R100RT center stand [Archive]

Tbarcia

08-05-2008, 07:30 PM

I am trying to determine if I have the original centerstand on my 1984 R100RT. If it is original it is very poorly designed or worn out. The bike is very unstable on it and has almost fallen several times. When I put the bike on it both wheels are still firmly on the ground. My previous Beemers we rock solid on their centerstands and allowed me to turn the wheels. Any info would be greatly appreciated.

rpeckham136133

08-05-2008, 09:31 PM

You probably should re-post this, or have a moderator move it, to the Airheads tech forum.... Airheads is geared to the '70's up to mid-80's airhead bikes.

Post a picture....are the rounded feet worn flat? Those centerstands were pretty much all the same!

James.A

08-06-2008, 03:35 AM

Be sure to check the bosses on the underside of the frame where the pivot bushings are attached.

lkchris

08-07-2008, 11:16 AM

Sounds like a Reynolds Ride-off Stand.

Especially if it's chrome-plated.

Tbarcia

08-07-2008, 01:32 PM

The picture shows how narrow the centerstand is. You can also see the feet are not worn much. Also the bolts that hold the centerstand have very little slop in them.

tghsmith

08-07-2008, 01:47 PM

looking at the rusty sections and the pads that were added,you have a stock stand that has been modified at least once, shortened and then worked on again, best bet find the correct stand in a used and unmolested condition.

lkchris

08-08-2008, 10:58 AM

Another genius butchers a BMW.

I'll 2nd that your only hope is a new, full-height stock centerstand.

Tbarcia

08-25-2008, 04:57 PM

Just installed a new center stand and it is exactly how I remember my previous Beemers. Rock solid. Thanks for all the help.

pedrocasper

09-02-2008, 10:29 AM

Okay, I have been reading this forum for many years and enjoying it a lot. I also have a 1984 R100RT. Is is sufficiently vintage enough for me to be posting in this forum? :-)

rpeckham136133

09-02-2008, 11:16 AM

You will probably find more views/interest etc in Airheads section.

http://www.bmwmoa.org/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=13

Vintage is generally considered pre-1970
Airheads, probably 1970- late '80's.

pedrocasper

09-02-2008, 12:12 PM

20774

09-02-2008, 02:28 PM

rpeckham136133

09-02-2008, 07:58 PM

Thanks, my question was one more of airhead philosophy. When does a bike become "Vintage" for the purpose of this forum? Is a 24 year old /7 bike old enough to be vintage? Or is that insulting to the /2 crowd? That is all.

Pete

Your bike is vintage, my bike is vintage, I am vintage, even you are probably vintage.....:laugh As long as you find the right people to respond, who really cares....!

pedrocasper

09-03-2008, 03:37 PM

You got that right, i am vintage. lol. I

DarrylRi

09-03-2008, 08:36 PM

I just noticed this thread... :blush Shame on me as a mod.

Although the various vintage clubs tend to have some minimum age that rolls forward, as this forum has an Airheads area, that's probably the place for all of the 247 discussion.

As a vintage and Airhead owner, I certainly don't take offence at seeing one as the other. It's just a matter of putting the postings where the folks with the relevant experience will be most likely to see it.

With that in mind, I'm moving this over to the Airheads area.

kstoo

09-03-2008, 09:27 PM

Another genius butchers a BMW.

I'll 2nd that your only hope is a new, full-height stock centerstand.

not necessarilly. modifying this centerstand is an attempt to fix something that does not work. On my 82 RS I am having fits because the centerstand is so poorly designed. Feel free to butcher it because it is crap. A new full-height centerstand is not hope because the way that it is mounted will prevent it from working reliable for very long. I'm frustrated.

lkchris

09-03-2008, 09:49 PM

not necessarilly. modifying this centerstand is an attempt to fix something that does not work. On my 82 RS I am having fits because the centerstand is so poorly designed. Feel free to butcher it because it is crap. A new full-height centerstand is not hope because the way that it is mounted will prevent it from working reliable for very long. I'm frustrated.

Surest way to destroy the centerstand mounts on one of these bikes is to install a ride-off stand--or in this case attempt to make your own.

20774

09-04-2008, 04:39 AM

Surest way to destroy the centerstand mounts on one of these bikes is to install a ride-off stand--or in this case attempt to make your own.

Kent -

The centerstand mounts on my /7 with a Reynolds ride-off stand are fine 20 years on. You might want to qualify your statement...I would add that installing a ride-off stand AND actually riding off of it will damage your centerstand mounts over time. But using it strictly as a stand actually puts less load on the centerstand mounts because when in use, some of the weight of the bike is shared by the tires, and thus not on the centerstand mounts. Plus, the movement up and over when deploying the stand is not as dramatic or dynamic of a motion as compared to the stock centerstand, thus transferring less load to the mounts.

