T-3 Police side stand question

[elvisboy77]

Hello, I am the proud owner of a 1977 T-3 now.  One of the things that seems unusual is the lean angle of the side stand, it leans way over.

I cannot tell from the parts manuals etc if there is something missing or whether this is "normal".

There is some sort of squareish metal block in the receiver for the stand that seems to be fixed solidly, but nothing else except the stand and a spring.

Any input/advice/photos would be great.  Thanks!

[rodekyll]

The long stand does lean you over a little more than the short one, but it should not be so leaned that it's difficult to get upright.  You might want to check it against some other long stand Cali's. 

The side stands get bent at the bend to the pivot sometimes.  Mine got that way from ferry deck crews cinching the tie-downs too tight.  If they're really bad they don't lie right when retracted.  I don't know the proper measured angle.

[Antietam Classic Cycle]

These are from my Convert, which has a pretty normal lean angle.

On the centerstand with sidestand deployed. The long arm of the stand should be a 90* angle to the shorter part which fits up through the bracket.




The sidestand should be ~ a 90* degree angle to the lower frame rails when deployed. Any more than that is an indication that the short part up through the bracket is twisted, the flats on the upper end where it fits into the stop tab are worn or the stop tab itself is worn.




You should have all of this except for the bellcrank and cable bits which are for the Convert's parking brake.

[elvisboy77]

Thank you both!  I am thinking maybe it is bent.  I will double check.  I don't have the little curved piece on my side stand assembly (the one just below the nut) but otherwise it is all there.

Thanks again!

[rodekyll]

Another thing is the locking tab that slides into the mounting bracket when the bike leans on the kickstand.  If it gets worn or loose (simple nut on top) the stand sets too far forward and makes the bike lean.  The tab is a wear item and available at the usual suspects.

[Antietam Classic Cycle]

Thank you both!  I am thinking maybe it is bent.  I will double check.  I don't have the little curved piece on my side stand assembly (the one just below the nut) but otherwise it is all there.

Thanks again!

The little curved piece is another Convert only piece IIRC. It original actuated a safety interlock switch.

[rodekyll]

The little curved piece is another Convert only piece IIRC. It original actuated a safety interlock switch.

Also activated the parking brake when the aforementioned locking tab levered on it.

[Antietam Classic Cycle]

Also activated the parking brake when the aforementioned locking tab levered on it.

I think he meant the little metal "fence" attached to the locking tab, not the "C" shaped bellcrank.

[Dharma Bum]

Here's a shot of my side stand. Note the beveled edge on the front of the stop washer.  That was formerly the rear face.  Switched it around and got the stand to lock at 90 degrees instead of 120 degrees.  That was tough to reach to retract it.

[n3303j]

You (and me) have the world's greatest sidetand. Like my son-in-law commented "You could park that bike on mud and it wouldn't fall over".

Only time it ever proved "interesting" was when I was zipping along around 50, looked down and saw the stand hanging out full to port. Gentle stop and subsequent inspection showed that the single retraction spring had failed allowing the stand to fully deploy. Could have been interesting.

I have the same stand on my EV but notice they have added a redundant spring. I assume this mod was added after discovering the spring could fail and lead to a potentially dangerous condition.

[elvisboy77]

Thanks for all the comments!  Very helpful. Dharma, mine has a little notch in it, doubtless from wear.

N3303j- I agree, I had that side stand on my 99 EV, my 2008 CalVin and my 2016 Eldo 1400 has one too. 

The T-3 is different in my case as it leans so far over as to be difficult to lift up.

With the help of the photos and suggestions, I will dig a little more and see what I come up with.

Thanks!  Stay tuned.

[Groover]

Mine leans quite a bit too, I always thought it was normal. Maybe it's bent, not sure but I actually like the dramatic lean. Here is a older photo of my G5 with that same side stand showing the lean, maybe that will help compare.

[Ncdan]

My 07 Cal. Vintage has less than 10k miles so there is little wear however the bikes leans more than any other bike I’ve had which is several makes and models. At times it is a little more challenging to upright than necessary.

[Dharma Bum]

Groover  my sidestand used to be at the angle that yours is.  Just too far a reach for my short legs.  Also, my EV had the redundant spring installed originally and it was quite an effort to retract it.  I removed one spring but with the remaining one it would not retract fully.  I modified the lower piece (the one that slips on the sidestand itself) to increase the tension on the single spring.  Less retraction effort and it snaps in place quite easily.  I'll try to find a pic of what I did and post it.

[elvisboy77]

Geez, it sounds like maybe mine is normal, but it seems strange.  Here are some pics.  It looks "right" in orientation.  The biggest shocker is the amount of gap between the stand and the piece it pivots on- (in the photo, just below the nut) when the stand rotates when set down:  (first pic)

[Groover]

You might want to consider getting a new sidestand "lock". MG Cycle sells some real meaty ones that may help the stance a tiny bit.

