Paddock/garage stand

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The Forum contains several alternatives to the Silk's missing centre stand.  Here is another, which has served me well for many years and hopefully may be of interest to others.  If you can do a bit of primitive welding, it is easy to make.

First you need some 3/8" steel rod, 18" long minimum.
Then make a flat, square floor base, 16" outside measurement, using 1" X 1" thin wall square tube.
Finally cut two 15" legs from 1" x 2" tube and weld them vertically on opposite sides of the base at the centre points, drilling each leg 14" from the floor to take the 3/8" rod.

In use, the technique is to put the bike on the prop stand, and attach the back stand with the rod through the hollow axle.  At this point the back stand will be at an angle, with only its front edge on the floor.  Using the handlebar, lift everything to the vertical and then roll it backwards onto the stand.  

All of this is easier to do than to describe here.  The stand is very stable, and a big benefit is that there is no lifting handle sticking out at the back for you to trip over.

[sictransit]

Digressing slightly from the subject of paddock stands, but still relative to the bike's lack of a centre stand, there have been a few queries in the Forum about how best to raise the front end for servicing.

The factory's way of doing it is interesting, if perhaps somewhat dated in view of the array of equipment available today.  A March, 1980 letter from Derby to the former owner of my own bike, who must have asked for advice, goes as follows :  
"For servicing the front end of the machine we mount the bike on the (sic) rear stand and place a bar crossways below the front engine mountings and by using a bottle or scissor jack raise the front end."

It sounds a little iffy to me, but clearly worked for them.