A Motorcycle Lift makes life easy. I love my Motorbikes but I have found that as I grow older I am unable to maintain and clean them as I would wish. A busted knee and a broken hip 20 years ago doesn’t help either. As most of the repair is done at the bottom of the bikes, leaning down can be very painful and annoying and lying on the floor of your workshop is no fun. So what’s going to solve this problem?
The Answer for me is a good motorcycle lift. This piece of kit will transform your Motorcycling life. Feeling an ache to bend over each time you need to fix something in your bike can be very unpleasant, and you start to neglect the maintenance and cleaning of your bike. To get rid of that ache, a motorcycle lift solves the problem.
Which Motorcycle Lift is Best?
There are 5 Different types of Motorcycle lifts that are available.
- Hydraulic Lifts
- Scissors Stand Lifts
- Headstock only Lifts offers maximum access to the front end for all repair, cleaning and maintenance work. Very useful for club racers
- Single post lifts
- Bike and All terrain Vehicle (ATV) Lifts
So let’s have a closer look at some of the main different types
MAKE IT EASY ON YOURSELF
Available to be raised in foot pedal mode or raised by compressed air (when available) a Motorcycle lift reduces the amount of strain involved with working on motorcycles. Many models available from different manufacturers and Stockists
1. Hydraulic Lifts
This type is the most popular with both Motorcycle dealers and DIY er’s. It is available from a number of different manufacturers, and there are two types
- The Foot operated Hydraulic Motorcycle Lift, where you pump it up with it’s built in foot pump to the required height
- Air operated Hydraulic Motorcycle Lift, where a compressor supplies air to lifting mechanism which then raises the bike to your required height without effort from you. Usually about £50 to £100 more expensive than the Foot operated one. It is worth noting that the air operated lift will also work with it’s foot pump if there is no air available, which is very handy
POTENTIAL DELIVERY PROBLEMS
When I had one of these delivered to my home I found that it comes in a wooden crate 3 metres long and weighs 180 kilograms. The length of the crate also means that it is too long to go on a tail lift and thus has to be manhandled by two people off the side of the truck. So the delivery driver will need help to drop this to the ground.
However, once on the ground it is easy to remove the wooden packaging. As the Lift has wheels at one end it can easily be lifted and positioned like a wheelbarrow in your garage
Who makes the best motorcycle lift?
THERE ARE THREE MAIN UK MANUFACTURERS OF THESE TYPE OF LIFTS. (Examples below)
2. Scissor Type Lifts
Scissor Motorcycle lifts are in a scissor shape that you can raise using a wrench or Ratchet Socket.
They are more portable than Hydraulic Lifts but much slower to operate and will not lift bikes as heavy as the Hydraulic type lift.
Also, with a Hydraulic Jack to lower it you just turn a valve and release the pressure. Whereas the Scissor Lift has to be ratcheted down which is much slower.
THERE ARE TWO MAIN UK MANUFACTURERS OF THESE SCISSOR TYPE OF LIFTS. (Examples below)
