On the Safety of Motorcycle Side Stands

The side stand is a common means of supporting a parked motorcycle. Motorcycle riders may, on occasion, forget to retract the stand before riding. The potential of an unretracted stand hitting the ground and interfering with the rider's control during a turn has been recognized for a long time. Different designs have been tried in an effort to reduce or eliminate the problem. Laboratory and road tests show the effects of geometrical design parameters on the retractability of side stands and define those parameters having the greatest influence.