SW-Motech Centre & Side Stands
Sixty-two of the 127 products on this shelf are centre stands, bolted permanently to a bike's own mounting lugs. Another sixty-two are side stand foot extensions. This is a shoe that fits over the tip of the side stand already on the bike, and lifts nothing. Two are bare replacement side stands for KTM models. One is a bracket that solves a clearance problem a centre stand can cause on a specific Honda. Buying the right one of the first two matters more than anything else here.
| Type | On this shelf | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Centre stand | 62 | Bolts to the bike permanently. Lifts it onto its own two feet plus the stand, tripod-fashion. |
| Side stand foot extension | 62 | Clips or bolts over the tip of the factory side stand. Enlarges the footprint. Lifts nothing. |
| Bare replacement side stand | 2 | A full side stand for KTM models, not an add-on to an existing one. |
| Engine guard extension for centre stand | 1 | Stops the bash plate touching the ground once a centre stand is fitted, on the Honda CRF1000L / ADV Sports. |
Why a fitted centre stand can sit more upright than the bike does on its wheels
SW-Motech get asked this often enough to answer it in their own FAQ. Once one of their centre stands is fitted and the bike is up on it, the bike can stand noticeably straighter than most riders expect. Their explanation owns the limit instead of dodging it: they choose the best angle they can for an easy lift and secure footing, but the ideal angle depends on mounting points the bike's own manufacturer decided, not SW-Motech. They also state the stands are tested by TÜV against gradients and slopes, under named German vehicle type-approval numbers. That is a German homologation process. It is not a claim about UK road legality, and it isn't presented as one here.
A UK buyer who fitted one to a Yamaha MT-07 reported the same surprise, and said it meant watching the ground when parking. Two independent sources land on the same detail. It reads as a design trade-off, not a fault.
Fitment goes deeper than the make and model on the label
Every product here carries its own fitment table, across fourteen marques from BMW to Harley-Davidson. That table is the starting point, not the whole story. On some bikes a centre stand's mounting points tie into parts of the bike that aren't obviously related to a stand at all. A UK review covers one example: a Suzuki SV650S, a bike this shelf doesn't stock a centre stand for. The mounting bracket on that bike ran through the rear shock linkage instead of a simple frame lug. The reviewer who fitted it did not enjoy the job, though the dealer's original half-hour estimate still roughly held.
Ground clearance can move too. Our own CRF1000L / ADV Sports listing needs a separate engine guard extension, because fitting the centre stand on that bike can bring the bash plate close enough to the ground to need protecting. It's the fourth row in the table above. No other Honda Africa Twin stand on this shelf needs one. That makes it specific to this model, not a rule for every bike.
What goes wrong, and what doesn't
One detailed, dated review of a centre stand fitted to a Honda Africa Twin reports the standoff leg running short: the stand knocked against the swingarm over every bump, marked the finish, and the return springs weren't tensioned enough to hold it up properly. That's one buyer's account, not a pattern across the shelf.
Corrosion is a genuine disagreement, not a settled fact. The same Suzuki SV650S review above found its stand rusting within a single winter, despite anti-corrosion spray and no garage to keep it in. A two-year round-the-world test tells a different story. A similar stand on a Yamaha XT660R, a close cousin of the Ténéré models this shelf does stock a stand for, reported no corrosion at all through snow, rain and sandstorms. Different bikes, different finishes, opposite results. We aren't picking a side.
Why riders buy one
That same XT660R test is the clearest answer found anywhere to why anyone buys a centre stand. Two reasons stood out: cleaning and lubing a chain without crouching over the bike on its side stand, and getting a wheel off cleanly for a tube or tyre repair. The tester called it a must, after two years of using both. A second UK buyer of that same MT-07 stand put it more simply. Fitting one meant they no longer had to bother with a paddock stand at all.
Side stand foot extensions solve a smaller, more specific problem. A bare side stand can sink into soft or heat-softened ground and let the bike go over. One rider's account from a UK heatwave describes exactly that happening. An extension spreads the load over a bigger footprint. It doesn't promise to stop this on every surface. It only makes it less likely.
Buying from us
Every stand and extension here is for sale at 10% off RRP, with free UK delivery available, fitted against the exact bike listed on its own product page. For the racks, cases and crash protection SW-Motech build for the same bikes, the wider SW-Motech range is the place to start; this page is for the stand on its own.