I see you're new to the forum so welcome.

This topic has been beat to death here. You will find that there are two "camps." Those who buy the best and justify the expense and those who spend the least and defend their choice.

I fall into the "buy the best" category so I bought a J&S and couldn't be happier. I use it all the time. There are several things that I can do SAFELY that those with less expensive jack cannot do.

1. Jack my bike up WITHOUT tie downs.
2. Roll my bike around and even out the door and back in.
3. Climb up on the bike and even start it and run it.
4. Drain all 3 holes without a mess by using the optional oil drain adapter.

I can do all of the above SAFELY. The jack is rock solid and easy to roll around.

Do yourself a favor and take a look at the J&S site. Watch the videos.

Either that or you can join the other camp. It's your decision.

J&S Jacks

 

...... or those that buy smart and enjoy the savings verus those that spend way too much and defend being taken to the cleaners ..... or any other dumb *** statement I wanna make up to make my choice look better than yours .....

 

Glad you added the DA statement so I don't have to . . . LOL (joking)

Seriously, how many of the 4 items can you do with the sears jack and still feel safe? Are you wheeling your bike around? Do you use tie downs? Do you climb on your bike from time to time? Drain your oil without a mess?

Just curious?

 

$300-400 dollars is fairly cheap in Harley Davidson for a quality product.

My PC-V was $313.00 and that was for just a little tiny brain box and I could go on and on, and I'll bet most of you that say paying that kind of money is too much for a jack have done so yourselves on other friviolous items.

Look at what you paid for your bikes. . They do not give them away..

I do believe the ol' adage of "you get what you pay for", is a true statement the majority of the time.

 

What's the point of wheeling your bike around the garage on a jack?
Why do you need to climb on it while its on a jack?
I can drain my oil without making a mess. Hell I can do it when its not on a jack

 

Define "Best" and then tell me where I can find a 'best-o-meter' to measure it.

 

1st I bought a sears yellow jack, no issues. If I was going to do something a little rough with the bike on the jack, I'd use straps (still no issues). Then I bought a Handy lift, Bob model. Now the sears lift is the perfect lift on the Handy to pull the rear tire out the drop down. No I don't lift it for winter storage, siting on the floor wont hurt the shocks, and I roll it around from time to time so the tires don't get flat spots.

 

I do everything I need to do with it ... so far anyway (BTW: It's the red version with the two feet pedals).
But to answer you more directly:

I don't climb on my bike and start it unless I'm going to ride it.
I have started it on the Sears jack, but I would 'not' feel comfortable trying get on it while raised.
So far I haven't found a need to climb up on it while it's on the jack, and don't see a need that matches the price to do that ....... unless (of course) I'm trying to sell a jack.

Changing fluids with no mess is a matter of making up some custom drain pans from cardboard and aluminum foil/plastic bags, so no problems there.

I don't usually strap it down, but I do if I'm doing something like removing the front/rear end, or something that would be a major imbalance.

It will move around on level concrete, but it would not deal with an expansion joint very well at all.
So I do believe the J&S/Pit Bull are much better suited for those that want to jack up their scoots, have their significant other climb up on it, and then take them both for a walk.
I just plan what I'm getting ready to do, and then jack up my bike and just use a seat with rollers, like the big boys in the shops do with stationary lifts.

Actually, as I said, I'm very (and unexpectedly) happy with the $75 dollar Sears red jack.
I'll take the difference in $ I spent, and pay for enough gas for a run all the way to the east coast .... 'and' ..... back to the west coast, because that's actually what these bikes are built for .... riding on a road ... not on a jack.

 

I wil say this....the topic has been beat to death. You want a cheap jack that may wobble a bit unless it is all the way up or all the way down, then buy anything. You want a jack that is rock solid, reliable buy a Pitbull or a J&S. You want a jack made by some guy in China that makes $1/hr then go buy the harbor freight and save a few bucks. When it collapses 1/2 way up due to inferior or cheap steel then you can post about it from your hospital bed. And you you were lucky enough not to be under it, you will still have plenty of time to post since you won't be riding while your bike is being fixed. Is the aggravation really worth it for a few hundred bucks??? People say the harbor freight platform lift is fine also, but do you see any shops using them--no. Get something good and don't look back.

 

I use the Craftsman RED Jack. The jacks seem to be measured the same way wine is, the best wine is the one you like.