Motorcycle table/lift/jack? What would you suggest?

[theracedude]

I am still new at this(4 builds) so i could use some opinions here. I do all of my own work by my self in my very little shop. I start with it on the center stand and when its down to the frame only i set it on a table or tall jack stands. Problem is that i am killing myself going from my knees to standing 100 times a day. At this rate i am going to destroy my dickies, not to mention the damage to my new coveralls
SOOO, what do you guys use as a lift, work on with wheels, work on without wheels, fab, weld, paint stand?

 

[tWistedWheelz]

I built my own table from treated 4x4's, 2x4's, a little plywood, a large 2x8 hardwood timber, 6 casters, and a bunch of screws (not nails)! I love it and it works great. It is the perfect hight for me to sit on a small stool or bar stool and work, it also works well to stand and work. I use my loading ramp to load/unload the bike.

let me know if you are interested in building one yourself, I will snap some more pics of its underside.

 

[Tim]

I've never had the luxury of a table lift as I don't have the room in my garage. Always done my work onthe floor as I have to roll the bike out to work on it and put it back in the corner to make room for the car when I'm done

For my SR500 project I'm building a short wooden table on casters to assemble the bike on. I have a wheel chock already and will use tie downs to keep the bike secure. It will have a bit of storage in it as well which will be nice

This way I can more easily roll the bike around the garage to work on it. Keeping it low enough so I can make it narrow and not worry about it toppling over

 

[nemocb]

I use a DirectLift brand bike lift. I work on bikes all the time so its not a cheap-o Really heavy duty can lift alot af weight. (I normaly work on Harleys) think it was around $700 bucks shipped with a jack. But you can get one thats not so bad from Harbor Freight for light use or not so heavy bikes.

But on the down side you cant move the lift around really easy. It can be done with some help but its more or less just sliding it on the floor, no wheels.

 

[Speedfiend]

Heres one I've used for years. I've since added a wheel choc. Perfect for bikes under 350 lbs, you can easily get a bike on and off the lift by yourself.

 

[moewillis]

now that^^ is friggin sweet

 

[stik70]

I have a HandyLift. It has wideners for sleds and 4wheelers that you can bolt on. 1000lb cap. Its an old one and i really like it.

 

[nemocb]

Those are some nice plans, It would be great for me when working on a bike build or a job that would need to have apart for a length of time. Maybe even beef it up some.

 

[Blake]

I don't have much room, so I bought a Craftsman Professional motorcycle jack. I had a coupon and they had a special on them, so I picked it up for much $150 instead of the $200 regular price. Great thing is, if it breaks, I can just take it back and swap it for another. Sears has been great about that. I've stripped out some tools before and they took it back for a straight swap, no questions asked.


http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00950191000P?prdNo=1&blockNo=1&blockType=G1

 

[RoadRash]

I had a similar idea for a lift like the plans Speedfiend posted, except where his pivots roughly at the center, creating the ramp to get the bike up, mine pivots at the very front, thus giving you less steep of an angle to get the bike on and off. His is nice, cause it allows you to use a portion of the bike's weight to aid in getting the rear lifted, whereas mine does not. I was just gonna make it so that I could use my floor jack do that work for me. Glad someone is out there, using something like this already, so you know it's tried and tested.

 

[Speedfiend]

Yeah, its a pretty simple design that can be easily modified. Though it might appear light weight, cause it is, it has a very sturdy feel. I've built my bikes and worked on a few others on one. Spilt oil/gas/kero on it and kicked and kicked and kicked on bikes and have yet to have one fail.(knock on plywood!) Before kids, when I lived by myself and parked my bikes in my shitty apartments I used it for a coffee table. Very handy piece.

 

[JRK5892]

ok... now i have alot, of these... i have 2 red craftsman lifts, a harbor freight alum lift, 2 harbor freight tables, and a milk crate table...

the harbor freight tables are really nice man... if oyu just want a jack style i highly recomend a craftsman jack, i also did a how to on how to build a milk crate table

craftsman works with all types of bikes and can be found on craigslist for like 60 bucks
sporty

chop

cb350

milk crate 1 layer (i have had 800 lb bikes on this no problme and the two layer)

2 layer

HF alum jack

HF foot pump table

have also done the full hydrolic air lift, but i like the foot pump better, just easier for me

 

[theracedude]

Wow! You guys opened all kinds of doors in my head. my thought was a lift table that had 4 corner post going up to a top bar with a hook. so i could raise the table, hook the bike and lower the table. problem was (when i was done building it) there would be so much shit around the bike that i couldnt work on it. Thanks for all the ideas.

