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Frame/center stand issue

42K views 169 replies 39 participants last post by  GordSeifert 
#1 · (Edited)
Cracked Frame with Center Stand

So, I go out to wash the bike & put it up on the center stand & notice it's not sitting right. It's sitting on the right pad of the center stand and the part that you put your foot on to get it up on the stand. The left pad (near me) isn't hitting the ground & the bikes leaning to the right a little bit. Hmmm. do some looking around & find the frame is cracked on both the left & right sides allowing the center stand to go too far forward. Called the dealer & the service guy said "We'll pick it up, don't ride it." So, it goes into the shop Friday. Could be there a couple month's since they'll probably have to replace the frame. If you have a center stand, you might want to check it out. Could be a recall coming.
 
#4 · (Edited)
Looking back through the OP's posts, it's a new Street Twin fitted with accessory stand part number A9778019.

Is it the tabs, labelled 3, that are broken?:



More drawings in the fitting instructions here, see if you can point out where the break is, it'll help others to check their frames or even better, a photo:

http://www.triumphinstructions.com/ProdDocs/A9778019-EN.pdf

Mods: Perhaps it might be worth changing the title to include "broken frame" in the title, it would attract more views to what could be a serious safety issue.
 
#10 ·
gary15068,

Looks like the center stand bracket welds broke at their beads. This is a serious problem that will get Triumph's attention. I'll bet that you'll be getting a new replacement ST since this one will likely be undergoing extensive failure analysis.

The center stand brackets on my T120 are designed in much the same way. I inspected them and found no problems.

Glad you were not hurt. The dealer was right to advise that the bike not be ridden.

Hope you'll keep us posted!
 
#11 ·
That part of a bikes frame takes some serious twisting load once the weight of the whole bike is on the stand. No wonder triumph withdrew sale of their centre stand kits.
The brackets design and quality/depth of those welds would be OK on 50cc moped. Appaling on plus 200kg bike.

And this perhaps explains the bikes shortage of supply. What do you do with the runs of production in stock and going through the distrbution network when you discover this. Your only option is to stop production and distrbution. Then test and inspect every bike to see how wide spread the fault is.

My guess is you can't order a new bike with a stand. And those that have them will be recalled and removed at the first service. Fact they just launched a step up in production suggests they think the problem is now corrected on the welding line or perhaps a revision in design?

The danger here is that bikes fall over as the brackets will pull off the frame. Probably the more heavily loaded with luggage at first. Then more as the welds fatigue with use. If it falls the riders way then not so bad as the foot bracket will slow it down. If the other side breaks off the bike will fall away from you and out of your control. If that's onto a passer by, into a line off passing traffic or into a car or bike parked along side then you will have an insurance claim against you.

What's important to watch is how Triumph deal with current bikes. All are suspect for now. Looking at the design I doubt any extra strength can be bolted on. Next option is to improve the welds and perhaps a clever extra plate or two but the stripping out of anything sensitive to the heat of welding could be a major job fraught with yet more problems. And then the problem of restoring the paint finish if its original doesn't burn off too badly from the heat.
 
#15 ·
Some dealers list stands. Others not. And they might blame the problem on a DIY fit so all beware.

From a snoop round my dealers I think the other frames are slightly different so with luck missed this dodgy welder/operative. Triumph might know the frame numbers by now which need fetching in. That welding station will have performed more than just the stand welds. They can play the numbers down because not all will have stands. That said does anyone know if the crate stand uses the same lugs. My frame shows signs of something having been fitted there.
My Warranty says report any suspected fault within two weeks or could be void.
 
#18 ·
Yes that's not what a stand is intended for.

In my experience a weak old stand, its pivot or frame brackets break as the bike is put onto the stand when its loaded with panniers and a top box. This just as the whole bikes weight goes over centre and stops abruptly as the stand stops strike against the frame brackets. The mechanical advantage is about 10:1. Length of stand versus length of welds from centre of pivot. Assuming half the static load once the bike is on the stand is in the stops. The rest on the pivot. A 200kg bike easily puts 1,000kg load onto its stops if you slam it onto the stand (dynamic). Means each bracket gets about half a ton trying to twist it off the frame while its just standing there. Or perhaps not standing in some cases!

