Uplifting is a basic part of any motorcycle maintenance work. It can be really tricky and dangerous if you don’t have a jack to raise it high and keep it balanced. The worst mistake bike enthusiasts do is inappropriately hoisting the vehicle up. If it is not enough secure, it can tip over any time on you or the ground.
To make your maintenance works easier, I will cover up all the ways about how to properly jack up a motorcycle. So, you can work on it being ensured it won’t fall over.
How to jack up a motorcycle?
Ensuring a flat surface, place some blocks while you lower the center jack. Place the jack underneath the frame rails or sliders, depending on your bike’s type. Lift the jack slowly until you are satisfied with the height.
Let’s learn in detail below.
Why Do You Need To Jack Up Motorcycle?
Keeping his motorcycle fully functioning is the most important thing for a bike lover. To maintain and repair this vehicle from time to time you will need to do a lot of lifting in this process.
One of the most common reasons to uplift motorcycle jack is to change the tires. Even if you’re not doing it yourself most auto repair shops will charge you less if you take the tires only instead of taking the whole motorcycle. Replacement jobs of brake rotors, wheel bearing, and seals, pulleys require uplifting of the bike too.
If you have just bought one of these rides you might ask, how do I jack up a motorcycle?
An average motorcycle weighs around 700 lbs. which is quite heavy. If you don’t hoist it in the right way it might tip over and cause you extreme consequences. So, in the next section, I am going to present how to use a motorcycle jack in simple steps.
How To Jack Up A Motorcycle
There are a lot of ways to jack up a motorcycle. If you are more into DIY you can even make yourself a low profile motorcycle jack. However, those won’t provide the same secure uplifting performance as the hydraulic or scissor jack.
If you don’t have a motorcycle jack, you may ask, how do you jack up your motorcycle without a motorcycle jack? You can use any type of car jack be it a scissor or the hydraulic one.
Using Car Jack
Now coming to the big question, how to jack up a motorcycle with a car jack?
Carjack or floor jack is a manually operated hydraulic jack to uplift heavy vehicles from the ground for repair and maintenance work. The steps down below will be safe and efficient for hoisting your bike:
Ensure A Flat Working Space:
As the name suggests, the floor jack needs to be placed on the floor. So, find a flat and even working area for setting the jack. It is a no-brainer that an uneven surface is potentially a dangerous place to uplift the vehicle. It will be hard to balance it, making it easy to slip over and cause injury to yourself or your precious ride.
Try to avoid the carpeted floor and manage a concrete one, because the jack can easily slip on the aforementioned one. The garage makes a perfect choice for these kinds of work. So, do it there if you can manage one. You can also use the level driveway. Also, make sure no kid is running around to knock over the bike while it is hoisted.
Inspect the Underside:
With the motorcycle on the ground, get yourself familiarize with its underside. Try to find its center of gravity or a flat surface that would be most supportive without making any adjustments to uplift the vehicle. If you hoist it in an uneven spot, it can get imbalanced and tip over. You can take help from its owner’s manual to find that solid spot.
Usually, it’s under the engine, but it varies depending on whether you will be working on the front wheel or the rear. Again, the center of its gravity depends on the type of motorcycle you own. To give you an example, if you own a cruiser then check the frame rails for the safe lifting spot.
On the other hand, if yours is a sports bike, the frame sliders should be the place under which you need to place the lifter.
Make Some Adjustments:
Now you need to prepare the bike for placing the jack beneath. For those who have a center stand in their ride, preparing it for hoisting is a piece of cake. Before lowering the stand, just place some wood blocks under it. That way you can ensure the vehicle has stood in the most upright position and is well supported at the same time.
Some motorbikes have no center stand. If yours doesn’t have one you might wonder, how to jack up a motorcycle without a center stand? Well, I have got you covered. Put wood blocks under the side stands and make the ride as upright as possible. Take help from someone else. Ask him to hold the front handlebars and the brake lever. Stand at the rear and tell him to hold the bike upright position while you slip the blocks under the side stand.
Secure the Straps:
Use the ratcheting tie-down straps to secure the motorbike to the jack. Most bikes come with it, if you don’t have one you can simply buy one. This step is not compulsory, but it’s the safest practice. Otherwise, your precious ride can get imbalanced while you are working on it and cause fatal damage to you or itself.
Place the Jack:
Slide the jack beneath the frame rails or sliders according to the type of bike you own.
Lift:
Now you are ready to lift the jack. Raise a few inches at a time. See if the motorbike is well-supported or if it’s falling over. Adjust the position of it when you feel the necessity. Make sure not to rush through the process.
Using Motorcycle Jack For Lift Up
Using a motorbike jack is the safest practice because it is intended to hoist this kind of vehicle. It is much wider than the previously mentioned one. Using the hydraulic system, it can raise the bike at an optimum level and can carry up to 2 ton weight.
Now let’s see this step-by-step guide on lifting the bike with motorcycle jack:
- Prepare the working space. A flat and even surface is a must.
- No matter which system you choose to lift the bike up, always find the solid spot from where you can easily raise it without getting it imbalanced and fall over.
- Now put some wood blocks beneath the motorcycle center jack. If yours one has side stands only, take help from someone. Ask them to hold the handlebars and make the bike stand in an upright position. Lower the stand and put blocks under it.
- Though the motorbike jack is a lot safer than the car jack, the best practice is to tie it down with ratchet straps. That way you can ensure your vehicle is never going to get off-balanced while you are working on it.
- Place the motorcycle jack under that safe lifting spot you’ve found. Adjust the position until you feel the weight balance is distributed equally.
Press the hydraulic lever slowly until you raise your ride at an optimum level. If it’s a motorcycle scissor jack use the hook to lift the bike.
The motorcycle jack has a wider contact area. As a result, there is zero chance for the bike to fall over. If you just want to raise the rear according to your personal preference you can use jack up kit for motorcycle. To work underneath the ride, I would suggest you to use the motorcycle jack stand. That’s the best motorcycle jack to reliably uplift it while you do repair jobs.
Conclusion
Now that you know how to jack up a motorcycle, carrying out the rest of the jobs will be super easy. Safely uplifting your motorbike is more crucial than you think it is. For repair and maintenance works, you will be needing to raise it frequently.
Just a little bit of ignorance on your part can cause you or your precious ride fatal injury. Floor or car jack can be a nice handy option. However, motorcycle jacks have a wider contact surface and can reliably hoist your vehicle.