I need a paddock stand. Are they all the same and should I therefore buy one from the internet or are some better than others? I’m probably going to Hein Greckie this weekend or maybe helmet city so could pick one up from there.
im selling my paddock stands if you are interested, PM me…
No, there are differences.
Rear stands;
There are 3 types here.
The first one is if you have a single sided swingarm, if so, then there is only this design.
and this is how it looks on the bike;
The other 2 are for conventional swing arms.
The first one of these has rubber pads on adjustable arms. These pads just locate on the underside of the swingarm, and lift the bike from there. These are ok, but can be a little fiddly to use, depending on what bike you have.
They look like this;
The second type, is the one that uses bobbins (or cotton reels)
attached to the swingarm, to lift the bike.
And they look like this;
These stands have a fixed or adjustable v piece (or some have a curved hook), that locates on the bobins to lift the bike up.
This is the curved hook type;
As far as front stands are concerned, there are generally 4 types here.
Under yoke;
and on the bike;
And then the 3 types that fit under the fork legs. again, it will depend on what bike you have, to decide which will be the best stand for you (your bike)
This is the first type;
one of the arms hooks under the bottom of the fork, whilst the other arm presses against the back of the fork leg to lift the bike (if you have radial calipers, then this type can be a little tricky to use.
Then you have this type;
this uses the holes in the bottom of fork legs to lift the bike (you need to be a little careful with these, as some times the width between the points can be quite different compared to that of the bottom of the fork legs, so you’ll need to bend the stand to get it to fit.
And then there’s this type;
this locates on the bottom and back of the forkleg and looks like this on the bike;
again, if you have radial brakes, you need to be a little careful with the length of the part that goes up against the back of the fork leg.
The final option is in Abba stand, which looks like this;
And on the bike, looks like this;
These are quite good and very sturdy and allow good access to the rear of the bike. They don’t lift the front of the bike, but with the bike on the stand, it’s easy to pop a small trolley jack under the sump to also lift the front wheel up, if needed.
There are some very new designs out on the market for stands, but these are very expensive things indeed.
Hope this helps.
Rich
Wow that’s great. Thanks for the advice.
You should buy an ABBA stand, good for virtually every bike you will ever have, therefore a cheap option
The Abba stand looks very quick and easy…
Is there any reason NOT to get one of these?
It also depends on how often you are going to use them, for me its very rarely so I got these
Ok, the Abba stand looks very clever and easy to use!
On the other hand, I’ve been sent a link to a very cheap pair of stands and adaptors from BikeTek:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BikeTek-Universal-Motorbike-Motorcycle-Front-Rear-Lift-Paddock-Stands-Pair-Set-/190652980789?pt=UK_Motorcycle_Parts&hash=item2c63cd9e35
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/12-7mm-Paddock-Stand-Bobbin-Hook-Adaptors-Paddle-replacement-Harris-bike-/170740647796?pt=UK_Motorcycle_Parts&hash=item27c0ef8774
I’ve been offered an Oxford rear stand with bobbins for £70 from the dealer I’m buying my bike, but I think that I’ll either spend some more and buy the Abba stand, or spend less and get the cheap pair of stands. Any opinions on the BikeTek ones?
-simon
I only have the need for a rear paddock stand. Cost £20 delivered.
Cheapest I’m getting one for mine is apparently £58 including postage, £96 in P+P for an Abba, which can be used on following bikes…
Does the GSX650 not come with a centre stand anyway?
Biketek stuff is at the cheap end of the market for a reason. Besides which, those front end stands are really only any use for removing the front wheel - how often are you likely to be doing that yourself?
Go for the Abba it’ll be cheaper in the long run - buy quality buy once! It’s also a lot easier & safer to use single-handed than a rear paddock stand & you can take the rear end apart should you need to which you can’t with a paddock one.
Thats because you have a single sided swing arm Andy.
@Pat - On the GSX650F it is an optional extra costing £80. Its only standard on the GSX1250F/FA
So, I have my Abba stand and some fittings from Pan, although not specifically the CB1000R fittings. Not as easy as they make it look at first…
Should the fitting be as loose as that? The connecting rod seems a little reluctant to move along the base too. Maybe a little lubricant?
I managed it in the end of course. Standing over from the left side, holding the fitting in place with my knee while I connected the opposite side rod to the base.
Oh dear, Pan I think I’ll be returning yours and getting the right ones. Abba tell me “This is completely the wrong fitting kit and looks very dangerous if you was to lift the bike on this kit!” :Whistling:
hey dude…
just saw this… as said they are from a gixxer but seem to fit on the bike. i thought it looked stable on mine but if Abba say its dangerous then dont use them
was worth a try
btw the fitting shouldnt be that loose. did you put in on the correct side?
I’ve just never seen the need for a paddock stand. If you have a centre stand that’s the rear wheel sorted and you just need a jack to lift up the front wheel. You also get to remove swing arms and forks without a paddock stand.
However if I was to get one I’d be looking for something like this. Front and back sorted, you can remove anything and the bikes safe, and heck you can even push the bike out the garage to work in the sunshine if you want.
There are other types and brands that lift both wheels off ground and move about, but this is the style of stand I’m thinking of. Why buy anything else?
Damn, that’s pretty awesome. Not sure I’d pay over £400 for it (with the exchange rates, shipping, brackets, etc), but it’s cool!
I ended up buying the Oxford stand from my dealer, £45 for the thicker more solid one that retails at £60 usually. I have some bobbins that someone left on my bike by mistake, will return them someday I’m sure 
Think I would agree…
Fairly sure. I don’t think they went in at all the other way round. 
Yeah, worth a try though 