Motorcycle lift question

[Dorian]

I changed the oil on the ST1300 yesterday for the first time.... what a PIA! I was surprised at how little room there is to work under the bike. At least the center stand won't rust for a while. So I'm going to get a motorcycle lift but not something that costs an arm and a leg. I'll just be using it for oil changes and tire changes.

Can anyone tell me if this unit http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=2792 will fit under the ST1300 without having to pre-jack the bike? Is there another lift out there that folks recommend that is under $200.00?

Thanks in advance,
Dorian

P.S. At least the rear drive oil was easy to change.

[Mellow]

I have the Sam's lift I got a few years back for the Valkyrie and it worked great on the Wing... Tried it on the ST to get the front wheel off for tire replacement.. I didn't like how it worked, not alot of room. So, I put a couple 40lbs dumbells on the back seat in a box and the front tire lifted right up.

The ST is balance very nicely while on the centerstand, doesn't take much weight to pull the front up.

[Dorian]

Well... I gotta be honest, there's another reason for getting the lift. I'm pretty anal about cleaning and detailing our bikes. After a combination of oil change and detailing, I'm feeling my age today. Hamstrings are sore, lower back is reminding me that I'm made for "on" and not "under", etc...

The lift is more for me than the bike... I can sit in my easy chair and do the detailing and maintenance if I had the bike about 18 inches higher.

Leo, I read that thread and others before I got started. I expected it to be a breeze. Oh well, practice makes perfect.

One good thing, I did notice the bike appeared to shift smoother with the Rotella T Synthetic in there.

Dorian

[STPilot]

Can I ask a potentially stupid question here?? I have never changed the oil on my STeed myself, I'm perfectly happy paying Honda to do it for me. (probably dumb, I know) I know oil filters are the messy part of the job. Here is a trick I've always used on my airplanes, I have no idea if it's feasable on the ST or not but if someone has tried it, I'd like to know how it went. Get a big, one gallon zip-lock freezer style bag. unscrew the filter until you can start to see a trickle of oil, take the zip-lock bag place the entire bag around the filter as high as you can get it, close as much of the "zipper" part of the bag as possible, then unscrew the filter the rest of the way of by hand by gripping it around the whole bag. Viola! the filter falls into the bag and the remaining oil will take a few minutes to drain, not a drop on the ground. Again, never tried it on the ST, but it works great on airplanes, and beleive me there's not always alot of room to work under the cowling of an airplane. :D

[Dorian]

Get a big, one gallon zip-lock freezer style bag. unscrew the filter until you can start to see a trickle of oil, take the zip-lock bag place the entire bag around the filter as high as you can get it, close as much of the "zipper" part of the bag as possible, then unscrew the filter the rest of the way of by hand by gripping it around the whole bag. Viola! the filter falls into the bag and the remaining oil will take a few minutes to drain, not a drop on the ground. Again, never tried it on the ST, but it works great on airplanes, and beleive me there's not always alot of room to work under the cowling of an airplane. :D

Makes sense to me! Actually, thats a pretty good tip.

When it was just my GL1800 I was more than happy to let the shop do these type of things for me. But now, considering that I'm dealing with a GL1800, an ST1300 and a VT750DC, the price of convenience has gotten a bit high. By accomplishing three oil changes at the same time by myself I can save enough money for.... er.... well, farkles.

[ssls6]

If you're going to buy a lift for easy of maintanence, then get a real flatbed air lift. Don't buy a cheaper ATV lift. While they do work on bikes, you won't get the bike high enough to make a big difference. ATV lifts also get in the way for oil changes.

I recommend your centerstand and a bottle jack if working on the frontend. Just your centerstand when working on the backend.

Something like this
http://www.discountramps.com/motorcycle_lift.htm
sells for $600 and is much more useful. I'm not recommending this brand but it shows what I'm talking about.

[georgeorge]

My Sears lift cost me $89 and it's the best $89 I've spent on the bike.....well my back actually. I hate bending over to clean the bike. I'm like you Dorian......I clean the bike about as much as I ride it. I know, the rest of you guys think I'm anal about cleaning it that much, but it gets me out of the house. I enjoy it. But, it's no good for oil changes, because the center stand needs to be in the up position and the jack goes under that. So, there's absolutely no way you'll get your hands on the filter while on the lift. It's great for cleaning though. It lifts 17 inches off the ground which is a great amount compared to nothin'.

Brian :03biker:

[beastie]

Dorian, et al,

This Harbor Freight lift looks kinda like the Sears lift and at $70 seems unbeatable. I wonder how much the shipping is. That $600 lift is nice but shiiping adds $225 and the diamond surface another $99. Wow $924.

Does anyone have any experience with the Harbor Freight lift???

BTW - when I changed oil on the beaST, I did it with the center stand on a cookie sheet. I took off the left lower cowl, wrapped foil around the pipes and stand. I changed the Wing's oil & filter at 200 miles (Rotella T synthetic) on the center stand with a normal pan underneath. It was much easier. Except for the laying on the floor part.

don