Does anybody use a small motorcycle lift?

[Chris Cochran]

For the immediate-to-medium-term future, my center stand is inoperative. So, I'm thinking of getting a lift so I can raise it enough for me to change tires.

I'm not looking for some big thing but something of smaller size that, when not in use, can easily be stored on a shelf, for instance.

Eventually, I'll get the center stand operational but for now, something inexpensive but functional would be great.

So, does anyone have any suggestions?

[SgtSlag]

I bought the high-position motorcycle lift from Harbor Freight only to discover that its arms would crush the exhaust pipes before it touched the transmission. I tried different options, spending an equal amount of money on riser pads for the arms, which I hoped would be adjustable to miss the pipes... No joy. Ended up giving it to a friend.

Short Answer: no, you will not be able to find a lift which will miss the exhaust pipes, without using a special adapter custom made for the Voyager XII. There was a member who made them for the HF Lift, years ago -- gone, or no longer making them. If you can fabricate out of steel, no problem -- I don't know how, nor do I have the tools.

I use my grandfather's old scissor lift to support the front of the transmission, pressing the rear tire to the ground, while mine is on the center stand, so I can work on the front wheel. I do not work on the rear wheel, but you might be able to use a scissor lift to push the front wheel down, while it is on the center stand.

Good luck! Cheers!

[Chris Cochran]

Thanks for the reply even if it is a bummer of one. I REALLY don't want to have to trailer this thing to take it 45 miles to the nearest Kawasaki dealer so they can charge me HUGE amounts of cash to do the tire swap and spline lube.

The trailer part isn't difficult but even having a free one at my disposal, the cost of diesel for my son's truck is outrageous. Add that cost to however many arms/legs the dealer will charge me for the work, and this has gone a long, LONG way from just being a centerstand/no cost operation to all this.

I've got to figure out how to get this beast up on the stand. While I kind of enjoy figuring out to do things like this, I don't want to HAVE to do it.

[triton28]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttSA7SaW-dA

[Nails]

I do plan to put a bike lift in -- the (still unfinished) shop slab has a recess for it. But for the crack, I'm using a pit that I built more than 15 years ago. Instead of putting the bike higher, I just put me lower. (Easy to get the back tire out from under the bike.)

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Yeah, I'm fond of that lift already integrated into the bike. Saved my butt in DC while on the road (viewtopic.php?t=12087).

I've left the bike for days with the front wheel off, using a small scissor lift under that big fin in the front of the motor like Sarg said.

[GrandpaDenny]

Same here, but what I use is a floor jack, just because I happen to have one. Makes it SO easy to work on the front wheel. Gene Kapuszinsky (ekap1200) (sorry if I misspelled your last name, Gene - usually I just refer to you as Gene Kap) uses an adapter for a floor jack made out of 2x4s. It's pretty slick. Personally I just put my floor jack right under the front of the engine.

[SgtSlag]

I really hate myself for not thinking of using 2x4's to make an adapter for that HF High Position Motorcycle Lift. I think even I could fabricate such an adapter. The HF Lift has tie-down positions to keep the bike from tilting/falling off (I can fabricate a means to safely secure the wooden adapter to the metal arms -- I think). I may need to investigate that option -- and visit HF in the near future, checkbook in hand... Oil changes would be sooo easy with the bike up high on that lift. Cheers!

[Nails]

The built-in bike lift is the bee's knees, and it doesn't take much to get the front wheel off the ground from there. I also have floor jacks, but honestly they just get in the way. The right sized bottle jack would probably be best, but the little scissor jack (from an old RX-7) works great. Leaves room for the big oil pan I need (and still manage to spill).

A bike lift like the kind dirt bikes use could be handy, but it's usually in the way of the oil drains. Mighty swell for other stuff, though.

A whole bike lift would be great to quit crawling on the floor ... one of these days. But I'd still use the centerstand and a scissor jack on the lift.