[Rohnsman]

I wanted to pull off my front wheel to check my brakes. (Drum brakes on a '93). I tried a plastic 5-gallon bucket, but the TW crushed it like a walnut.

I went to Cycle Gear and bought a lift support. (The kind you step on a pedal to lift the bike.)

First, the lift was still too tall even in the down position to slip under the engine area. Tipping the bike on the sidestand I was able to get the lift under it. In the down position, the tires just were resting lightly on the ground, still not up enough to pull the front tire easily.



Trying to step on the pedal to raise the bike was impossible. The pedal angle was way up there and there was no way my weight, (fortunately less that the TW) was gonna push down the pedal. Fooling around with it, I did take enough weight off the stand to raise the bike, and then found it precariously high and unstable. I'm guessing this stand might work for dirtbikes where the ground clearance is higher to start with go that the stand slips under without touching in the down position. It's just not gonna work for the TW and I'd never feel safe with it perched there. I hope Cycle Gear will take it back, even though it's now scuffed up pretty well.



What do you folks use when you want to get both wheels off the ground for working on your TW? And...is this setup something one person can get the bike on and off?

 

[lizrdbrth]

I prefer this type for general maintenence at home. I use a crutch jack for flat tires and chain lubing in the field. They're quite stable and some of them have rigs for tiedowns if yer a worry wart. Full on bike tables are tempting, but they always seemed more nuisance than they're worth except when doing long-term builds:



http://www.autobodytoolmart.com/cra...p-18495.aspx?gclid=CMedhsCDx7ACFWQ0Qgod-kQzMg

 

[Point37]

i have this...but i roll the rear tire onto a couple boards next to the stand and stand on the board to lift it onto the stand (see the photo for the board and stand)...min. height is 13.75"...max. height is 35.5"...i've used a milk crate with a piece of plywood on it as well...

http://www.gregsmithequipment.com/Motorcycle-Lifts



if i didn't want to lift it i think i would go with this...not positive if the 13" max height would be enough of a lift though...



http://www.klsupply.com/JACKSANDSTANDS/JACKS/MC455FATJACK/MC464FATJACKDOLLY.aspx

http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/11/55/698/23999/ITEM/K-L-Fat-Jack-Center-Jack.aspx

 

[peruano]

If you have the space to store it when not in use, the HF motorcycle jack (lift) is a reasonable alternative for the TW.

I bought this one http://www.harborfreight.com/1500-lb-capacity-atv-motorcycle-lift-2792.html, but I believe they have a more deluxe model. The price is right and it works (after I added a plywood base for the existing struts. Tom

 

[lizrdbrth]

That's the same unit I have. They're sold under every imaginable banner from Harbor Freight to Sears to high end labels and painted various colors to suit, but they're all identical and made in China.



I bought two at Pep Boys under the "Torin Big Red" brand for half the HF price, so it pays to shop around.



The arms are even long enough to span the lower frame rails of my Goldwing and Concours, yet not so long that they hit the pipes, or so long that they interfere while working on the TW.

 

[jbfla]

That's the same unit I have. ...

I have two, a red and yellow.... the Harbor Freight version. I put a piece of 1/4" plywood on the arms to distribute the weight of the bike on the skid plate.



It rolls easily under the bike, and takes only a few seconds to jack the wheels off the ground. I use it at the end of each day's ride to lube the chain.



There's usually a HF coupon in one of the cycle magazines for a discount on the lift.



The HF 20% off coupon is no longer allowed to be used for purchase of lifts.



jb

 

[qwerty]

In a pinch, highside over a log.



I have a HF table lift. Roll the bike up, strap one end, jack it up, small floor jack under the engine, raise the other end, strap second end, loosen original straps. Any lift without straps is asking for trouble when both tires are off the ground.

 

[Rohnsman]

Looking at your photo below... How is it the bike continues to balance on the stand with the front wheel (or back wheel) off? Using the stand I tried from Cycle Gear, there was no way the bike was going to balance on the stand with a wheel off. This looks like and accident waiting to happen.

The more I think about it, the better I'm liking the milk crate idea. Dirt cheap, simple to store, and stable. I don't work on my bike that often so I want to do this "on the cheap." The Cycle Gear Stand was $26.00 on sale and that was great... had it worked...

 

[BuddyMc]

I wanted to pull off my front wheel to check my brakes. (Drum brakes on a '93). I tried a plastic 5-gallon bucket, but the TW crushed it like a walnut.

I went to Cycle Gear and bought a lift support. (The kind you step on a pedal to lift the bike.)

First, the lift was still too tall even in the down position to slip under the engine area. Tipping the bike on the sidestand I was able to get the lift under it. In the down position, the tires just were resting lightly on the ground, still not up enough to pull the front tire easily.



Trying to step on the pedal to raise the bike was impossible. The pedal angle was way up there and there was no way my weight, (fortunately less that the TW) was gonna push down the pedal. Fooling around with it, I did take enough weight off the stand to raise the bike, and then found it precariously high and unstable. I'm guessing this stand might work for dirtbikes where the ground clearance is higher to start with go that the stand slips under without touching in the down position. It's just not gonna work for the TW and I'd never feel safe with it perched there. I hope Cycle Gear will take it back, even though it's now scuffed up pretty well.



