Harbor Freight Motorcycle Lift Mod

[stonesg]

So I bought the latest version of the HF 1000lb motorcycle lift and I'm pretty satisfied.

I just bought a house and between those usual expenses and setting up the garage, there's just no budget for one of the nicer lifts. That said, I'm pleasantly surprised with how well this is going to work. It's not got the convenience of being able to raise and lower quickly for access to different parts higher or lower on a bike but not having to work on anything sitting on the ground is worth it.

This version of the lift is slightly different from others I've seen in that the raise and lower levers are in a different location due to the ram controls being different. They've moved them to the rear of the lift. The older versions also had both levers attached by hollow square tubing over a square metal axle so that you could remove them quickly if you wanted to. This was a good thing because the levers are a trip hazard when attached.

Here's what they look like as bought:



The rear lever is the lowering control. it's on a round shaft and locked with a 6x1 bolt into a drilled recess on the shaft:

Here's how far it sticks out:





It'd be a royal PITA to have to unbolt it every time to keep from kicking it while working on the bike. The raising lever is still on a square shaft so it can be removed and stored under the lift while you are not using it.



As you can see, there's plenty of shaft and arm. I took the shaft off and cut both the shaft and the lever arm back a few inches. The only wrinkle was that they had reamed the inside of the arm to fit the shaft so I had to grind a little to reduce the diameter of the shaft so it would fit in the shortened lever arm.



I had the grand idea to drill and tap the shaft to accept a 6x1 cap screw but being impatient I used a drill that was to small so THIS happened:



Lesson learned. Lucky me there was more shaft available so I just drilled another hole with a larger bit and it was just enough of an interference that the cap screw cut it's own threads when I put it on.

Here's the finished mod. The lever just clears the rear wheel and while it's mostly under the lift when lowering it does not interfere while coming down.



Now the lever can stay attached and its' not the trip hazard it was.

 

[ndnchf]

Nice work. I have a Handy lift and it is really nice. But for the price, what you have is just fine.

 

[6PTsocket]

It is too late now and maybe the inconvenience does not appeal to you but you could have used a clevis pin to replce tbe bolt and just take it off when not needed. Just another way to go

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

 

[stonesg]

It is too late now and maybe the inconvenience does not appeal to you but you could have used a clevis pin to replce tbe bolt and just take it off when not needed. Just another way to go

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

Great idea.

I did think about making it removable but I preferred the idea of actually being able to leave it in place.

 

[JimVonBaden]

Interesting. I have never seen a HF lift like yours.

 

[stonesg]

After living with the lift for a while I have a couple of observations and suggestions for other owners.

This version came pretty much assembled except for the fact that none of the pivot points have zerk fittings. There are holes that appear to be able to take 1/8 press in zerks and I'm going to get some and give that a try. All the pivot points are totally dry and a little lube is probably a good thing.

The wheel clearance/jack access cover WILL move on you while you are loading or unloading the bike depending on which way you have it installed. I went to Fastenal and got several M6 countersunk cap screws and drilled and tapped two holes on either side of the cover to lock it in place. Simple matter to spin them out with a T-handle whenever I'll need to either remove a wheel or get to the jack.

Along the same lines, the paint is pretty slippery after any lubricant has dropped on it.

I was taking my bike off and dragging the front brake to control it and the wheel locked and slipped sideways slightly before I feathered it. Grip tape will be being installed at least along the center.

I've seen where someone used bed liner spray and or a rubber mat so those could be other options.

This model also does not have a flange on top of the main beam that the locking bar contacts as other models do. It's got a small dent where the bar contacts. I'm considering adding some angle iron to reinforce that point. This will also raise the table as it can go higher than where it currently sits on the locking bar. I'm north of 6'1" so any more height is a good thing.

All in all I'm pretty happy and so is my back.

TG