Lift / stand / lift table advice DOHC

Hey fellas,

I’m planning to do some work on the bike for the first time during the winter. Mostly maintenance, some electric fixes and some upgrades on the handlebar controls. I have a little storage room to work on the bike and the next step is to buy something to lift the bike to work comfortably.

I’ve been looking into lifts, but my bike is a DOHC with the engine hanging from the frame, so no frame underneath to stand on the lift. I’m a bit lost here, couldn’t find any similar case on the forum.

My goal is to have something that holds the bike safely and lifts it enough to work on it comfortably. My limitations are a 200€ budget and a small working space (see picture)

Hope you wise guys can point me in the right direction here. Thanks a bunch in advance.

This is the shed, 200cm long, 190cm wide.

And here is the bike

Seeing you are outside of the us not sure whats available for you...... I have had a few lifts over the years and the cheapest option is one like this usually under 100 us and will lift the 400 no problem. Being you have a DOHC bike and no frame you may need to rig something up to help it sit on there..... I use a table lift that I can push the bike onto and jack it up from there....they are not in your budget but if you can find a used one maybe it fits the bill.... but the space restrictions you have may not be able to do it....

Good luck on your search.... and good looking DOHC model......any info on it ?

HI
I am new to this group and probably have more questions than answers, but I have done a little wrenching, Not a lot, but some.
I have an inexpensive lift I got at Harbor Fright, it will fit under the 400. I put two wood 1X4 across the rails and that softens the touch or the engine on the lift and seems to make it more stable. Some may see that as unneeded. but the thing I really want to get at is, you can slip it under the bike and jack it up to the level you want, It has notches to lock it in place and wheels on all 4 corners so you can reposotion it if you need to. You can then remove the handle to give yourself more room to get around it in a narrow enclosure. ..
RonAmuck

spectra said:

Seeing you are outside of the us not sure whats available for you...... I have had a few lifts over the years and the cheapest option is one like this

usually under 100 us and will lift the 400 no problem. Being you have a DOHC bike and no frame you may need to rig something up to help it sit on there..... I use a table lift that I can push the bike onto and jack it up from there....they are not in your budget but if you can find a used one maybe it fits the bill.... but the space restrictions you have may not be able to do it....

Good luck on your search.... and good looking DOHC model......any info on it ?

Click to expand...

Thanks for the advice @spectra , but there is an issue with the images you posted, I can't see them. Indeed a lift table might be the best, but not sure if it would fit my limited space.

Ron Cate said:

HI
I am new to this group and probably have more questions than answers, but I have done a little wrenching, Not a lot, but some.
I have an inexpensive lift I got at Harbor Fright, it will fit under the 400. I put two wood 1X4 across the rails and that softens the touch or the engine on the lift and seems to make it more stable. Some may see that as unneeded. but the thing I really want to get at is, you can slip it under the bike and jack it up to the level you want, It has notches to lock it in place and wheels on all 4 corners so you can reposotion it if you need to. You can then remove the handle to give yourself more room to get around it in a narrow enclosure. ..
RonAmuck

Click to expand...

Thanks @Ron Cate , that sounds good to me, can you please share some pictures or a link where I could get an idea of your setup?

Your space is too small if the measurement is accurate. Even the bike may not go in it unless swung at an angle (you have 78 inches there). Maybe not even be able to turn around next to bike if you are wide enough unless the bike pushed against the wall.


If you get a lift but you will find it to be way more trouble than it is worth in my book. You WILDLY need any space you can get there and the lift will be in the way unless actually being used. That backpack on floor is even already in your way. If you get lift anyway then it MUST have all FOUR wheels castering NOT two or you will have max trouble moving bike to one side, even more than with no lift at all.

I've built entire bikes in space that small, the lift payoff is not enough to make up for the space loss.

Thanks for your thoughts @amc49 . True that the space is a bit limited, but I still believe it's possible. Actually the exact available length is 220cm (87 inches), and I could also get rid of one of the tables on the picture, what would give me an extra 50cm (106 inches in total). Bike length is exactly 200cm (78 inches) From your experience, what would you use then to work on the bike in this space? I only have the side stand, so the bare minimum would be something to hold the bike straight and steady, plus something to lift a bit the rear wheel to lub/clean the chain and so on.

I didn't say it wasn't possible. More like impractical, which a lot of people don't consider the same now. I know if I have to move the bike it becomes MUCH easier to simply move bike alone instead of unjacking, moving both, jacking back up. Bikes require a lot of side-to-side switching to get things done.

Depending on the OEM stand design, I've seen some that simply slide a shaft in with the main stand and suddenly you have a centerstand again to use as a temporary tool and then remove it just like any other tool when done. Of course, if some nit has cut all brackets off you may no longer have a place to do it. Some stands may not lend toward that either.

I did and still do what I do even on cars, get down on knees or even lower when needed, I'm not a -ussy about things and have worked on all my stuff for 50 years like that without paying others to do it. It comes from 35 years of working on huge printing presse4s where you NEVER had the luxury of setting up a comfortable working environment, you worked with what was there.

Too light a bike for lift anyway, at least to me, I throw 400s around like they were nothing, easy to move.