BMW R1200R R1150R/T F800 K1200R R1100R/T R1250R RnineT Message Board

So, shopping for a bike lift... wish I had the funds to purchase a new Handy-Lift, plus the needed garage space.
But since both are in short supply, I'm looking at options and came across this:



http://www.on-bike.com/

I'm both intrigued and skeptical. Anyone with hands-on experience specific to this lift?

Where do you put your beer?

Is that the one that uses a heavy threaded screw to raise the carriage?

If so, I saw it demonstrated at a show. On standard bikes, BMWs ,Guzzis & such it seemed easy to use,.some cruisers & such needed to be 'pre' lifted to get the attachment under them...for the cost [high] I didn't care for the fact that I needed a 2$ 2x4 to use it in some situations. That said....it did seem solid. {But no I have never used one}

Sears has [had] their aluminum hyrdaulic jack on sale recently for $129.00. haven't used it yet on my Beemer, but have used it on both my cruisers, [Vulcans] and it works fine. Also used it on my friends Valkyrie. Very stable easy to use , about 18 ? inches total lift, and like that one, both wheels free.

I also have a Handy drive on, but remember once "on" you must then "lift" the bike to free up the wheels. The model with the drop out panel helps in the rear, but the front is still...sort of a pain. Mine is old & does not have the panel. So when i need to, i use a sissors jack to lift & free a wheel....yeah it's a tad shaky...just need to be more careful.

Where do you put your beer?

Looks like you can use a pony keg as emergency support below the lift mechanism, as long as there's room for the tap.

Is that the one that uses a heavy threaded screw to raise the carriage?

So says the manufacturer's website.

I've got one of these Craftsman moto jacks, and it's been useful for partial lifts & support of oilheads and Buell (and tool of choice for moving a big landscaping rock):



Problem is stability when bikes (or rocks) are lifted high... and "high" isn't like a real workshop lift's 24+ inches, which is why I'm looking for something more substantial and more stable, particularly if load is off-center.

sweatmark wrote:

Where do you put your beer?

Looks like you can use a pony keg as emergency support below the lift mechanism, as long as there's room for the tap.

Is that the one that uses a heavy threaded screw to raise the carriage?

So says the manufacturer's website.

I've got one of these Craftsman moto jacks, and it's been useful for partial lifts & support of oilheads and Buell (and tool of choice for moving a big landscaping rock):



Problem is stability when bikes (or rocks) are lifted high... and "high" isn't like a real workshop lift's 24+ inches, which is why I'm looking for something more substantial and more stable, particularly if load is off-center.

Yeah it 'rocks' a-bit but I never felt like it would fail?

My ride-on lifts to 33" safety locks at 31"...but like I said is shaky when you scissor lift to remove wheels!

Sweatmark, i have a lift that is made in England and has a distributor in the US. here is the website: http://www.bikerise.co.za/ i really like it, and it has a variety of configurations for lifting all types of bikes. here is a pic of a honda st that i used to have on the lift. i couldn't find a pic of my R bike on the lift, but have used it many times. it is small, easy to store out of the way in my shop, excellent build quality (welds and paint) and has other accessories for purchase. you are welcome to come by my home shop and see it in person if you want.

John-

Looks like you've got the "Original Red" lift from same UK manufacture as builds the blue lift gizmo shown above. Appreciate your feedback about the build quality, as the <$1000 price point is key, and both the "Big Blue" lift and the most basic Handy Lift fit that cost criterion. Problem with the Handy is garage space. Problem with a non-table lift: where do you flop all the parts and tools mid-project? Beers too, as Norrmad says!

I do like the small footprint options. Idea: when the lift isn't lifting bikes, a solid platform could be attached to "beam mounts" as perfect adjustable-height stand for benchtop drill press.

Might need to bother you for a quick look at the lift. Rain's here, so it's definitely garage project season.

Hi John,

could you give me the source for the lift in the UK? I would probably need a special version as the mufflers on my bike are routed underneath the engine block ...

Brgds
Oliver

Oliver; I just had a quick look on ebay (searching "bike lift") and came across quite a few lifts. The following link is to just one of them
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Liftmaster-68 ... 3a65ee61fb

Best regards,

Rog

Thanks Rog, but that is not the one I was looking for. Instead I did refer to the one shown by John (similar to the one sweatmark has shown us in the initial thread).

Brgds
Oliver

Oliver,
here is the website for the lift: http://www.bikerise.co.za/ Again, i bought mine from the US distributor which at the time (6 years ago) they were in North Carolina. I also only paid $600 and I didn't realize the price had gone up so high. When I am working on the bike i just use my metal wheeled tool cart to put things on. I just don't like the table lifts enough to give up so much space to an item that doesn't get used everyday. If I was a mechanic and making my living doing this, then the the table lift would be the best way to go.

Sweatmark: just let me know if you want to see the lift in person sometime.

