Motorcycle Jack, worth it? $80 at Autozone.

[tussey]

I was thinking about picking up a motorcycle jack but wasn't sure it it was worth $80. What do you think? I don't do any major work beyond oil change, valve insp, carb clean, chain lube, BUT I would like to get to know my bike better and remove tires, replace shock and springs (maybe forks later on) basically stuff I've stayed away from because I've been intimidated. Tell me the pros and cons of owning a bike jack.

[DrtRydr23]

Pro:  Jacking bike up for easier access.

Con:  Out 80 bucks.


Seriously though, I'd buy one if I thought it was good quality.  Haven't seen the autozone one, so I can't say for sure.

[jordanearl]

just a fyi, but  you can't properly lift the gs without modification, since the exhaust sits lower then the frame

[Jughead]

I have a Craftsman Jack.I paid About that much for it. Quality is Super good.

[scottpA_GS]

just a fyi, but  you can't properly lift the gs without modification, since the exhaust sits lower then the frame

+1  you would risk damage to your exhaust 

If your GS still has the center stand you are in good shape. I have removed both the front and rear tire at the same time w/ only the center stand and a $15 floor jack w/ a piece of wood at the top 

[GeeP]

I'd spend just a tad more and get a foldable shop crane.  Then you can lift the bike off the ground with four ratchet straps.  Locate two under the steering head and two around the subframe near the helmet locks.  That's what I do when I need to change tires, work on forks or swingarm bearings, etc.  Plus, you can use it on your car too.   

Rigging from overhead is more stable than lifting from the bottom.

[frankieG]

it has a center stand does it not?

[GeeP]

it has a center stand does it not?

Not if he likes twisty roads.   

[frankieG]

stand never touches down

[GeeP]

Yeah, it does.   

If he has a V&H system he would have to taken the center stand off anyway.   The collector pipe gets in the way of the bumper and pivot bolt.

[bombadillo]

just put mine on and I was able to feed the collector to the pipe no problem without taking the centerstand off.  Don't know why it said to to this, but mine went on no problem and I even got the springs on w/o problems

[yamahonkawazuki]

ive got one of the autozone ones, no probs whatsoever, got got it $40 less than that. ( a freidn used emp discount), plus ive used it on my cars. ( within capacity)

[Kasumi]

Invest in an axle stand. Depending on price get a front and a rear one both adjustable if you can't afford that just go for a rear one, Much easier than jacking up a bike and far more stable. You get good height on the stands and the bike is totally sturdy. Plus they are easy to store, and easy to put on with no precarious balancing points to find.

We have front and rear ones in the workshop and you can pick any bike up with them.

Heres some info and great pictures of what im talking about. Thats just a rear one pictured there i think but you can get front ones too if you do alot of front wheel removal.

http://www.webbikeworld.com/r2/sh/stand.htm

[bettingpython]

http://www.pit-bull.com/

[Kasumi]

Yep axle stands are what you want, they dont rely on picking the bike up from the frame under the engine or anything so they are totally universal if you get adjustable ones.

[jp]

I bought this one from Harbor Freight. The go on sale occasionally for around $50.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=2792

It only takes a few feet of 2x4 to make an adaptor to catch the frame and miss the exhaust. It's nice to use if I need to take both wheels off at the same time. Also, with the bike tied down securely to the lift, it is easy to move it around the garage to get it out of the way. That's important to me since I have limited space, and more than one bike. That said, if I'm going to do the whole job in one day, I usually just use the center stand, and add a bottle jack if necessary to lift both ends. The lift can get in the way of doing some jobs. What I really want is this.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=91764

[bombadillo]

sorry to bring back the dead here, but in the last post the first jack i'm confused with it.  I've never used a bike jack and wondered if anyone has a picture of their bike on there.  Does it not hit the exhaust and if not, how in the world do you use that???

[ben2go]

It slides in from either side and lifts up the bike.To miss the exhaust you can use 2x4's and space them out to catch the frame and miss the exhaust.The jack is basiclly a widened version of a floor jack.