Lift Jacks Revisited - what's a viable lift jack to SAFELY raise a Spyder?

[NorwegianRT]

Not from the UK, but my Spyder lift is and I have nothing but good things to say about it. :thumbup:



https://us.on-bike.com/motorcycle-lifts/canam-spyder-trike-lift

 

[Peter Aawen]

HI.

Are there any UK members here who can tell me what they do to raise their Spyder RTL off the floor for maintenance and cleaning ... Is there a lift you recommend or other options Please????

Just like we use any/all of the jacks etc previously mentioned in this thread to do the job here on the other side of the World in Oz, flapjack; any/all of them will work for you in the UK too! You just hafta work out which shops will sell them on your side of the pond! nojoke

I found pretty much exactly the same lift as the one shown below:

I have the HF PITTSBURGH AUTOMOTIVE 1500 lb. Steel ATV/Motorcycle Lift for $139 USD and it's lifted 2013 RTL's, 2018 RTL's, 2022 RTL's, 2019 F3, and others. .....
View attachment 206415

down here in Oz, only the one I got went by an entirely different name (same spec, colour, form, fit, & function tho! ) & it came from our local AutoBarn Store, costing about $60 - only that was about 12 or so years ago now, but I still see them there every time I go in! That very same jack/lift was also available in the motorcycle FMX Superstore's here too, only cos they were specifically aimed at motorcycle use thru those stores, they cost about $120 or so, possibly more, if you go for the lifts like that which say 'Motorcycle lift' on their packaging instead of Car/ATV Jack! :banghead:

And when we visited our Son & his family in York just a few years back, not only did I find that there were quite a few Spyders being ridden around that area (we saw & caught up with some more Spyder Owners closer to Liverpool as well, spent a very enjoyable afternoon in a pub with them after checking out all their Spyders; and then we saw a LOT more Spyders when we went touring Ireland too! Not a day of our 14 days in the South & Western parts of Ireland went by without us seeing at least another couple of Spyders! Quite a few oldies, GS & RS, but a fair smattering of recent 1330 RT's & F3's too! hyea: ); BUT also, cos my (mechanically extremely UN-talented ) son needed some minor work done on his commuter m/bike, I also found the same jack available in the local Motoring Parts & Accessories shop for (I think?? ) about 25 Pounds - IIRC, the shop was called something like WILCO Motosave & the jack was labelled as a Small car/ATV Lift. :dontknow:

So you should be able to find some Spyder Ryders over your way, and even if you don't, it shouldn't be too hard to find something similar to those Harbour Freight or Pittsburgh Automotive jacks/lifts fairly readily too! :thumbup:

Good Luck! :cheers:

 

[BamaJohn]

I will be doing all of my own service work, and maintenance.
The only thing I'll have done for me is any applicable modules and software updates, and catastrophic.
So I purchased the Big Blue Motorcycle Lift with the 2020 and up RT/LTD lift bracket.
The lift maximum height is 30".
It is safe to keep the bike on the lift whilst tires/wheels are removed.
I intend to keep this bike a good 15 years (God willing I live that long)
$875.00 delivered to U.S. addresses.

https://us.on-bike.com/motorcycle-lifts/canam-spyder-trike-lift

+1 - to use, remove the right-side floorboard. Once the jack is properly placed, there's an L-shaped, adjustable bracket that bolts the lift to the bike frame at one of the floorboard holes. It's very stable.

 

[TheMariner]

Howdy,

Like Peter, I also use an Australian equivalent to the HF PIttsburgh ATV lift. However I'm not a fan of using jack stands to support the Spyder once it's in the air as I just don't trust them 'coz I've heard too many stories about them failing or slipping.

I've made some cheap wooden cribs that I slip under the wheels once the spyder is lifted and then it's rock-solid. Downside is that you don't have the wheels free.

I made my cribs from 70x45 pine, glued & screwed together into a square. The top ones have a piece of 5/8" plywood on the tops for the tyres to sit on. Size-wise, I made them about 300x300. While you playing Carpenter, make up a couple of smaller cribs to use as spacers on your ATV lift's arms for when it runs out of lift height.

Lifting proceedure is: Lift the Spyder on the ATV lift - slip a top crib under each wheel - lower the ATV lift - place a spacer on the ATV lift - lift the Spyder enough to fit 2 cribs under each wheel - lower the ATV lift - place another spacer on the ATV lift & repeat for as high as you want to go.

Always ensure you have the handbrake on so the Spyder doesn't roll off !!

 

[Phazernut]

I see one of those Big Blue lifts in my future. I have a Goldwing and now the '13 STS. Will make life a lot easier for sure.

 

[flapjackandbeans]

I am looking at lifts etc but the trouble with the one you show in the link you have to remove riders floorboard every time you need to use it.

 

[FlyingBoat]

I have been down this road when trying to lift my F3 Ltd. I wasted money on a couple of other lifts. I finally got this one at Harbor Freight and it is great. Easy to use, safe and really lifts the Spyder high. High enough to remove and install a new sway bar.
This is the one: FISCHER 750 lb. Heavy Duty ATV/Mower High Lift Jack, at Harbor Freight for $279
Good luck!

Isn't that too light for the weight? Do you use jack stands after it is up?

 

[Dasmoetorhead]

I've been able to perform all maintenance and preventative maintenance on my F3S with this one from Harbor freight.
PITTSBURGH AUTOMOTIVE 1500 lb. Aluminum ATV/Motorcycle Lift

 

[gerald37]

It has been some time since I have been on here. I have had 3 Cam Am Spyder RT's. I have had a 2015, 2019 and now a 2021. I have always done my own service. I was interested if anyone on here has or used the Big Blue lift? I think it is manufactured by Quasar. Looks pretty good but you can do about anything on a video.

 

[Mikey]

This is a subject that's been tossed around a bit, do a search at the top of the page I think you'll find that people on here have had great luck with them and love them.