Bonneville America Forums Forums Technical Forums General Tech Craftsman Motorcycle/ATV lift

Hi:
I'm getting ready to take delivery of me New TBA and was wondering if the Hydrolic ATV/Motorcycle lift that is sold at Sears would work with this Bike.
Thanks
Tom

I have one and it works great. Good for a lot of other things too.

Yup, works beautiful. I keep my bike on it all winter to keep the weight off the suspension and tires.

A big YES to that. There are ones that are less expensive and if you ever use them both, you'll soon see why.
Spend the few extra greenbacks if you have to, the Sears lift is the good one.
Just my opinion, I may not always be right, but I'm never wrong.

This puppy is on sale in Canada for like $79. Anyone used one like this?

I got one from Sears 2 weeks ago for $90. Only used it once to try it out. It worked great. Charlie

Buy it. I bought the premium lift the day before for 189. Bought both and compared. The motomaster is all you need. The lift is very controled when going up and down.

BikerT

Biker: I'd like the lift for doing the chain etc. but the biggest benefit would be being able to move the bike around on it when I'm putting it away for the winter. would the wheels work well enough for that on a garage floor?

Bill,

That I am not sure. I was just going to try but my front end is off so it would be unbalanced maybe. It has 4 steel or cast wheels so I would think if your floor was in good shape it would work. I am very pleased with it after have a choice of the two different brands. When I went to buy mine they had one on display.

Another vote for the Craftsman lift...I have one and use it often. Can't beat it for the price either.

Mines on the Craftsman right now and I can not move it once the tires are off the ground. It is designed so that you use the 2 adjustable legs just in front of the rear wheels when the bike is off the ground. If you are going to try to move it with the bike on be sure to strap the bike down to the lift so you dont drop her.

Sears lift on sale gets my vote. Have one and it is great, can move the bike all about my garage without worry, concrete is in good shape. never had to worry about strapping it down to move it.....maybe I should worry more.... Ride Safe!

I have a goodyear lift I got at sames club works fantastic

I really havent tried to move mine (paranoid I guess) I park it, lift it and then want to take it down and ride her some more.

I can move my TBA with the Craftsman lift and a very smooth garage floor.. One trick though if your going to move it around is to make sure it is perfectly balanced or it will want to tip a little when the adjustable legs are not all the way down.

Also, keep an eye on your oil filter when putting the lift underneath. It does sit a little below frame level and the lift can put a small indentation in the filter.

I'm pleased with my Sears lift. For the past two years, thought I didn't need a lift. Now that I have one, don't think I could do without it!

My sears lift was the best $89. spent on the bike. Makes all routine maintenence easier, not to mention being able to do things that require a lift.

I'm on my second Craftsman lift --

The first one died -- the hydraulic piston died, but Sears replaced the whole lift, WITHOUT A RECEIPT, for free, in the store, immediatly, no questions asked.

We like Sears. Yay.

--Jaeger

I have the Craftsman lightweight one and friggin love it. I had one from Sam's and it blew the bottle out after 2 years so I replaced it with a standard hydraulic bottle jack and it worked OK. I wanted the lighter one because of my garage space constraints.

The Craftsman lightweight is on sale right now for $150. I do not use it to store the bike and if you plan to, one with stabilizer wings would probably be better...

Hi all,

My lift is from Harbor Frieght Tools. It supports 1500lbs and works great with my '05 America. Really makes normal upkeep (i.e. chain lubing, washing, etc.) a lot easier. Haven't tried to store the bike on it yet, however, it seems pretty solid when off the ground. Nice soft, controlled declines also! I paid $69 for it. I believe this is similar to the Craftsman pricing.

Either one I think would be a wise purchase.

Steve B.

Take a look at this one from Harbor Freight. www.harborfreight.com and search for item # 91960. It has an aluminum frame and handle, is fairly light and works great. They list it for $139-$179, but I paid $99.99 +$9.99 s&h. To get that price, you must use this item number 91960-OVGA. In Harbor freight lingo, the last four letters and or numbers are the price code. They have a different price on items frequently. It pays to get on their snail mail list and keep all the catalogs they send. Then, find the cheapest price code on any item of interest from all of the catalogs and the website before you order.
I haven't and am not going to try to move the bike around while it is in the air, strapped down or not. All that strapping the bike to the lift before rolling it around means is that when the bike is on it's side in the floor, the lift will be securely fastened to it. What I've done is to put a Nylon handlebar strap (like you would use to tie the bike down) in the center of the bars and attach a ratchet tie down to a beam above with just a slight tension. I hope it doesn't fall off of the lift, but figure that the strap and ratchet will buy me a few seconds to get my hands on it before it hits the floor and either mashes the s*#t out of me or just crumples some expensive Triumph stuff. Regardless of our choice of lifts, having a way to get the bike off of the floor is very helpful for an old man (49 and counting), especially to clean and lube the chain.

Phil, there are remarkable similarities in the lightweight Craftsman and the Harbor Freight # 91960 that I bought. It looks like they were made by the same people with a few changes or either someone stole the specs.

