I am looking at getting a 4 post lift to store my 1976 MGB on. The car is short, only a little over 13 feet long, with a wheelbase of 7'7". The rear bumper overhang is about 2.5 feet. Ideally, I could also park my motorcycle perpendicular to the car on the front of the lift with one wheel on each ramp. Has anyone done anything like this?
4 Post Modification for Motorcycle
- Thread starter Skooterj
- Start date
coldh2o
Well-known member
Not quite the same, but I parked my ATV crosswise on my 4 post lift over the winter and it was fine. I'd be worried about the stability of a two-wheeled vehicle, you'd want to fabricate a very solid stand for the bike.
dagofast
Well-known member
You don't mention what kind of motorcycle you have, but if it a large and heavy one, some 4 post lift builders (like Advantage Lifts) have optional aluminum plates that drop in between the runways. That would help you accomplish what you're trying to do by allowing the motorcycle to roll across from one runway to the other and to put the kickstand down in the center on something solid. If the motorcycle doesn't have a center stand, a wheel chock is a good option for keeping the bike vertical. If it's a lightweight motocrosser, none of the aforementioned is likely necessary as you can easily manhandle the bike on to the runways. In either case, you might want to add some tie down points for straps just to make extra sure the bike never does a swan dive off the high board.
jmiller_2308
Well-known member
The aluminum insert for an Advantage Lift that dagofast talks about is really nice to have when trying to store things this way. I also created my own version of this by using 2x8 lumber to span the area so that I could drive my lawn mower across the lift.
If possible, look at loading from the side instead of running the length of the ramp and then trying to maneuver the bike 90 degrees. For my advantage lift I was able to use the normal loading ramps to load from the side.
I agree with the recommendation of using a wheel chock but if you don't want to drill to mount you could use tie down straps. The only issue with tie downs is that I don't think I'd want to compress the suspension for months on end.
One final note is that depending on how heavy the bike is you may want to pay some attention to how you load the lift. For example, if the car is significantly heavier on one end (engine side) then park the heavy end of the car toward one end of the lift and the bike on the other end to balance the weight a bit more.
If possible, look at loading from the side instead of running the length of the ramp and then trying to maneuver the bike 90 degrees. For my advantage lift I was able to use the normal loading ramps to load from the side.
I agree with the recommendation of using a wheel chock but if you don't want to drill to mount you could use tie down straps. The only issue with tie downs is that I don't think I'd want to compress the suspension for months on end.
One final note is that depending on how heavy the bike is you may want to pay some attention to how you load the lift. For example, if the car is significantly heavier on one end (engine side) then park the heavy end of the car toward one end of the lift and the bike on the other end to balance the weight a bit more.
Bike is a 2006 Suzuki C90 Boulevard. It weighs about 800 pounds. 1976 MGB weighs about 2500 pounds. And yes, I was planning on loading the bike at a 90 degree angle. If I put the bike at the head of the lift, and back the car onto the lift, I think the weight would be somewhat equally distributed. I thought about buying or making a ramp like this and attaching it to the 4 post lift.
Attachments
RPH
Well-known member
I have dirt bikes, light weight <225 pounds. Use a lightweight c channel that will fit the tires. This can be attached by clamping or bolting to the lift. A couple of straps just like when it’s on a trailer. Watch your tire pressure, check your straps every now and then should work with no problem. You only need to hold the bike in place.
Relax
Well-known member
From @Ray916MN:
www.garagejournal.com
24'x48' Pole Barn Workshop - Orono, MN
24'x48' Motorcycle Workshop - Orono, MN Local zoning limited me to a 1200 sq. ft foot print, a bit smaller than I wanted. Building was built to store a horse trailer, a truck, and about half dozen motorcycles, to provide space to work on motorcycles and cars and to allow for some toy expansion...
www.garagejournal.com
Wow, someone has a bike addiction. I like it. It looks like he used a piece of OSB across the lift over a piece of steel. Seams he uses this to load the pallet racking too. My worry about using something thin like C-channel is that it would be hard to reach the ground from the saddle to walk the bike off the lift. Holding the 800 lb bike up at an angle is hard. Harder as I get older. So something wide like this OSB might help a lot, as long as I can brace it enough to hold the weight.
Relax
Well-known member
Details are in his thread, but it seems some of the earlier pics are missing (at least for me). He used a cut up a ladder for that reinforcement under the (I believe) plywood.
I have seen the cut up ladder thing quite a bit recently. Where are everyone finding ladders cheap enough they can just cut them up? I have 2 extension ladders and they cost me a pretty penny. No way I would destroy them on purpose.
Leaflessshadetree
Well-known member
Extension ladders used to be very common at live estate/farm auctions. Often missing pieces (rope, feet) or mis-matched sections for $1.
Hardly worth flipping on E-bay or Craigslist.
Cut up ladder, with sections pinned together with pvc pieces through the rungs.
I usually store a bike with a centerstand perpendicular to the lift in front of a car on the lift. The only thing I do to make sure the bike is stable is reinforce the ply the centerstand sits on and put some wood pieces under the front tire to reduce the risk of the bike pitching forward and rolling off the centerstand.
If the bike didn't have a centerstand, it would be easy to cut some holes in the decking so you can put some straps on the bike from the ladder rungs so the bike would be tied down on the sidestand. If you wanted the bike vertical you could screw a thick sheet of ply which would go over the lift runners to the decking and then mount a roll in chock to hold the bike upright and then tie the back of the bike down to the decking using some tie downs.
I've found Craiglist to be a good source for ladders. People moving often ditch tall ladders because they are too long to fit in their trailers or trucks.
I usually store a bike with a centerstand perpendicular to the lift in front of a car on the lift. The only thing I do to make sure the bike is stable is reinforce the ply the centerstand sits on and put some wood pieces under the front tire to reduce the risk of the bike pitching forward and rolling off the centerstand.
If the bike didn't have a centerstand, it would be easy to cut some holes in the decking so you can put some straps on the bike from the ladder rungs so the bike would be tied down on the sidestand. If you wanted the bike vertical you could screw a thick sheet of ply which would go over the lift runners to the decking and then mount a roll in chock to hold the bike upright and then tie the back of the bike down to the decking using some tie downs.
I've found Craiglist to be a good source for ladders. People moving often ditch tall ladders because they are too long to fit in their trailers or trucks.
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86turbodsl
Well-known member
I'm jealous of that lineup. If Michigan didn't cost so blasted much for every vehicle i'd be doing something like that.