What is a good motorcycle lift table?

[bellinoracing]

Anybody have one of those motorcycle lifts like all the pro motorcycle builders use on tv? I am tired of bending down to work on my bike so I think I am going to bit the bullet and pick one up soon. Plus they would be good for a lot more than just bikes. Can any one suggest a good lift and a good place to get one? I am kinda looking at the titan 1000d, the Pro Cycle XLT, or the Pro Cycle XLT DT. Handy lifts dont look bad they just seem a little high priced for what they are.

thanks for any comments

[racemx904]

not to be dumb but i use a stand i made out of 2 x 4's and plywood with a little ramp...it was about 40 bux...

[Tocramed]

not to be dumb but i use a stand i made out of 2 x 4's and plywood with a little ramp...it was about 40 bux...

I would think that for a dirt bike that would work fine, but not a bigger street bike or the like. Not that it couldn't hold the weight, but getting it up there would be tricky.

It seems that people seem to like the Harbor Freight lift; thought about getting one myself. I have never used a lift, so I don't know what the pros and cons are.

[yz144builderlol]

not to be dumb but i use a stand i made out of 2 x 4's and plywood with a little ramp...it was about 40 bux...

thats just a normal stand... he wants a lift table that will lift the bike up until the handlebars hit the ceiling.

It seems that people seem to like the Harbor Freight lift; thought about getting one myself. I have never used a lift, so I don't know what the pros and cons are.

I bought a princess auto hydraulic scissor lift for 130$ last summer. used it for about 1 year and the jack started to fail on me... now it wont even lift the bike. I dont know how to fix it, or if they even can be fixed. I tried making a thread here and got absolutely 0 help so I would highly recommend staying away from one of those POS stands.

I am going to return mine next time im in the city one way or another even if that means its going through their front window... what a waste of 130$ and countless hours painting it and trying to fix it.

the pros: they make working on the bike amazingly easy to work on.

cons: they dont last forever (cheap wheel bearings, jack seals, etc..) mine broke a wheel hub, a wheel bearing, and the jack failed... if all of those would have been made properly solid I would probably marry that hydraulic jack. and some bikes with weird steel frames, weird rear linkages and weird center of balance dont sit flat on them worth shit and its VERY frustrating.

[racemx904]

i like mine the only bummer is for working on the high stuff you either have to jump up on the stand or take it down for the rest tho...totally awesome....plus my 2x4s dont break down lol

[ekulb14]

harbor freight has some reasonable ones fro a good price too.

[HodaddyB]

I've got two Pro Cyle DT lifts that have treated me well. The second one I bought needs a little adjusting on the cycle vise; it's a little crooked and the bikes lean a little. The first one I've had for 4 years. I bought the second one a year ago. They are both air operated.

Before those I had a Kendon stand-up unit that was OK. It was quickly relegated to a backup after I bought the Pro Cycle. I had the Kendon since around 2004. It had a manual hydraulic jack. Like I say, it functioned fine, but you had to "tie" it to the lift - no vise. It also didn't have a platform, but rails instead. It was fine for motor work and stuff on streetbikes, but kind of a PITA for anything else. I prefer the platform lifts for having places to put tools, jacks, parts, etc.

I also have 2 of the Atlas lifts - the hydraulic ones that support the bike under its chassis. They're hydraulic foot-pump operated, and for the money, are a decent low-buck way to get a dirt bike off the ground. I also use them for doing frame up type work on streetbikes to the point where the front and rear ends are in place and they can sit on the platform. Some of these are extremely expensive, but the ones I've been buying were around $130 delivered. Look for the ones going by the Atlas name, most others are generally an order of magnitude more expensive. I haven't bought one for a few years now, so anything is possible price or quality-wise, but mine have been fine. The only rub I have is that the "locking pin" that holds the scissors in place will bend if the lift is in any position but the top two holes for said pin. I guess I could get a stiffer pin, but all things considered, it still isn't worth spending twice the money on a different brand.

[HodaddyB]

not to be dumb but i use a stand i made out of 2 x 4's and plywood with a little ramp...it was about 40 bux...

I've seen plans for something like this on a vintage bike website. If you never really plan on moving it around, it wouldn't be a bad way to go. I suspect it works best for light, low bikes, i.e., vintage roadrace bikes. On theirs the ramp hinges to the platform which also pivots. When the bike is rolled fully forward, the platform levels and the ramp becomes the aft platform support.

I can't remember the link, but it shouldn't be hard to google.

[Upinthetrees]

Harbor Freight has this one for $480.00 plus SH. To my door it will be around $650.00. Anyone have one of these?

[Erik Marquez]

I love mine.. Pro cycle from Derek Weaver. Local dealer here in Tx so I went and looked.. brought one home.

I looked at Handy, Panther, and HB cheap lifts... I chose the Pro Cycle

Had it for most of a year now.. Gets used daily.. Would buy another no question.

[yz144builderlol]

those stands dont even lift the bikes tires off the ground... very pointless IMO.

a stand should just the bike from the middle of the frame up allowing the wheels to spin and for you to get right in/under them to work.