 

[mysta2]

So I see that the only one that has measurements is 18 inches of lift, what do you guys that have used them think about that? If you were going to build a rigid, non adjustable one would you make it that low? I took a tour of Iron Horse Choppers a couple of years ago and all the stands they build their bikes on were more like 2 or even 3 feet off the ground. I want to build myself a couple of stands and I'm not sure what style I want to go with. They need to roll around on leveling casters and fit together as tightly as possible, floor space is at a premium... I was thinking about more of a coffin shape so they could nestle better.

I also have envisioned one with a horizontal rail instead of a table top as I worry it will just become another catchall mess.

 

[tWistedWheelz]

So I see that the only one that has measurements is 18 inches of lift, what do you guys that have used them think about that? If you were going to build a rigid, non adjustable one would you make it that low? I took a tour of Iron Horse Choppers a couple of years ago and all the stands they build their bikes on were more like 2 or even 3 feet off the ground. I want to build myself a couple of stands and I'm not sure what style I want to go with. They need to roll around on leveling casters and fit together as tightly as possible, floor space is at a premium... I was thinking about more of a coffin shape so they could nestle better.

I also have envisioned one with a horizontal rail instead of a table top as I worry it will just become another catchall mess.

With my casters on mine, the top of the bench is 25 inches high, I find it perfect for working. It makes it easy to get to any part while standing, on a short stool I can sit to do the low stuff, and a bar stool to do the high stuff.

 

[Tim]

Ultimately, when I get really bored, and have some spare money, what I want to do is kinda nutz

I'm stuck with a 12 x 20 foot garage. No getting around it unless I move. I live in Toronto on a 17 foot wide lot (120 feet deep) and am lucky to have a garage off my lane, but no room to make it bigger (tree in the way).

So, what I wanna do is go UP. I want a four-post car lift in my garage, on which I'll build a solid floor. On that will be my bike workshop. Basically a 10 x 18 foot or so workshop on a lift. Would need to re-engineer my roof so everything fit while in the 'up' position. Park the car below it.

But the lifts are about $3000 and I'd need to rebuild my roof so another $1000 or so for materials for that. Not really worth it, but a fun idea.

 

[DBC]

I don't have much room, so I bought a Craftsman Professional motorcycle jack. I had a coupon and they had a special on them, so I picked it up for much $150 instead of the $200 regular price. Great thing is, if it breaks, I can just take it back and swap it for another. Sears has been great about that. I've stripped out some tools before and they took it back for a straight swap, no questions asked.


http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00950191000P?prdNo=1&blockNo=1&blockType=G1

I have the same jack, but be careful...no lifetime warranty on these, just one year. Sears is great with hand tools, but pretty much anything beyond that is a standard one year warranty. That being said, I do really like this jack and would recommend it. It's great if your tight on space and its very light and easy to move around.

 

[tWistedWheelz]

Just to put it out there if anyone wants to know.

My work bench/lift/table whatever you want to call it is very fitting for all the work I do on bikes. It has a weight capasity of 950lb. with the casters on, and I figure about 1500lb. without the casters (I could buy beefier casters to hold this weight, but they cost more). I built mine very cheaply as I used scrap lumber from other projects and that friends donated to me. Only things I bought were the casters, the lag bolts for the casters, a box of 3 in heavy duty wood screws, and 6 large lag eye bolts for the strap down points. I use my loading ramp to load and unload bikes, and as I have stated before it is really comfortable to work on a bike with its hieght. The casters are a must as it makes it very easy to move around the shop as needed. I would estimate that you could buy all the materials needed for less than $80, casters are the most expensive part, if you omit those you can build it for like $35-$40.

 

[biker_reject]

Shit. Nice man cave, you got there! You even have a full sized fridge, you bastard. I spent all day yesterday trying to clean out my garage so I would actually have room or maneuver my ass between my bikes so I can work on them. I achieved minimal success. One day, I will have room, and more importantly, space for a motorcycle lift/table!

PS That rolling chest is brilliant!

 

[nemocb]

have also done the full hydrolic air lift, but i like the foot pump better, just easier for me

Thats the same one I have. Id like to get the sides for it. The only thing I dont like is the top being black. Its loos stuff on it all of the time. Nuts, bolts, tools, ect. just hard to see