Motorcycles are awesome for a lot of reasons, and one of those reasons is that they are generally easier for a home mechanic to perform routine maintenance on. Unfortunately, the specialized nature of a bike means that you’ll need some specialized equipment for getting it up, off its wheels and in the air. These are motorcycle stands, of course, and the good news is that they’re not crazy expensive and there are plenty to choose from.
Of course, there are also some considerations that you need to make as a motorcycle lift shopper to ensure that you’ll get the right stands for your bike and your needs, but that’s where we come in. Our best motorcycle stands recommendations are made based on experience, in-depth research, reviews and sales data and will get you well on your way to simplified maintenance and even a better experience at the race track.
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For most people who regularly have need of a rear motorcycle stand, their need comes from taking their bikes to the track. A pit stand is an easy way to get the rear wheel off the ground to make for faster tire changes or make it easier to fit tire warmers. For most of these track riders, they’ll already have what are called spools on their rear swingarm to act as crash protection and as a place to quickly and safely lift the bike rear wheel.
If you’ve got swingarm spools (or are planning on fitting some to your bike) then the best rear paddock stand you can buy comes from the brand Woodcraft. Its combination of sturdy steel construction and quad-wheels make it the rear lift stand of choice for riders in the know.
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Another benefit to having a rear stand comes in the form of vastly simplified motorcycle maintenance. Being able to quickly jack the rear wheel off the ground means that cleaning and lubricating your bike’s drivetrain is no longer a hassle of chasing the bike around the driveway to get every part. A bike stand also simplifies rear brake and suspension work.
If your sport bike doesn’t have spools, and you’re not planning on getting any, the Oxford Big Black rear stand will support your bike’s dual-sided swingarm on pads that will prevent damage and offer plenty of stability.
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So now we have the back end wheel of your bike off the ground, what about the front wheel? If you don’t want to leave front tire on the ground with a wheel chock, there are two general styles of front end bike stands and the first is a fork-lift stand. These work by either inserting pins into the hollow front axle of your bike, or more generally by supporting the area under the axle in a cradle.
When it comes to this style of paddock stand, we recommend the Woodcraft adjustable fork lift stand. Like everything else Woodcraft does, this bike stand is super high quality with adjustable lift height to let you find the right balance between height and leverage. It also has four five-inch wheels for extra stability.
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The other style of front end stand that we see most commonly is called the head lift stand. This works by inserting a pin into the bottom of your steering tube and lifting the bike from there. This provides better access to fork tubes and the like.
Our favorite head lift style stand comes from Vortex and in addition to being well-made, we like that it comes with five different pins to allow it to fit into a variety of head tubes. Like the Woodcraft stand, it has four sturdy wheels, making it super stable.
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Dirt bikes are highly specialized motorcycles and as such, they need a special kind of bike stand. This is largely because of their long-travel suspension and increased ground clearance which would make other stands less useful.
Our favorite pit bike stand lift jack for dirt bikes comes from Matrix Concepts and we like it because it’s got a very sturdy base with chunky rubber feet for stability and it also has a long foot pedal to give added mechanical advantage for lifting up your bike. Bonus points for this motorcycle jack being available in several colors, too, to match your bike.
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All the best motorcycle stands we’ve discussed so far are meant to be carted around in a truck or on a trailer and used in a garage or paddock. What do you do if you need to do some rear tire maintenance or emergency repair (though Tirox doesn’t recommend this) on a motorcycle while out on a ride or an extended trip, but your bike doesn’t have a built-in center stand?
That’s what the Tirox SnapJack is for. This thing is genius and considering its low cost, every serious motorcyclist should have one. It is super simple to use, super compact making it easy to carry or store and comes with everything you need to get that sport bike wheel off the ground safely, including a velcro strap for your front brake. We can’t recommend this highly enough.
Comparison of the best motorcycle stands for 2022
| Motorcycle stand type | Model | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Best rear motorcycle stand for bikes with spools | Woodcraft Spooled Rear Stand | $176 |
| Best rear motorcycle stand for bikes without spools | Oxford Big Black Bike Rear Stand | $112 |
| Best front fork lift motorcycle stand | Woodcraft Adjustable Forklift Stand | $118 |
| Best front head lift motorcycle stand | Vortex Front Head Lift Stand | $170 |
| Best motorcycle stand for dirt bikes | Matrix Concepts LS1 Lift Stand | $162 |
| Best portable motorcycle stand | Tirox SnapJack V2 | $52 |
It doesn’t matter how cool your bike looks, at some point it’s going to need to get its wheels off the ground.
Harley-DavidsonWhy you need a motorcycle stand
The answer to this question is pretty simple: because you need to get the wheels of your motorcycle off the ground for some reason. That could be because you need to change wheels or tires, or maybe you need to do some chain maintenance on your sports bike. Maybe you’re at the race track and you’ve got tire heaters to help make sure that rubber is nice and warm in the paddock before you go out for some laps. Purpose-built motorcycle stands are the safest and most economical way to accomplish these goals.
The key to making sure you buy the right stands is knowing your motorcycle and knowing what kind of work you’ll want to do. Do you have spools (sacrificial parts that your axle bolts through to help ward off damage in the event of a bike drop) or will you need a wheel stand that lifts off of the swingarm itself?
Do you want to be able to remove the forks entirely on your bike? Then a head stand is going to be necessary, since most front-end stands lift off of the bottom of the fork legs. Got a dirt bike with all kinds of ground clearance and long-travel suspension? You’ll need a purpose-built wheel stand for that, too.
As with any kind of vehicle lifting equipment, it’s important to understand how to use your equipment properly and follow all manufacturer guidelines closely.
Motorcycle stand FAQs
What are the different types of motorcycle stands?
There are multiple styles of stands for both the front and rear of motorcycles. Which one you use depends on your motorcycle and your needs but the two most common are spool-lift pit stands and axle lift stands for the front.
How do you use a motorcycle stand?
Place the contact area of the wheel stand under the swingarm or spools at the rear and using the leverage provided by the handle, push down. Always follow manufacturer instructions.
Why put a motorcycle on a stand?
To get the wheels off the ground which will make tire changes possible and chain maintenance much simpler.
Are universal motorcycle stands truly universal?
Yes and no. Most wheel stands will work with most bikes, but you need to double check with the manufacturer of your motorcycle and the manufacturer of the stand to be sure they’re compatible.
