Motorcycle Stands & Lifts

There are two types of riders, those who cruise the road endlessly and those who spend lots of time in a garage in order to keep their bike in mint condition. If you belong to the second type, you know how crucial a quality motorcycle lift is. It can spare you endless hours of squatting or walking on your knees to reach the bottom of your iron horse. A bike lift does exactly what its name says, it raises your motorcycle for you to have easy and convenient access to the engine and other components.

Shopping for a motorcycle lift for your bike, most likely, you'll need to choose between a jack and lift table. The first one is the most common type of motorcycle lifts. It allows an operator to raise the wheels free for many different uses. In its basic design, it is a lightweight and compact tool which relies on your muscular strength to lift a bike, although, some models can use either compressed air or hydraulics, or a combination of the two. As a rule, such air or air/hydraulic powered motorcycle jacks are heavier than mechanical ones, however, they have a higher capacity rating.

A bike lift table is the latest thing in motorcycle lifting. It utilizes a more complex construction than a motorcycle jack, yet provides plenty of benefits. A motorcycle lift table allows you to raise your bike to a suitable height, while firmly securing it and providing the stability no motorcycle jack can deliver. All bike lift tables utilize a similar design, which is a large flat piece of steel that you can wheel your motorcycle onto and then lift your iron horse to the desired height. There is a special wheel lock at the end of the platform, which allows you to secure the front wheel in the upright position.

There are three basic types of motorcycle lift tables, including air, air/hydraulic and electric/hydraulic lifts. Air lift tables are the most popular and cost-effective type of motorcycle lifts. To operate an air lift the user needs to press a foot-operated valve, which releases compressed air that moves the air cylinder to raise or lower the bike. Most air lift tables have a capacity rating near 1000 lbs, which makes them an ideal solution for most small and mid-size bikes. Although, if you're going to use an air lift table for a heavy-duty motorcycle, make sure it has the right capacity rating.

Air over hydraulic bike lift tables are powered the same way as their air counterparts, however, they use pressurized air that is compressed by a pump to push hydraulic fluid into the lifting cylinder. Just like air bike lifts, they feature a foot-operated pedal to raise or lower the motorcycle. Electric hydraulic lift tables also use oils to move the lifting cylinder, however, unlike air hydraulic lifts, they utilize an electric pump instead of an air powered unit. They are the most advanced type of motorcycle lifts, providing consistent operating speeds and added convenience for the user since many of them can be operated remotely.