$20 lift

blueridgerunner · Post by **blueridgerunner** » Wed Oct 31, 2012 7:36 am

Not having a concrete floor to support my 1200, and having the center stand dig into the ground sometimes, I found this link to make your own jack for $20.
http://www.nightrider.com/biketech/bikelift.htm

Looks like it will raise and stabilize the bike enough for changing the rear tire and stuff. I'm off to Lowe's for materials and will post pictures and review later. I can't spend the $$ for a commercial lift/jack that would see limited use, and the really cheap ones seem unstable to me. The 1200 is a heavy mother and I imagine the newer ones are even worse.

virgilmobile · Post by **virgilmobile** » Wed Oct 31, 2012 8:01 am

Look closely at where you can put the lift.
It may only rest on the exhaust or other hangy down parts that may be damaged.
Some of the engine extends below the frame and can cause a teder todder effect.
I think the harley frame may be the lowest point on the bike,so it would rest on a 4x8,you may be supprised on the wing to find few level spots to rest on.

blueridgerunner · Post by **blueridgerunner** » Wed Oct 31, 2012 1:55 pm

Another review of a store-bought lift mentioned the bike resting on the exhaust headers if they aren't rotten. The link also mentions a modification for using it on a Sportster due to the pipes so maybe additional pieces need to be made. I thought of adding a 2x4 or 1x4 strip across the top for added lift. Perhaps it could be cut to fit inside the pipes or something.

virgilmobile · Post by **virgilmobile** » Wed Oct 31, 2012 2:37 pm

Good idea to look first.they can tip over easy if not supported wide enough regardless of how wide the stand is.another help may be a type of guy wire(rope) from the end of the stand to the upper part of the bike.

blueridgerunner · Post by **blueridgerunner** » Wed Oct 31, 2012 2:44 pm

virgilmobile wrote:Good idea to look first.they can tip over easy if not supported wide enough regardless of how wide the stand is.another help may be a type of guy wire(rope) from the end of the stand to the upper part of the bike.

Plan to put 2 eye bolts at each end to attach ratchet straps

vtxcandyred · Post by **vtxcandyred** » Wed Oct 31, 2012 3:29 pm

There was a guy on one of the VTX boards I belong to had built and was building what was called a pepsx stand. It was piping welded together and you lifted the bike with a jack and the stand would fit around the jack from the opposite side and would hold the bike rock solid. It was a quality product. I had often thought about building one from wood I just never got around to it. The lift the original poster is referring to would not lift the wing high enough to warrant using it in my opinion.

blueridgerunner · Post by **blueridgerunner** » Thu Nov 01, 2012 2:44 pm

OK, as I stated at the outset, I do not have a heated garage with a nice concrete floor which would allow the use of a fancy lift. It would be nice, but it is what it is. The pepsx stand referred to is just that, a stand. You still need something to lift the bike up in order to use it. Because I lack a hard surface the center stand tends to dig into the ground after awhile. I just needed something to raise and steady the bike enough to change a tire. Having hopefully, cleared that up, my report on the homemade lift is as follows:
I found that the lift, when an additional 2X4 was fastened along the top, would raise the rear wheel (or the front) about 6" off the ground. I added 2 eye bolts to attach the bike via the front or rear crash bars using ratchet straps once the bike is on the lift. It is very steady and practically effortless to raise or lower. The folded center stand rests on the board with the exhaust system resting on it as well but not as much pressure. Goldwings have been raised this way for years. If you raise the front end the bike rests on the lower frame assembly.

This is the surface I have to contend with.

vtxcandyred · Post by **vtxcandyred** » Thu Nov 01, 2012 2:53 pm

I understand your problem. When I first started working on bikes it was beside my house changing engines and the like. I don't know whats involved in changing your particular tire but the lift you are refering to would not do any good on my bike. The bike needs to be WAY up in the air. I don't know what clearance you have or need BUT if you needed more perhaps and second lift with more clearance might do it ???

blueridgerunner · Post by **blueridgerunner** » Thu Nov 01, 2012 3:00 pm

On a GL1200 the Wheel is held in by the axle passing thru it. I understand that on the newer bikes the wheel has lug bolts/nuts so removal is a different procedure. My rear fender can be partially removed and the wheel comes out the back. In fact, the manual says it can be done with the bike on the center stand.

triwing · Post by **triwing** » Sat Nov 03, 2012 9:10 am

Tire will come out the back, after you remove lower & upper portions of the fender, with bike on center stand.

