Motorbike lift plans

[More Amps]

As every year goes by, my knees appear to be less willing to bend and straighten in a manner matching my expectations (or how my memory of being a teeneager remembers)...So for the last couple of years I've been keeping an eye out for a used bike lift - as usual they're either at the other end of the country or look like they've been enthusiastically over-used. They're not incredibly complicated, just an assembly of a quantity of parts of varying sizes and dimensions.

Obviously it would be easy enough to spend an hour or so meticulously measuring and recording all the dimensions of every part, or you could just have at it and over-engineer something capable of lifting a Chieftain tank, but then I stumbled across these plans on the bay of evil and started wondering if anyone else has either used these plans or gone to the dark side and built a lift from scratch?

 

[CompoSimmonite]

People adapt ex hospital beds as bike lifts.

 

[Agroshield]

What bike is it for?

There are a set of plans here which would lift a BMW.

Downloads

Lehmanns Klassik Werkstatt ist eine private Oldtimer-Werkstatt mit dem Ziel, Erfahrungen mit meinen Fahrzeugen und Know-how aus dem Werkstattalltag weiterzugeben.

www.lkw-kelkheim.de

 

[More Amps]

People adapt ex hospital beds as bike lifts.

Last time I was in hospital I did actually ask about end-of-life beds - and had to explain that I meant beds that were knackered, not that I wanted to check out - ended up being told to ask maintenance dept (must find a roundtuit one of these days)

 

[More Amps]

What bike is it for?

There are a set of plans here which would lift a BMW.

Downloads

Lehmanns Klassik Werkstatt ist eine private Oldtimer-Werkstatt mit dem Ziel, Erfahrungen mit meinen Fahrzeugen und Know-how aus dem Werkstattalltag weiterzugeben.

www.lkw-kelkheim.de

It would currently be for a 20 year old Africa Twin (weight about 230kg) - hopefully changing this year but similar weight anticipated.

Those plans look good - I'm mostly curious if anyone has (successfully) built their own, either following plans or on a wing and a prayer, and if so how successful. It just seems that with prices for a bike lift ranging from about £500 to £2,500, then if they were simple to build, there should be loads around - or at least loads of people who have built their own and so far the only home-built one I saw looked shonky as hell and was thankfully so crazily over-priced I wasn't tempted to make an offer.

 

[cocker]

I built mine about 25 year ago . It'll lift me harley with ease .
One day I'll put a tool tray around the edge , to keep all me carp to hand .

 

[RichardM]

Built mine about 10 years ago, splits into two parts for upright storage. There are some pics on here somewhere.

 

[More Amps]

I built mine about 25 year ago . It'll lift me harley with ease .
One day I'll put a tool tray around the edge , to keep all me carp to hand .

Any chance of some pics? And did you follow plans or wing it?

 

[More Amps]

Built mine about 10 years ago, splits into two parts for upright storage. There are some pics on here somewhere.

I'll see if I can find your pics (I may be some time...)

 

[cocker]

Winged it after looking at a couple .
They're quite simple , four legs with a bit of bracing , a top and bottom !

 

[magnet]

I made this from a rise and fall examination bed. Its good for 25 stone so no problem for my mz 125

 

[addjunkie]

They take up a lot of floor space………I had a MM one in the last place, sold it regrettably to loss of floor space. If you build one copy one of the ones that can stand against a wall when not in use.

 

[gaz1]

your build tends to lift at the front more right at the start

drill powered

 

[RichardM]

m/bike lift

has anyone made their own? I've got a hydraulic bike lift but its cumbersome and heavy. it get used about once or twice a year. thinking of making a table similar to sealeys. one end is fixed the other end with slope down to enable to push the m/bike on. and then using a trolly jack to lift it...

www.mig-welding.co.uk

 

[addjunkie]

There are lifts like this that use a trolley jack, others use a bottle jack..have you thought about the abba type lifts, a friend has one that winds up with a battery drill

 

[RichardM]

Design I drew up for mine, loads from the other end to the above which is why there are the two struts at the end. Made from 50x25 3mm wall box section.

 

[More Amps]

There are lifts like this that use a trolley jack, others use a bottle jack..have you thought about the abba type lifts, a friend has one that winds up with a battery drill

I have considered an abba type lift, but I'm put off by the thought of having to buy attachments for each bike...

 

[More Amps]

Design I drew up for mine, loads from the other end to the above which is why there are the two struts at the end. Made from 50x25 3mm wall box section.
View attachment 486101

Full marks for technical drawing! Thanks, that's food for thought.

 

[Hood]

I have considered an abba type lift, but I'm put off by the thought of having to buy attachments for each bike...

You not have a lathe? If not you need one

 

[Hood]

The SkyLift is much better then a bench in my opinion, loads will disagree I imagine.