Princess Auto Bike Lift on Sale.

[Hack]

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$500 seems a lot, just to be comfortable while doing your own oil changes to save $$$.

What am I missing that makes it a worthwhile investment?

It's the guys who are doing more than just oil changes that would be lookin to buy a lift...
That said... Having a lift means even for a simple oil change the bike gets put up...
I like having it when I have to pull wheels/change tires...

I guess it's one of those tools you can't live without once you have it...

 

[Katatonic]

It's the guys who are doing more than just oil changes that would be lookin to buy a lift...
That said... Having a lift means even for a simple oil change the bike gets put up...
I like having it when I have to pull wheels/change tires...

I guess it's one of those tools you can't live without once you have it...

Not me.
I bought one just so I could change the oil, flush coolant, clean and take off wheels without bending over or kneeling. That’s it.
When I’m not using it as a lift I use it as a workbench.
Also bought a bigger air compressor just so I didn’t have to use the foot pedal. Now I simply connect the air hose and pfft-pfft-pfft-pfft. Easy-Peasy!!

 

[shanekingsley]

I’m not mechanically inclined at all and originally bought it for oil changes and super simple stuff. If I was going to be doing my own oil changes, no way was I kneeling or laying on the floor. Over the 3-4 years I’ve had it, I’ve done about 10-15 oil changes, which pretty much neutralized the cost of it. I’ve also used it to swap out 3 stators, 3 rear shocks, about 10 rear tires and 5 front tires, 3-4 sets of chains and sprockets, 3 sets of brakes plus bleeding, and much more. And 4 years ago I hadn’t ever done an oil change myself and had never adjusted my own chain tension - totally clueless about anything mechanical.

I also use the lift in the winter as a table to make winter floral arrangements for friends and family!

 

[Hack]

Not me.
I bought one just so I could change the oil, flush coolant, clean and take off wheels without bending over or kneeling. That’s it.

Yeah... Yeah... Until the one day you get bored and decide to do your swing arm service yourself just because, well... You can

 

[shanekingsley]

Seriously thinking of getting one. Two questions. Once you have a bike on the lift how do you raise the bike (on lift) to remove a wheel?

Also can this unit be tipped onto it's end so it has a very small foot print if not needed?

Thanks All.

Since I don’t have motorcycle stands, I put the bike up on the centre stand and then have a small hydraulic floor jack under the skid plate to lift the front or the back up. Super easy and efficient.

 

[timtune]

My bikes don't have a c-stand. I made a large contraption that uses a floor jack to lift a flat plate for a lift but it wont fit on that lift table.
I really want the lift table for all the reasons above. Maybe I can get by with a bottle jack.

Would those wheeled ss bike stands be any good for a dirt bike / klr??

 

[Katatonic]

My bikes don't have a c-stand. I made a large contraption that uses a floor jack to lift a flat plate for a lift but it wont fit on that lift table.
I really want the lift table for all the reasons above. Maybe I can get by with a bottle jack.

Would those wheeled ss bike stands be any good for a dirt bike / klr??

As long as they’ve got swingarm spools you should be fine. Just pick up a set of Venom stands off Amazon. They’re inexpensive and they work just fine.

 

[Priller]

Would those wheeled ss bike stands be any good for a dirt bike / klr??

Oxford makes one that comes with both padded plates to go under the swingarm directly and forks to go under spools. I got mine at Apex for a reasonable price.

 

[ReSTored]

......... Once you have a bike on the lift how do you raise the bike (on lift) to remove a wheel?...........

A small hydraulic jack works well, but they can be cumbersome. Also, if you're doing something time consuming off season, like pulling the forks to change the fluid where you might do this over a few days or a week I was concerned about the jack developing a leak overnight. So, I got one of these on sale at PA.



As others have mentioned once you have a lift you find other uses for it. Snowblower and mower PM's, use as an adjustable height worktable etc.........

 

[xrljoel]

A small hydraulic jack works well, but they can be cumbersome. Also, if you're doing something time consuming off season, like pulling the forks to change the fluid where you might do this over a few days or a week I was concerned about the jack developing a leak overnight. So, I got one of these on sale at PA.

View attachment 50366

As others have mentioned once you have a lift you find other uses for it. Snowblower and mower PM's, use as an adjustable height worktable etc.........

