[Smeegle]

Hello All,

Anyone own a motorcycle lift? I'm starting to look for one an was wondering if anyone had any suggestions on who make a decent lift.

I would appreciate any and all comments on what to look for and what to stay away from.

As always, thanks!

 

[DucatiGuy]

For the money, Eagle makes some good lifts. I had a two post Eagle lift at my old shop, and used it for years without a glitch or issue. Here's what they offer for bikes...

http://eagleequip.com/page/EE/CTGY/LI-MC

 

[Ten-6]

DG, good link thanks.

 

[ducatidave]

Here is what I have, made by Handy:

 

[Visitor Q]

Dave... Please burn the H.D. banner.

On another note, WOW! Nice setup bro..

Jason

 

[Matty]

if you are in the US Harbor Freight has a real nice one for pretty cheap

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=94121

 

[ducatidave]

Dave... Please burn the H.D. banner.

On another note, WOW! Nice setup bro..

Jason

Its American Made, Ive never had problems with any of my 3 Harleys, and I enjoy riding it.

Thanks, the barn is a good doghouse - I can be self-sustaining if I get in trouble.

-d

 

[The Outlaw]

I'm with Matty on the Harbour Freight lift. I have one and love it. They have three different models. I got the mid grade one. It's hydrolic as well as air activated. For the average Joe it works great. Very sturdy and the tire clamp works very well at holding the bike without a rear wheel stand.

http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa100/ThOutlaw1098/Bikes/DSC02576.jpg

 

[The Outlaw]

Also Harbor Freight sends out coupons all the time through the mail and in email. So if you are interested in this one I would sign up for their mailer. Besides that they have some awesome deals on tools.

 

[immiketoo]

I have the superlifts pneumatic one and I love it. The best purchase I ever made tool wise. I have had mine for three years and its really nice.

 

[Smeegle]

I'm with Matty on the Harbour Freight lift. I have one and love it. They have three different models. I got the mid grade one. It's hydrolic as well as air activated. For the average Joe it works great. Very sturdy and the tire clamp works very well at holding the bike without a rear wheel stand.

Hi Outlaw,

Since Matty's post, I put Harbour Freight as my #1 choice (thanks Matty!). Now that I see yours with your beauty sitting atop of it, my mind is pretty much made up, thanks for the pic, it makes a world of difference. You can't beat the price that's for sure!! I'm signing up just as you suggested, thanks Outlaw.

I have a couple of questions though:
Q1. The web-site says it's 86 1/2" long, does that include the ramp or is that without?
Q2. Does the lift have a locking mechanism to lock it at whatever height you adjust it to, just incase you loose pressure or something like that.
Q3. Is it easy to slide around without any weight on it?
Q4. Were there any accessories you needed to get with it?

Thanks!!

 

[Yossarian]

What happened to Q3?

I'm also interested in more info from the HF lift owners. It seems like a relatively inexpensive lift, but if it does the job, that's fine by me.

 

[The Outlaw]

Q1. The web-site says it's 86 1/2" long, does that include the ramp or is that without?
I'm not sure about the length with the ramp I'll measure tonight when I'm home. The ramp does come off very easily.

Q2. Does the lift have a locking mechanism to lock it at whatever height you adjust it to, just incase you loose pressure or something like that.
Kind of. It has a long steel bar that goes through the raising arms at two different points to prevent the lift from falling down. I have left mine at full height for a couple weeks at a time with a bike on it and it has not moved one bit.

Q3. Is it easy to slide around without any weight on it?
Yes it has solid metal wheel casters that make it very easy to move. The Casters also have a bolt that will thread down to raise the lift off the ground so it does not move when you don't want it to. This was one of my deciding factors as well. I need to move my ramp if I need to work on a car. Also this ramp does not move accross the floor like the others.

Q4. Were there any accessories you needed to get with it?
Nope none at all. I plugged my air hose right into it and it works great. But I would recomend a splitter for you air hose. But its not really needed. The lift stays up fine if you disconnect the hose.

There are some things you have to put together. The Front wheel lock has to be bolted on as well as the wheels. Also the U bolts that come with the ramp have to be attached. But there are two different place to mount them and then are moved easily. Also I would recommend the air assisted ramp over the other cheaper one even if you don't have a compressor. The air assisted one has a hydrolic pump as well. The unassisted lift come with a very small wheel lock and it takes 75 pumps to raise the lift with a bike on it. I'll snap some pics of the ramp its self tonight and post them up for you all.

