I’m sure not pleased with mine. I lifted my Nightster twice for tire removal and really had to jerk around with that rear axle on it and it never shifted like that. I really think it’s just because they aren’t solidly fixed to the frame that they twist like that with any side pressure put on them.

I would have been literally sick if that bike would have come off the lift. I had no clue it was even shifting on the stand. I went back out and checked and it appears that even though that one is still twisted that the jiffy stand would likely hold the bike up if it failed.

I’ll certainly try to be ginger with it putting it back together……

If I need to lift again - I will be weighing my options on how to do it without those blocks.

I might add that my red Sears lift is just barely wide enough to accommodate the Big Twin… it sure doesn’t leave much room for any accidental shifting before it almost went off the edge on that side.

 

Not sure what the issues are here with raising the bikes, I am new to HD admittedly but I just used my atv lift and nothing else with no problems, what am I missing?

 

lift blocks are used on most dynas because the tranny pan is lower than the frame and it is not recommended to lift the bike with the weight on the tranny pan/oil pan. and it also causes the under side of the bike to not have a really true flat surface like two frame rails. Where alot of harleys are not like this and the frame is the lowest point on the bike and you can just roll the jack under and lift it up.

 

2x4s on three corners and it's solid as a rock!

 

+1 Works just fine for me.

 

Well, the blocks didn’t fail at least….. I tell you what though after visiting my Indy that did the tire change for $25 and did a top notch job…not a scratch on my black rims - I noticed that they only charge $45 to take the rears off there and do the tire change. They have a disclaimer about not using tires brought in, but they didn’t mind doing mine today. If I had any inclination that it would only be another $20 to let them do it I may well have. $25 for the lift blocks and $18 for a freakin’ 36mm socket would have paid for two more tire changes’ labor with them pulling the damn thing….

I may need to start a thread on rear wheel install technique. I don’t know man. I know there is some satisfaction gained from doing it yourself, but I just don’t know if it’s not worth $20 to let a pro do it. I had all kinds of trouble getting that tire back on…. Ended up using a floor jack to ease it up into place, but it just wanted to roll off the jack the whole time and it took a couple tries. I had a lot of trouble figuring out the inner brake pad and why it seemed to not have enough lip on the notch to hold it too….then I noticed the caliper was in two pieces….still it was a bitch to get that disc back in between the pads…. Not to mention the drama with the lift blocks. At least a professional shop ought to have insurance if they drop it I guess.

Here’s some shots of it on the lift and that left rear block all twisted. I know it’s on the edge on the right side, but it shifted as I was working on it. There’s only about a half inch of extra space for either side on that red lift when it’s on there evenly.



Whew! That was a chore! It’s raining and I’m about to relax and drink some pumkin and Oktoberfest beers…..

 

Mark the lift, drill some clearence holes and drill and counter bore some blocks so you can bolt them down. Then you might even put a barley visible mark on the frame so you know you are lined up in the right place balance wise before you start jacking her up.

 

The HD lift blocks don't look as big as a 2x4, are they?

I was about to order the HD lift blocks. Maybe I should pass on them?

 

2 years now and never had a problem with mine? Looks to me like operator error and you never had it square on the jack pad. The left rear one is usually the most solid, the left front one is the one I would have thought moved on you. If you take your time and make sure they are square on the jack pads then you really should not have a problem with them slipping or even separating. Once you get the hang of it you won't have a problem. Good on you for strapping it down!
CB

 

I don’t know man. I maybe didn’t realize they needed to be babysat so much. It is odd that I was pushing toward the right back end of the bike trying to get the axle out and the right front slide sideways, but that’s what happened.

If I am being perfectly honest…..I read the directions and it said to leave about an inch space on the left side when you slide the lift under. Well, I don’t know that I checked for the space left to be even left and right. I see now that it must have been close to the edge on the right, but not off of it. The bike shifted and it twisted is what I still believe regardless of how close to the edge it was on the right side. I should have centered it better, but that doesn’t excuse the block from twisting on the frame and dangling it off the edge of the lift. It is worth noting that the red Sears jack doesn’t leave but about a half inch on either side of a Big Twin.

I would never dream of not strapping the bike down. I’m not too sure of the best route for that rear strap….seems one side pressures the fuse box and the other side puts pressure on the ignition or whatever that is.