on the downward force of the left foot.

This is not a natural motion, kind of like patting your head and rubbing your belly. If you concentrate on applying most of your effort into the downward force on the left foot, I think you will find that this requires the least amount of effort. There are some that will resort to rolling the rear wheel up on a small block of wood (even a one foot 1x4 would help) to reduce the initial lifting height.

Thanks for the tips
As I mentioned I've got 50 years of moving bikes and have helped others with the technique you aptly described,
This bike is just too damn hard and needs to be fixed,
 
Thanks for the tips
As I mentioned I've got 50 years of moving bikes and have helped others with the technique you aptly described,
This bike is just too damn hard and needs to be fixed,


LOL! These CB750's centerstands are indeed a PITA and some of the most difficult I have ever lifted. The early CB750's came with an 18" rear wheel, and a popular conversion was to fit a 16" rear wheel. This can compound the problem, but I see you have indicated "stock" rear wheel.

The centerstand could be bent, but it would probably have to be compared side by side with an identical bike to determine whether it was bent/damaged/modified though.
 
My K2 had a 2" lowering kit on the the rear when I got it, and I basically had to lift the entire back of the bike to get it on the center stand, even with all 225 pounds of my body weight on the lift lever.
 
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