What lift do you use? Any homemade?

+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.