Look what I dragged home last night - CL find of the year

[Raymond]

Yeah, SOP to put the safety bar across and release the hydraulic pressure.

I too find bringing the bike down is the scary part - use the foot pedal to bring it down, press gently, nuffin happens, little more, still nuffin, little more, then it drops crazy, you whip your foot away, it jerks to a stop. Good job me ticker ain't dodgy! Ideally, I like to have someone there to catch the bike if it tips - never has though.

 

[Lou_TX]

I too find bringing the bike down is the scary part - use the foot pedal to bring it down, press gently, nuffin happens, little more, still nuffin, little more, then it drops crazy, you whip your foot away, it jerks to a stop. Good job me ticker ain't dodgy! Ideally, I like to have someone there to catch the bike if it tips - never has though.

You do strap the bike down on the lift, right? That's another part of the same SOP. That's why they have the U-bolts on the side of the lift floor. I never ever leave a bike there without being strapped down. The silly tire vise in the front won't hold the bike reliably at all.
Heck, once I rolled my XS up on the lift from her left (port) side and went around the back to clamp the front tire in the tire vise, while holding my hand on the seat to keep her upright, of course. Well, that wasn't enough. As I was walking past her right (starboard) side, she tilted on me. I have the lift next to a couch so there I am, sitting on the couch with a hot bike in my lap. LOL No time to call for help. I always ALWAYS keep my cellphone (and tourniquet) on my person at all times in the shop. I just figured out the physics and lifted her back up with my legs, from a squat. That was lucky.

 

[Raymond]

You do strap the bike down on the lift, right? That's another part of the same SOP. That's why they have the U-bolts on the side of the lift floor. I never ever leave a bike there without being strapped down. The silly tire vise in the front won't hold the bike reliably at all.

Yes, I added the U-bolts - my lift was supplied without any. But even then I find it hard to trust tie-down straps.

Un-related story but one of my most memorable bike-related incidents. I was paid to go to Bristol to buy a s/h Honda Fireplace for a dealer. Wad of cash, instructions on what to check, V5, frame & engine numbers etc. Rusty old transit van. Bought the bike, loaded in the van, tie-downs all tied down to hard points on the van floor. Nearly back to the shop - ten miles to go. Going round a roundabout, heard a crash in the back of the van. Pulled over, ran round the back of the van, yanked the door open. One of the hard points had pulled out of the rusty floor and bike was lying on its side, so I jumped in and wrestled it upright. As the door slammed shut and locked itself. And the phone was in the front of the van, which had a bulkhead. And it was summer and hot. I was so miserable at that moment.

 

[Niels B]

nice! In my honest opinion, it's a MUST have, feels so much better not to crawl around on your knees and bend over constantly - you'll love it.
have had my hydraulic lift for 17 years, never failed me, but they are heavy

 

[Lou_TX]

... And it was summer and hot. I was so miserable at that moment.

So what did you do?
You can't cut us off mid-story!! Waaaah!

 

[JOHNDADDY]

So what did you do?
You can't cut us off mid-story!! Waaaah!

Yeah, what he said lol. Teel us a story tell us a story.

 

[WideAWAKE]

Yeah that’s the way I always treated bike jacks, take the pressure off of the cylinder, let it rest on the stops.
I’ve got this Harbor Freight bike jack, that used to work so good, but I’m kind of afraid to use it anymore, it is incredibly jerky. It goes up fine but I can’t seem to let it down slow anymore, you try and apply pressure very gently on the release pedal and BAM! It just drops like a rock and leaves me scrambling to try and catch my bike.
View attachment 328595

I have one of those too, never have used it. Any time I needed it, bikes had an exhaust that hit so I just made due on the floor haha.

I’ve always had small bikes, to me an xs is a big bike and my cb750 is enormous haha.

Having a bigger bike take a quick drop would be a bit unsettling.

 

[Raymond]

So what did you do?
You can't cut us off mid-story!! Waaaah!

This happened in 2004, so trying to cast mind back twenty years . . .

I wuz hot, sweaty, annoyed coz the bike had fallen over, trapped, no way to summon assistance. That is the main thing I remember. Had to sit and gather me wits. Try to calm down. Let the adrenaline subside. Had a look over the Fireblade - IIRC there was a few scuff marks but nuffin much broken. I thought the dealer would blame me for not tying it down properly but it was his poxy old van that had let me down.

Can't remember what tools was in the back of the van, but basically I had to break out, decided it didn't matter about bustin the lock or bending the door so I used something (?) to lever the door open. Where there's a will there's a way. Got bike and van back to HQ, can't recall the discussion we had.

But I still don't much enjoy pushing a bike up a ramp into a van, tying it down, taking it back out. And by extension, taking a bike up on a lift and more particularly taking it back down and off is still a bit worrisome.

But they are useful and having better access to jobs is worth it so will deffo have a go at fixing the jack.

 

[Niels B]

Well the tricky part is getting the bike on/of the platform and on/off the center stand, there isn’t much room on either side for the feet- however it could be solved cheaply, a couple of 4x4’s and 2’ wide 3/4” plywood board screwed or nailed to the 4x4 - build it to the height of the collapsed lift and lay it next to it - that way you avoid losing balance when pushing up/down and getting it on the center stand. When working on the bike
, move the platform & stand it upright along a wall or wherever it’s out of the way!

 

[Raymond]

Well the tricky part is getting the bike on/of the platform and on/off the center stand, there isn’t much room on either side for the feet- however it could be solved cheaply, a couple of 4x4’s and 2’ wide 3/4” plywood board screwed or nailed to the 4x4 - build it to the height of the collapsed lift and lay it next to it - that way you avoid losing balance when pushing up/down and getting it on the center stand. When working on the bike
, move the platform & stand it upright along a wall or wherever it’s out of the way!

Yup, I use a low platform placed next to the lift, makes life easier. Plus, I like somebody standing t'other side in case bike starts to lean or fall away from me.

 

[JOHNDADDY]

Moving day.
Running Thumper up the aluminum ramp of a 22ft Rider truck,
Almost to the top. the rear spun on the ramp the bike dropped damn near sideways,
I held Thumper up with one hand
the other braced against the roll up door jam
bustin a nut I thought we were both going over, my dad was there saying let it go let it go!
F no I said and pulled her upright and shoved her in.
That was the first and only time I ever cussed at my dad.
89 this year and still kicking.
Love you dad!
Happy father's day All!