I agree. I put the pics side by side and I cannot tell the difference. Reading the descriptors, there are a few minor differences:

Sears - $149.99
Lightweight aluminum construction- weights only 44 lbs.; Low profile 3-1/2 inch clearance extends up to 19 (with Adapter Bars). Ideal for oil changes, tune-ups, clean-ups and more. Can be used as a dolly to move vehicle to convenient location for work or storage. Four position locking mechanism engages at 7, 11, 13-3/4, and 15. Rubber padded saddles resist vehicle slipping.

Harbor Freight - $139.99
Lightweight, only 60 lbs, high quality aircraft material. Rapid Pumpâ„¢
High strength, lightweight aluminum stand looks great in your garage, is ideal for servicing motorcycles, ATVs and other equipment.
* Platform goes from 4-7/8'' off the ground to 17-3/8''
* Rubber grip pads on saddle protect motorcycle case and frame
* Overall dimensions: 33-1/2'' L x 9-1/2'' H x 15-1/4'' W


I'd save the $10!

2 weeks ago, I got the Sears $90 bike jack, I think it's great. I just ordered from Harbor Freight a 1,000 lb bike lift (table) for $300 plus $50 shipping. I'll let everybody know how this works out. Following are some reasons why I've bought these items. When I got my 03 TBA, I had the dealer put on most of the chrome accs. When they put on the chrome fork tubes, I think (know), they tweaked the front end. It's not squared up! It drives me crazy, and is the biggest reason why I don't have more miles on my bike (2,000). And, after being charged more than 200 bucks for an oil change/service, I've decided to start working on this thing myself. Charlie

Charlie, I commend your decision to do your own work. It not only saves money, it increases your knowledge of the bikes workings, which might be the difference between a quick roadside fix and a trip ending rollback ride. When you make a repair, modification, adjustment, etc., yourself, you KNOW what was done and don't have to wonder if the service guy took the extra time to go beyond the call of duty.
As you've seen on this forum, there is a wealth of knowledge readily available and plenty of opinions/advice/tips to ponder. This site is great for TBA and Speedmaster owners. A Triumph service manual was a must for me. I'm not always satisfied that something works, I need to know how, why and whether it could be better.

The only thing better than the Sears one is going to cost you 4X as much and will require a deep hole in the floor and an air compressor. Since you are getting a new bike, there is no big rush to get the jack. Watch for it to go on sale. Sometimes you can get them for under $70.

I bought one at Costco and I can't tell the difference and it cost less.

Thanks LMM. Where can I get a service manual for my '03 TBA? Charlie

Charlie, your Triumph dealer can get one for you. Mine was part # T3859909-01, issue 4, 10-2004 but ask for the latest issue available. They aren't cheap, my local dealer charged $74.00 less 10% discount. My bike is an '02 TBA and the manual covers other models as well. Included are the Bonneville, T-100, America, Speedmaster and Thruxton. As with most shop manuals, it presumes you have more that basic mechanical abilities and adequet tools to get the job done. Some of the terminoligy is amusing for the Americans (fixings=nuts/bolts, bushes= bushings, etc.), but the manual has lots of great info. Steve

Okay... fine! I stopped by Sears on the way home last night and picked one up. Second slickest sumpin' I've seen lately.. very nice.

As Longmtnman said, get the factory manual from your dealer. You might be able to save a bit of cash if you can find one on Ebay, but that can be risky.
There is an aftermarket manual from Haynes just out or soon to be out that might be a good idea to get as a suppliment. The publisher has a long reputation for being very good with pictures but a bit short on accuracy, so I wouldn't recomend relying on it as your primary source of information.

I love my Craftsman lift. Very good and makes chain maintenance and wheel cleaning a snap.

Does anyone know if I can just order the manual on-line, or whatever? See, I don't want to pi$$ off my dealer, letting him know I'm going to do my own work. I may need him in the future for parts, or other things. Charlie

Thanks for the info, I think I just ordered the manual on-line. Charlie

OK, I got confirmation of my manual order. I paid $79 + $8 s&h from Hermy's. I didn't want to get it from my dealer, or spend a lot of time shopping around just to save a few bucks. I just wanted to get it ASAP, put my bike up on my new Sears jack, and, start putting on the shiny stuff I just got in my first order from Brent. Next week, I should be getting my second order (mint) from Brent and my Harbor Freight bike lift. The waiting for this stuff kills me! Charlie

Did anyone notice on the Craftsman Pro lift there is no way to lock the casters? Did I miss something? On the Regular one there are thumb screws on the base and locks on the casters. Seems like an easy choice to me!

I have the lightweight Sears jack too.
I sometimes use it to turn the bike around in the garage.
One thing to watch out for -
If you raise it just a little, the first click on the lock won't engage.
Then if you leave it up, it'll bleed down and drop the bike.
Ouch.

I am a owner of a craftmann lift.I liked the aluminum one but liked the cheaper steel one better.In my opinion what ever one you get,get one with wheels.They are nice for those repair jobs but they also make cleaning your bike a whole lot easier.
Ride safe everyone,
khatt