I put mine on my red sears jack with no straps and wash it all the time. Works fine. Sure it does move around some but the bike wont fall off it .

 

You said it yourself, why risk it with your bike. I have the J&S and love it. I had a sears for my last bike and there is no comparision.

 

I use the EZ-Up Centerstand for normal washing. It's one of the main reasons I bought it, makes it very easy and convenient to give her a quick wash, even on the left side. Works when you're on the road too.

I only use the lift for cleaning if I'm doing a complete detail, including the wheels.

 

I have the red Craftsman lift and have never had any issues. If I were going to buy a new one I'd go with the yellow Craftsman jack just because it is lower and seems to be of better quality. That said, my next lift will be a Pitbull. I saw a demo at Delmarva bike week and I'm sold. It does cost a little more but then so did my HD.

 

+1 on the J&S jack

 

For me it was a toss-up between the J & S and the Pitbull. Both great products. My brother has the J & S and I have the Pitbull. I decided on the Pitbul for a lot of reasons but mostly for the following.

1) A full 25 inch lift height as apposed to the 18 inches on the J & S.

2) Grease zerks on all moving parts.

3) Bigger overall footprint and wheels for added stability moving around the shop.

4) Includes a quick release pull handle which makes it easier to move around when not in use.

5) The owner of Pitbul, Heika Watson, took the time to personally answer all of my questions and never once bashed the competition.

The Pitbul is $80 more than the J & S so I did have to pay for the added benefits. All in all I’d say that the J & S or the Pitbul are great choices and you can’t go wrong with either one.

 

I like my J&S and confidently move my bike around the garage with it. Tried an HF and took it back as did another rider I know. I even use it to jack up my Mercedes.

 

You guys who have the Harbor Freight jack, might want to check the way you depress the footlever for releasing... Mine is setup to go either fast or slow. To engage slower movement you simply depress the footlever completely. To release fast you depress the footlever no more than about half way.

That piece of paper which dropped on the floor after opening the box was the instruction sheet!

 

I've had the sears red jack for 6yrs, 3 Harleys and a Goldwing and the only problem I had was the socket the handle slides into needed welded because the jack got caught on a crack in my garage floor and I pushed real hard and the weld cracked. The bike sits on it all winter, I roll it around the garage with the bike on it all the time, and have done major work on bikes using it and have always felt comfortable using it without tie downs. I really don't know how a bike could fall off it.

 

Guess I gotta go with the "buy the good one" crowd. When I bought my 2007 Road King, I asked an acquaintance who had two baggers what jack he liked, since I know he doesn't buy junk. He said "Pitbull", so I bought one.

You really can do what they show in the videos, which is raise the bike all the way on the jack, then jump up on the bike. I tried it, and it's solid as can be.

I'm not willing to drop either my RK or my new Ultra, and I sure don't want either one falling on me. I don't doubt that cheaper jacks will work in most cases, and if you're careful every time, they're probably just fine. Not for me, though.