Not to dominate the airwaves but the last few days - leaning, crawling, bending over my new/old motorcycle is making me get up from my chair in sections. Sure be nice to have a lift like the dealers. Any suggestions?
There are a lot of lifts available these days. I bought a Handy Lift twenty years ago for my personal use and for my garage based hobby business. No regrets.
I bought a "Big Blue" motorcycle lift, it attaches to the footpegs and raises the bike to eye level if you want. Not good if you have to undo the footpegs, but great for tires
Bob
@bob-thomas Thank you for the suggestions - I'm checking them out.
Not to dominate the airwaves but the last few days - leaning, crawling, bending over my new/old motorcycle is making me get up from my chair in sections. Sure be nice to have a lift like the dealers. Any suggestions?
Red Tiger Balm and Mexican Brandy....
Sure be nice to have a lift like the dealers. Any suggestions?
I use a "platform lift" from Harbor Freight. They regularly go on sale in the $400 area. This is a lift with a table top which supports the bike and the tools. It also catches all the falling parts, and there's no more crawling around on your hands and knees looking for "that bolt".
These have a plate that slides off to expose a large hole. That's how you change tires. You simply place the bike on the centerstand and drop the wheel through the hole. To do front end work, you simply installed the bike on the lift backwards.
One modification I make is to place a 4x4 at the head end and use common tie-down straps to pull the wheel into the board. That works just the hold-down like a bike trailer. As soon as the suspension is compressed on one end, the bike is securely held for months.
I've worked on all sorts of lifts, and I find the platform type the most flexible and truly useful. But I guess the strongest statement I can make is that I've had bikes fall off other types of lifts, but I've never lost one off a platform. Right now my current R100RS is sitting on its centerstand with no wheels. It's secure and not going anywhere.
Lastly, when you need a lot of open work space for a big job like engine or gearbox, the lift is the one, big horizontal surface that's always clear.
Owning an old Airhead is easy.
Keeping an old Airhead running great is the true test.
@viejo Certainly the least expensive suggestion.....I like it too. Just sprayed Icy Hot & a little early to hit the sauce -- but come 5pm the wine shall flow. Thanks.
-- but come 5pm the wine shall flow.
And so now you'll see the conversation has come full circle.
Whine to wine. ?
Owning an old Airhead is easy.
Keeping an old Airhead running great is the true test.
Sure be nice to have a lift like the dealers. Any suggestions?
I use a "platform lift" from Harbor Freight. They regularly go on sale in the $400 area. This is a lift with a table top which supports the bike and the tools. It also catches all the falling parts, and there's no more crawling around on your hands and knees looking for "that bolt".
These have a plate that slides off to expose a large hole. That's how you change tires. You simply place the bike on the centerstand and drop the wheel through the hole. To do front end work, you simply installed the bike on the lift backwards.
One modification I make is to place a 4x4 at the head end and use common tie-down straps to pull the wheel into the board. That works just the hold-down like a bike trailer. As soon as the suspension is compressed on one end, the bike is securely held for months.
I've worked on all sorts of lifts, and I find the platform type the most flexible and truly useful. But I guess the strongest statement I can make is that I've had bikes fall off other types of lifts, but I've never lost one off a platform. Right now my current R100RS is sitting on its centerstand with no wheels. It's secure and not going anywhere.
Lastly, when you need a lot of open work space for a big job like engine or gearbox, the lift is the one, big horizontal surface that's always clear.
hadn't seen a BSA Triple in a while....nice
You're absolutely right about platform versus rail lifts. Much safer and with the removable wheel plate much more versatile. I have both and if I need to move the rail lift with a bike on it I have to wait for a spotter to work with me for fear of tipping the bike (DAMHIK).
@viejo Those smooth top lifts were made in Italy during the early 70's and they're still giving fairly good service, even after being used for 40+ years in one of Atlanta's busiest bike shops. (One of them helped me pay for 7 years of engineering night school !) The older ones are starting to have minor trouble with the hydraulics because the seals have started to go bad. It was their ease of use that inspired me to buy a home version.
The Harbor Freight version is almost an exact copy. I bought my home unit about 1998 and so far everything is holding up really well.
Owning an old Airhead is easy.
Keeping an old Airhead running great is the true test.
I use a Harbor Fright lift and a TENS. The HF lift is forklift please heavy.
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