Just of late i have been stuggling with bending down. I had a knee replacment around 12 years ago due to my hit and run accident ( see the A Real Love Story Thread) . It looks like it needs replacing again. Fixing my bikes has been a real drama. It takes me as long getting down on the ground as it does trying to get up again. Donna my partner text me yesterday and said can you get a van from work ? I have somthing for you. To my supprise she had brought me a Bike lift bench from a guy who no longer needed it. £250 quid. Its been the best gift ever. No more sod arsing around trying to get up and down. Why i never got one before I will never know. I am Rebuilding a 2001 Honda Silverwing 600 at the moment . Not my cup of tea, but as its twist and go, it will keep me on two wheels why I get over my new knee. Its only done 9000 miles but its been locked up in a garage for 9 years so it needs a fair bit of TLC. Corrosion being the biggest factor . But its getting there. The Lift has made the job much easier to do work on it. If you have room, get one. I honestly can say, Its the best thing ever.
I wholeheartedly agree on the bike bench, I have had one for a few years now and the one problem I find with it is that everyone else wants to work on their bikes on my bench!! At the moment I have my Grandson's bike on it while he gets new tyres fitted, hopefully he will be here this weekend to refit the wheels. Next in the queue is my son who wants to fit a new chain and sprocket kit. Then maybe I will be able to use it again
I have an ABBA Skylift which does a similar job in raising the bike to a comfortable height for servicing/cleaning etc. It's on castors so you can move the bike around when it's suspended and makes working on a 260kg machine easy!. Only "problem" was I had to buy mine myself!
A bike lift table....... why didn't I buy one years ago? I bet you still bend down and bugger about before you suddenly think....... hang on, why don't I pump it up a metre/foot ..... you'll get used to it
I have a Skylift as well. It is handy because I can use it in my garage and my shed. Did have a workbench, but took up too much room in my garage.
Problem with other options than the bench idea is there is nowhere to put tools and components when you're stripping something down. I also have a "jack in a box" style lift for my off road bikes and this is the first thing you notice when you start to work on anything. Like this but mine is without the wheels so you are not chasing it about..... https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/13393845...LBPIw+/VwclxUcb5NlBaGlNg==|tkp:Bk9SR8TPyoKmYg A bench does take up quite a bit of floorspace but mine has come in handy for other things than motorbikes. I've used mine for a mobile tiling (as in bathroom tiles) station right outside the front door and also as a joinery bench on occasions for a circular saw. Having the adjustable height is also a convenient way of picking bulky things up from floor level such as car gearboxes and engines.
I have one of these for the dirt bike which works fine for a 115Kg bike like the Husaberg but there's no way it would lift the Street Scrambler at nearly twice the weight..... https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/261703332475?hash=item3ceebbf27b:g:e9YAAOSwRjRgwfSR&amdata=enc:AQAIAAAAwBJZB3ykCr+8sfuaxGGvSzfiSYVLhdTEuTc7Oi0flTqLQoax8fgRcG2d5pvMHjRg9RNu+5tGxKHe5bCMcTO4fKJ77yJ9xghAGdSWFHDowIgfK6D4uctCKhOSW2ige9+rMUAZDFD/qaJt9Og0IojB34nZqWtucz8j7Ns0pT36ViTd+V4BA/q0nLmBtFqbrVPFIXpKvNWU5NAmogkeR0E0sy3vQBPBxYBVVOi8yCIAtp7b9BiWaOFtVZAkA5smY1LLWA==|tkp:Bk9SR5a11qamYg .....so I bought one identical to this....https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/235022002049?hash=item36b8672781:g:LMAAAOSwT8hig1fk&amdata=enc%3AAQAIAAAAwLP7JlmFbDDL8iwg9H1%2B%2BAq9wTBOfS2s1pj7SVJNp4YToMTgr5bUSSDm0xTZb9jYiUQQeVFlTmnyCept4rEVQm3mLoHs%2BkaOkJ3B908zZDfBLOpGDDso1timHjgM2O9%2BFAa0kWTOM8hns88miHCV%2BXQaDZQRKhdrQWF5pIIN8hMjWYmuoAvB3wrFVKZexs ZFU5wJvrLtB%2BdwN11ZPsuoeSZ9YjpGI5VqzcjhVTU9CZHLCP8m49kZNQSJjBs2F9a3cQ%3D%3D%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR5a11qamYg .......but eventually the thread stripped, possibly due to me using an impact driver to raise it . I replaced the threaded mechanism with a small 1.5t bottle jack I had lying around. No problem lifting the Triumph now! I use a couple of those magnetic tool trays for keeping tools, nuts and fasteners etc from disappearing into the ether when I'm working on the bikes.
I had something similar a few years back - supposed to take twice the weight of the bike. Seemed OK the first few times I used it but then collapsed when I was raising the bike the next time - stripped the thread completely. No damage done but I wouldn't ever trust one again.
I have the 2nd link in your post and find it handy to use on the table/bench. Things like checking head bearings or cable routings are a doddle with the front tyre securely lifted a few inches off the deck.
I had a skylift for the ditchpump but sold it within a few months after in fell off it's one mounting bobbin whike I was jacking it up (yes I was careful I'd got the bobbins seated correctly so still not sure why it happened), luckily without causing any damage, but it wasn't fun trying to get it back upright again by myself as it keant against the skylift. I also found the casters a bit crap on my concrete garage floor (you really need a totally smooth surface) moving it into a tight spot wasn't easy either as it tries to crab due to the way it's designed and once up in the air the bike moves a bit when you're spannering it too. In the end personally I found 2 paddock stands far earier to use a d more secure when working on or cleaning it and my constands dolly better for moving it around. Fortunately someone off the ditchpump forum bought it so I didn't loose too much. But if it works for others.......
Without a bench, and using any of the other options, just think how much more difficult the operation below would be and where would you put the tools and components?