[HodaddyB]

I've seen plans for something like this on a vintage bike website. If you never really plan on moving it around, it wouldn't be a bad way to go. I suspect it works best for light, low bikes, i.e., vintage roadrace bikes. On theirs the ramp hinges to the platform which also pivots. When the bike is rolled fully forward, the platform levels and the ramp becomes the aft platform support.

I can't remember the link, but it shouldn't be hard to google.

I found the link for the plywood plans FWIW

http://www.eurospares.com/bikestnd.htm

[Erik Marquez]

those stands don't even lift the bikes tires off the ground... very pointless IMO.

a stand should just the bike from the middle of the frame up allowing the wheels to spin and for you to get right in/under them to work.

If your talking about a a Bike LIFT, and not a stand, your mistaken..

The pro cycle drop tail has a removable section to gain access to the wheel at the rear,, you can load the bike front or back wards to use that feature.

A center jack is used if you need to lift the bike.

If you need both wheels off,,, you strap it down to the lift, use the center jack and up it goes..

I also made a tire roller.. so i can just roll the bike up on the lift, clamp the front... and roll the back tire,, no need to use the center jack.

after working on bikes for 35 years or so.. On the dirt, ground, basket, track stands, center lifts and for a year now a lift.. If you can afford the tool, have the space.. get a lift.. You'll understand once you use it.

For a simple tire change, street or dirt bike I often still use a simple track stand.. the lift is for all other work.

[bellinoracing]

I love mine.. Pro cycle from Derek Weaver. Local dealer here in Tx so I went and looked.. brought one home.

I looked at Handy, Panther, and HB cheap lifts... I chose the Pro Cycle

Had it for most of a year now.. Gets used daily.. Would buy another no question.

Thanks for sharing thats kinda the same place I am at. The only lift I have seen in person is the handy and it was nice but a little high priced for what it is in my opinion. I am leaning toward the pro cycle DT lift, it looks sweet. Titan makes some decent looking lifts at reasonable prices but nobody seems to know much about them. Is titan a new company?

I found a place to get the pro cycle dt for about $825 shipped. Is that a good deal?

[Erik Marquez]

Thanks for sharing thats kinda the same place I am at. The only lift I have seen in person is the handy and it was nice but a little high priced for what it is in my opinion. I am leaning toward the pro cycle DT lift, it looks sweet. Titan makes some decent looking lifts at reasonable prices but nobody seems to know much about them. Is titan a new company?

I found a place to get the pro cycle dt for about $825 shipped. Is that a good deal?

I paid $676 out the door.. But drove 2 hours to pick it up.

I have read about Titan, but never seen one.

Used the Handy and panther lifts before I bought the Pro Cycle.. The handy is nicer in finish, but no better in user quality. The panther seems the same all around,,, was not local to me, and a bit more in $$

[davek18]

I bought a Harbor freight manually operated lift a couple of years back. I have been a professional motorcycle mechanic in my past and have used all manner of lifts. I am very happy with the lift so far. It is foot pump operated, so I would not be happy with it as a line mechanic, been there done that.

For my own personal usage it is great. It even has a pull out panel for rear tire replacement if desired. I bought it out the door with a 10% off coupon for $250.00. I don't know how it would work with a full dress Harley. but it picks up my BRP regularly and with no complaints.

[bellinoracing]

I paid $676 out the door.. But drove 2 hours to pick it up.

I have read about Titan, but never seen one.

Used the Handy and panther lifts before I bought the Pro Cycle.. The handy is nicer in finish, but no better in user quality. The panther seems the same all around,,, was not local to me, and a bit more in $$

Maybe I will give the handy another look. I can drive about 4 miles from my house and pick one up for I think about $700 for the bare bones version. But buying local there will be at least $50 tax, so that makes the shipping seem not as bad. The drop tail of the pro cycle lift looks sweet but realistically that feature would probably get used very rarely, if ever. Does anyone where I can look up pro cycle dealers? I cant find that on their page. I have found the pro cycle DT online for $625 lowest price. If a local guy would match that price I would probably jump on it.

thanks again

[markgoodall]

..and the jack started to fail on me... now it wont even lift the bike. I dont know how to fix it, or if they even can be fixed.

I've run into that before.

I went to buy a replacement and the guy at the store (NorthernTool) recommened at $4 bottle of hydraulic oil. Said alot of people buy replacements, not realizing how easy they are to fix.

So I filled up the hydraulic oil in the jack, and it's been working perfectly ever since.

[thejunkman]

Harbor Freight has this one for $480.00 plus SH. To my door it will be around $650.00. Anyone have one of these?

I have an older model Harbor Frieght lift like that one (notice mine has no front weel chock). Had it for nearly 10 years. Has the drop-out for the rear wheel. It easily lifts and lowers my Yamaha XS11 and full dress Harley (800lb+ bikes). I also use a screw type sissor jack (like those that came with 80's era F & G body GM cars) for lifting the rear wheel while on the lift. I really like mine. Only downfall is when doing front suspension work you have to find another way to secure the bike. And for those with leaky jacks, they are easy to rebuild. Take your old O-rings down to a hydralic shop that sells O-rings by the individual size and match them up.

[Upinthetrees]

Harbor Freight has this one for $480.00 plus SH. To my door it will be around $650.00. Anyone have one of these?

I just bought this one on closeout at the local harbor freight for $450.00 OTD incl. a 2 year warranty.