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What is the proper way to lift our ~900 lb bikes with a scissors jack?

9.6K views 43 replies 20 participants last post by  Charlie Chaplain  
#1 ·
Santa-2023 gave me this -> wide deck scissors jack [deck size 14.6x9.1]

My question is...
What is the proper way to lift our ~900 lb bikes with a scissors jack?
conversely stated
If you want to cause massive damage to your bike lifting it up - what would you do to ensure damge?

My gut feelings are:
-
it must be stupid to put the lift directly on the drain bolts and lift a 900 lb bike by bolt threads.
- it must be stupid to lift the bike directly on the joint-seam of the crankcase.
- is it must be correct so "spread the load" to as much surface area as possible
so that no one part is carring the entire weight.
- It must be wise to limit lifting to just the rear tire or just front tire.
the reason why if you lift just one tire, if you remove that tire the bike stability would be un-changed
but if you lifted both tires, if you remove one bike will be soo off balance it would topple had you not ratchet strapped.
- It must be wise to ratchet strap the bike secure once lifted.

As for how to accomplish the above here is what I did
(seeking advice if the above thoughts are right and if the plans below make sense)

I feel that "no one" has dedicated d-ring anchor bolts on their garage floor
yet we "gotta" ratchet strap our bike to something.
My plan is..
- take a 2'x4' 3/4" plywood sheet slide it between the tires so that it sticks out roughly ~14" on each side of bike
- center the jack on the 2'x4' plywood so weight of bike presses entire plywood into the ground.
- move the entire ply wood to so that jack is directly at the desire lift point.
- place a template block of wood on jack pre-notched so weight of bike is not on any its protusions.


By doing the above the weight of the bike will securing the plywood to the ground
I am planning on 6 flush mount D rings (3 each side of bike)
so that I have ample choices to ratchet strap bike to the ply wood.
for front of bike I can attach to frame but for rear of bike what to people attache to?
I am not convinced that the saddle bag guards are a wise ratchet strap point
but nor am I convinced is the swing arm a wiser choice as it moves.
do Y'all ratchet strap the rear of bike? - and how do you do it?



Here are pics of my scissor jack and the wood template I made.
Basically I used kids sidewalk chalk coated the protrusions and used the jack to press the wood into bike.
If there was chalk anywhere on the board I used a grinder and notched the wood away
repeated this until no matter how much I chaulked the protusions it didn't transfer to the board.
Enclosed are pic of end result...

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I am planning to use these heavy-duty D rings as my anchors with the 2'x4' 3/4" plywood
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#2 ·
For a strap attachment point at the rear of the bike. I wrap soft straps around the passenger floorboard mounts, then hook my ratchet straps to them. They are solidly attached to the frame and will not move with the suspension.
 
#3 ·
Years ago, after acquiring my Indian, I brought the Handy 1200lb. lift with rear dropout panel. I could not work off of the floor anymore after years of doing so. There are plenty of tie offs with the Handy and I have removed both wheels and still had a secure bike. I also brought the Handy wide platform jack and use an assortment of dunnage to support whatever I've got on the table. It also doubles as a table for impromptu garage parties.
No more sketchy lifting or worrying about dumping a 900 lb. machine on myself. I have never looked back. P.
 
#8 ·
As far as lifts go here is a pneumatic set up that I purchased and comes with some good standard features. It includes a scissor lift that works great to remove tires and do engine removals. Also has a drop out section in the back for the rear tire. I do recommend getting the sides to make the width 48 inches. Makes loading and unloading much safer. I also have an S&B jack with the Indian adapter, works very well also but with any center lift (at least with the RMs) pull the tour pack first. Otherwise the whole thing will be very unstable and too tail heavy. Only problem is S&B went out of business. For general work on the bike it is hard to beat the Aplus assy.

