My back is not what it used to be and stooping over bikes is killing me. I’m torn in between a adjustable height lift for ease of use, and a fixed height bench for the additional storage. What are you using? Pros/cons?
Show me your motorcycle lifts/benches
- Thread starter doc_rot
- Start date
SONICJK
Reminds me of...me No, I'm sure of it. I hate him
I built 3 of them for the shop years ago fixed height.
I recommend just arming yourself with a coupon and a credit card and grabbing the HF lift.
Fixed height ones become a magnet for shit and they are a pain to get the bike on and off of.
https://www.harborfreight.com/1000-...cGvTiuvVE4dvxNMeb-HAZg9_9BKkouUxoCBV0QAvD_BwE
I recommend just arming yourself with a coupon and a credit card and grabbing the HF lift.
Fixed height ones become a magnet for shit and they are a pain to get the bike on and off of.
https://www.harborfreight.com/1000-...cGvTiuvVE4dvxNMeb-HAZg9_9BKkouUxoCBV0QAvD_BwE
^^ What he said! I've got a fixed height that I made and is, as said, a pain to get the bike on and off. Now that the Hedgehog is almost done the table will have to sit it on end in a corner so it doesn't take up so much floor space until the next (BIG "if" there!) project. The lifts are nice and worth the bux. Wait for a sale or one of the nicer "% Off" coupons they do on a regular basis and don't look back. If I do another build I may try to figure out a way to modify mine into a tilting table.
CarbsAndCylinders
Careful With That Axe Eugene
I know a few guys that have the HF style lifts and they are happy with them. If you are concerned about room for storage then don't forget that you can park your bike on the lift and that frees up some garage floor space.
My only problem with the HF is they take up a lot of room and can only be used for motorcycles really. I have a small garage so storage and flexibility are very important. Have you guys seen the Abba Sky lift? or the Big Blue lift? they require parts that are model specific to work but they use space much more efficiently. right now there is a dude on craigslist with a big blue listed for $500
www.demon-tweeks.com
Abba Sky Lift
If you're looking to raise your bike up high off the ground and make working on the floor a thing of the past, then look no further than the Abba Sky Lift! This product will make even the most awkward & tricky jobs on your bike an absolute breeze.The Horizontal lifting position allows you to...
My last "shop" was a small 1 car attached garage, and even so, the harbor freight lift was worth every bit of space it took up. It's also a very handy "work bench" when not being used for a bike. I started out with a home built fixed height bike bench, but it was just too unruly to load bikes (especially the big ones) on it solo
I have a lift from Princess Auto here in Canada (from what I understand they're an equivalent to HF in the US and stock a lot of the same products, only rebranded). Mine was the el-cheapo, works a charm and, to use the parlance of today, the thing's a game changer. I bought mine on sale for $300CAD - probably the best money I've spent on any "tool" in the garage. It's not too wide but not too narrow (space is also at a premium in my garage), easy to operate and sturdy as hell. I had to switch out the crappy front wheel chock that came with it, but the upgrade I think only cost me an additional $50 or so. The whole thing is totally worth it and I absolutely recommend getting one.
(That little scissor lift you can see in the first photo was money very well spent too!)
(That little scissor lift you can see in the first photo was money very well spent too!)
Psychopasta
Been Around the Block
I wouldn't be without my Harbor Freight bench:
The only problem is that if you put your cup of tea/coffee on it is acts likes a heatsink and makes your cuppa cold in no time. An old rug fixes that:
and deadens the noise every time you drop a tool onto it.
The only problem is that if you put your cup of tea/coffee on it is acts likes a heatsink and makes your cuppa cold in no time. An old rug fixes that:
and deadens the noise every time you drop a tool onto it.
My HF lift came with a ramp that I slide between the lift arms while it's up, so it becomes a nice storage shelf. The ramp is 29 inches square. Then I roll storage bins fore and aft of the lift arms, which fit under the lift floor. I always have a bike on the lift, so it's always up. Takes me all of 5 minutes to pull storage from under the lift to bring a bike down.
Out
Been Around the Block
I have an old wooden school door as a base, and a neighbor gave me a craftsman foot pump lift last summer. I like that it will lock in the up position, but it is all pretty "low tech" and really you are still bent over. It does what I need and it beats wood blocks.
I dont have a pic but the XR100 is hanging from ratchet straps from the rafters which works too and can bring items higher.
I dont have a pic but the XR100 is hanging from ratchet straps from the rafters which works too and can bring items higher.
HerrDeacon
Over 1,000 Posts
I'd be lost without my lift, my body is too old for working on a concrete floor. Still have to do it sometimes when working on one of the other bikes and it really makes me appreciate the lift. I picked mine up used and cheap but it needed a lot of work. Still not perfect but gets the job done. I only have a pretty small garage and it takes up a nice portion of it but wouldn't give it up.
Just a simple fixed height for me. My projects take 10 years, so no point in a hydraulic lift 
But if I had a larger space, I'd have a hydraulic lift in a heartbeat. Roll on, lift, work, lower, roll off. Would be magic.
Mine is dead simple. 3/4" plywood, 2x4 frame, 4x4 posts in the corners and 2x4 frame/plywood on the bottom as well.
The bottom acts as a shelf, but I could also flip the thing over once the top gets really nasty.
Casters in each corner under the posts.
But if I had a larger space, I'd have a hydraulic lift in a heartbeat. Roll on, lift, work, lower, roll off. Would be magic.
Mine is dead simple. 3/4" plywood, 2x4 frame, 4x4 posts in the corners and 2x4 frame/plywood on the bottom as well.
The bottom acts as a shelf, but I could also flip the thing over once the top gets really nasty.
Casters in each corner under the posts.
hooligan998
Been Around the Block
Harbor Freight does it for me. But I got mine from a buddy for a buck and a quarter. I did add on a HF bike chock to the front and got rid of that stoopid clamp.
Maritime
Over 10,000 Posts
If the HF lift is too much space I suggest this:
It's a motorcycle/ATV jack and it gets the bike up off the floor to work on most stuff with my wheelie stool. I have a fixed height wooden rolling table but I only use that for major work. I did the timing belts and a bunch of work last winter with the jack and it was fine. I'm about to use it again to do the dyna install as I hate kneeling on the floor and trying to time the bike. the lift gets it just high enough to take the strain off.
Stool I use:
It's a motorcycle/ATV jack and it gets the bike up off the floor to work on most stuff with my wheelie stool. I have a fixed height wooden rolling table but I only use that for major work. I did the timing belts and a bunch of work last winter with the jack and it was fine. I'm about to use it again to do the dyna install as I hate kneeling on the floor and trying to time the bike. the lift gets it just high enough to take the strain off.
Stool I use:
I have the ATV style lift like Maritime posted and I have the HF lift. The atv style lift is fine in a pinch but the HF lift is worth every penny every day. It really doesn't take up that much space and it will hold my heavy ass chopper just fine.
