Or how to use a paddock stand
I SUPPOSE £76 for an apparently simple arrangement of poles and wheels may not seem like the deal of the century.
In fact the true cost of this paddock stand is £97, because it hooks undo two bobbins which bolt onto the swing-arm and cost an additional £20.49.
But as it levers the back end of my bike several inches off the ground, I’m more worried about whether it’s the right tool for the job, and I think it is.
Hoisting your bike onto a paddock stand can seem a precarious operation, especially the first time you try. This R&G stand makes quite simple work of it.
A way to make the process a little less alarming is to first put something under the side-stand to make the bike more upright, like a plank or, in this case, a swing-ball racket.
Roll the paddock stand into position, ensuring the left-hand hook is under the corresponding bobbin. Then push down on the end until the bike straightens up fully and the right-hand hook lines up with the other bobbin.
The distance between the hooks is adjustable – and you should check carefully that both have correctly slotted under the bobbins before fully committing and raising the back wheel off the ground.
Having ensured that’s so, I find the easiest way to complete the operation is by pushing down on the end of the paddock stand with a foot while holding the tail unit of the bike. It doesn’t roll backward – the paddock stand rolls under it.
To lower the bike again, I hook a foot under the end of the paddock stand and pull it up, while holding the tail unit in both hands to ensure the machine leans the right way on its descent. You don’t need the swing-ball racket now. Once the rear tyre is back on the ground, just let the bike fall onto its side-stand.
Again, the bike doesn’t roll forward. The paddock stand rolls out from underneath it.
After a few goes it’s not alarming at all, providing you have confidence in the tool you’re using, which I do. It does the job and, as it’s a paddock stand, you can’t really ask any more of it.
This stand is for my Suzuki SV650S but R&G supply a range of them for a multitude of models.
Product tested: R&G rear paddock stand for Suzuki SV650S
Price: £76.49 (plus bobbins at £20.49)