 
#9 ·
If you are suggesting lifting your 900lb bike with a scissor lift alone, I say thats a very bad idea. The "claimed" capacity might exceed your bikes weight, but no way would I recommend it. I have a scissor lift and only use it to lift the rear end of my bike with the front tire in my Wheeldock. Get a table lift or a motorcycle floor jack designed for motorcycle use.

Just look at the diameter of those pivot point bolts! In addition, as the scissor lift is raised the supports under the plates get closer to together. Once lifted to any decent height the supports are very close together which minimizes the surface area under the lifting plate which further reduces stability.
 
#11 ·
I completely agree. The base line Aplus lift is 1000 lbs. Just over the weight of what my RM would be. There is no way I would want to operate a lift that close to the max capacity. It might lift it but anytime you run that close to max the stability of everything is much less. Dean
 
#12 · (Edited)
Maybe I misunderstood this statement / question. I read it as you are asking how to lift your entire bike with a scissor jack???????
" What is the proper way to lift our ~900 lb bikes with a scissors jack? "

Even if you are not removing the tires, I would still advise against lifting the bike with only a scissor lift.

It may just be me, but I don't even feel too comfortable lifting the front end with a scissor jack. When lifting the rear end, I use a Wheeldock which keeps the front end stable and the bike verticle. But, since I can't use a Wheeldock on the rear, I feel uncomfortable with a lifting the front end with the scissor jack, since it will have to 1. lift the front end and 2. keep the bike verticle. I've done it though, but have just been nervous and very cautious moving the steering side to side.
 
#13 · (Edited)
To provide additional stability support during tire maintenance, especially when pulling both tires at the same time, this is what I have done when using a much more stable jack than a scissor jack. I have since invested in an even more stable and substantial motorcycle floor jack, but would do the same support when I pull both tires for maintenance / exchange.

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#19 ·
how about a picture of said adapter at least that way we can visualize the setup.
is it simply some strap steel connecting the two lift legs?
If you are looking for an already built adapter, here is one that several members have used. You can get it for a J&S jack exclusively (arms on J&S are wider than most), or as a universal adapter.
JACK/LIFT ADAPTER for INDIAN MOTORCYCLE ALL MODEL THUNDERSTROKE (indianonlymotorcycles.com)

These are what I use. I just strategically place them on the lift arms at the appropriate contact points.
Rubber Arm Pads Challenger Lift Model E12 12000 15000 18000 482365 - Set of 4 | eBay
 
#24 ·
These work arounds while cost and space effective in my opinion are not good. Bike could fall over and hurt you.
thats time away from biking and other things. Use what pro's use.
If you can - bit the bullet and get a Handy lift. You will not look back.

Tom
Personally all I need/want is something to lift the bike off the wheels during winter storage.
A "Handy Lift" in my case would still have the bike on the wheels - just higher off the ground.
 
#29 ·
Being new to Indian, I am hesitant to jump in - but what the hey, may as well. I've used a Craftsman 1,500 pound bike lift on my Vaquero for many years. It seems to be a discontinued model, but this is what it looks like. The pads line up with the wings(?) on the bottom of my Pursuit, making it easier to lift than the Vaquero was. The bike is very stable on it, to the point I can push it around the garage - with some difficulty. Those little wheels don't like to roll, but they will. The Harbor Freight Pittsburgh Automotive 1500 lb. Aluminum ATV / Motorcycle Lift looks to be an exact clone of it. Or my jack is an exact clone of the Pittsburgh model. Whatever. I've been very pleased with it. I'm not sure what you would call them, as they are not a scissor jack. Pivot jack maybe?
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#30 ·
People around here call lifts such as @Old Bear 's. picture "atv/motorcycle lifts" whereas same string without the "atv/" prefix means those lifts that look like an surgeons operating table that can lower to inches from floor to waist high. I have a cheap one of the atv/motorcycle style and I thought I would like it for my chieftain maintenance when I needed to take tires off bike. I never felt comfortable with that atv/motorcycle lift doing that task which is why I asked santa for a scissors jack - santa came thru And I started this thread seeking an education of what's wrong with my preconceptions on how to use scissor jack or confirmation of what's right about those preconceptions.
 
