Handcrafted Scooter Kickstand

Handcrafted Scooter Kickstand - for Photos


I love to take and share photos. I love to document my experiences and show what I've seen, done, thought and felt with others. It's one of the reasons that I started this blog. 

When I scooter, I enjoy taking photos of the scooter I rode at the time and display it against an appealing background. I feel it gives the image a sense of place and "being there". To draw others into what I experienced. 

One of the challenges that I quickly experienced was "how to present the scooter". Leaning it up against an object (wall, tree, post, etc.) is possible, but I find it limits photographic composition and creativity. 


Freestanding the scooter opens up numerous photographic compositional options. Set the scooter on a leading line, move it into or out of the sunlight, frame it with background trees or juxtapose it with another object. The problem is that most scooters don't have a kickstand. I don't think I'd want one anyhow. The possibility of it dragging or getting in the way is just one more thing to worry about. 

So, how can you prop your freestanding scooter? How can you prop up your scooter in JUST the right spot? You can try to find a rock or stick or pinecone. I've done all of that. It didn't end well. Rocks and sticks vary too much in size for the variable "ground" your scooter will be perched on. I needed to find, better yet MAKE, something that was reliable which could be adjusted for height and terrain. 


I present to you Sonny's Wedge Height Adjustable Kick Stand or WHAKS!


Here is the WHAKS in use

It's portable, lightweight and will work with a variety of my scooters over varied terrain. It works well on hard pavement, soft ground, grass, gravel and sand. I carved grooves on the topside for texture to reduce "slippage". The above model is the WHAKS MK3. The MK1 version was actually the upside down form of what you see here, but the pivot / leverage point was wrong and it wasn't as stable (see the image below). It was more susceptible to tipping and rocking. With the MK3 modified angle, the weight and force of the scooter actually pushes the wedge more securely into the ground. The MK1 also didn't have any grooves, so it tended to slide. It took a few tries to get the angle cut just right: not too steep and not too shallow. 


Build your own. You can start HERE

I've only used the WHAKS for photo taking purposes (under controlled and supervised conditions) and don't recommend its use as traditional kickstand. It certainly won't work with "larger" scooters / kickbikes, but for those scooters that I own, this little tool helps get the shot!







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