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Lift adapter

Happy Thanks Giving Day to all!
Just want to add the I bought the HF yellow lift and did the mods that R.W.B recommended and it works great,also I didn't have to use the plywood pads. It works fine without the pads.

Thanks R.W.B for sharing that great idea and everybody for all the replies.
 
Hi R W B
The photos of the H.F. lift with modifications you provided were a big help. Several years ago I bought a CREWMASTER lift to use on my 2003 Wide Glide. The bike fell off but did no damage because it fell on ME. Haven't used it again. I will buy the H.F. iron model and make the mods that you did. I now have a 2011 Super Glide Custom and don't want to take a chance on having it fall.
Al
 
skypilot3192 said:
Hi R W B
The photos of the H.F. lift with modifications you provided were a big help. Several years ago <......> bike fell off but did no damage because it fell on ME. Haven't used it again. I will buy the H.F. iron model and make the mods that you did. I now have a 2011 Super Glide Custom and don't want to take a chance on having it fall.
Al
Click to expand...

The H.F. one won't fall, but if you are going to wrench the bike while it is one the lift, you need to strap it securely. I put leather strips on my plywood clutch cable spacers to keep it from slipping or sliding. I have gotten pretty rough with it a couple of times but I kept an eye for movement. It stayed tight on the leather.

You will notice when you jack it up the back wheel comes off first and a little later the front. There is more weight on the front end due to the distance it hangs out front and the front forks extend as you jack it up. But again I rocked the bike and it did not try to tilt forward. There is well enough weight on the engine area and the back to keep it steady.

Where this thing really shines is work that has to have the weight off the wheels, like removing a tire etc. Including that often clean and wax of the wheels, you can just sping them to next section.
 
I have a J&S Jack, and it really is amazing. Picks my FXDL right off of the jiffy stand and sets it back down without any adaptors. I can rotate the bike around the garage with really little effort and is solid as a rock without any straps, fittings, etc. I haven't actually got on the bike as they show in the J&S video, but I did have the front end off completely and it was extremely solid at all heights.

It is a little expensive, but I can't say enough about it. I figured for the safety of myself and the bike while I'm working on it, it was worth it. Can't go wrong.
 
To reference my own reply:
[You will notice when you jack it up the back wheel comes off first and a little later the front.]
Actually now that I think about it, this is probably due more to the fact that the frame is tilted slighty upwards towards the front. If you look at my Street Bob from the side you can see the ground clearance increases as you go from back to front. This obviously would cause the back to come up first since it makes contact with the lift first. A lot of bikes are like this (except many Japanese ones run flat).

To reference cmvsm:
Where did you get the J-S jack ? How much was it ? The FXDL, that's the Low Rider correct, which I assume does have the dyna oil pan that drops below the frame.
Got any pics of it just to see it, I must have missed this one when I was searching for my own (unless it was more money, then I might have ignored it). If I am going to spend much on a lift, then someday I want one of the drive ups for around $350, that go up 30" high.

To reference cyborg:
I'm pretty sure it's half inch, might be 3/8" inch, but it was some scrape I had laying around. It was in good shape and the glue was still holding all the plys together strong so I used it. I might could get by without it but when I looked up under it looked kinda close on the clutch cable. Besides I like the extra clearance above the pads for inspection or cleaning around that area of the crankcase. Plywood can be slippery so put some Ace hardware step tread strips (or scrape leather like I had) if you use it.
 
I fully agree with CMVSM's comments on the J&S jack. I bought one last year and it is a GREAT product. No adapters are needed to lift my FXDL and it is solid as a rock even when the bike is lifted to full-height. It does cost more than the Chinese-made jacks sold by HF, Sears and others but the quality of it and the confidence that the bike will not topple is well worth the few extra bucks. Why have a high-end bike and use shabby tools on it? Like I've said many times....... if you have a cheap head, then buy a cheap helmet. The same is true for your bike.

For me, I am glad to have spent the extra $$ with J&S, plus they have tremendous customer service.
 
I did the mods that R.W.B suggested and I did not have to use any adapter, just moved the lift pads outside of the lift braces and It works just fine without anything else. Don't know if there's any difference between the frame of a 2010 FXD and other years, but mine sit perfectly on the rubber pads without moving.
 
SteveA said:
I fully agree with CMVSM's comments on the J&S jack. I bought one last year and it is a GREAT product. No adapters are needed to lift my FXDL and it is solid as a rock even when the bike is lifted to full-height. It does cost more than the Chinese-made jacks sold by HF, Sears and others but the quality of it and the confidence that the bike will not topple is well worth the few extra bucks. Why have a high-end bike and use shabby tools on it? Like I've said many times....... if you have a cheap head, then buy a cheap helmet. The same is true for your bike.

For me, I am glad to have spent the extra $$ with J&S, plus they have tremendous customer service.
Click to expand...

Oh don't get me wrong, I know where you are coming from in your analogy. And far be it from me to recommend something less than what one would want. But without seeing a pic of it I really don't know yet that J-S is more stable than mine, although admittedly I would not mount my bike on my lift or any other lift of similar nature. So probably the J-S is more stable going on that description.

However I would not call my H.F. jack cheap or shabby in the quality sense of the words. It was cheap as in a great buy. And most of the world is made in either China or Mexico now. Even some of the stock items on your Harley I have heard are manufactured in Mexico.
And again it is not required to use plywood pads like I did. I do that for personal preference in giving me more clearance in the crankcase area around the clutch cable. That's just me. Other's have noted they do not do that.

My H.F. lift is solid, and built strongly. It amazes me that I got it at such a price. Granted I did have to do a 15min (and $5 ) mod to it. But I love it.
If I spend more it will be on a nice drive up someday.
 
R_W_B, I am in agreement...I use the HF yellow lift occasionally, do not use it as a "roller" for my bike as I ride my Sportster all the time. Most times I do most of my service with the bike on the jiffystand and occasionally just lean and secure it to the wooden fence out back. Simplicity was alway a plus, with speed and convenience a close second. The money saved goes towards consumables or other HD "wants and needs"...:D
 
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