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General Category >> Rubber Side Down! >> Kendon Stand-Up Motorcycle Lift
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Message started by Digger on 08/17/08 at 20:01:48

Title: Kendon Stand-Up Motorcycle Lift
Post by Digger on 08/17/08 at 20:01:48

I saw an interesting looking motorcycle lift tested in the AUG 08 issue of MCN. It is like a table lift, except that it has a rail configuration.

Kendon Stand-Up Motorcycle Lift (http://www.kendonusa.com/lift.htm)

What makes this lift interesting to me is that it features the convenience of a table lift, except that you would have better access to the underneath portions of the bike than you would with a table lift. Also, the thing can be folded up, wheeled away and stored away in a vertical orientation. I think my garage would be roomy enough for one of these, as the article said it could be easily folded up to 70" high, 28" wide, and 17" deep. The reviewer said that if you removed some parts, you could shrink the storage volume to 10" deep.

I realize that this lift is overkill for the mighty Savage, but the weight and length limits of this lift allow it to be used on my GL1800. If one bought the accessory frame jack, one could remove the front or rear wheels on the lift.

Does anyone have any experience with this lift? Good? Bad?

TIA!

Title: Re: Kendon Stand-Up Motorcycle Lift
Post by Bear_Rider on 08/17/08 at 21:31:29

The width of this device seems pretty narrow, considering the weight of a bike and how high you are lifting it. This narrowness follows through from the ground to the bed. The cross legs aren't very long, nor are the tiedown points very far apart. I don't think that I'd want to be wrenching a stubborn bolt with the bike in the air.

Title: Re: Kendon Stand-Up Motorcycle Lift
Post by savage2k on 08/18/08 at 05:15:51

634440537E7348454453210 wrote:

My thoughts exactly! And at $649 plus shipping, I wouldn't waste that kind of cash on something that would make me nervous working around it.

Title: Re: Kendon Stand-Up Motorcycle Lift
Post by Digger on 08/18/08 at 19:39:20

Is there anyone out there who has actually used this lift with a heavy bike?

TIA!

Title: Re: Kendon Stand-Up Motorcycle Lift
Post by justin_o_guy2 on 08/18/08 at 22:06:30

Certainly not me. For $600.00 I'd be getting equipment to build one. You already want to start welding, Digger. Save the $$$ for someone elses design & get yerself a welder & torch, hit the junkyard & buy some materials, used metal costs a lot less than new.

Title: Re: Kendon Stand-Up Motorcycle Lift
Post by Royal on 08/19/08 at 09:16:58

FYI: A few weeks I bought one of the yellow bike lifts that Harbor Freight has. It works great and was either on sale or I had a 15% off coupon (I don't remember) so the price was a lot better than anything I could have built-less than $50. I was surprised that it was constructed that heavly. As an added bonus it works great to lift the front of my riding lawn mower high enough that I can use an air impact gun to loosen the blade bolts and I don't have to work around the drive on ramps.

Title: Re: Kendon Stand-Up Motorcycle Lift
Post by Max_Morley on 08/19/08 at 13:08:36

If you want to build one go to <afabonline.com> and he will sell you plans using a hydraulic floor jack that can also be used alone. Not into building your own, industry standard used to be Handy <handyindustries.com>. I have one of those with the ATV side extension plates and can just get the side car rig on it.* it works for riding mowers also with full on or just the front end for access to the blades. Some wouldn't like it that way but the extra flat space gives me plenty of room for tools and parts and a place to stand when I decide to test run it one the table. Harbor Freight has a pretty good table style, and there is a company called <biggmaxx.com> that sells a rail lift that is interesting. Might want to do your homework now as Christmas hint time is coming. Anything is better than laying on your back and hoping you will get it back together right and not miss something important. Max

Title: Re: Kendon Stand-Up Motorcycle Lift
Post by Digger on 08/19/08 at 22:19:27

Thanks for the inputs, all!

I'm in an unusual period of my life right now where I've got more $$$ than I've got time. I've had it both ways, but that's where I'm at now.

Unfortunately, my garage is not big enough to accomodate one of the dandy table lifts. I thought this Kendon lift looked like a good compromise.

Title: Re: Kendon Stand-Up Motorcycle Lift
Post by T Mack 1 on 08/20/08 at 06:27:30

7A5759595B4C3E0 wrote:

It does look handy..... A little more than my pocket book can handle.

You have $$$.... well..... expand/modify the garage.
If you have the land, add another bay and make it the ultimate workshop. Storage, lifts, TV's, Frig's.... toys toys toys!!!!
If don't have land :-[ , then build a crane or gantry system. Lift the bike from above rather than below. A bunch of steel beams and some gantry wheels, and a winch.....

As you can see ......... I'm good at spending other people's money ;D ;D :D ;)

Title: Re: Kendon Stand-Up Motorcycle Lift
Post by KendonGuy on 08/20/08 at 13:58:41

Digger,

Thank you for your feedback on our Kendon Stand-Up Motorcycle Lift. I’d like to offer support from the Kendon team to answer any questions about our products.

