Stand up straight: Best motorcycle paddock stands as chosen by MCN

Published: 14 September 2023 Updated: 08 March 2024

There are lots of reasons why a motorcycle paddock stand is a fundamental accessory, even if you’ve only got a basic tool set-up.

First and foremost, bikes like being stored upright. There are several models that specifically don’t like being stored for any length of time on just the side stand – the oil drains to one side and exposes the engine’s internals to air and moisture, with potential corrosion issues.

They can also be very useful for general maintenance; if your bike doesn’t have a centre stand but does use a chain, then cleaning and lubricating the chain is far easier if the rear wheel is off the ground, as is adjusting the chain tension.

The best motorcycle paddock stands at a glance:

Best value for money paddock stand: Oxford Premium Paddock Stands – view on Sportsbikeshop
Best paddock centre stand: Abba Superbike Stand – view on Demon Tweeks
Best moveable paddock stand: Oxford Zero-G Dolly Stand – view on Sportsbikeshop

And if you need to remove the rear wheel for any reason – for example, if you’re replacing the chain and sprockets – then you’ll need to get it off the ground.

At the front, it’s a similar situation; you may need to remove the front wheel to replace bearings or get tyres changed, for example, or just to get weight off the wheels and tyres during storage to prevent the tyres from becoming misshaped.

Best Deals at a Glance

£35 off Oxford Premium Front Paddock Stand – was £99.99, now £64.98

38% off Oxford Premium Rear Paddock Stand – was £99.99, now £61.64

Oxford Premium Paddock Stand

Best value for money paddock stand

Price: £61.64 was £99.99

www.sportsbikeshop.co.uk

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The Oxford Premium motorcycle paddock stands are made from 38mm tubular steel and feature a main loop with a separate extended handle to make raising the bike as easy as possible. There's also a front Oxford Premium stand that comes with plasticised pins to lift the fork ends. The rear comes with both L-shaped cups for swingarms and hooks for bobbins, though the bobbins are bought separately (from £15.99). Both are good for a maximum wheel size of 17in and were awarded the Best Buy triangle by sister title RiDE. Tested by Richard Newland for 10 months: "There have been three occasions in my life when I've watched bikes gracefully keel over and land like beached whales on their sides thanks to collapsing paddock stands.

"Thankfully, I'm confident it won't happen with a front and rear motorcycle paddock stand from Oxford. The long handle section gives good leverage to hoik even the heaviest bikes off terra firma, and once lifted, the bike feels rock-solid and secure.

"Crucially, they also use double wheels per arm, ensuring there's less torsional twist when the mass of your bike is bearing down on them. Great value for money."

Pros

Great value
Long handle for leverage
Well made

Cons

Colour choice not for everyone

Abba Superbike Stand

Best paddock centre stand

Price: £126.91

www.demon-tweeks.com

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The Abba Superbike stand is a bit like a centre stand for bikes that can't use them. It fits, via a bike-specific mounting kit, to the bike's swingarm mount on each side and the extending handle is used to tip the bike forward, lifting it off the ground. It's a stable and useful way to lift the bike, but it will naturally rest on the front wheel. However, an adapter is available to help lift the front wheel off the ground, or the frame could be chocked if you need both wheels off the ground.

Tested by Jim Blackstock: "While the Superbike stand and front-lift arm kit are not cheap, compared with some paddock stands, they are significantly cheaper than a pair of front and rear paddock stands from a decent manufacturer.

"The cheaper paddock stands are not particularly good quality, and the Abba stand scores because it is easy to lift the bike and when it is in the air, it is rock solid, giving you the confidence to tackle any job on it.

"You can also use adapters to remove the swingarm – not something you can do with a paddock stand – if you need to, and £20 makes it useable on another bike. It's a great addition to the workshop and made the jobs I had to do not only possible but so much safer and easier."

Read our full Abba Superbike stand review

Pros

Fits a huge variety of bikes
Easy to use and safe and stable
British made

Cons

Bike tips forward onto front wheel

Oxford Zero-G Rear Dolly Stand

Best moveable paddock stand

Price: £119.99

www.sportsbikeshop.co.uk

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A movable motorcycle paddock stand that locks into your back wheel and then allow the bike to be manoeuvred around on heavy-duty castors. This makes it far easier to move your bike around than when it's on its wheels, especially good in tight spaces.

Tested by Adam Binnie: "I'm a bit short on space in my garage, and there's usually a car on the driveway backed up to the door - this means a lot of to and fro-ing to get my bike into the right space.

"The castor wheels on this Oxford paddock stand mean I can spin the bike 180 degrees if need be and manoeuvre it into the space against the wall where it can be safe from falling objects or heavy garage items dragged past its easy-to-scratch paint.

"It requires a bit of assembly but feels rock sold once put together, and the castors can be locked in place to stop it sliding around when you don't want it to. Oxford was very keen to point out this is only to be used on smooth concrete floors, though you can't go wheeling it down the street.

"I've found it super useful when working on the bike in my small garage space because I can move it around to access the other side without having to drop the stand, reposition and then put it back on the stand. A really useful bit of kit."