John,

I had a look at the website already which however directs me to a company in South Africa and not to England. You earlier said "i have a lift that is made in England and has a distributor in the US". If that lift is "made in England" why a site in South Africa?

Brgds
Oliver

sorry about the wrong link. here is the company and site that i used: http://www.on-bike.com/ here is another picture of the lift as I used it extensively when I restored a CB750F.

That's the manfacture's link at start of topic, with home page providing links to US, Aussie, SA distributors.

Review of the "Big Blue" in WebBikeWorld:
http://www.webbikeworld.com/motorcycle-lift/bike-lift/

Liking this lift option more and more. I'm sketching out a mount configuration that is oilhead-specific, with provision for grab points at front of engine case + centerstand pivot axis. Want to ensure that oil filter remains accessible with bike on lift, and (prefereably) bike could be secured and raised from resting position on the centerstand, if so equipped. Here's an illustration of the intended attachment points:



This is Oliver's bike (such a beautiful machine), image used without his permission. Oliver, I wanted to view your custom exhaust routing to see if the mounts ideas would work for you... and as long as that front mount reached between the pipes from bottom or from front, then support and fixture might work.

Our bikes are pretty well balanced when on center stand, without cases or extra stuff. I'm hoping that a primary mount using the center stand's attachment hardware would provide strong and stable side-to-side lift attachment. The front mount would support some weight if rear wheel was removed, plus offer front-to-back stability if pin or bolt is attached through that engine case boss.

Mark,

you certainly have my permission. I am not fussy at all about the photos of my bike! I see you really put some thought into this ... The rear red circle will certainly be fine as the mount point is reinforced by these steel plates (black) used for the center stand. But the front circles? I am not 100% sure if the will not crack under heavy weight ...

Anyway this lift is an interesting thing. At the moment I am using a hydraulic platform at my local workshop together with a temporary center stand ... see the last 3 pics here https://picasaweb.google.com/1003408169 ... 0645/Gabel

Brgds
Oliver

Oliver - that last pic of your bike (7th pic from "Gabel" album in provided link) on the table lift is good demonstration of the R1100/1150 weight distribution. Note that majority of bike mass rests on a central support (your special R1100S lift) via the bike's center stand mounting reinforcement plate. The front wheel carries the remaining bike weight, which is very little.

If a front mount supported the underside of the front engine case with a small flat surface, then an additional pin or bolt through the cast boss would be used to prevent the bike from tipping backwards; the pin would not be intended to carry the bike's natural forward bias weight.

I've been thinking about this type of oilhead lift jig since buying the Craftsman aluminum lift, which has mouning holes in the two lift pads. A lift jig (or - for the "Big Blue" lift - modified front & rear mounts) would make oilhead maintenance super easy. RT and GS bikes might require an extra preparation step to remove lower fairing pieces or bash plate, respectively.

First, I of course realize not everyone has the facilities, equipment, or welding ability to make
their own lift.

I'm just showing this as another option and what can be done without spending a lot of cash
if you're fortunate enuf to have what you need, or know someone, or even know a small fab
shop that might tackle it for you. Cost was a major concern as I was unemployed at the time -
the reason for using the floor jack I already had, and stability was of course paramount. If you
look closely, you can see that the center stand is right above the floor jack lift point. Balances
out very nicely.

It ended up very stable. The platform is very handy to set wrenches, bolts, small parts and
doesn't seem to get in the way. It's not quite as "handy" to set up as a commercially made one,
but for using it a couple times a year it's just fine. My experience has shown me how to make
some improvements in the ease of use. I've had my 1150 up on it I think 3 times since I built
it (there goes the twice a year - that was over just a 6 month period). Had the trans off all
3 times, very handy to have the removable platform section under the rear half of the bike
when it comes time to reassemble the swingarm / shaft assy and install the final drive.

It lifts to and stabilizes at 16" and 24" platform height. The 16" height is really convenient for
working on stuff more on top of the bike - brake system, fuel system, body parts, etc.

This is most definitely a prototype and I learned while building it how to make some improvements
and make it easier to build and to use. I made it out of mostly "whatever I had in my goody pile"
and purchasing the right material would make it easier to build and "neater". I've added a brace
since these pics, top of front left leg to bottom of rear right leg, used a piece of pipe, really
stabilized the platform on the way up & down. I've also got better ideas on how to incorporate
the floor jack & making a track for it - it rolls forward or back as the lift raises or lowers.

The removable platform under the rear also serves as a ramp to roll the bike upware the 6" or
so to get it on the platform. With the lift at either stabilized location, that ramp can be blocked
up to make the whole platform level if desired, or removed as shown in the one picture.

I found that it helps to have something about 6" high to stand on once the bike is up on the
platform and to get it up on the center stand.

Of course the usual disclaimers would apply if anyone would want to try something like this,
but I'd be happy to do some basic drawings for anyone that would want to try, or to have
a shop build one.

http://s719.photobucket.com/albums/ww20 ... ke%20Lift/