[elvisboy77]

You might want to consider getting a new sidestand "lock". MG Cycle sells some real meaty ones that may help the stance a tiny bit.

I checked it out and it looks like the "big side stand bracket" plus that lock may do the trick.  Thanks for the heads up!

[Antietam Classic Cycle]

I checked it out and it looks like the "big side stand bracket" plus that lock may do the trick.  Thanks for the heads up!

I'd remove the "lock" from the stand before going too far. The tip of the stand where the lock fits on has two flats machined onto it. Sometimes the stand gets worn there and allows the lock to rotate. Best to have a look before ordering parts.

[elvisboy77]

I'd remove the "lock" from the stand before going too far. The tip of the stand where the lock fits on has two flats machined onto it. Sometimes the stand gets worn there and allows the lock to rotate. Best to have a look before ordering parts.

Excellent advice, I will go take a look.  Thank you.

[Shorty]

My recently purchased G5 has a goofy bend in the sidestand. I don't worry  about the lean angle so much as not being able to deploy it with my foot. I tried to straighten it with a 16 pound sledge, it gave a little, but it is tough metal. So, I drilled and tapped a 1/4/ 20 hole in it and threaded in about a 3.5 inch bolt with a ton of loctite. It works good, hoping no need for weld.




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[elvisboy77]

My recently purchased G5 has a goofy bend in the sidestand. I don't worry so much about the lean angle so much as not being able to deploy it with my foot. I tried to straighten it with a 16 pound sledge, it gave a little, but it is tough metal. So, I drilled and tapped a 1/4/ 20 hole in it and threaded in about a 3.5 inch bolt with a ton of loctite. It works good, hoping no need for weld.




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  after

What a great idea!

[Tom H]

See what you've done..... Got me thinking about my EV.

For some reason it looked like it was leaning more than normal, so I checked the side stand mount. My loops run the same style stand, but the lean is different to the the higher stance of the EV.

I did find that the tab was worn and the mount that is bolted to the frame had a groove worn in where the tab slides. I found this rather odd. My loops have had their tabs for about 10 years and I don't know how many miles and the mounts are original if I remember right. The EV is only about 25,000 miles old. Can't believe the stand parts are worn that bad already.

On the spring thing. 2 springs were added for safety in case one breaks. On the EV, the 2 springs makes it a PITA to get the stand up for me as well as others that are not the tallest guys around. I modified the triangle spring mount by drilling a hole in between the existing spring holes. Works fine. BUT..... if I ever have that 1 spring break, the stand is going down.

Tom

[Groover]

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Be sure you're not sporting bell bottoms that might catch on that! Great idea, just watch for the snags when you need to put your feet down. That's my safety message for the day 

[Dharma Bum]

I found that my mount was also grooved so I put a spot of weld in the worn groove.  I replaced the triangle spring mount with a drilled washer.  This allowed the one spring to be stretched a bit more for added tension.  Works a lot easier than the two original springs.

[John A]

I put one on a V65C along with floorboards when Deb wanted floorboards on it. it hasn't fell over since, which was a regular occurrence before. to straighten the bend, I get someone to lean the bike over to the right and put a tube on the end of the stand, maybe 3 foot long, and press down. not for the faint of heart.

[elvisboy77]

My flats on the kickstand aren't notched, the retainer is a bit.

Gassed up today, below the filler neck.  On the side stand gas pours out of the tank!

Gotta make a fix, thinking we'll a 2" block to the part that rests on the ground.....gonna test with wooden blocks.

[Dharma Bum]

If that retainer is notched, either weld it up as I did or replace it.  It might not look like much, but sloppy clearances multiply to large differences as to where the end of the kickstand ends up, due to the length of the stand. I added a bit of high density plastic to my stand foot also, it straightened the bike right up.

[Tom H]

Are you gassing up with the bike level, like on the center stand? That can cause it be be overfilled when on the side stand.

Another thing to try to get the bike more level would be some washers under the stand mount, or as mentioned is something under the plate that hits the ground.

Tom

[Antietam Classic Cycle]

I always gas up my Convert on the centerstand, filling it up so the level comes just up to the bottom of the filler neck. Never have any spillage. I'd be checking the condition of the rubber gasket on the gas cap.

[elvisboy77]

Update, I managed to wedge a couple of short 3/16" threaded rod pieces in the space between the mounting bracket and the stand.  It keeps it from leaning over so much.

And yes, there was some crud on the gas cap so I cleaned that up, that surely was part of the issue.

I filled the tank to the bottom of the filler neck, it is a couple inches down into the tank at its bottom end.  Bike was on center stand when I filled it. 

I am going to take it apart for a look see, but at least I have the "duct tape" solution for now!