In response to a couple of forum concerns: The Kendon Bike Lift sits very low and the platform to load/unload the bike is just 4 inches off the ground. Of course it’s always safe to have someone with you to help out, but the loading ramp is a relatively small incline allowing an individual to walk the bike onto the lift. WE DO NOT RECOMMEND RIDING YOUR BIKE ONTO THE LIFT. The narrow design of the bike lift offers close proximity to allow owners to get up close and personal with their bike. Still, as a reminder, the footprint of the Kendon Bike Lift is exactly the same as the heavy duty handy lifts. Our engineers have designed the lift to be as sturdy as the heavy duty handy lift, to stand-up and store conveniently, and maintain a weight capacity of 1,000 lbs.

You can visit our product demo - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRqx3Le4AAg to get a better visual of the loading procedure.

Hopefully this info has helped. Please feel free to contact us with any questions about the product.

Thanks!
Kendon
www.kendonusa.com

Title: Re: Kendon Stand-Up Motorcycle Lift
Post by Digger on 08/20/08 at 19:09:54

Kendon,

Thanks for the input!

Title: Re: Kendon Stand-Up Motorcycle Lift
Post by Digger on 08/23/08 at 19:52:58

715F545E55547D4F433A0 wrote:

KendonGuy,

You have a PM.

Title: Re: Kendon Stand-Up Motorcycle Lift
Post by Digger on 06/27/09 at 19:21:41

I bought the Kendon Cruiser Lift last December and have just now gotten around to setting it up.

I got a sweet Bill Gates 25% discount since I bought it on eBay.

I like it so far...high quality and rugged. The air-assist lift feature is strong and fast.

I first tested it with my Savage:

http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee201/Digger109/KendonLift-LSE.jpg

Works great, as you can see.

I then tried to put my GL1800 Gold Wing on it. Because of the steep downward pitch of my driveway, I could not generate enough momentum to roll the Wing onto the lift. There is not enough flat floor-space in my garage to get up a good head of steam and roll the bike onto the lift.

At some later date, I'll build some side platforms from some scrap lumber I have lying around. Then, I'll be able to ride the Gold Wing onto the lift.

I will update at that time.

So far, I love the lift! It folds up and stands against the wall (as advertised) when not in use, taking up very little room.

It works great with my Savage and I'm predicting that it will have no problem handling my Gold Wing.

Title: Re: Kendon Stand-Up Motorcycle Lift
Post by justin_o_guy2 on 06/27/09 at 20:31:57

Hey, Digger, I'd sure appreciate some pics of the lift w/o a bike. Looks good to me. I cant quite see how the front braces work,tho. How it goes together below the front tire is just a jumble to my eyes. Is it like a long bottle jack for the power? Like the ones from engine lifts?

Title: Re: Kendon Stand-Up Motorcycle Lift
Post by Digger on 06/28/09 at 18:53:17

223D3B3C21261727172F3D317A480 wrote:

Justin,

Here ya go!

First, here is the lift folded up for storage. It fits nicely up against a wall:

http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee201/Digger109/KendonLift-FoldedE.jpg

Here, the lift is ready to accept the bike:

http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee201/Digger109/KendonLift-NoBikeE.jpg

This is the position of the front wheel chock before the front wheel is in place:

http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee201/Digger109/KendonLift-FrontWheelChockOpenedE.jpg

This is the position the front wheel chock attains after the wheel is rolled over it and is locked into place:

http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee201/Digger109/KendonLift-FrontWheelChock-ClosedE.jpg

Here is a shot of the front wheel chock with the wheel in place, in the locked position:

http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee201/Digger109/KendonLift-FrontWheelLockedE.jpg

Here is a view of the hydraulic ram and the attached air motor:

http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee201/Digger109/KendonLift-HydraulicsE.jpg

Finally, here is a nice work tray I can hang off of either side:

http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee201/Digger109/KendonLift-WorkTrayE.jpg

I did some work on the bike today while it was on the lift. Sure beats working on the floor!

Title: Re: Kendon Stand-Up Motorcycle Lift
Post by bill67 on 06/28/09 at 18:59:26

How do the wheels come off on that lift?

Title: Re: Kendon Stand-Up Motorcycle Lift
Post by Digger on 06/28/09 at 20:48:56

Hi Bill,

I bought a nifty little frame jack that fits on the rail of the lift.

To remove the front wheel, you'd put the jack under the bike, jack it up a bit, then tie down the back of the bike, thus lifting the front wheel.

To remove the rear wheel, same deal, except you'd tie down the front of the bike.

The rear portion of the lift can also be removed easily, in the event you want to drop the rear wheel straight down.

Title: Re: Kendon Stand-Up Motorcycle Lift
Post by justin_o_guy2 on 06/28/09 at 22:37:29

Thanks Digger. If I ever decide to take a shot at it, its gonna be helpful to have a few designs already looked at./