Convert big sidestand

[guzzifan]

My Convert sidestand has always been really difficult to extend, and it retracts with enough force to give you a nasty bruise. This is the single spring model. 

I'm curious if anyone else with the big police sidestand has had the same experience?  It mostly bothers me when trying to retract it while sitting on the saddle...it's super difficult to move from the extended position.  Stand is in perfect shape and well greased at the pivot.  Is the stock spring suppose to be this strong?  Thanks.

[rodekyll]

Does yours have a kick knob?  Is the rubber retract stop in place?  Does the stand look 'normal' or bent when retracted?  It's hard to spot a bent police stand without a known good one to compare that dogleg angle to.

They can be a tug to get up and down if the pocket is worn or the springs are wrong.  You say the pocket business is good, but you only have one spring on it.  I'd advise getting modern springs (plural).  Two gives you a safety margin and buying from a known source eliminates the possibility that you have the wrong spring.  I run mine through rubber tubing to keep them from rubbing on stuff.

Otherwise, what condition is the parking brake and cable/linkage in?  The lock tab might be binding on that mechanism or the cable/parking brake might be bound and fighting you.  The lock tab could also be worn/notched/hogged out on the inside/nut loose and putting the stand past its normal stop point. 

That's all I've got.

[John A]

I think Rodekyll covered it, the tab on top wears out and can move in relation to the stand stem. Good advise on the springs too.

[guzzifan]

Bike (including stand) has just had a full restoration by me (didn't drive it before restoration) during which every part of the stand was stripped, hand fiddled and is in perfect working order.  Nothing is hanging up.  The problem is the spring tension....just wondered if it was normal to have such a super-strong spring.  It does have the knob on the stand for raising and lowering, and the frame lug for the retracted position (complete with rubber bumper). 

For those with this set-up...can you raise and lower it from the saddle without much trouble?   I'm 6' and 185, but it's a big struggle to retract it from the fully extended position.  I can't imagine a cop doing this 40 times a day back in 1980!

[Arizona Wayne]

I have a bit of a struggle too but I think it's because of my 30" inseam legs.  If my legs were a little longer...cheesy:...I could get better leverage. It goes out just fine,  It's bringing back up where it's not so easy.

[Tom]

Bend down and use your arms or tie a para-cord to it.

[Tom H]

Bike (including stand) has just had a full restoration by me (didn't drive it before restoration) during which every part of the stand was stripped, hand fiddled and is in perfect working order.  Nothing is hanging up.  The problem is the spring tension....just wondered if it was normal to have such a super-strong spring.  It does have the knob on the stand for raising and lowering, and the frame lug for the retracted position (complete with rubber bumper). 

For those with this set-up...can you raise and lower it from the saddle without much trouble?   I'm 6' and 185, but it's a big struggle to retract it from the fully extended position.  I can't imagine a cop doing this 40 times a day back in 1980!

OK..I do not know the EXACT stand that is on the convert. But...

Both of my old bikes and the EV have the police style stand. Both my old bikes the stand comes up and down VERY easily. The EV with it's dual spring was a b@$%^ to get up while in the seat. Read a post on removing one spring, and with a new drilled hole to the triangle piece to center the spring, it is very nice.

Disclaimer to add.... TWO SPRINGS ARE SAFER THAN ONE. But my oldies came with only one spring.

One more thing......

I bought a brand new side stand, spring and mounting bracket for one of my oldies while I was cleaning it up. When I installed the stand and spring I couldn't get the stand to come up easily. Had to get off the bike to move it. Upon closer inspection of the side stand and comparing it to to of my old ones, the UMMMM how do I say this.... stand bar was welded too far back to the pivot bar that the nut is on.

My old bikes had the stand bar about flush with the pivot bar. The new one ended up rubbing the mounting bracket and making it hard to kick down to raise the stand.

I could have ground off a bit of the stand bar to make it flush, but then I would have had to get it chromed or it would rust, or just paint it.

I hope this makes sense, if needed I can did out my stands and take a pic of the difference.

Hope this helps,
Tom