You don’t have to but it can have its advantages.
If you use a front and rear paddock stand when storing the bike, you keep the weight off the tyres, which in turn can save them from deforming, cracking or getting a cold-related surface burn.
It all depends on how long you’re going to store the bike for. For a few weeks, it’s hardly worth the effort, for a few months it is.
If you run slick tyres, we highly recommend lifting them off the ground as when they flat spot they tend to take longer to return to normal, if they ever do.
No stands?
If you don’t have paddock stands, just put an extra 5psi in both tyres and roll them onto a piece of carpet if possible as this will minimise the chances of tyre tyre surface getting frozen which can cause tiny cracks or leach the tyre’s chemicals from the surface. Ideally you’ll rotate the tyres through 150 degrees every month to keep the pressure on the carcass evenly distributed.
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