Hydraulic Motorcycle Workbench

Sealey MC390

09/03/06

I've always enjoyed maintaining my own motorcycles, it's a very satisfying pastime, but as the years have gone by, I felt there must be an easier way to do it. So, after a few years of looking at possible alternatives, I finally took the plunge at the Gmex Motorcycle Show in Manchester, and bought a hydraulic bike lift. And as Patto said, as we left the show: "you'll find friends you never knew you had with that" as he put his name down for a spring service and a bacon sandwich :)

Delivery day. As you can see, it comes in a LARGE CRATE, my wife was not best pleased when it turned up unexpectedly :(

All you have to do is unpack it, bolt casters on the back, and fit the rollers to the front with the split pins provided. The table seems well made with substantial construction and a thick epoxy-like paint finish.

These are the controls, the pedals pull off so you don't keep tripping over them (see pictures lower down). Note the security pin in place to prevent the table accidentally dropping, it has two positions, the one shown here being the highest.

Complete with ramp and ready for the bike to roll on, it's around 7" high when fully down.

The easiest way to get the bike on the table would be to roll it on forwards. But In this case I rolled the my bike on backwards. That didn't seem too hard to do, so long as you take a run at it, and having a helper on the other side of the bike 'just in case' might be a good idea too. If you ride the bike on, be sure you can touch the table top with your feet first, because you certainly won't be able to touch the ground. Before pumping the bike up I removed the bike's screen (four screws) to save it from hitting my overhead shelving.

Luckily, there's still plenty of space to get around the machine, especially with the ramp and pedals removed.

Just a word of warning, if you take the rear wheel access plate out and by accident your bike tips forward into the hole, it's likely the bike will roll off the centre stand then the whole lot will fall off the table. Get the picture? PLEASE BE VERY CAREFUL!

Here it is stowed away, I had to wrap a ratchet strap around it before it would stand up without scissoring open, but I don't seem to have lost any significant space with it leant against the wall. I checked with the suppliers before doing this and they said it was unusual, but okay. The bicycles fit around it and lean against the wall just as they always have.

The scene one week later with the table littered with tools. New tyres fitted front and back, brake calipers serviced, fresh hydraulic fluids and wheels cleaned. It's now a real pleasure to work on!

I bought my table through A.R.E. for £305 inc vat and delivery. It might seem a lot of money until you weigh in the cost of just one service by a BMW garage at £200+ then it starts to look a very good deal!

The Sealey MC390 Workbench specifications:

Max lift:                       390kg        859lb

Min down height:       190mm      7.4"

Max raised height:    710mm      28"      

Length:                       2200mm    86.6" (+620mm/24" for the ramp when fitted)

Width:                         690mm      27.1"

Gross weight:            155kg        341lb

Instruction pdf click here (right click, 'save target as')

Part list pdf     click here (right click, 'save target as')

The table comes with instructions, wheel stop, wheel clamp and strap mounting points.

A.R.E. Ltd

1-3 East Street

Farnham

Surrey

England

GU9 7XU

Tel:  01252 710999

Fax: 01252 725194

Sealey Power Products

Kempson Way

Bury St. Edmunds

Suffolk

England

IP32 7AR

Tel:  01284 757500

Fax: 01284 703534

Tech Support: 01284 757505

Disclaimer

This page is offered as a guide only

Any work you carry out on your motorcycle you do so entirely at your own risk

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