What lift do you use? Any homemade?

I'm looking to buy or make a lift or table to work on my bike. I've looked online and haven't seen any that were in my budget(cheap) in the tables or plans that would work, lots of wood ones but most have a ramp to roll them up and with a bike my size(83 xj750 Maxim) I would rather not use a ramp. I don't know if anyone has used a bike lift with good results.
I'm a welder by trade and was looking for any ideas out there. I have a few auto scissor jacks laying around and a floor Jack that could be put to use. Any thoughts?

 

i got a carpet scrap, now i just throw the tools down and lay on the floor. sometimes i take a little nap

 

I use a moving blanket right now but it's getting harder and harder to get off the floor . My knees and back could use a break.

 

I'm with Polock, no lift . Just sit down an work.
Get tools and cold drink then get comfy sitting. If I'm working on the upper part of the bike a roll around chair works well. A lift will take up too much valuable garage space.

 

Space is tight in my garage too the Maxim shares space with a dirt bike and other miscellaneous tools (motorcycles are tools to help keep my sanity). Any body use a under frame lift to move their bike around/store it?

 

I have seen channel steel with wheels on it used to move bike around.

 

Thanks XJ550H the small town hardware store in my town is going out of business. I saw caster there for a good price might have to swing by and get some. It sucks the store is going out of business family operated for 50 years.

 

A thread from my second-favorite motorcycle forum.
diy-motorcycle-lift.701077

 

my small town hardware store was the kind where you got everything you needed. ammo, guns, fishing tackle and equipment, they sharpened , saws, knives ,mower blades keys cut nuts bolts plumbing supplies paint, camping equipment, sold mowers , local gossip. those kind do not exist anymore.

 

I would add a steel wheel chock like the one in the links in the thread

 

same here, anymore i don't judge a job by how complicated or time consuming it is, just how many "get-ups" it involves

 

Harbor freight lift. Waited until it went on sale (279$ ish) iirc. Very very very happy with these results and ease of working on a bike now. It’s also a conversation piece as well when friends come over. Ie.... hey joe. How long is that bike gonna stay up there??!! Sigh. Get them a beer. Tell them to be quiet and then ask yourself the same ?

 

that's a coffee table with a center piece.

 

https://www.xjbikes.com/forums/threads/got-a-new-to-me-bike.123205/page-9
this is a nice lift, being a welder two rings on your frame and you could make something like this work

 

The Habour Freight lift looks good at a good price but as you see with how I spell harbour not horbor I'm in Canada and we don't have a store as nice as that, Princess Auto is good but not quite. The wood one with a "T" on one end looks like something I can get my head around. I have two loading ramps for my truck and dirt bike not doing anything now that I had to sell the truck when my son hit 6' 4" and couldn't fit in the backseat anymore. Lost a truck got a minivan but the good news is the wife felt bad so the Maxim was negotiated as a way to keep me happy.
Now to scrounge some free metal.

 

I thought you were describing the one near me... but I'd have to add one thing... They also sell beer making supplies... Like a huge inventory...

 

beer making supplies were not a thing when this store was open. still a sad day that it is closing

 

most of the time i want the bike off the ground because i want the tires off the ground, lift it by the frame

 

Can't sell beer in too many places here the hardware store might have had a chance. I know after most of my yard work/honey do lists I need at least 1 or 2 beers would be great to get nails and a six pack in the same place.

 

+1 for the HF lift, get it on sale and just enjoy it. Being able to move the bike around the shop is nice too. I replace the front wheel pinch tire thing with one of HF wheel chalks. That made all the difference in the world. I also removed the "U" rings and just use the holes on the floor of the lift for my straps.

Use the stoppers up front and at the bottom to ground the lift when put a bike on and taking one off, if not the lift will shift. I have had a Goldwing on mine and had no issues.

 

I grabbed some of these. Super sturdy and easy to spot a dropped screw or bolt on the black. https://www.countrymax.com/rubber-stall-mat-4-x-6-x-3-4/

 

Here's one i'm going to try. I see the smaller lifts on craigslist all the time for around $40

 

for another 99$ you can get the harbor fright table lift sometimes on sale for 250$

 

Wish I lived closer to the boarder prices up here are much higher. I've scrounge some metal and have started plans for a table hopefully I can get some work done this week and have a few pictures to go along with it.

 

Buddy of mine hacked apart a motorcycle/atv jack and lengthened it into a lift table of sorts. It doesnt lift as high as my harbor freight one does but he was able to make it long enough to fit his chopper on which was important in his situation.

 

I understand wanting to do a DIY lift, but will you know it will hold the bike. Will you have to wonder if wrenching on the bike will cause it to move, shift or fall on you? Just having a really good lift under the bike is worth the price of the HF lift to me. IMHO

 

I hear wath you are saying about stability with a home made lift. The HF lift gets good reviews but I don't get to the U.S. that often and the same lift from our HF, (Princess Auto) is $530 that is a bit out of my reach right now.

 

Maybe just go ahead and get a 4 post drive-on car hoist. Able to fit 4 bikes on and still be able to lift a car when theres no bikes on it. Hahaha kidding of course but... I'll see if my buddy can send me some pics of his sort of homemade lift and I'll post for you

 

I have one of those lifts pictured in the videos someone gave me. can not use it because of the exhaust systems on the XJ. maybe I will give it a try for the lift shown

 

We have this one, also from Harbor Freight. Had to make a sort of jig out of scrap wood to use it with my xj650, though, because it hits the exhaust otherwise.

 

I just lift the bike with my left hand while I wrench on it with my right.
Easy-peasy...something, something...beer.

 

Harbor freight table lift. Mine's a few years old and still going strong. Was a pain to get home but it's been the best tool in my garage ever since.

Once built a sturdy table but getting a bike up there was too much work, plus making sure it stayed up there.

I also have various front and rear end stands plus a fancy Abba sky lift, but the latter only fits certain models.