Mark's KLR650 Website - "Easy Lift" Rear Wheel Lift

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EASY-LIFT

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Parts. 3 pressure treated 2x4's, 4 strap braces (Home Depot / Simpson LSTA9), 1 45 degree brace (Home Depot / Simpson A33), galvanized course thread deck screws, and a couple strips of rubber for the tops of the uprights.

Cut the two upright pieces 13 inches long, with about a 12 degree angle on one end. The other end is cut square. The uprights will actually measure 13" at the high end of the angle, and about 12" at the low end.

Cut the arms of the lift about 44 inches long. (The longer they are, the easier it will be to lift the bike.)

Cut a piece of 5/8" decking lumber to 11 3/4" long. This will provide a brace behind the uprights that will not interfere with tire removal.

Cut a piece of 2x4 to 11 3/4" long. This will provide a central brace.

Cut a piece of 2x4 to 11 3/4" long. This will be the back end of the lift.

Optional. You can see best in the top picture that there are grab handles. Cut these at whatever length is best for you, (mine is 15" on the side, and the one on the end is about 14 3/4")

Assembly. Lay out the pieces in the form they'll eventually take.

The two arms will stand on their edges.

The uprights stand 1" back from the end of the arms, and inside. (This puts them at 10 1/2" on center, which will place the swingarm ends dead center when the bike is lifted.)

The 5/8" decking brace is 14 3/4" from the arm (upright) ends, and lays flat inside the arms so as to not interfere with tire removal.

The center 2x4 brace is 24 1/4" from the arm (upright) ends, and inside the arms.

The end 2x4 brace is fitted inside the arms.

NOTE: You'll avoid splitting the ends of the 2x4 arms if you pre-drill for the end brace.

Starting from the back and working forward:

Screw the end brace to the arms

You now have a huge "U" shape. Measure diagonally from the front end of one arm to the back end of the opposite arm to make sure the, and then reverse, to make sure everything is square - not "racked."

Screw the center brace to the arms

Screw the 5/8" decking brace to the arms

Screw the uprights to the arms. (I used 4 screws on one side, and 2 on the other)

Reference the middle picture. Attach the straps, one on each side, to the uprights and the arms with one screw in the end of the strap. Once both ends are secured with screws, put more screws further in, which will tighten up the strap. (I think all this is necessary because it's these uprights that first do the lifting, and then support the bike, you can't be too careful.)

The middle and lower pictures show strips of metal on the back, lower end of the upright angle. Cut the 45 degree bracket in half, and screw one each to the back of the upright, 1/4" above the 2x4. They should be bent slightly forward to miss the end bolts, (if you cut the bracket dead-center in the bend will be all set as is.) These prevent the bike from sliding too far back, (which isn't likely.)

Glue and tack the rubber strips to the tops of the 2x4 uprights.

NOTE: This isn't absolutely necessary, but to use the lift, I recommend that you place a 2x4 block under the kickstand to get the bike as evenly upright as possible. Then, position the lift uprights about halfway under the swingarm ends and push down the back of the lift. This is a very fast and easy way to get the chain oiled!

I realized that if there was vigerous work to be done on the bike while on this lift, it probably wouldn't be as stable as it should be. To improve the situation, I screwed a heavy-duty eyebolt (shown above) on both sides of the lift where the "arm" meets the upright support.

As shown above, I just run ratchet ties from the eyebolts to the bottom of the passenger grab handle. You can even put a weight on the end of the lift, if you want.