If you are new to motorcycling then you might also think why to put a Motorcycle on a Stand, there are many reasons why you need to use a motorcycle stand. Many people who are new to the riding world think that having a motorcycle stand adds a cool factor, but no, it is a functional factor.
Motorcycle stands can help you in doing regular maintenance like oil change, changing brake pads, changing or lubing the chain, or mounting tires, and it can also be used to store your motorcycle during winters, as your tires will not touch the floor, thus you will not face flat spots.
There are many other uses of a motorcycle stand, and in our article, we are going to tell you why you need one as well if you don’t have one right now, as they can save a lot of your money in the long run.
Table of Contents
Why You Need a Motorcycle Stand
If you noticed or not, but there are many motorcycles that don’t come with a side stand, and the reason for that varies, the racing motorcycles don’t add stands because it adds additional unnecessary weight to your bike that can reduce the performance and speed of the bike.
And in dirt bikes, some brands ass kickstands but some don’t as it helps them in making some more money by not giving side stands, and the other reason is that sometimes while doing off-road these stands get stuck in many things that can harm the rider or cause a major accident.
Kickstands are not secure while doing off-road, and they might fall from the bike while riding, this is another reason why motorcycle companies don’t give kickstands.
— Also read: How Safe is Motorcycling: 4 Points why Motorcycling is Safer
And in cruiser bikes and naked sportbikes, the kickstands that they come with is very lightweight and they bend over time, and I faced this issue with my Fat Boy as well, because of the massive weight of the bike it starts to bend after five or six months, and then I have to buy a new one.
But these motorcycle stands are not that lightweight and can last longer than traditional kickstands. And you have also seen motorcycle stands in MotoGP Racing as well, they use it for warming up their tires, before racing.
Benefits of Motorcycle Stand
There are many benefits of having a motorcycle stand, that is why these are so popular among all motorcycle riders, and motorcycle mechanics, you can use them to do a lot of work.
- Maintenance Work: You can use motorcycle stands for doing all kinds of maintenance works like oil change, chain lube, tire change, brake pad change. And if you go to a mechanic for these simple things then he is going to charge you a lot, these are some simple things that one can easily do with the help of a manual.
— Also read: How to Prevent the Damage Caused by Motorcycle Accidents, From a Rider’s Perceptive
- Transportation: I don’t know if you ever saw a bike attached to a trailer on a highway or not, but I saw a lot of riders use motorcycle stands to fix their motorcycle to their trailers and then transport it for the track day or for some off-road trail.
- Storing: Winters can be the most hated season for motorcycle riders, you cannot ride your bikes during this season, and at that time your motorcycle is going to still stand for 2-3 months and this can cause flat tires or damage to the shape of the tires, but if you use motorcycle stands to store your bike, then tires are not going to touch the floor, the weight is now on the stands.
- Moving: There are some motorcycle stands that can help you to move your bike easily inside your garage, and these stands are called motorcycle dolly, you can check out the best seller motorcycle dolly from here as well.
[amazon box=”B006ZB8SCK” template=”horizontal”]
- Cleaning: These stands also help in doing the cleaning of your motorcycle, now you can reach more places inside out, and clean your bike. Or you can also use these stands to click awesome images as well, these stands make your bike cooler.
Types of Motorcycle Stands
There are various kinds of dirt bike stands to choose from and a buyer needs to know about all of those, it will help you in making a better buying decision for your wallet. There are four types of Dirt Bike Stands:
- Portable: Dirt bike stands that are light or heavy with caster wheels come under this type of stands. If you want to carry your stand to a stunt park or a professional motocross rider, you must go for the portable models.
Being lightweight or having wheels, they can easily be carried in a truck/trailer or even your car. Such stands help you make last moment adjustments to your dirtbike before hitting the dirt/stunt course.
Though they have some limitations, they might be the best option for you if you work alone and want to perform some last-minute tweaks to your bike.
- Standard: Standard dirt bike stands are meant for beginners or casual riders. Most of such stands are static or fixed height stands.
They are usually made of polycarbonates or sometimes alloys like steel. Standard bike stands don’t have a height adjustment system and hence are meant for riders who don’t struggle with their bikes.
Fixed height stands are not recommended for short riders or riders who strive to put their dirt bike on a stand.
- Hydraulics: Hydraulic stands have a hydraulic lifting system which is usually activated by a foot pedal. These stands can lift a large amount of weight and can provide a sturdy and stable lift.
But being so sturdy and usually made up of alloys or metals, they cost a fortune and are very heavy.
These stands are generally used by novice or even seasoned riders who tweak and service their bike themselves.
These are the ideal stands for short riders, as you can just place the top of the stand under the middle frame of your bike and just press on the pedal to raise your bike.
- Heavy Duty: Heavy-duty dirt bike stands include scissor lift jack stands and hydraulic stands. Some high-end stands have a combination of both center scissors and hydraulic systems.
These stands are costly and are used by professional and competitive racing crews. These stands have 1000lbs+ weight-bearing capacity and provide a very stable lift.
They are very heavy and can only be transported with the help of a crew. They offer various locking positions at multiple angles for services such as oil draining, front tire raise, rear tire raise, etc.
There is one other type of paddock stand that also comes in the market, and that is a center stand that is attached to the center part of the bike under the handlebar in the front section of the bike.
This stand is better than the regular paddock stand because it is attached to the bottom section of the handlebar, not to the tire or suspension, you can now work on your suspension as well. It costs a little more but it is worth buying.
- Should I store my motorcycle on a stand?
Yes, you can store your motorcycle on a stand, but don’t put it into a side stand for a long time this will prevent the flat spots on your motorcycle’s tire, and you can also do one more thing, start your motorcycle at least one time a week and keep it on for 5-10 minutes so that the engine oil doesn’t settle to the bottom of the engine block.
We have made a detailed article on Best Dirt Bike Stands, we will make a list of more types of bikes later on. There are many types of motorcycle stands for you, and you have to pick the perfect one for you, every bike has a different kind of motorcycle stand, we will give you some of the best motorcycle stands for every type of motorcycle:
- Sport Motorcycles: Goplus Motorcycle Stand
- Cruisers & Street Bikes: Orion Motor Tech Dilated Scissor Lift Jack
- Front Wheel Locking System: CONDOR PS-1500 Pit Trailer-Stop
Buy a hard stand that can support the bike weight with the rider sitting on it, there are some cheap stand that says do not sit on your bike while it is on stand, because the stand may break and can cause damage to the bike.