free website stats program Bike lifts | Page 4 | Harley Davidson Forums

Bike lifts

I've been prudent with my money my whole life, living a very frugal lifestyle the whole time. I rode a $300 dollar dirt bike all through junior high and high school, bought a sweet 1200 when I got my first real job and moved out of the house, and always dreamed of making enough to buy a touring bike.

I met my wife and quit riding to raise a family under her request, we both felt being frugal and saving for the future would be the means to an end in the long run, but I told her I was going to put $10 a month away and one day buy the bike of my dreams. 25 years, 2 daughters, 2 colleges, and just recently a wedding (one more to go) later, all paid with cash from a life of savings for those reasons and we are proud of our decisions made long ago.

We have struggled like many running several businesses and are by no means affluent, and I cringed at the stark contrast of the haves and have nots painted by the discussion here.

Since I started with the mention of the Pitbull in response to kemo's post, I feel somewhat taken aback by the portrayal of affluence by owning one. So much went into the decision to buy one for me, and believe me, the big price tag was a huge weight to hash out. I made the final decision because of several factors. I too owned a HF which did well for lifting the bike up, but was never secure with it. When I saw the Pitbull and was allowed to play with it, with a demo Road King on it, I knew it was the jack I needed (not simply wanted). I have such a feeling of security every single day when I get home, slide the jack under the bike, and turn it around in my garage. It has more than paid for itself many times over, and I have no regrets.

To each his own (another very well worn quote on this site). BTW, two years ago, I took the $10 a month I had saved for 25 years and bought the bike of my dreams and never looked back. The last two years have been so fulfilling and if God called me home tomorrow, I would feel thankful for the time I have spent living my dream. I hope for many more years enjoying riding around this great country and meeting all of you.

Now, only about 9-10 more years until retirement!
 
RWB - no one is second guessing your choice...and yes Kemo did fine with his Pitbull. Like I said before, do what YOU feel comfortable with. I use the HF yellow one because the price was right and my use is strictly limited to those few cases where I need to lift and hold bike steady for wheel changes or cleaning. Just don't use it often enough to justify spending $480 or so for support equipment...just a matter of choice...:D
 
No hard feelings here either RWB. It's just that I like what I like and I never have been one to settle for less.

Sometimes I come across in a different manner but I try to save others the learning curve that I have been through already. Some like to learn for themselves and others will analyze and take a different approach is all I'm saying if the facts are presented in an orderly way.

Merry Christmas bud!:D

I don't mind you liking what you like, just don't call me foolish for buying a lift that works. Now if you have a case of the Sears or H.F. failing give me the specs and then I will see if I am in fact foolish (or fooled). The 1500lbs that Jack so astutely pointed out is the design rating on the jack so it functions as advertised. Merry Christmas.

I've been prudent with my money my whole life, living a very frugal lifestyle the whole time. . . . . . .
Since I started with the mention of the Pitbull in response to kemo's post, I feel somewhat taken aback by the portrayal of affluence by owning one. . . . .

No need to be taken aback, I never equated affluence to buying a pit bull. I merely said that I wasn't foolish for not buying one, even if I put a $50,000 bike on it.

RWB - no one is second guessing your choice...and yes Kemo did fine with his Pitbull. Like I said before, do what YOU feel comfortable with. I use the HF yellow one because the price was right and my use is strictly limited to those few cases where I need to lift and hold bike steady for wheel changes or cleaning. Just don't use it often enough to justify spending $480 or so for support equipment...just a matter of choice...:D

As always, I agree the Pit Bull and J&S are fine, very good lifts. Just didn't particularly like the non technically substantiated descriptions used in some of the posts. That's all. Nuff said, go buy the J&S or Pit Bull or whatever you want.
 
I don't mind you liking what you like, just don't call me foolish for buying a lift that works. Now if you have a case of the Sears or H.F. failing give me the specs and then I will see if I am in fact foolish (or fooled). The 1500lbs that Jack so astutely pointed out is the design rating on the jack so it functions as advertised. Merry Christmas.

RWB

I wasn't referring to YOU as being foolish with the statement that I made...

There's an old saying that keeps coming up from time to time....

"Penny wise and pound foolish" which I think fits this scenario rather well myself
It was meant as "you get what you pay for" when comparing or buying a jack and nothing more. Don't read more into it than there is.
You're entitled to buy what ever you want to buy. I just wouldn't put a bike of mine on one of those lower priced lifts.
 
Glider it wasn't so much "you" in the solo sense, as it was the fact that you were the one that said it at a time that it finally got to me enough to say something about it.

I've heard so many times where folks would say the same thing-> "I can't understand why someone would buy an expensive motorcycle and then put it on a -CHEAP- lift."<-

To me that statement is just technically unfounded. If it is proved that the lifts spoken of are "unreliable in their design specs" then the above would be a slang way of stating such. But to refer to said lifts in that context without proof of failure is just plain incorrect.

But that's just me, and you happened to be the one that finally made me step up and say something. That's how old Rednecks are. I will admit that for me (and lots of other folks around the country right now) the price of things are so out of hand, that we struggle to have much of anything. So we do our home work and buy accordingly not just to have what we have, but to survive.

I've said my piece on it and you have too, so I've put it aside for now. In fact if I win the lottery, I won't just buy a Siverado for Hoople, you and the O.P., I'll throw in your choice of the J&S or the Pit Bull to boot.

Don't hold your breath until I win the lottery.
 
Glider it wasn't so much "you" in the solo sense, as it was the fact that you were the one that said it at a time that it finally got to me enough to say something about it.

I've heard so many times where folks would say the same thing-> "I can't understand why someone would buy an expensive motorcycle and then put it on a -CHEAP- lift."<-

To me that statement is just technically unfounded. If it is proved that the lifts spoken of are "unreliable in their design specs" then the above would be a slang way of stating such. But to refer to said lifts in that context without proof of failure is just plain incorrect.

But that's just me, and you happened to be the one that finally made me step up and say something. That's how old Rednecks are. I will admit that for me (and lots of other folks around the country right now) the price of things are so out of hand, that we struggle to have much of anything. So we do our home work and buy accordingly not just to have what we have, but to survive.

I've said my piece on it and you have too, so I've put it aside for now. In fact if I win the lottery, I won't just buy a Siverado for Hoople, you and the O.P., I'll throw in your choice of the J&S or the Pit Bull to boot.

Don't hold your breath until I win the lottery.


I'm holding you to that pit bull jack :s Maybe even one for yourself too. :lolrolling

All kidding aside, I have seen comments about some of the cheaper jacks twisting in use (Sears for one) and that's the main reason that I wouldn't take a chance on them myself but that's just me.

Not many reports mind you but it only takes once to drop a bike.
 
I'm holding you to that pit bull jack :s Maybe even one for yourself too. :lolrolling . . . . . . . . ..

No worries for me. If I win the lottery I coud buy the Siverados and Pit Bulls with less pain than the H.F. was to me now.

BTW my bike is only one of the issues in my life that require repair attention. It's currently be waiting in line "on the H.F. lift" for over 4 weeks now. I noticed that even though I have the safety catch braces set, they still have not made contact with the catch notch even after almost 5 weeks. The bottle jack has held the entire weight of the bike without even drifting down an 1/8 of an inch.

Not bad for a $59 investment.
 
Back
Top