bike ramp lift advice please

Dexter

Dexter

Junior member
Location
Bidford on Avon UK
Just getting back into Laverda's after a 37 year lay off (180 jota sold for our first mortgage deposit in 1986) with the help of Clem I have bought Paul Mulholland's Corsa and will be doing a front to back with it over the winter. Getting a bit too old to lay all over the floor fixing bikes so looking for a lift for my workshop. Seems to be £500 ish up to £4k on eBay can any of you please offer advice on a brand or model that is a good all rounder and will do they job without me getting another mortgage? Thanks Owen
 
Not sure where you are, but in Aus I use a 500kg Powerlift. Got it from a local tool shop. It has been fine for many years except that to get a bike onto it I have to anchor it with a tie down to stop it moving.

Rob7
 
Thanks for the reply I am in the U.K. that brand doesn’t come up that I can find over here. Most are Chinese unless older kit no real issue with that given the choice I would happily buy a second hand one but they tend to be bought and kept.
 
Have the same in red as Sidney. instead of the front wheel lock-mechanism that came with it, I mounted a rocker (?) on there which takes the front wheel and holds it tight. Makes it easy to put the bike on the lift, then strap it down without a helping hand. With rocker, I mean a device like that:

www.motea.com

Transportständer Standschiene Vorderradwippe Motorrad Constands schwarz

Produktdetails Stabiler Transport- und Parkständer für Motorräder Kompatibel mit Rädern: 15–21 Zoll, 90–180 mm Sichere Fixierung durch dauerhafte Verschraubung Ideal für Service- und Reparaturarbeiten geeignet Kompakte Maße: 54 x 26,5 x 42 cm, ca. 8 kg
www.motea.com www.motea.com
 
GRAZIA - The original, I bought when I was eighteen from Meeten & Ward, cost a fortune back then. I’m sure there is a copy of this one being made now, super stable, I can climb up on it when its up, the back half comes off to remove wheel or to get close for gearbox etc. The load ramp stays on the floor, which is clever and the pump you can tuck away so you don’t walk into the pedal. Any one you do buy, make sure it has chequer plate floor not smooth, and 500kg lift weight. I’ve used air/ electric ones but this is best and safest to lower ( when most bikes fall off! ) I never bothered with the front wheel clamp but do use straps, I’ve also got beams above to strap bike to when the ramps up.
Be aware of leaving things under ramp, petrol tanks, gallon cans etc cause merry fuck when you lower them down!
 

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Great thanks for the advice. I will get the Clarke one ordered some it seems have the rear wheel floating in space so no good and good point re rocker and tie downs. My picture? North Vietnam on a 10 day ride as covid hit. They transport everything on the mopeds baskets of chickens, ducks, two pigs either side upside down. I saw an upright fridge freezer across the back on one (and his wife sitting behind him) and this chap with a cherry tree in his pannier. Fantastic country, people and riding.
 
Alzero said:
I had that one too, it worked great. I always used a pair of tie downs as I didn’t trust the wheel clamp. I got mine on sale at Harbor Freight for 50% off of list.
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I always use tie downs. Wheel clamp is no good with old bikes with skinny tyres.
Paul
 
Dexter said:
Great thanks for the advice. I will get the Clarke one ordered some it seems have the rear wheel floating in space so no good and good point re rocker and tie downs. My picture? North Vietnam on a 10 day ride as covid hit. They transport everything on the mopeds baskets of chickens, ducks, two pigs either side upside down. I saw an upright fridge freezer across the back on one (and his wife sitting behind him) and this chap with a cherry tree in his pannier. Fantastic country, people and riding.
Click to expand...
We are going there in October, going to start up north in Hanoi then head south. I think we get 90 days.
 
We did the 9 nights on Honda CRF 250's guide, mechanic and a truck with our luggage following small hotels and home stays all your food and as much rice wine as you can drink $1500 we just had to get Hanoi. some 1400 cliks travelled on really remote mountain roads and tracks. truly wonderful. The north can be wet and it was but didn't spoil the trip as just like our summer this year! The company we used do run trips south and 2 to 14 days.
 

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To keep costs down you could use a bench type with a bike ramp to get the bike up (as used by ILOC to display bikes at shows), or if space is an issue consider an ‘easy rizer’ type.
 
both ideas are crap Jessie, compromises both of them, variable height is esential, as is width to place tools and parts, and with a lip at the edge of the deck to stop anything rolling off, a few times in the last 40 odd years I have wished that I could get the bike about a foot or 18" higher, but its very rare.
CLEM
 
Well you know it all, with the Eazy Rizer type stands you can get the bike higher, and with the ABBA type you can even change the angle of the bike. And as for parts etc, dont you have a workbench? And I even heard you can get tool boxes and parts stands with wheels on. What will they think of next?
 
...or the hydraulic cylinder is leaking (happened to me twice until I replaced it with a better one; that one now holds it's oil tight since 15 years. ).
 
Built my own with detachable thunderbird ramp 😁, space for storage underneath & pull out for front or rear wheel removal. Only downside of course is that the height is non-adjustable.
 

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this is the bike lift/work table I have https://www.handyindustries.com/product/b-o-b-1500-air-lift/

I have the side extensions, the wheel vise, and an extendable adjustable mounting arm with a gasoline supply bottle.

this is my second motorcycle lift from Handy Lift, my first was incinerated in my 2020 garage fire, but it was still in perfect condition after nearly twenty years of useage. Highly recommended.
 
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