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1,377 Posts
Motorcycle lift
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I have the J&S Jacks lift. It is a rugged lift that holds my 1800 up to 18" off the ground and the bike does not need to be strapped onto the lift. It rolls aroung on my basement floor as easily with the bike on it as it does by itself. Locks in three different positions, operates with a foot pedal and a twist to lower handle. Great shipping as well. I ordered (paypal) on Friday (east coast)and had it on Tuesday from mid-west. If I can ever figure out how to post pictures from my camera to this site I would be happy to provide pics. PM me if you would like to see pics.
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1,377 Posts
thanks for the return. I will look them up and see what they have.
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2 Posts
I have the pit bull and love it. It is the best I have seen on the market. It lifts the motorcycle the highest of all of the lifts out there and is the most stable.
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23,792 Posts
I've been to the " Harbor Fright " store here in Woodbridge, VA. Nice selection of light duty everything but I would not weigh my Gold on a Chinese scale.
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1,377 Posts
nice quip. and thanks for the lift (I really needed one) but it's not the weight of the bike that weighing on my mind, it's the weight of my wallet. And if I buy a nice one now, some other things I want to do will also have to wait.
I am not convinced as to the quality either. That is why I ask. I know some are putting 650 lb bikes on the $400 model and they like them and had them a couple of years. Mine was a Crashman and near as I could tell, it was identical to the same thing at HF except it had pretty, red paint. They are probably fine but one close call was enough for me whether it was pilot error or not.
Darn it tho, I hate to spend $800 so I can do the work myself and I will have a long list of chores when the weather breaks.
I have been looking at one for 600 beans at Northern tool. At least I won't have to pay the freight charges as they are nearby.
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17,046 Posts
A few years ago at Wing Ding in Billings, Montana, I walked up on the Pit Bull guy that was giving a demonstration just as he stepped up on a 1500 at the top of the lift. Scared the crap out of me. But it was rock solid. Wish I'd saved my money and bought a Pit Bull.
From the Northwest Corner.
Ron
From the Northwest Corner.
Ron
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1,377 Posts
bending over.
Seriously, I don't know if I have clearance to pull the rear wheel or not. But on the list is 2 tires, rebuild carbs, replace all vacuum lines an I hope that some torquemaster pipes and chamber box are in the near future. got some electrical add ons in the boxes waiting to be installed too. I finished the kitchen remodeling and it was just too blinkin' cold in the garage to start something new.
If / when I have one, I will have to park on it as the Mrs.'s car is ALWAYS garaged.
It would be easier to clean wheels etc. if it's already sitting there. I also have to work on my riding lawn mower deck seemingly once or twice a season. I have some rough riding in the back 'forest' and inevitably, I am replacing a bearing, shaft and blades. I also do all the maintenance for the in laws and their mower rides.
I built a prototype lift this past July it worked out fine-while disassembling and reassembling all the tupperware. I made a couple of changes to the design to make it lower to the ground. I also sketched up the side panels so a lawn mower could go on. (that was why I bothered in the first place) I didn't see this as an option last year, now several have them. To build one will still cost about $300 and take even more time to build it. Thus the quandry. To buy or not to buy.
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23,792 Posts
Ouch!!!!!!!
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36 Posts
I use a harbor freight jack the yellow one works fine on my 1800. Stay away from the aluminum ones they are not sturdy enough. I also use jack stands on the engine guards to keep the bike from tipping with no problems at all. The sears model is the same but its works a little better. The problem with some of the HF jacks are they drop very fast the frist one i had did that, but i returned it with no problems the one i have now works fine. There is a mod someone has posted on utube for the HF jack if you have one that drops fast. Here the mod.
I used my lift all the time to clean my Ultra, because I had to, it would raise 18" with no straps, and roll on the shop floor, no lift complaints. But now with the Wing, I see no need for a lift to clean the bike or wheels, the Wing goes up on the center stand raising the back wheel, then an old scissors jack under the front gets the front wheel off the floor making it also easy to clean or check TP. Both wheels are up, it is much easier and quicker than using the lift, which I no longer use.
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8 Posts
I haven't used my HF lift on my wing yet, but I have used it a lot on my VTX 1800 R, and have never had a problem with it. I've rolled it around the garage many times, and changed front and rear tires without straps. It's always felt solid as long as the weight was distributed evenly, front to rear. Never tried to stand on one side, but then this lift isn't designed for that.
Also, when lowering the lift, I too wanted to let it down slow, so I would barely press the lowering pedal and sometimes it would go too fast. THEN I READ THE INSTRUCTIONS THAT CAME WITH THE LIFT. To lower the lift slowly, you're supposed to press the pedal ALL THE WAY TO THE BOTTOM OF IT'S STROKE RATHER QUICKLY....ALMOST STOMP IT DOWN. Then, if you want to speed the lowering, ease up on the pedal a little bit. Since I started doing it this way I haven't been nervous about letting it down.
Disclaimer: Mine is the yellow HF lift, and that's the way MINE works. You may have different results using this method.
To test it out, place a piece of wood across the raised lifting arms, have one of your hefty buddies sit on it, give him a beer, and tell him to hold on. If he falls off....more beer.
Also, when lowering the lift, I too wanted to let it down slow, so I would barely press the lowering pedal and sometimes it would go too fast. THEN I READ THE INSTRUCTIONS THAT CAME WITH THE LIFT. To lower the lift slowly, you're supposed to press the pedal ALL THE WAY TO THE BOTTOM OF IT'S STROKE RATHER QUICKLY....ALMOST STOMP IT DOWN. Then, if you want to speed the lowering, ease up on the pedal a little bit. Since I started doing it this way I haven't been nervous about letting it down.
Disclaimer: Mine is the yellow HF lift, and that's the way MINE works. You may have different results using this method.
To test it out, place a piece of wood across the raised lifting arms, have one of your hefty buddies sit on it, give him a beer, and tell him to hold on. If he falls off....more beer.
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36 Posts
Going to have to try that. I will be honest did not read the instruction book will look at it. But jacking the wing is not that bad at all. Put the jack under part of the center stand right behind the coolant tank use some jack stands on each side no problems.Will get a case of beer and fool around letting it down this weekend.
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25,936 Posts
I almost bought a lift a couple years back. The I cam e to my senses and realized if I needed a lift to work on my Wing, I can use a bench lift in the shop on a day off. I know that's not really fair, most guys don't have that option, but it saved me lots of bucks needlessly spent. Moral of the story is, explore all your options before making a hasty and expensive decision.
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36 Posts
HF lifts only cost 89.00 bucks. Played with mine today Bulldogparts your right these jacks have a two speed release system work just like you posted. I am not one for reading instructions returned 1 yellow tried there aluminum jack a total waste can't handle the weight. Returned it back for the yellow one i have now, was going to do the mod i posted. Not feeling to dumb apparently the guy who made the utube mod didn't read the instructions either.
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190 Posts
I have a sears ATV/Motorcycle lift that I used on my E-Glide for maybe 8 years. It worked great all those years. But where do you lift the Wing. The Harley had the frame underneath so it was easy. All I see under the Wing is exhaust headers and engine or tranny. I do not want to lift it wrong and cause trouble. I would put the Harley up for cleaning and changing tires and would like to do the same with the Wing.
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8 Posts
If you look at the adapter that J&S designed for their jack for the Goldwing, you'll see that it's kinda "Vee'd" to clear the engine on the front most lift bar. The rear most lift bar on the jack is flat and goes across the frame just like it would on your Harley. If you're any good at fabrication, you could probably come up with an adapter for the Wing to fit on your current jack.
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