Just been under my own frame for a good look. The brackets are small and only weld to one transverse frame tube that's about 1" in diameter. They don't spread the load of the stand into the frame by spanning two or more tubes as is more common. Worse still is that the welding fillets on both frame brackets are at best 4mm. That's for a length of approximately 50mm (25mm each side of pivot centre) - about what would be adequate to secure good a battery box!!!! Fact the brackets did not abut tight to the frame before welding in the jig means the strength of the already inadequate welds is very weak. The shame is that the flip side of the brackets on both sides of the frame don't have any welding at all. Yet abut the tube they should secure to quite well. That would be the perfect place for good standard welds to have been made at the factory. But not to lose hope. Well hidden if Triumph now decide to rectify frames with adequate welds before they start to crack off though.
 
#21 · (Edited)
It wont be in your garage if it cracks or splits the welds. Triumph will take it away after issuing warnings not to ride it. Helps them have as little evidence as possible of the problem out there in circulation. Quite when they will let you have it or another one back will be the BIG issue...... Their warranty says not responsible for loss of use or money. So a warranty for a vehicle that they cant warrant will serve as a vehicle?

Been there three time in my life with new vehicles. They got your money. You got no wheels. Its no joke.
 
#22 ·
Well, if I look at the pictures and drawings, it seems to me that the the stand mounting bracket is quite adequate for the intended purpose which is to support the bike. I am sure that what the OP hasn't and won't tell us is that he has probably tried turning the bike whilst it's on the stand. This would cause the mountings to flex sideways and break the welds. Consider how many of these bikes have been sold (including all T120's) plus how many have had a center stand retrofitted and we now have one failure. Makes you think doesn't it? I would be surprised that, after they do their analysis, Triumph would even consider any warranty.
 
#27 ·
Caromba, this is the only spot I put the bike on the center stand. After seeing this do you really think I would try to spin this bike next to a brand new MX5 Miata? To me, it looks like the welds failed with the torsion effect of putting the bike up on the stand.

 
#30 ·
That's better. Instructions posted here say remove right muffler and connecting pipe to fit stand. Instruction digram only shows one return spring and only refers to one spring. They also say do not exceed 80 mph once the stand fitted.... All a bit Meccano / Leggo rather than motorcycle to me.
 
#32 ·
T120 Center Stand

I inspected my T120 center stand and don't see any signs of breaks, cracks or rust. Those pair of brackets holding the stand and its pivot points are L shaped and welded only on the outside, the cross tube they are welded to appears in good condition, dirty, but solid. Not sure the design of the mount is the same as that posted by Forchetto very early in this thread, although it might be identical. Looking at my T100, the center stand mounts there seem more robust than the T120. I've 5K miles on the T120 and have it up and off it's center stand almost daily and pop the bike off of the stand while straddling the bike, not while standing next to it.
 
#37 ·
Thanks for taking and posting pictures grebmof. The earlier bikes stands clearly
spread the twisting moment out wider and across two or three different frame members. STRONG.
Wet twins concentrate the same into just two welds and around the outside of just one frame tube. Time will tell if they are up to the job long term.
 
#39 ·
I don't think that would make any difference. The spindle only sees shear stress and introducing friction by squeezing the lugs together with a through bolt would still leave the lugs experiencing the same loads. It is possible that introducing a spacer between the lugs so that they were mechanically linked might help a bit. This would be in place of the current spindle and would be slightly longer than the stands outer pivot tube.

Fasteners at each end would then lock it to the lugs, or alternatively if the spacer were hollow rather than having tapped holes at the ends a through bolt could be used. This is a variation on your suggestion which would see the stand pivot on an inner tube or spindle which was locked rigidly to the frame thus forming a fully constrained rectangle with the lugs at each end no longer free to twist independently. A very easy recall for Triumph to implement requiring nothing more than a steel bar tapped at each end and a couple of high tensile M14 bolts!
 
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