Center Stand Bumper

[XXTi]

I noticed that my chain rubbed on my center stand. I have no idea how long it's been rubbing, but this shit had to stop. Andy had an idea to drill a hole in the OEM bumper and install it with a nut, bolt and lock washer.

I planned to try that, but found something I like better. I used a rear door bumper from an old Dodge Ramcharger. It has a big rubber head mounted on a 3/8" bolt. I shortened the bolt to fit and installed it with a nut and lockwasher. I'm sure there are other door/hood bumpers that would work just as well.

There is now about 1/2" clearance between the stand and chain. :grin: I still wonder why the chain started hitting the stand. Has anyone else noticed this problem?

[Redbird]

Have you shimmed your rear shock? Only reason I could think it would rub, assuming correct ajustment, of course.

[XXTi]

Ahhh. Maybe that's it. There's no shim, but I do have a Penske shock that's adjusted about 1/4" longer than stock. (I can just barely turn the rear wheel when the bike is on the center stand.)

I have the chain adjusted to about 30mm free play, but I do wonder if that's right for the extended shock.

[Northman]

I have my rear end shimmed 6mm, and the rear tire is touching the ground on the center stand as well.

But my chain doesn't touch the center stand. I know you're supposed to run slightly more deflection with the back end raised, so I keep mine at the loose end of the range, right about 1 1/4".

My stock chain lasted 25K miles, so it seems to be working out.

[vetteman]

doesnt the stock exhaust have something on it to keep the c/s from hitting the chain?

[XXTi]

Yeah. The stock left hand exhaust has a bracket with a rubber bumper for the center stand. I had all that in place, but the chain still rubbed the stand before I installed the new bumper.

[BackInBlack]

I have a penske shock and a 4 into 1 aftermarket exhaust. I noticed that my chain runs really close to the centerstand as well. I'll have to check the bumper. Never thought to look at that...

One thing you might want to check is that the arrows on the two triangle plates, that bolt to the bottom of the shock, are facing forward. I installed those wrong one time and the chain was hitting the centerstand...

[XXTi]

I just checked and the arrows are pointing to the front. Thanks for the idea anyway.

[Mykl]

Sorry to bring back an old thread, didn't think the question was worth a new one...

Did the 6mm's tonight. Actually, I think it was closer to 5mm since I used a few wimpier shims and could only get four of the five washers in place. Anyway, went for a ride and the bike is noticably changed. When I got home I noticed the chain barely touching the swingarm. Deflection was 1 1/4 inch. I tightened in a weeee bit and now it's 1 inch. That's as tight as I'm willing to go. Now there's about a 1/4 inch between the chain and swingarm, but if I pull down on the chain it still touches the swingarm.

Should I be concerned with this? The only way I can think of remedying this is to get a bolt and a couple of nuts. Stick one nut on each side of the bracket on the exhaust and tighten them against each other with the bolt through them. There won't be a rubber cushion there, but I doubt it'll be a big deal.

[Mykl]

Bear in mind that your bike seldom goes out without you.

Set your chain tension with you or a similar load on the bike.

Aye, I understand that that's the proper way to do it, but it's kinda difficult to sit on the bike and check the tension at the same time.

I had no friends available and I wanted to get this done.

I'm going to fix the alignment tomorrow after work and test ride it. If it feels right should I be concerned that the chain touches the center stand when I pull down on the chain?

[Mykl]

Alright, I see what you're saying... the chain is going to pull tighter as I sit on it, right? Pulling it tighter will pull it away from the stand?

I didn't wear my earplugs when I test rode the bike the first time and I didn't hear any aweful noises that probably would have been caused by the chain touching the center-stand.

I'll see if I can't find a friend that doesn't have broken limbs tomorrow and see how everything works out.

[Mykl]

Not unless its quite pronounced.  

Chains don't normally move the way we check them.  When we pull down or push up on the chain "run", we create an angle.  A running chain doesn't do that....it forms an ellipse.  When the wheel is actively bouncing up and down, the chain forms waves.  So the chain actually seldom sees the amount of deflection we induce by pushing on it with a finger.  

