[Richard230]

My 2011 Bullet does a decent job of keeping its 19" rear wheel off of the ground. I just measured the clearance and it is 1".  Good enough. 

[AzCal Retred]

My Bullets running 4.00 x 19 rear & both 3.50 x 19 & 4.00x19 front tyres still elevate the rear wheel when on the center stand, so I suspect there are worn/ovaled pivot point components in play if they don't.

If you have an arc welder, maybe you could add some "gripper" beading to the centerstand pads whilst in place. Small rod & low heat might do the trick.

[Karl Childers]

I9'' tires front and rear on mine, about 1,900 miles on the bike, I don't think wear can be an issue, so probably poor machine tolerances on the parts?? After some soul searching I've decided to build my bullet as a trials / scrambler  and not buying a second Bullet for that so the biggest motivator to me in removing it is to gain more ground clearance, otherwise I could have lived with it as is. I have plenty of lifts and stands for service work on the bike  so I really won't miss having a factory center stand.

[Adrian II]

RE (India) have several different center stands, all of which LOOK very similar but are of different lengths. It can be an issue with the old Redditch Bullets too, especially when people start fitting different size wheels to what the factory fitted.

My 1961 350 came supplied with 17" wheels, but a previous owner converted it to a trail bike with 18" rear and 21" front wheels, which I assume is the size you would be using. To allow for the taller wheels, PO had had thicker feet welded to the stand (aluminum in this case) which gave him the necessary height.

When I bought the motorcycle I found that I'd have to change the front end, he'd fitted a set of disk brake forks with a badly modified drum front wheel. Having a set of Indian Bullet drum brake Bullet forks to hand, I fitted those and found this happening.



For some reason the disc brake forks were a good 1½" shorter.



A friend on the MBR forum donated an Electra-X center stand, these are longer than the iron-barrel Bullet's stand to take account of the longer rear shocks on that model, and it looks like it will be long enough to sit the bike at the right height. 



If you're binning the center stand that's on there, not an issue, but if you do want to have one, part number 801456 is probably your friend.

A.

[Willie]

I wonder if the center-stand pivot point has oval due to use and weight of the bike over time.  If those pivot points oval, the center stand would be positioned too far forward as AzCal explained.   The photo attached shows the pivot oval on a Iron Barrel center stand plates, note the oval on the old plate.


On your G5, the plates would look something like this:
https://accessories.hitchcocksmotorcycles.com/20310?qty=2&continue_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.hitchcocksmotorcycles.com%2Fpartsbook-pages%2F2321

i]Good point.  I will check mine when I get a chance.  I am not very good at abstract visualization, but could this also cause the stand to hang closer to the ground when retracted?  Thanks[/i]

[axman88]

My 2011 Bullet does a decent job of keeping its 19" rear wheel off of the ground. I just measured the clearance and it is 1".

I poked into this and sure enough, different stands used on the Classic and Bullet, ... for 2011

2011  Classic UCE , 18" wheels F&R, stand #801580     https://www.hitchcocksmotorcycles.com/partsbook-pages/4905
2011  Bullet B5 EFI, 19" wheels F&R, stand #867003 , (presumably longer)   https://www.hitchcocksmotorcycles.com/partsbook-pages/2273

Unsurprisingly, just as Adrian said.  A recurring theme with RE part specifications, .... much variety and subtlety!

I again recommend that the OP post a couple pictures of the component, in situ, which would likely lead to rapid diagnosis, if that is possible.

[Guaire]

The concrete floor in my garage is super slick. It's impossible to push a bike forward off the center stand. But, it's the only place I have this problem.
  One solution is to get one of those rubber mats you put in the bottom of the bath tub to keep from slipping in the shower. I cut one in half. Now I have two!
   It works fine. You could bring one with you if you have the problem everywhere.

[Richard230]

The concrete floor in my garage is super slick. It's impossible to push a bike forward off the center stand. But, it's the only place I have this problem.
  One solution is to get one of those rubber mats you put in the bottom of the bath tub to keep from slipping in the shower. I cut one in half. Now I have two!
   It works fine. You could bring one with you if you have the problem everywhere.