SilverDave · Post by **SilverDave** » Sat Nov 03, 2012 12:34 pm

On a 1200, you can also remove the rear wheel with just unfastening the one saddle bag, and part of the rear fender, and gently lifting them out of the way by about 4 inches or so... ( I used wooden bits to hold them up without hurting them )

A lot less work than removing entire rear fender ... especially if you have any trailer hitch/running lights back there .
see here :
http://www.ehow.com/how_7735468_install ... dwing.html

The fiddly part of this is you need to raise the rear tire enough to drift out the axel, above the mufflers... and then lower it again, to get some removal clearance ...

I use a home made jack... but I also use a couple of 2x4's as a class one lever to raise and lower the rear wheel to get the correct heights .

Its very tight in there.. Sometimes I had to deflate the tire to get it back in. ... but you only have to lift the saddlebag out of the way enough to re-and re the brakes and shocks and then again, to torque them down again ...

Caution : especially with any homemade jack :
Its a 25 yo machine... and you are going to " wrestle " the heavy tire off and on... it will shake the machine around a bit...
so... safety lines are rather essential !!!!

SilverDave

blueridgerunner · Post by **blueridgerunner** » Sat Nov 03, 2012 12:43 pm

Thanks for the tips. I too, use safety lines attached to the rafters of my deck. In addition, it seems that the bike could roll forward while wrestling things around and possibly roll off the lift. Working on attaching a pivoting arm about 12" long to the side edge that would act as a safety prop. Move it back up before lowering the bike. A work in progress. Like I said, using the center stand on a dirt & gravel surface, though hard packed, has proven to be problematic.

wjnfirearms · Post by **wjnfirearms** » Sat Nov 03, 2012 2:10 pm

This is intriguing and I've been following the thread. The question I have is about my GL1000. The shop manual (original Honda) makes the rear tire removal seem pretty simple and straightforward. Center stand, remove lower shock bolts, swing caliper up, remove axle, remove tire/wheel.

With or without this invention, is it just that simple? It looks like, but there's not the greatest amount of room to play with in height off the ground or rear fender clearance.

I'm getting ready to take the rear wheel off to change the tire.

blueridgerunner · Post by **blueridgerunner** » Sat Nov 03, 2012 2:20 pm

wjnfirearms wrote:This is intriguing and I've been following the thread. The question I have is about my GL1000. The shop manual (original Honda) makes the rear tire removal seem pretty simple and straightforward. Center stand, remove lower shock bolts, swing caliper up, remove axle, remove tire/wheel.

With or without this invention, is it just that simple? It looks like, but there's not the greatest amount of room to play with in height off the ground or rear fender clearance.

I'm getting ready to take the rear wheel off to change the tire.

Since this is my first GW perhaps someone more familiar with your model will have better info than I re: GL1000. As my GL1200 is an Interstate the bag has to be gotten out of the way as well.

triwing · Post by **triwing** » Sat Nov 03, 2012 2:27 pm

Harbor freight has a bike table for not a whole lot of money. Not cheap but it's stable, a nice way to work. As for your dirt floor one and one half piecies of of three quater inch plywood, c/d exterior grade, with two by two's for a frame will do you.Dirt floor is better than cement on your legs
and feet, best of both world's.
.

blueridgerunner · Post by **blueridgerunner** » Sat Nov 03, 2012 2:32 pm

triwing wrote:Harbor freight has a bike table for not a whole lot of money. Not cheap but it's stable, a nice way to work. As for your dirt floor one and one half piecies of of three quater inch plywood, c/d exterior grade, with two by two's for a frame will do you.Dirt floor is better than cement on your legs
and feet, best of both world's.
.

Thought about that. Might try it later.
Gary (SHS '63 Go Bulldogs)

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