2008 R1200RT Center Stand

[chrisinsc]

Stopped the other day on the side of the road to park for a bit and look at my phone and when I looked down for the side stand I saw the center stand hanging oddly. I pushed it down with my heel and it fell to the ground!

Both mounting screws had sheared off and it was hanging by the springs. I had taken it off the stand at a gas station where I had stopped to go in and get some Fritos and a Mexican coca cola as well as fuel.

From the time I took it off the stand and saw it hanging was less than two miles on surface streets. No bottoming out or any sounds that I can recall.

Anyway, I confirmed both screws had sheered right where they enter the pivot pin. Weird. Wondering whether my method of sitting on the bike and rocking back first to get momentum for getting it off the stand contributed to this.

 

[pglaves]

Stopped the other day on the side of the road to park for a bit and look at my phone and when I looked down for the side stand I saw the center stand hanging oddly. I pushed it down with my heel and it fell to the ground!

Both mounting screws had sheared off and it was hanging by the springs. I had taken it off the stand at a gas station where I had stopped to go in and get some Fritos and a Mexican coca cola as well as fuel.

From the time I took it off the stand and saw it hanging was less than two miles on surface streets. No bottoming out or any sounds that I can recall.

Anyway, I confirmed both screws had sheered right where they enter the pivot pin. Weird. Wondering whether my method of sitting on the bike and rocking back first to get momentum for getting it off the stand contributed to this.

View attachment 88563

Yes

 

[chrisinsc]

Just so everyone knows the stack of parts at the pivot in the parts exploded view is somewhat incorrect. The bolt comes in from the other side. The O rings actually are on the pivot pin and there are three of them.

The brass bush is pressed into the frame.

The whole thing is under engineered and poorly designed. The bolt is cantilevered in the pin as the pin is only threaded on the outside end and the countersink feature amplifies stretch loads. The countersink in the attachment point on the stand itself reduces the load bearing surface when the bike is on the stand by more than 70% so the hole is elongated. Looks nice and neat but total fail given the loads at that pivot point.

I think I am going to fill the holes in the stand with West System 105/205 epoxy mixed with high compression strength filler and drill a new hole. Then, drill out the pins to match and put a shoulder bolt through it with an aircraft lock nut on the inside. So no threads on the inside. Washer also on the inside with the nuts. Might do something less involved.

At the least I would replace the bolts with the highest strength bolts we can find, replace them once a year and check them often. Its a bitch to easy out the broken bolts stuck in the pins.

 

[torque2u]

Yes

Paul, are you suggesting that rocking an RT (or similar machine) off the center stand, could eventually sheer the mounting bolts? I always thought it might be sketchy to do that, but not sure if the engineers account for it in the design process.

 

[Omega Man]

I have watched people “rock” a bike off the center stand. Possibly, it may be ok once in a while but a steady diet of this maneuver is probably not a great idea.
I see the real “extra” stress condition is when the attempt to rock the bike off the center stand and it doesn’t go. The “snap-back” to upright along with the next attempts puts a lot of stress on the mounting points.
Of course if one likes to make the “rock-off” a regular maneuver and the hardware wear is treated as a maintenance item, that can probably work.
OM

 

[chrisinsc]

I think the possible overrun when putting it up on the stand if its done vigorously and especially if the bike is loaded up is another case to consider.

Severity of events and the number of events surely make it inevitable with varying time frames with this design.

I just got replacement bolts and an extractor kit at the hardware store. The bolts are 10.9 versus the 8.8 which were stock.

I will also take more care when using the system in the future and will likely do a more robust repair over the winter.

 

[henzilla]

The pivot pins on early Hexheads did this often and have replaced several on that generation. Several hanging loose upon arrival. The bolts either sheared or bent. I keep extra bolts and bushings but rarely see the issue as in past.

They changed something later on as my 09 GSA was easier to put on stand then my 05 and 07.

Most the folks having issues said they rocked off stand, sometimes two up and sometimes loaded for travel. My bro in law rotated his bike 180 a lot and watching the stand made me cringe as it seemed to twist every time. He also rocked the bike like a fellow with a bee in his pants after a fuel stop. Amusing to watch

 

[teddunlap]

I have watched people “rock” a bike off the center stand. Possibly, it may be ok once in a while but a steady diet of this maneuver is probably not a great idea.
I see the real “extra” stress condition is when the attempt to rock the bike off the center stand and it doesn’t go. The “snap-back” to upright along with the next attempts puts a lot of stress on the mounting points.
Of course if one likes to make the “rock-off” a regular maneuver and the hardware wear is treated as a maintenance item, that can probably work.
OM

I use the center stand for maintenance only. I never even considered using it regularly or often enough that it would become deserving of status as "a regular maintenance item". My side stand, however, deserves that classification ... as do a whole lot of other things I do not maintain as well as I should ... in many aspects of my life. I am more of a fixer and breaker than one who derives pleasure out of maintenance.