I thought about doing that, but figured that the weight of the bike on the center stand would eventually cut through the rubber bath mat. That has not happened with the hard rubber mat that I have on my (also slippery) garage floor. The problem that I was having was with my BMW R1200RS. It would tend to slide along the floor as I tried to push it off the stand. Sitting on the mat it no longer does that. 

[Willie]

I poked into this and sure enough, different stands used on the Classic and Bullet, ... for 2011

2011  Classic UCE , 18" wheels F&R, stand #801580     https://www.hitchcocksmotorcycles.com/partsbook-pages/4905
2011  Bullet B5 EFI, 19" wheels F&R, stand #867003 , (presumably longer)   https://www.hitchcocksmotorcycles.com/partsbook-pages/2273

Unsurprisingly, just as Adrian said.  A recurring theme with RE part specifications, .... much variety and subtlety!

I again recommend that the OP post a couple pictures of the component, in situ, which would likely lead to rapid diagnosis, if that is possible.

Ooops!  Forgot the pics.  Here goes:

[hpwaco]

Have/had same problem with my 14gt but only on my garage floor.   Piece of rubber backed fabric door mat solved the problem.

[mrunderhill1975a]

Yep, that seems to be a really smooth floor, sometime the contractor does too good of a job of laying cement floors (doesn't happen much where I live , the stand needs something rough to catch on.  A piece of carpet would do the trick, also, it would absorb oil in the event the bike starts marking it's territory.

[Willie]

Well, I attached pieces of car floor mat with really "grippy" rubber bottoms on the feet and the deployment leg.  It still slides across the floor, but at least I can retract it now by putting my foot in front of it rather than a wedge.  The additional thickness, however, has made it much more difficult to get it up on the stand!  I think I will just wait until winter weather and then take the dang thing off and have some flat feet welded to the tubular ones.  Otherwise I am in danger of a hernia just trying to get the wheels on and off the ground!

[Bilgemaster]

Maybe a couple of pieces of radiator or similarly stout rubber hose with an inner diameter snug with the outer diameter of the centerstand's cylindrical feet, slit about halfway lengthwise and perhaps shaped to allow for the protrusion of the centerstand's legs, held on with a zipties fed through the hollow feet and then around them and the hose? That should give the stand far better "gripper" purchase on slippery surfaces without raising the bike too
 high. Or, just try going full-on "geriatric gripster" with tennis balls!

[AzCal Retred]

Well, the stand needs to get shorter, or the wheels become a larger OD, or you'll need to enroll in that "Charles Atlas" course with the Chiropractor speed dial option.

Adding stand height automatically increases the total lift and decreases your leverage.

The plain rubber floormat solution doesn't change the geometry and should last longer than fabric directly under a pressure point. The wear is spread out. Mats are cheap compared to back surgery.

Taller tyres make the stand effectively shorter, actually decreasing lift effort. The 350/400x19's front & rear on my Bullet mean there is less total lift required. The stand-over height is slightly greater, but not unacceptably so. Way better traction for my purposes too.

Starting to look like a 15 minute job for an 8" grinder. Eat away at the high spots, the rough surface left behind will automagically be grippier than that smooth pipe that's there now. Stop grinding when it's low enough & grippy enough. Some 6018 farm-grade weld rod will bring it back to spec if you overshoot...

[Willie]

Maybe a couple of pieces of radiator or similarly stout rubber hose with an inner diameter snug with the outer diameter of the centerstand's cylindrical feet, slit about halfway lengthwise and perhaps shaped to allow for the protrusion of the centerstand's legs, held on with a zipties fed through the hollow feet and then around them
and the hose? That should give the stand far better "gripper" purchase on slippery surfaces without raising the bike too
high. Or, just try going full-on "geriatric gripster" with tennis balls!

Thanks!  I almost went with the tennis balls idea, but then I remembered that my 120 lb Anatolian Shepherd thinks they are hors d'oeuvres!  Come to think of it, maybe I can train him to get the bike off the stand?