Motorcycle stands

A motorcycle stand lifts a wheel off the ground, but there are two very different ways of doing it. A centre stand bolts to the frame and travels with the bike wherever it goes; a paddock stand, or workshop stand, stays in the garage and lifts the bike from outside. You will find both here: SW-MOTECH centre stands made for each model and Puig paddock stands for the front and rear.

Centre stand or paddock stand: which suits you

• Centre stand: the choice for adventure and touring bikes. It lets you lube the chain halfway through a trip, park a loaded bike more securely or check the rear wheel at home. It only lifts the rear, adds a little weight and depends on the frame, so first check that one exists for your model and years.
• Paddock stand: the option for sports and naked bikes, which rarely take a centre stand. It is steadier for unhurried work, can lift the front as well and adds nothing to the bike, although it never leaves the garage.

How to choose a paddock stand

Start with the swingarm. On a conventional two-sided one, the rear stand lifts under the swingarm or hooks onto the swingarm spools bolted to it. On a single-sided swingarm you need a specific stand for the side the arm is on, left or right, which slides into the hollow wheel spindle with a pin sized to your bike; the Puig stands section also has those pins in every diameter. At the front there are two options: a front stand that lifts the bike under the fork legs, and a headstock stand that raises it through the steering head and leaves the forks free.

Using it without scares

With paddock stands, always lift the rear first and then the front, and lower the bike in the reverse order. If you tour with a loaded bike, the SW-MOTECH centre stands cover everything from the Africa Twin and Ténéré 700 to BMW's GS models, the V-Strom range or the Multistrada, and each product page gives the exact years. Everything else to kit out the bike is under motorcycle accessories.