 

[The Outlaw]

Sorry I did not get to this last night. Here are the pics. The lift is 86.5" without the ramp. The ramp is another 24"

 

[The Outlaw]

The first pic is the lever that lets the ramp down. I do not keep the manual pump lever on the lift. The second pic is of the safety bar. It only has two points but like I said before I've left the lift raised for a long time and it has never moved. But Fully raised the lift would only lower about an inch beofre it hit the stop. The third pic is of the air valve for raising the lift. I'm looking for a foot pedal one. The forth is just a rear angle. And the last is just a pic of my garage. Excuse the mess. It looks much worse in pictures. If you guys knew how much of a neat freak I am you'd understand. I have sheet rock on order to finish the ceiling then the floor will be getting an epoxy coating. Also some cabinets and shelves will also be on the way. The second floor of the garage is my wood shop. Which is another project.

 

[Smeegle]

Next Steps....

Hello All,

I just wanted to mention that my lift has been ordered. My thanks to all of you who responded, especially Outlaw who provided all the pics, it was a big help.

It’s going to arrive in a couple of weeks, just in time for Christmas! So now I’m looking for an air-compressor. I don’t know much about these either and I’m hoping you all can assist once again…

I’m eyeballing the HuskyPro available from Home Depot. During my search, I realized the Husky looks identical to the Campbell Hausfeld unit see below.

Main difference is the Husky Pro comes with a 3 year Warranty as compared to the Campbell 1 year.

I’ve learned there are two types of air compressor’s out there, Oil and Oil-less. The advantage of Oil-less is that no oil ever contaminates the inner lining of your hoses and tools because there is none, unlike the Oil type. The drawback to Oil-less is that they don’t last as long…I've also learned that there are oil/air separators that are available for oil type pumps, but I haven’t seen any for the Husky or Campbell Hausfeld?

My Questions to those of you who have air compressors:
Q1. What type do you have Oil or Oil-less and Why?

Q2. For those of you who have Oil, do you have air/oil separators installed?

Q2a. If yes, where is it installed exactly, can you post pics?

Q2b. If no, why not? How long have you been using your system, any problems thus far?

My thanks in advance!

 

[paddyduc]

Mine has oil in it,no problems.i've even done a bit of spray painting with it.no seperator.

 

[Desmo Duc]

ive used both types of compressors, i prefer oil lubed compressors, only because most of them have a 100% duty cycle, meaning they can run continuously, where as a oil free has a duty cycle of 50%. it all depends on what kind of tools you'll be using. if youll be using grinders and sprayers or anything that has a high CFM rating i would get a oil lubed compressor, if your doing light work, then a oil free would work just fine. ive never used an oil separator, but a water separator is important. also drain your tank daily. ive seen the huskey unit, it looks like a nice compressor. most store bought compressors are all made by one manufacturer, and re labeled.

I have a smaller craftsman oil free that i use more often for light jobs, like filling tires or removing a tire, since the tank can be filled very quickly. I only got that one because i got a great deal on it. I ve had that for 8 years with no problems. I have a 80Gal Ingersoll Rand twin stage that i use for big jobs.

 

[wwahl]

I received my Harbor Freight bike lift today. It was a bit of a fiasco. Having previously explained to the dispatcher that I have, in kayaking terms, a Class-V driveway she assured me the delivery truck would be about the size of a UPS truck. Of course the truck that showed up might has well been an eighteen wheeler. The driver and I had several face-offs. I suggested they ship the lift back to Harbor Freight and let them deal with it. My alternative suggestion was to drop it by Eastside MotoSports who previously had volunteered to put the lift on their small pick up and drop it off gratus. The delivery guy said that would cost another $25 bucks, thus the discussion about sending the lft back. I disappeared and went to have a cup of coffee on my deck. Along comes the delivery guy saying "How about we just ride this bike lift down the hill like a toboggan?" So the adventure began. I rousted a third guy to help, but the net result is I have this lift and it is put together. For $379 bucks it can't be beat!

 

[Smeegle]

Ohhhh, that looks really nice! I have one on order too.

I had to give on Harbor Freight cause they were going to charge me an extra $350.00 for delivery (bringing the total to over $700.00) and I had to have a loading dock! I don't know about anyone else, but residential garages around my neck of the woods aren't built with a loading docks!!

I was willing to drive down to the states to pick one up, but none of the retail stores carry them in stock.
A buddy of mine came across a vendor in Windsor, Ontario right here in Canada who sells the exact same lift (actually the wheel clamp is slightly different), they're manufactured by BigRoc in California. It's costing me $550.00 delivered to my door. I can't beat that either.

I'm excited about it....it a nice RED too!