I think I need one of those.

 

[timtune]

A small hydraulic jack works well, but they can be cumbersome. Also, if you're doing something time consuming off season, like pulling the forks to change the fluid where you might do this over a few days or a week I was concerned about the jack developing a leak overnight. So, I got one of these on sale at PA.

View attachment 50366

As others have mentioned once you have a lift you find other uses for it. Snowblower and mower PM's, use as an adjustable height worktable etc.........

That's exactly what I want. How much?

Also what's with this? Snowblower and mower PM's. It's either riding or sledding season. Those only get a wrench if they break down.

 

[ReSTored]

.................Also what's with this? Snowblower and mower PM's. It's either riding or sledding season. Those only get a wrench if they break down.................

Break down? What do you mean? My snowblower is 30 years old, looks and runs like new. Mower is 25. Got to take care of things.

 

[Relax]

I went for a loooooong time without one, and in the early years didn't care. Later I wanted one, but couldn't justify the cost. Neck, back, and joint problems are usually determining factors, and with Princess selling them locally and on sale, it finally got to the point where it was a no brainer.

So if you don't feel like you need one, you probably don't. There's nothing I couldn't do without one, and I've rebuilt a number of bikes form the ground up. All it does is take the strain off your body from craning your neck to see under the bike when its on the ground. Just like how you can watch TV and eat your dinner on the floor, only you can decide how comfortable that is for the amount of time you spend doing it.

 

[canw650]

I have the yellow table / black base PA left as per Shane's photo. I think it weighs about 325, including the ramp. Without the ramp on moving it around on the wheels is not an issue, especially if your garage floor is smooth. Lifting one end up to reposition it can be done without too much difficulty as I think you're probably just lifting about 100 - 125 lbs. Depending on the weight of your bike moving the lift on the wheels is probably possible, but I'd want a helper there just in case. If you going to all that trouble maybe the simpler thing to do is leave the bike off the lift, position the lift where you want it to be and then load the bike.

think i'll go with something like an ABBA skylift if i were to follow through with a lift. Thanks.

 

[timtune]

I went for a loooooong time without one, and in the early years didn't care. Later I wanted one, but couldn't justify the cost. Neck, back, and joint problems are usually determining factors, and with Princess selling them locally and on sale, it finally got to the point where it was a no brainer.

So if you don't feel like you need one, you probably don't. There's nothing I couldn't do without one, and I've rebuilt a number of bikes form the ground up. All it does is take the strain off your body from craning your neck to see under the bike when its on the ground. Just like how you can watch TV and eat your dinner on the floor, only you can decide how comfortable that is for the amount of time you spend doing it.

I'll be sixty next year so I think I too have gone a long time w/o one. Just like I want to more comfy for that kind of stuff and I hope to assemble my 76 Honda SuperSport on it this winter (between sledding we hope).
But my biggest hurdle is the sacrifice of sacred square footage. Even with a no cage rule it's not big enough.

 

[timtune]

Just ordered it along with the second lift the Restored suggested. $700.58 all in.

Got it from the Kitchener store so I can hit Sail and get a new Big Agnes sleeping pad. I'll be able to drop 1 large in the span of about 1/2 hour.

 

[ReSTored]

think i'll go with something like an ABBA skylift if i were to follow through with a lift. Thanks.

Interesting lift, great if you have space issues, not really as flexible as a regular lift with a full table. Even acknowledging that this is a novel product $700 US (about $875 CAN) is a crazy high price IMO.

 

[Relax]

Just ordered it along with the second lift the Restored suggested. $700.58 all in.

Got it from the Kitchener store so I can hit Sail and get a new Big Agnes sleeping pad. I'll be able to drop 1 large in the span of about 1/2 hour.

That second lift works great for removing and (more importantly) installing an engine for those without a cradle underneath.

 

[Learner]

Says it weighs 350lbs?

Happy to go pick one up, but not even sure I could move it off the trailer when I get home!

 

[shanekingsley]

Says it weighs 350lbs?

Happy to go pick one up, but not even sure I could move it off the trailer when I get home!

It’s fine. I rented a UHaul van to pick mine up and just dragged it out of the van and into my garage floor. It is packed in a wooden box so it’s pretty easy to drag around. Good times!

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