The chain my tick the centerstand occasionally, which is no big deal.  Just watch for significant wear......which there shouldn't be.

Thank you for the explanation, that was very informative. I really wasn't sure exactly what a chain did while the bike was moving.

I'll see if I can't find that friend for a better look at the chain's deflection. If not I'll align it and see what it feels like. Before I tightened it the chain actually felt a little loose while I was riding, more drivetrain lash than before I shimmed it.

[XXTi]

Why not just mod. your center stand bumper? I used an old truck part as a replacement. It's very cheap and simple. Then you can adjust your chain almost any way you want and it doesn't rub the stand.

[XXTi]

:pointup: :pointup: Yeah. I see your point. I guess I'd have to recommend the Ramcharger rear door bumper. I'll bet there's a bunch of other similar stuff that would work too. Door bumpers, hood bumpers, washing machine feet, etc., etc.

[Mykl]

I ganked a rubber piece out of my old POS Acura Integra. It doesn't fit perfect, but it stays and it works. Despite the chain not touching the centerstand at rest it did when I got on the brakes real hard.

I think I need to take some grease or some WD40 to the rear shock linkages. When I dropped it off the centerstand several times as I was getting the chain and preload adjusted it was squeeking worse than a flea-market mattress.

Chain tension is now loose. I don't have a measurement, but the chain isn't binding up the suspension when compressed and it isn't falling off... good enough for government work.

[Mykl]

bleh, installed my Galfer lines tonight and did some testing and it's still banging the centerstand.

Max braking with lever only... just fine.

Max braking with lever and pedal with clutch disengaged... just fine.

Max braking with lever and pedal with clutch engaged and in gear... EEK.

Just to test this theory I put another inch between the centerstand and the exhaust using some washers I had laying around. I couldn't duplicate the problem... and I was braking hard enough that at one point I actually got the rear to lock.

So I guess the centerstand is coming off. Which really sucks because I've got a week long trip starting whenever I feel like leaving and I'd really like to have the ability to get the rear tire up for cleaning. I guess I'll just have to do it the hard way. :sad:

[XXTi]

The mod I suggested is REALLY EASY! Call your local Dodge dealer. Get a alignment bumper for the rear hatch of a Dodge Ramcharger. (Mine was from a 1986 model. Other parts will probably work, but this is what I used.)

The bumper has a big rubber head attached to a 3/8" diameter bolt. You will have to cut the bolt off a little with your Dremel or hacksaw. Get a couple of 3/8" nuts and a couple of washers from your junk box. Voila! You have a custom, adjustable center stand bumper.

[Mykl]

So do it the cheap way.

Measure up a stick of wood and notch it to match the swingarm. Get a thick rubber band or long piece of doublesided velcro.

Put the rubber band or velcro on the front brake lever, pulling it tight towards the handlebar. Then tip the bike towards the kickstand, and slip the block of wood under the swingarm on the right side. Instand centerstand. The block should fit easily under the seat, or in your luggage. Or you could buy the aluminum equivalent for $60....

haha... nice, I think I'll give that a shot. I'd buy an aluminum equivalent of that, but I'd have to order it, and I really want to be gone by tomorrow morning.

The mod I suggested is REALLY EASY! Call your local Dodge dealer. Get a alignment bumper for the rear hatch of a Dodge Ramcharger. (Mine was from a 1986 model. Other parts will probably work, but this is what I used.)

The bumper has a big rubber head attached to a 3/8" diameter bolt. You will have to cut the bolt off a little with your Dremel or hacksaw. Get a couple of 3/8" nuts and a couple of washers from your junk box. Voila! You have a custom, adjustable center stand bumper.

The problem at this point isn't the bumper. Now the problem is ground clearance. I'm pushing the centerstand out so far that I'm really afraid that it's going to catch the pavement in a turn. :sad: With keeping the centerstand I'd have to tighten the chain a bit more while pushing the centerstand out... so that makes the chain tighter than I would like in addition to losing ground clearance.