#32 · (Edited)
I have the same lift as Old Bear (HF versions), and have had for quite a few years and have lifted many bikes with it. I also have a decent scissor lift. The aluminum motorcycle lift is considerably more substantial and capable then the scissor lift. I recently purchased an OTC Motorcycle Lift and it is even more stable and secure than the aluminum jack.

If only lifting one end or the other of the bike with the opposit end supported, the scissor jack is hard to beat. But, if lifting the entire bike, the scissor jack is by far on the bottom of the list.


As I previously mentioned, the lifting arms come together on a scissor jack as it is elevated. By doing so, it reduces the supported surface area on the top and bottom plates and reduces stability.
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#31 · (Edited)
I cheat.I have a regular car lift [6000 lb. capacity] which I drive the bike up on to using a piece of 4X 8 plywood [cut to fit the bike on the lift], then raise the machine 38 inches off the floor [the lift's maximum height ] and secure it so it doesn't fall over.Then I use what's called a Black Jack,[I have two,one for the front and one for the back] which is a heavy screw jack [500 lb. capacity] which I place under the frame where the bottom of the shock connects,placing a small piece of 2X4 between it and the bikes frame at that point so as not to damage anything,then raise the rear of the bike up [ the jack will raise 14 inches which gives me more then enough height to remove the back wheel assembly. I use the second jack,if need be, placed under the front where the crash bar mounts to the frame using a longer piece of 2X4 ,and can now raise the front end of the bike for front tire R and R,or the whole machine using both jacks.So I believe I have those bases covered pretty well. (y) (y)If I had a camera and knew how to post pictures on here,I would.But since I don't have a camera or know how to post pictures ,[I'm pretty stupid] I can't show you guys the procedure or what I'm talking about. Dummy Dave!!! DUH!!!
 
#35 ·
I have both a floor jack and one of the platform/motorcycle ATV lifts. When I'm lazy, the platform jack (as many have posted here) works fine plus the larger wheels on it, make moving the bike around the garage a breeze. For the floor jack, I have a 4' length of 2x6 with eye bolts at the ends. I wheel the bike so the wheel is sitting on the board and then use tie downs from the fork tubes/handlebars, rear shocks - what ever is handy, to the eyebolts. Then jack up which ever side of the bike I need to work on by moving the jack to the front of the motorcycle or rear of the motorcycle's engine. I lift the bike when it's on the side stand. For the lift, I jack the bike and pull it towards vertical, until it's supported by the lift. Using the floor jack, I've already adjusted the bike to be vertical and free standing with the tie down straps.
 
#36 ·
@X19 Suggested to post the measurements of the J and S adapters. I will post measurements and some photo's as suggested.

Total length=14 3/4
Square top piece 1x1x 10 inches long.
End channel area = 2 1/4 wide 4 inches long. Approx 1/8 thick.
notch= 7/8 wide 1 inch deep to fit over bolt heads.
rubber pads= 2 inch long 3/8 thick. from front measuring back=2 inches-8 1/4 inches.
Center piece that lays on the jack arm is 1 1/2 wide.
Looks to be one piece with bends on each end but could modify to be separate pieces. YMMV !


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#38 ·
I’ve had this K&L Lift for 14 years or so. Scissor jack is also K&L A couple 2x4x12” blocks under the bike has worked for a couple Harleys, a Vic Vision, Gold Wing and Road Master.
 

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#41 ·
I only use the scissor jack by itself for the front wheel and belt tightening. I use no straps for these. I use the HF lift table and the scissor jack with 4 straps if I do something like the rear wheel. I do not use ratchet straps for this because once you get them to release they can easily release more than you want, and you don't need them for working on the lift.
 
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