Look there are many threads on jacking up bikes and lifts, but the Ironhead not having a wide frame, and being a heavy machine i think makes it unique, or am wrong.
From you guys opinion. i need a small jack so i can pick my bike up and work on it wich is about once every two weeks just ( for the fun of it ). they have many small ones on many sites some costing only $150.00 and i just want to know what works.
If i tell you how i used a small car jack, 2 chairs and some pieces of 2x4 to balance the bike to remove the rear wheel this past week you will call me mentally unbalanced.

 

Nope. I've used milk crates.

 

trust me, it looked like a falling structure that had beams around it for support.

 

we can get motorcycle lifts up here for under $100 on sale (Canadian Tire, Walmart)...I'm sure you can too.

but...whatever works that is in your comfort level. If it falls, it probably isn't the first time....just don't have your head down under it when it does.

 

First winter with my first IronHead i had a simple jack under one end and two straps run from the ceiling joists. I must have been crazy.

This one from Canadian Tire...



Note that once you get it up to the level that you want, you lower it down onto a part of the jack [the part with the teeth] and release the hydraulic pressure. So no concern about it coming down due to a hydraulic system fault.

It takes me about 15 minutes to get the bike up onto this. The main problem is the front muffler which hangs down below the frame; and i want to maintain access to the primary drain plug; and i have to have the sidestand on two stacked 2X6s to start with otherwise the lift contacts the sidestand; and i do not want it to fall over while i am getting it up there.

I use four tie-downs - two from the swingarm and two from the forks at the lower tree.

I also have a simple, mechanical car jack. I put it under the frame on the left side, right near the back. Used mostly for chain maintenance. I have not used to to lift the front end.

 

they have some of those cheap around here, i think i will get one like that. thanks

 

That's the type I use, too. I just slide it far enough under to clear the front exhaust but still catch the frame rails. In this pic I had lowered it to compress the forks, but it will go plenty high enough to easily get the wheels off.

 

moto master is for sale only in Canada i believe, so i have to buy Chinese, i wont go in to that. But i see many of this type so i will go with that, i can get them on e-bay from about 150.00 including shipping. there is no way out of it, i need the bike up in the air so i can do detailing work that will take up to 2 weeks at a time.

now if i can loose about 25 pounds before summer i will look good and the bike will be fine.

How long to detail the bike like that 83 XLX??

 

kick off your work boots before you jump on the scale.

 

It's an ongoing process, but if I really want to clean it well, it takes a few hours...it usually isn't as clean as it looks in the picture, though, and I'm sure you plan on cleaning yours better tha I do mine...