550 Centrestand

[Oldbuthopeful]

Just put my 550K3 back on the road after zero miles this year (been too busy with the 350Four) but find that the chain is trying to wear a hole in the centrestand when the bike's in motion.

Problem lies with the fact that it's got a 4-into-1 Motad setup and there's no provision for any sort of rubber stopper to
park the stand against when it's in the 'up' position.

Anyone got any suggestions as to a cure please ?

[mickwinf]

on my old k3 with motad the bracket that holds the silencer to the pillion footrest mount had an extension downwards with a rubber stop on it.

[matthewmosse]

I keep things like spare engine mount plates to aid fitting non std exhausts and had to use one last few times with my 500/4 and my rebel 125. How pretty you make it depends on how much it bothers you and how long you expect the exhaust to last. Mine generally look awful as i ride all year and that ruins pipes but I did find a neat solution with an adjustable chrome bracket off an cheap m&p headlight / fairing setup and think their universal headlight bracket might fit to hold the center stand in check.

[Bryanj]

One of the old style dexion straight plates (looks like bigger mecanno) from the pilion footrest bolt downwards should do

[Oldbuthopeful]

Thanks for all the helpful replies guys !

I've kept a couple of washing machine transit plates in my bits box for years so it looks as if they're going to be pressed into
service.   I just wondered whether there should have been a standard Motad bracket for the job  -  perhaps on the lines of the one described by Mickwinf.

Many thanks once again.

[Bryanj]

Later systems were as mick described, early ones had a seperate one on the LH side

[matthewmosse]

If the earlyer pipes had a seperate part then the easyest solution is has been suggested to look for somthing out of the shed to bodge into place, the other thing might be to call motad and see if they can sell you what you need. I've done that in the past to get part of a motad system that was missng off an ebay buy and it was reasonably priced enough and they were quite helpfull.

[LesterPiglet]

My Motad I got in the 90's had a support bracket that was L shaped, I think to stop the stand rubbing. It didn't fit my bike for some reason so it's in my garage somewhere.
From what I remember it was just a folded flat plate.

[Oldbuthopeful]

At the risk of offending everyone else who came up with such ingenious/sensible solutions, I'm going to opt for Oddjob's
......'rubber bung on a bracket off the pivot pinch bolt'..... idea.  I cobbled-up a bracket fixed to the  silencer mounting
bolts today but it didn't look very pretty.  Never thought of controlling the swing of the centrestand so near it's pivot point.
So that's tomorrows little project sorted.

Many thanks again for all the replies.   I'll try and post a pic of the finished article.

[andy_c101]

Sounds like you're nearly there; (I was late in reading this thread)
but along the same lines as Oddjob suggested, I used a small piece of sheet metal ('Ali'?) at the hinge bolt, bent to suit the correct 'hang height' of the stand when 'up' - to clear the silencers and avoid scrapping the stand in the corners.
- seems to work just fine.
- my photo attached.
Hope yours works out ok.

AndyC

[Oldbuthopeful]

Thanks for the pic AndyC.  I wish I'd seen it before I set about making mine.  Yours is much more functional-looking
and far less obtrusive.  Don't think Mr.Honda would have approved of my effort, but it works !!

The 550 sailed through it's MOT today but won't run unless the choke's out.
I've started a new thread outlining the problem and would very much appreciate any advice from the experts out there.

[Oldbuthopeful]

Thanks Oddjob, much appreciated !

[andy_c101]

Oldbut..
I think yours is a far better 'engineered' solution.
Where did you get the parts from, was it from a CB1300?

AC

[Oldbuthopeful]

Sorry not to have replied sooner, Andy C.  Just returned from hols.

The 'stop' is almost entirely home grown.  The arm was cut from a washing machine packing plate and bent in the vice,
appropriately drilled then sprayed with 3 coats of Hammerite gloss black.  The actual bump stop was picked up off Ebay,
described as  'rubber mount, buffer, foot, stop, bumper, damper item No. 120956290072  (sorry, can't do those fancy
links!)  -  2 for £3.40. It comes with a bonded-in 6mm threaded bolt just the right length.
I only used one so the other is yours if you want it.
Oh, and I used a longer pinch bolt with a piece of 15mm copper tube as a spacer to lift the arm to the correct height.

DC

[andy_c101]

Fantastic job.
Thanks for the explanation; & as I say, well engineered and looks the part.
Thanks for the kind offer of the spare bump-stop; I'll stay as-is for now.
cheers
AC