If you know the logic behind how an object falls and centre of gravity then
you may skip this portion and directly jump to paddock stand section.
Newton 1st law of motion states that an object will remain in
motion or rest (inertia) unless an external force is applied on it to change
its state. This law applies on everything, even on a two-wheeler motorcycle/bike. Either stopping power or acceleration should be greater than
the current state in which the body is to observe the end effect. When a rider
is sitting on his bike with both his legs landed on the road, all the forces mainly
weight of bike are balanced by the legs to keep the bike in standing position.
Legs exert an external force on the bike which allows it to remain in that
position. What happens if the legs are withdrawn?
The bike will fall down because the external force to counter the weight of the bike is now absent. There is one more reason behind the fall
which is that every object wants to attain minimum energy state. Just like, if you are standing(high energy consuming posture) for a long time, you would want to
sit down after some time. This later posture is a less energy consuming state.
After sitting for long hours, you would want to lie down on your bed which is even
more less energy consuming state. Hence, every object wants to attain minimum
energy state.
Free fall
Without any support or external force, a bike would fall for
sure but on which side? The responsibility is totally taken by its centre of
gravity. Technically, it is also known as gyroscopic stability. Centre
of gravity is actually an imaginary location of a point at which overall weight
of the bike is getting concentrated. It keeps on shifting when a bike is
moving. Centre of gravity in a bike is determined by the location of its
engine, transmission, exhaust system, pannier bags and so on. If centre of
gravity is shifted to the right due the location of these parts, then it will
tend towards its right and fall down ultimately. Same goes in a left side
fall.
First leg operated stand was designed by Albert Berruyer in
1869 and was fitted on a bicycle. Different types of kickstands got developed after
series of reinventions which are still widely used. Side stand, centre stand,
flick stand, paddock stand etc are some of the egs.
Paddock stand
Construction
Paddock stands are made of light weight alumimium. It is a
rectangular frame closed on one end and open on the other. The closed end
has a handle. The two horizontal arms of the stand travel straight and then
rise vertically upwards to greater angle that depends on the dimension of the
bike. Horizontal arms act as a strong and stable support or base of the stand. Point at
which the arms rise has small sliding wheels each. These wheels make paddock
stand operation easy. The rectangular frame design is concluded by holding mounts on
each vertical arm. Usually axle bolts of a bike sit easily in these holding
mounts. It comes with different shapes and sizes depending on the model.
Paddock stand works on lever mechanism in which a person applies certain amount of force on one end in downward direction. This force gets transferred to the other end making it to lift up. After aligning holding mounts to axle bolts, he applies a downward force on the handle that results in lifting the other end ultimately raising up the bike. Small wheels on each arm of the stand give rolling effect to make the mechanism smooth. The same procedure is followed to use front paddock stand. It is easy and safe to use.
In MotoGP, wheels are kept in tyre warmers and they cannot be rolled until the final seconds of the race arrive. Paddock stand is used to keep the bike off grounded and also to carry out last minute changes or adjustments prior to a race.
I have come up with another revolutionary type of stand below.Drop your comments and let me know your views. Thankyou!!!!
by Aman Mishra
A.K.A AUTOVOGUE