I want to preface this by making very clear that I am not in any way a huge fan of Harbor Freight, or chicom buying in general. However, in today's market they are a fact of life and I find that some of their products are actually as good as other alternatives from chicom sources, and in a few cases actually as good as anything else available. No geopolitical opinion involved, just the facts that if you're trying to save cash by buying an imported product, I believe you need to get the best possible product for the least possible money. Like everything, compromises are involved.
Here is the $179 HF lift that is being discussed. My opinion of this lift follows.
1500 lbs. Capacity ATV / Motorcycle Lift
I have not tried that particular jack specifically on Roadmaster, nor would I ever even consider it. It has too many issues for me to feel save using it. Chief among them is that fact the the pivot points on the base structure and on the table for the lift arms are arranged in a triangular fashion, resulting in a lot of twisting of the table if the weight of the load is not PERFECTLY centered (almost impossible with a motorcycle). This twisting puts a lot of stress on the pivot pins and holes that creates rapid wear in the aluminum structure. The more you use it the worse it gets. We had one of these at work that we used for lifting bulky exhaust components (they only weigh around 350 or 400 pounds) and in less than a year it was feeling unsafe to use because it was so sloppy. When it was new I tried lifting my Chief Classic with it and found the rear wheel lifted over a foot off the ground with the front tire still touching. I put it back down. I would not use one of this design lifts for anything, they may be light, but they aren't a good design.
Now, here's the CHEAPER, and in my opinion BETTER, Harbor Freight alternative. $90. My opinion to follow again.
1500 lbs. Capacity ATV/Motorcycle Lift
This is actually a reasonable quality offering. I tested and inspected a couple before I decided to buy one of my own. It is made of steel, with robust materials chosen throughout. The design is pretty much industry standard and distributes the stresses involved in lifting a motorcycle well throughout the structure. When "the "light" end will come up first but the flex isn't extremene and it doesn't get "scary". The rubber pads on the support arms are made of a good material that doesn't turn to rock or goop in a couple of years and don't mar up the bottom of a bike. The lift has several tie down points integrated into the design to allow you to secure the bike once up. It also has screws to turn down against the ground to prevent it from moving, and wheels which allow it to be moved around with a bike on it without problems (assuming a relatively smooth floor). It lifts Indian 111 bikes without any need for an adapter and leaves clearance to drop the oil plugs and change the oil without needing a special funnel to divert oil away from the structure. When lifted it is very stable and I have used mine many times to remove both wheels at the same time for tire changes, do oil changes and belt adjustments, etc. I've been using this same lift for about 10 years now and have used it on many different bikes with no issues at all. I recommend it to anyone who asks and several folks I know have and use them with no issues.