What do you folks use when you want to get both wheels off the ground for working on your TW? And...is this setup something one person can get the bike on and off?

I sold my Cycle Gear dirt-bike lever lift with my KTM mainly because I already knew the thing was too tall for the TW I was getting to replace the KTM. My TW solution is the cheap $20 lift from Harbor Freight, which is also too tall. I simply shortened the two main square tubes by 4 inches each. Since that action removed the attachment point for the lift lever, I cobbled up a clamp around the outside of the tube to attach the lift lever. It was also necessary to add some "feet" to the lift body to give the lift lever room to pivot to the full lock position. For $20 plus $3 for the clamp materials it works just fine! If you weld, it would be real easy to simply relocate the original attachment point.



My TW Riding Buddy uses a Bulldog (think that is the brand) axle lift from Cycle Gear which picks the bike up at the axles and seems solid when is use. It was also $70, which was w - a - a - a - y more than I was willing to shell out.



Good luck.

 

[PalmStateCrawler]

Milk crate and 2x4s is what I use. Just pulled up behing bi-lo (or any other grocery store) and strapped it to the rack. It's not the most elegant solution but it gets the job done. Maybe one day i'll splurge for one of those lifts but probably not until I get a 4wheeler.

 

[Point37]

Looking at your photo below... How is it the bike continues to balance on the stand with the front wheel (or back wheel) off? Using the stand I tried from Cycle Gear, there was no way the bike was going to balance on the stand with a wheel off. This looks like and accident waiting to happen.

The more I think about it, the better I'm liking the milk crate idea. Dirt cheap, simple to store, and stable. I don't work on my bike that often so I want to do this "on the cheap." The Cycle Gear Stand was $26.00 on sale and that was great... had it worked...

maybe the lifting plate on the one you used was too small...mine was incredibly stable with both wheels on or the front wheel off...when i took the rear wheel off it wanted to lean forward so i never jacked it up but i didn't need to cause it kicked forward enough so that the front tire was on the ground...but this stand also has clamps which i hadn't put on yet cause i didn't need them...when i had to work on my motard i put them on cause the bike wasn't balanced as well as the TW...they worked like a charm

but a milk crate is fine if you don't mind bending over...i would suggest putting a piece of plywood on the crate though cause the frame deformed my crate so it wouldn't sit straight...once i put a thin piece of plywood on it, it was fine

 

[jbfla]

Here's a photo of the red one (Larin)

There's a steel crosspiece under the plywood to keep it from falling through.



If I'm going to remove the wheels, I strap the bike to the lift.



Here's a sample HF coupon that was in the July issue of Rider magazine.

jb

 

[dhoenisch]

I use the same one jbfla uses. Got mine at Menards on sale for $50 last spring. I put two 2X4" pieces at 90 degrees to the supports on there now, and it props up my TW beautifully. I strap it down when I'm working on it to avoid knocking it over when I'm not paying attention.



Dan

 

[Rohnsman]

I was able to return the one I got from Cycle Gear with no problems. I think I'll use the milk-crate solution for now, but I have an idea in my head I'm going to give a try when I get some time to play with it. I'll post a pic here if it works out.



It's a variation of this idea I saw on YouTube. If the guy can do it with a massive bike like the one shown, it should work with a TW don'tcha think?



[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYjwB6F7EJI[/media]

 

[Point37]

i'd be curious to see what you come up with...the boulevard in that video has nice long horizontal frame tubes to do that with...but the TW doesn't...maybe if you used some type of rectangular cross-section railroad tie instead of a board??...or bolt/laminate a few boards together??...it would help provide a bigger area for the bike to sit on and you probably wouldn't have to move it like the video

 

[TW-Brian]

I was able to return the one I got from Cycle Gear with no problems. I think I'll use the milk-crate solution for now, but I have an idea in my head I'm going to give a try when I get some time to play with it. I'll post a pic here if it works out.



It's a variation of this idea I saw on YouTube. If the guy can do it with a massive bike like the one shown, it should work with a TW don'tcha think?



[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYjwB6F7EJI[/media]

Hey Truelight,



I like this idea, I am going to make one up and try it when I get a chance. Should work fine with the thicker Ricochet skidplate that I currently have on my bike. Might bend up the stock skidplate (which is made from old dog food cans!).



Brian

 

[Rohnsman]

[quote}Might bend up the stock skidplate (which is made from old dog food cans!).[/quote]



So true!

Ya gotta wonder sometimes what Yamaha was thinking to save a few bucks. The skid plate and their decision to discontinue putting the kick starter on the newer bikes are on the list of "dumb decisions to save a few dimes." (or I guess that would be yen huh?)

 

[jbfla]

The lever type motorcycle jacks have been popular with cruisers for quite a while.



http://www.redlinestands.com/catalog/motorcycle-lifts/lever-cruiser-lifts



jb

 

[Point37]

a couple other different lifts/ideas...



http://www.4strokes.com/tech/bike_lift_jack_plate/



http://www.riskracing.com/pages/RR1_Motocross_Ride_On_Lift_Stand.html

 

[Rohnsman]

Back the the day, motorcycles often had what were referred to as "jack stands" if I recall, put on the bikes by the manufacturers. How come this idea died out?