| I'm finding increasing difficult to work on my bikes
while either bent over or kneeling. I'm not getting any younger and the
back and knees aren't what they used to be. So instead of being sore
after doing simple tasks like changing the oil, or pulling off the
wheels to get new rubber, I decided to look into getting a lift. Harbor
Freight, the bastion of cheap Chinese imported tools and machinery has
always been a good place to pick up inexpensive stuff that might
be hard to find anywhere but specialty tool distributors. So I went to
the Harbor
Freight web site and found what I was look for. It's a air powered
hydraulic lift. You can hook it up to your compressor and just push a
button to actuate the lift, or use the foot pedal and pump it up. For
the price, I figured that it would pay for itself in back and knee
relief. Not to mention I don't have to lay on the cold concrete floor in
the winter either. I do admit that in the summer on a hot day the cool
concrete is kind of nice. |
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After doing the special order deal with my local HF dealer, I waited
a week until the lift arrived. I went down and the fork lifted the 300
Lb. unit into the back of my '82 Datsun Pickemup. The crate was about 8'
long, 3' wide and 8 inches tall. I don't recommend taking your car to
try and pick this unit up. You'll need a Pickup truck or a full size
cargo van to get this home. Once home you'll either need a couple (more
like three) friends to help you unload it. Or if you are like me and
have no friends (and your neighbors don't answer the door when you knock
any more) then you will need something like an engine hoist (aka cherry
picker) to unload it. It would still help to have another person to help
balance it.
I wrapped a strap around the approximate middle of the crate and used my
engine hoist to yank it out and onto the floor. From there I opened the
crate and pulled it out into the floor for assembley. |
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| It went together easily with only a few parts to actually bolt up.
The casters, wheels, front clamp, tie downs and ramp where the only
things that needed to be assembled. It took about half hour to get all
parts bolted up and working. The front wheel clamp is adjustable. I have
it in the far forward position, which has turned out to be too far
forward. It's easy to move and can be moved once the bike loaded so you
can see exactly where it needs to be. |
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| As you can see it's got a nice large wheel clamp. This shows it
fully assembled in the low position. Rolling the bike up on it requires
the wheels to "chocked" somehow to keep the lift from rolling as you
push the bike up on it. I was able to push the GTS up by myself, and
rest it on the side stand. Of course depending on how big your bike is
and how confident you are pushing it up on the ramp while determine if
you can do this alone or if you need a buddy to help. I guess it could
be ridden up, but that might be a little tricky. |
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| As you can see I have the GTS up on the lift, strapped down with a
2" ratcheting strap on each side to hold it in place. I have it on the
center stand and there is a screw jack under the front swing arm,
lifting the front tire off the lift so I can remove it and service the
front brake. The bike is stable and I can stand next to it and work
without bending or kneeling. I could also sit on either my short or tall
stool depending on what I'm doing. There is a lower position as well,
which is about two or three inches lower in the raised position. You can
see the safety bar in position in the bottom front of the lift. Notice
there is another hole above it that would lock it in the lower of the
two positions. |
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I even have room in my two car garage for both the lift and the CBR.
I can still walk around the lift and park my car in the garage as
well. After I do my garage remodel I'll have even more room.
As I use the lift more, I'll update this page with anything I find that
might be helpful knowledge for anyone else that might be interested in
this lift. |
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