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motorcycle lift

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Darryl.Richman
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Joined: Fri Oct 27, 2006 3:00 am
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Many people like the $300

Post by Darryl.Richman »

Many people like the $300 Horror Fright hydraulic lift, although the wheel vise that comes with it gets poor reviews. (HF sells a separate one that seems to be better).

I was able to buy a used Handy lift from a shop that was going out of business, for $400. But that required me to buy an air compressor... from HF, of course. I got their 20 gallon/110 volt roll around.

Once I owned an air compressor, I then found the need to buy a variety of air tools. (The impact wrench, for removing flywheel bolts, and the die grinder, for using 3M Scotchbrite discs, are the things I value the most.)

Then a friend asked me about my Handy lift, and found one himself. He asked me about my HF air compressor, too. So I sold it to him and bought a Campbell Hausfeld compressor with a 60 gallon tank. I put it in a closet and hard plumbed it to various points in my garage.

Now I'm thinking about a blast cabinet.

Watch out, it can be a slippery slope!
--Darryl Richman

rsmith2370
Posts: 23
Joined: Mon Oct 14, 2013 6:04 pm

Darryl, thanks for the

Post by rsmith2370 »

Darryl, thanks for the insight. I have been on a number of slippery slopes in the past, and some have been rather fun and a great ride while others have been somewhat bumpy. Fair warning, and I thank you. Re the HF lift, have you found it to be substantial enough for longer term use (i.e. we travel a lot , so the bike might need to remain on the lift for extended periods.

Robert
Robert Smith

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Darryl.Richman
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With all lifts, do not depend

Post by Darryl.Richman »

With all lifts, do not depend on the lifting mechanism to hold the table up. I've never used the HF unit myself, but I have used some other bottle jack type lifts and they all had a mechanical stop that could be engaged after lifting. The Handy Lift also has fixed stops to use once it is pumped up.

I know of an independent shop that started out with two of the Harbor Freight lifts and bought a third a couple months later. They used them for several years before they could afford to go for the big time. One of the lifts still gets used for quick jobs when the main lifts are occupied.

If I hadn't already found my Handy Lift, I would certainly have bought the HF lift.
--Darryl Richman

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Darryl.Richman
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motorcycle lift

Post by Darryl.Richman »

Does anyone have experience with the motorcycle lift from Harbor Freight, or any other lift that will lift an R 50 high enough to work on?

Thanks,

Robert
--Darryl Richman

north.holbrook
Posts: 1
Joined: Thu Dec 19, 2013 11:51 pm

Stuck Steering head bolt thoughts on getting it off 84 R100S

Post by north.holbrook »

I have the 36mm looking for a bent fork tube for some levearge. Heat?

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schrader7032
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Are you talking about the

Post by schrader7032 »

Are you talking about the nuts on tops of each fork tube? On my /7, they were pretty tight. I got a 36mm socket meant for an impact wrench...it's 6-point. I had the face of it ground down so that the inside chamfer was eliminated. This allowed a more fuller contact with the thin fork tube nut. I used my air wrench to shock the nut loose.

If you're just going to use a wrench, then you'll likely need some leverage and some help to hold the wrench in place as well as stabilize the bike. Remove the tank for sure.

I suppose some heat might help. Try a little penetrant. Heat the joint up a little bit, then put some penetrant on it. As it cools, the penetrant tends to get sucked in.
Kurt in S.A.
'78 R100/7 '69 R69S '52 R25/2
Fast. Neat. Average. Friendly. Good. Good.

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jrapose
Posts: 260
Joined: Mon Feb 12, 2007 5:26 pm

I also have a Handy Lift.....

Post by jrapose »

I also have a Handy Lift..... I looked over the Harbor Freight job and it indeed should work....but I have heard some poor reviews of it and the Handy Lift folks sold a much nicer, heavy duty lift for not that much more..... I think it was roughly $1000 and I don't regret it at all.... it is really stable and I use it a lot...

Joel
Chester Ca.
Joel Rapose
Powerdynamo Importer USA
http://rapose.biz/

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pokie
Posts: 143
Joined: Sun Feb 08, 2015 10:12 pm

Handy Lift

Post by pokie »

I too just had to have a lift. I looked at the HB lift as well as considered building my own. Up till then, I used a solid bench made from angle iron and 10 gauge sheet steel. I strung a block and tackle from the rafters to lift the bike up, slide the bench under then let it down. Thank goodness I knew what a bowline knot was!

In time I was able to afford a Handy lift, bought it brand new! I looked for a used one but the only one I found was at a dealership that had closed and all the equipment auctioned. When I went to the auction, the bench sold for more than a new one! So, to make a long story short, the new bench filled my every need. To this day I still feel the price was worth it. Yes, used ones can be had, if you see one for sale, call and buy it because it won't be available long. If you take the time to think about it, it will be gone.

65slashtwo
Posts: 12
Joined: Sun Feb 12, 2012 1:37 pm

The Harbor Freight lift is

Post by 65slashtwo »

The Harbor Freight lift is quite stable and a great value with a 1000lb capacity.
First thing I had to do was to go to Ace Hardware and get some hydraulic oil to
top up the jack. Next thing was adding a couple more U-bolt tie down points.

It lifts my R1200GSA just fine to sit on a stool and adjust the valves or install
a skid plate or do an oil change without a bunch of stooping. I see them in
garage pics of hundreds of Advrider inmates...

Due to space problems, I park my /2 on it daily.
Keep your eyes peeled and they'll offer a coupon for $299; that's what I got mine for.

No regrets; gave me more $$ to get my /2 restored!!

Slashtwo
SlashTwo

Viteye
Posts: 12
Joined: Wed May 13, 2015 1:27 pm

HF bike lift

Post by Viteye »

I just bought one Friday for the $299 price and set it up in my garage. The only negative so far is the diamond plate doesn't give much traction. So I'm thinking of spraying some Rino bed liner on it.
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