Hydraulic motorcycle lift

[Greybeard]

You could get the car clearance by placing a couple of scaffold planks each side to drive onto. Bolt them down if necessary.


I was very very lucky to be given a hydraulic hoist by a friend.


I need to use the bikes engine to get up the ramp into the shed and then the ramp on the hoist. I start the engine, put it in first and with the engine just ticking over I walk it up the ramps using the clutch to control.


I park my,(only) machine on the hoist but could turn the hoist on its side and lean it against the wall if I had two bikes.

[bsa-bill]

Your shed is a tad but not much smaller than mine GB.
It's amazing how much stuff you can get in them (finding it after is a totally different matter)

[RogerSB]

Here's mine. GF snug in shed (see 57 year old Golden Flash transfer), car with just enough room to get in and out of driver's door, front of car about a foot from end wall in garage. (Garage was built for 1960s cars (Ford Pops, morris 1000s, etc).


2 ft x 2 ft x 8 ft collapsible Ply bench seems my best option, just to use for basic maintenance, hopefully there won't be a need to have my bike on the bench for more than a day or so.

[Greybeard]

That is a rather tight arrangement!

[chaterlea25]

Hi All,

Since modern cars don't generally leak in water and start on damp mornings, unlike long ago
Whats the point of keeping them in a garage  

 
John

[Peter in Aus]

Here are pics of a home made lift that solves the space issue by making it easy to park the bike on the lift in either flat or raised position, so it takes up half the space in the garage 

This is the mk2 version of the lift. The mk1 version (as bought) had to be improved after it shot off out of the garage during loading of the bike and headed straight for my wife's 1 year old Fiat Panda parked outside 

Luckily the insurance paid for the new bumper, and headlight 

In the mk2 version, 2 of the wheels lift off the ground in the flat position so it stays still whilst riding the bike straight onto it 

That's a good idea Kiwgf going to make one, just got to find a winch
Peter

[RoyC]

Hi All,

Since modern cars don't generally leak in water and start on damp mornings, unlike long ago
Whats the point of keeping them in a garage  

 
John

Cheaper insurance, less chance of getting stolen, no scraping windows and on and on.

[KiwiGF]

Hi All,

Since modern cars don't generally leak in water and start on damp mornings, unlike long ago
Whats the point of keeping them in a garage  

 
John

Cheaper insurance, less chance of getting stolen, no scraping windows and on and on.

Not forgetting acid rain, in the UK  (not a problem in NZ)

[RogerSB]

Apart from all the very relevant points RoyC has made and the fact that we live just a couple of hundred yards from a primary school with twice daily 'traffic and parking' mayhem with children being dropped off and collected, it's a family car and shared equally with my wife. I don't think she would be very happy if I kept a motorcycle ramp in our garage (probably unused for 50 of the 52 weeks of the year) and our car permanently outside - especially in the winter if she has to scrape ice off the windscreen and windows. That option was never even considered.


After all my research and from all the very helpful comments made here, it seems my sensible option is to build a collapsible version identical to the one in scotty's post. It's that or nothing - so I've decided to have a go at it and get the wood next week.

[RogerSB]

kiwgf, yes, I live in SW England and it's raining here now!

[Butch (cb)]

My ramp gets used pretty much every weekend I am home.

[chaterlea25]

Hi All,
Maybe I should have considered where others live before my post, which was intended to be lighthearted???

Anyway,
There's nothing in my car insurance about garaging, but there is on my bike policy
Depending on your point of view I must consider myself and family lucky to not have any such hassle with traffic and so on
A visitor from Paris a few weeks ago when he saw where I live said "You ave ere the 'Eaven" 
As my drive was full thet day due to getting ready for the Irish National Rally, one of the French visitors casually left his Vincent Rapide at the roadside  , I did ask if he wanted to bring it inside

A view looking West from here attached

Cheers
John

[Topdad]

Nice ,oh for some piece and quite , we've a bloody building site at the back of our house !

[chaterlea25]

Hi TD,
All on this side of the road is greenbelt, the green area map runs right around our house not even the site boundary 

John

[RogerSB]

Update:-


A10 work platform nearly finished (see photos).


Just a few finishing touches to do, such as cutting out elongated hand holds on the side panels to be able to easily lift to stack against wall, drill holes for tie-downs and paint with a wood dye and rub down to de-whisker to prevent splinters.


Constructed out of 18mm exterior plywood.
Top 8 ft x 2 ft and 2 ft high.
Scaffold plank to be used as a ramp with four 15 degree angle brackets bolted at end of scaffold ramp and also to top end of platform.


Winch, remotely controlled, to pull Golden Flash up the ramp and let down the ramp under control (well that's the idea).