[Road Hazzard]

Got a new harbor freight 1500lb lift for Christmas. Is there anything I should know about placement before I lift her up? Just at a glance i did't see any real good place to put it, or should I just slide in shut up and lift?

 

[Chewy]

Just make sure that the leveling feet are extended to the floor before you raise the lift. And I would also recommend drilling the deck and adding at least two more u-bolts (hardware store items) to the rear section just like the ones on the forward area so that you can add extra tie-downs for more stability.

Also keep a very close eye on the hydraulic cylnder...mine has blown the seals out twice....and use the safety bar when elevated in case the cylinder blows out! :yikes:

 

[Byronw]

I had that lift, and it worked great on my Suzuki VL1500, to pull both wheels and haul them down to the shop for tire replacement. That bike had a frame running under the motor though, so I sold the lift when I traded the LC in for the vstrom. The vstroms don't have that frame to lift by, so I prop them up on the centerstand, and suspend it from the rafters in the garage, rocking it forward to remove the rear wheel, then backward to pull the front. I get a good price on tires, and mount and balance for $17 per wheel, done in an afternoon. But, if there were a way to use the lift on the vstrom, I'd buy another, hanging the bike with straps works, but makes me nervous. Seems I saw a welded metal frame somewhere once, used to lift the vstrom with, but I can't remember.

 

[Road Hazzard]

1st Lift

I don't want to spend $300-$600 on another lift so I'll have to come up with something. There has to be a way to safely use this one even if I have to make some mods. I really like the looks of the Easy Rizer but not for that price. I have to make this one work.

 

[Chuck_U_Farley]

Got a new harbor freight 1500lb lift for Christmas. Is there anything I should know about placement before I lift her up? Just at a glance i did't see any real good place to put it, or should I just slide in shut up and lift?

Be sure to use safety bar and then relax pressure on the lift so the bar is holding the weight instead of the cylinder. I've had mine for a few years now with no trouble out of the seals.

 

[Byronw]

I think the question is, where do you place the lift, what on the vstrom supports the weight of the bike as it's lifted, the cylinder, the exhaust head pipe, ?? other bikes have twin frame tubes running under the motor, these don't.

 

[TrophyHunter]

Ditto. I have a Pat Walsh skid plate so placement is easy. Just make sure the extensions aren't lifting on something that won't support the weight and check the balance as you go up.

I haven't lifted mine in it's stock form but don't overlook maybe having to fab up a 2x4 or something to sit on the lift and hit appropriate lift points.

 

[bigboy292000]

If no skid plate do yourself a favor and buy a support rack from here:

My V-Strom Accessories and Motorcycle Memories

Totally worth it in peace of mind and secure lifting with regular jacks. After almost taking out the passenger door of my wife car when a wobbly lift operation went wrong, I learned this lesson.

 

[MikeB]

I no longer use the lift, because I had an unfortunate incident when the bike decided to repose in a more comfortable horizontal position instead of teetering dangerously on the lift. Luckily I was able to interpose my body between the falling bike and the garage floor to prevent any serious damage, and was even more lucky to be able to extricate myself from under it without calling for assistance from my wife. I don't think I could have tolerated her amusement.

Now I use a chain fall and suspend the bike from the rafters on the rare occasions when I need a full lift such as to remove both wheels at the same time.

If I WERE to use the lift again (which i won't) I would place guy lines from the bike to widely spaced places on the rafters overhead to prevent another tipover.