I've had a Craftsman Jack for years. I recently got a J&S. I literally threw the Craftsman in the dumpster rather than let somebody deal with that POS. The J&S really is worth the added costs.

 

That's funny because I did the same thing to my Craftsmen jack after buying a J&S. I know there's a lot of guys on here that like their Craftsmen jacks and are happy with them. I just found it to be like night and day between the two. I had no idea what I was missing.

 

Craftsman has two MC jacks....a red one and an aluminum one.

Main reason I like the aluminum one because it is so lightweight and easy to move around my garage and carry to a friends if needed....

Which craftsman are you guys referencing?....just curious

I would still keep that lightweight jack even if i got the nicer J&S one.

 

I haven't gone through all 11 pages but what are we talking about here, $500. Cheap ****'s. Put it on a credit card and pay it off, $100 a month. You buy a motorcycle for extreme money. Then nearly pay for the bike again in upgrades and modifications. But, look to skimp on a jack.


I've read so many people say they bought a HF jack, then modded it to make it work. Or they comment on how it shakes.
My riding partner just put $7K in upgrading his SG. It now looks like a show bike. But he bought that big red POS lift from HF. Now he realizes that his front tire doesn't fit in and he's gotta go through all these extra precautions to make the bike secure. F' that...


If $500 breaks you, then you shouldn't own a motorcycle. Just my humble damn opinion...

 

I would have to agree.....
I bought the J&S Jack last year after trying to push my Ultra Limited into a very tight position in my garage. Watching their video did it for me. Now mine moves around my garage just like in the video.... EASILY!

J&S was displaying at the Progressive Motorcycle show in Chicago last year and after seeing it in person, trying it out at the show and getting a discounted "show price" (cash & carry home) I bought it. Now I can easily move my $28,000 vehicle with my less than $400 J&S Jack!.........worth every penny!!!

 

The Craftsman jack I had was yellow. It worked ok but it was wobbly with and 850lb. touring bike on it. I always felt like I had to be careful so I didn't cause it to tip over. I probably would have had to try and tip it over in reality.

The J&S jack is solid with the bike on it and I can sit on the bike if I want to test fit something I'm doing to the bike. I don't even think about it tipping over anymore. I can also easily roll it around my shop or garage with no worries of tipping it over. I also store my bike in the winter up on the jack.

I'm not trying to disrespect anyone or call your jack a piece of crap, I'm just stating my experience.

 

Harbor Freight Special under $200.00...makes cleaning the bike so much easier. It comes with straps that work well even though I don't have them on in these pictures.

 

you need to buy some HF tools and fix that dry rotted door. lol Sorry, couldn't help that one. lol

 

Cant spent all his money on the lift......lol

 

Why? Because I am comfortqble with the stabilty my bike has on a Craftsman Pro. Sure, the JS is probably a much better jack but sometimes "good enough" is just that, and the $350 or so that I didn't spend on the jack can earn interest in my retirement account - along with all the other "good enough" purchases I've made in my life that have kept my ownership of "top of the line" products low, and my bank account not-so-low.

If you're putting your bike on the jack a few times a year, the Craftsman is fine. If you do it every month then maybe to JS is worth the money. But claiming that anyone who doesn't have $500 for a *jack* shouldn't own a motorcycle is ridiculous.