One man's opinion...

skiteach

09-04-2008, 05:33 AM

I agree with 20774. I no longer have to carry a sheet metal plate to put on ground before deploying stand. I found my bike on it's side many times. Asphalt or dirt, the stock stand carried more weight and pushed into anything that wasn't concrete. The Reynolds hasn't let me down yet. I also do not "ride off" it and have used it for 25 yrs.

rocketman

09-04-2008, 07:05 AM

Thanks, my question was one more of airhead philosophy. When does a bike become "Vintage" for the purpose of this forum? Is a 24 year old /7 bike old enough to be vintage? Or is that insulting to the /2 crowd? That is all.

Pete
many states it seems require a machine to be 30 years old to qualify for "vintage" or "antique" tags and most seem to feel that 25 years is "classic" rather than vintage. but I wonder if you have a /7 it would have to be older than 24 years now, since I believe the "/7" designation was dropped in 83-84, possibly the year prior, makng any "/7" at least 26 to 31 years old now. (77-83/84).

RM

DarrylRi

09-04-2008, 09:08 AM

many states it seems require a machine to be 30 years old to qualify for "vintage" or "antique" tags and most seem to feel that 25 years is "classic" rather than vintage. but I wonder if you have a /7 it would have to be older than 24 years now, since I believe the "/7" designation was dropped in 83-84, possibly the year prior, makng any "/7" at least 26 to 31 years old now. (77-83/84).

RM

While different clubs and different states may have distinctions based on the age of a bike, the MOA does not. As this forum has a home for the/5 and forward Airhead bikes, I believe that anything pre-/5 belongs in the Vintage area.

Historically, this makes a very sound place to make the break, too, because the /5 represents one of the few places where BMW really changed everything all at once; revolution instead of evolution. Almost nothing beyond the timing hole rubber plug carries forward from the /2s to the /5s. (This is not quite true because the US models on the R50/R60/R69 had what later became the telescopic forks on the /5, but even then not everything carries forward.)

Because of this, it makes sense to keep the /5 and later conversations together, and the /2 and earlier conversations together, in order to focus them where they are likely to get the biggest, most knowledgeable audience.

felaw

09-04-2008, 10:13 AM

It's all I can do to get My 83 RT fully loaded up onto the center stand. My 80 T is easy. My friend says they redesigned the stand and the 83 is different, but to me they look the same. Would a Reynolds stand make it easier?

20774

09-04-2008, 10:32 AM

Would a Reynolds stand make it easier?

Yes. With the stock stand, you have to physically get one of the tires completely off the ground. That means that the bike has to be levered higher. With the Reynolds, both tires essentially remain in contact with the ground, even while putting the bike up on the stand. You still have to provide the impetus to get it up and over the hump, but for all practical purposes, the tires are still on the ground. At least they don't have to go as high as the stock stand.

There is a downside with the Reynolds. With both tires on the ground, you'll have a bear getting at a flat tire. There are ways around that and hopefully(!) that situation doesn't arise often. Even doing maintenance in the garage requires that you deal with the situation, but it's really not that big of a deal.

What most will advise you not to do is use the stand as the name suggests - ride off. It's unnecessary strain on the mounting locations as well as the drivetrain. In dire situations, I've been none to ride off but I can count on one hand the number of times that has happened in 20 years.

kstoo

09-04-2008, 12:37 PM

To understand my emotional frustration with centerstands, and to disqualify certain other statements by others, I am frustrated with the late 1980 to 1984 centerstand with the countersunk bolt that runs through a bushing from the inside of the frame. The countersunk will wear and pivot any way that it wants to and begin to bend the frame mounts. Soon the contact points between the stand and the frame begin wearing down allowing the stand to go too far forward when deployed. When the bike is on the stand at that excessive angle it is almost impossible to get it off the stand. On the RS that I just bought I had to use a wrench with a long pipe to bend the frame mounts back to where they were parallel to each other instead of toed in. Then I had to have a weld bead put on the point where the stand stops on the frame mount. I replaced the countersunk bolts, oversize bushings and added a flat washer to keep the stand in the frame mounts. It is better but not acceptable. and even so it seems to be too long; The RS is raised up a whole lot higher by the centerstand than the /6.
I have had absolutely no issues with any /6 stands, ever. I have a ride-off stand that was on my T when I bought it, I have never had any issues with it, ever. I have ISSUES with my 1982 RS and I have been getting reports from others about major problems with these.

So, can any one share a fix for this for me!

20774

09-04-2008, 06:50 PM

So, can any one share a fix for this for me!

kstoo -

Oak discussed fixing this problem in a 2004 Airmail tech tip. He mentions doing some welding to put a bead at the right point such that the angle the stand goes to is correct. You're talking more about the tabs bending, etc.,...maybe related...or not. Oak goes on to mention getting the BMW update kit part number 46-52-9-056-256. I can't quite tell what that is from the various parts fiche... Maybe it's a step in the right direction.

Ha...I just noticed that that number is shown on the PDF file you attached...along with NA next to it! It also looks like it might be for '81 and early '82 models only. Bummer...