Pros

Handy in tight spaces
Well-made

Cons

Some assembly required

Oxford Zero-G Front Dolly Stand

Best moveable front paddock stand

Price: £119.99

www.sportsbikeshop.co.uk

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Durable steel front dolly stand with heavy-duty fasteners and lockable caster wheels. As above, it's ideal if you're short on space, as it allows you to move your bike in any direction.

Tested by Justin Hayzelden: "Some front motorcycle paddock stands can feel a bit precarious when it comes to the crucial moment of levering the wheel off the ground - not great for confidence when it's your pride and joy at stake.

"Thankfully, this sturdy dolly stand from Oxford has a few neat features to alleviate that issue. Firstly, the arms that cradle the fork legs have rubber pads to prevent scratching, providing an opportunity to get them settled first without risking damage to paintwork. They're spring-loaded, too, locating the pads positively under the fork ends so they don't slip out.

"The stand is suitably long enough to require very little effort as you push down, and it rolls neatly into position to support the front end. Once raised, the bike feels perfectly secure, and 360° castors make manoeuvring it around the shed a doddle. The wheels can also be locked in position for when you're carrying out maintenance.

"Despite its heavy-duty appearance, the Zero-G dolly's tubular construction makes it surprisingly lightweight. There is some self-assembly required, but it only takes a few minutes. It's well made, easy to use and is pretty much a workshop essential."

Pros

Handy in tight spaces
Well-made

Cons

Some assembly required

BikeTek Rear

Best for up to 200kg

Rrp: £44.99

Price: £39.99

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Only a takeaway coffee more expensive than the MPW version, this rear stand from BikeTek uses universal cups located under the swingarm to lift the bike. Rear stands use longer handles to allow the cups to fit further into the bike at an appropriate spot on the swingarm, and this one has a lifting capacity of 200kg with a minimum distance between the lifting cups of 190mm and a maximum of 335mm.

Pros

Chunky build quality
Great value

Cons

Better for smaller bikes

BikeTek Static Rear

Best for bike storage

Price: £40.00

www.demon-tweeks.com

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This interesting-looking item from BikeTek is designed more for storage and display than outright maintenance work but could be useful to keep your bike off the ground over winter, for example. The steel tube runs through the rear-wheel spindle, and the stand pulls the bike up off the ground. It's particularly useful as the stand doesn't protrude past the back of the bike, making it compact and convenient.

Pros

Great for storing bikes
Useful for race or trackday bikes without sidestands

Cons

Less good for maintenance work

MotoGP Front Head Stand

Best headstock stand

Price: £94.99 (was £119.99)

www.sportsbikeshop.co.uk

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Produced under licence from the MotoGP race series, this stand lifts the bike on the bottom of the headstock to allow the front wheel or forks to be removed. It comes with five different lift pins to suit a variety of bikes and is made in 32mm tubular steel. It uses smooth-glide wheels, and there are also pads under the handle to prevent trapping fingers when lifting the bike, for example, and making it easy to set the bike down again.

Pros

Sturdy when in use
Five different lift pins

Cons

Big item

Renntec Moovamoto

Best one-piece design

Price: £216.66

www.renntec.com

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Available with either cups for swingarms or hooks for bobbins, the Renntec Moovamoto also has four swivelling wheels that it rests on once the bike is lifted off the ground. This means that the bike can be moved around while the rear wheel is removed, for example, for convenience. The rear wheels are braked to prevent the bike from moving when stored, and the stand was given a recommended triangle by sister title RiDE in its 2017 product test.

Seal of Approval: We've tested this product and have found it performs well

Pros

Heavy-duty
Bike can be moved on the stand
UK made

Cons

Quite heavy

What to look for in a paddock stand

There are two main types of paddock stand; ones that are universal and ones that use bobbins. The universal variety will lift the rear of the bike on the swingarm and will fit wherever possible, while front stands also tend to be universal, lifting on the bottom of the fork legs.

The other variety uses a pair of conical bobbins that are fitted to the bike (and stay fitted), and then hooked brackets lift on the bobbins for a more secure mounting.

There are also stands that will lift on the front headstock allowing the front wheel and the suspension to be removed while the bike is up, and another option is for a lift to use a rod that passes straight through the wheel spindle from one side to the other.

Some stands replicate a centre stand with added functionality, while others lift the whole bike off the ground – but by that point, we’re starting to move away from paddock stands and into proper workshop stands.

About the author: After qualifying as a mechanical engineer, Jim Blackstock began working on magazines in the early 1990s. He remains passionate about product testing to ensure readers know what products offer good value and why. He relishes torrential rain to see if riding kit keeps water out and an hour or two to tinker on a project bike in his workshop.

- Just so you know, whilst we may receive a commission or other compensation from the links on this page, we never allow this to influence product selections - read why you should trust us.

By Jim Blackstock

Keen wet weather rider and dedicated product tester for MCN and sister publication RiDE Magazine.

Best motorcycle paddock stands

Press shot of the Oxford Zero-G Front Paddock Stand