I followed the plans below and built the 4' x 4" x 8" bike lift. The only differnce was that I used 2  4' x 2" x 6" boards and 2 4' 2x4 pieces. I also added an eye hook on each end to tie the bike down, that way, it can't fall over. It works great and it is easy to build, total cost, less than $20.00. Check it out:
http://www.nightrider.com/biketech/bikelift.htm

Ike

That's in the Technical Corner already.  I have one in my garage and it works very well.  I was unable to find 4x8's so I used two 2x8s of pressure-treated pine and lag-bolted them together; they worked great.   For most stuff the bike balances well but the straps are even better.  I have a reagular hydraulic lift that I got at Sam's later on but for many things, this is just faster and easier to use.