Since I'm heading up to Deal's Gap to ride the area and go up and down the Blue Ridge Parkway I'm going to want all the ground clearance I can get.

[XXTi]

Your setup must be very different than mine. I was running my Avons to the edge of the tread when I rode in the Ozarks last weekend. I couldn't ground anything.

Good luck.

[Mykl]

Your setup must be very different than mine. I was running my Avons to the edge of the tread when I rode in the Ozarks last weekend. I couldn't ground anything.

Good luck.

This may be a dumb question... but I only encountered the problem under very *heavy* braking using the lever and pedal. At the Ozarks were you braking at 100% with the pedal and lever while the bike was in gear? If you weren't chances are you didn't encounter the problem I'm seeing.

The only time I'm ever on the brakes as hard as I was when I was testing my setup is when I'm in a panic stop, but even in a panic stop I pull in the clutch. I don't get on the brakes that hard even when I'm burning up a backroad. Heck, when I'm running a backroad I don't even use the brake pedal, only the lever.

Chain length may also have something to do with it, I dunno. My chain is near the end of it's life. Stock with close to 19k on it, I think. It's still in the green, but much more and it's in the red.

...but even if you were doing all of those things, perhaps our setups are different enough. So uh, I dunno. :grin:

[XXTi]

No. I wasn't doing any panic stops through the twisties. I thought your concern was cornering clearance in the turns.

How did you determine your chain was touching anything during your test conditions (panic stop in gear)? How often do you do that? Does it really matter if the chain kisses the stand under those circumstances?

My chain is fairly new.

[Mykl]

No. I wasn't doing any panic stops through the twisties. I thought your concern was cornering clearance in the turns.

How did you determine your chain was touching anything during your test conditions (panic stop in gear)? How often do you do that? Does it really matter if the chain kisses the stand under those circumstances?

My chain is fairly new.

Well, I don't want to lose clearance in the turns and I don't want the chain hitting the centerstand if I need to perform a panic stop. I can tell that it's hitting because the entire bike vibrates as the rear tire skips around and I can hear the metal banging on metal. That's just not something I want to have to deal with if I have to stop the bike ASAP.

[XXTi]

The entire bike vibrating, rear wheel skipping and the metal to metal noise sounds pretty serious. :shock: You may have something else going on. I've never had that happen to my bike.

Sounds like you plan to remove your center stand. Let us know if you still have the problem after it's off.

Good Luck.

[Mykl]

I borrowed a Pitbull stand from a buddy tonight and we did a little trouble shooting. I think the problem is that I'm mildly retarded.

Ok, the only way the chain is going to hit the centerstand is if the suspension decompresses, right? But the suspension compresses when you're on the rear brake, so it can't be touching the centerstand?

The last thing I can think that could be the issue is that I'm a dummy and more deflection needs to be dialed into the chain to keep it from binding when the suspension is fully compressed in the rear.

So I think all that vibration is mucho bad, because after looking and seeing how the grime on my centerstand is undisturbed, I'm thinking my problem is that I'm a dumbass and my chain is too tight. So under hard braking the suspension compresses to the point that the chain runs out of slack, binds up, bounces back (causing the vibration), and repeats until I let off the brake.

Does this thought sound reasonable? ...or is this common knowledge to everybody but me because I have poor reading comprehension skills and I'm a little dislexic?

[Pete in PA]

Chain adjustment is the reason I still haven't done this mod. That and the bike steers light enough for me.

1st the chain spec of 1 1/4" is for when the suspension is fully extended. Honda arrived at this knowing that when the rear is compressed and the swinarm is inline, (the tightest time) it leaves just enough slack.

Now we go and put a shim on the shock mount which extends the swingarm down further unladen but doesn't change a thing when the suspension is compressed.

SOOOOOOOOOO......... what this leaves is a chain slack spec. that no longer applies. In essence with this mod you should have MORE slack.

When brakeing, the rear unloads and the chain might hit your centerstand. Don't tighten the chain to stop this, move the centerstand down which causes its own problems. (ground clearance).

I also question suspension action. It is a riseing rate linkage. Now we go and change at what point the linkage starts multiplying.