Fathers day gift. Mounted jack adapter

[BigM]

Wife let me pick out what i wanted for fathers day. She knew it would have to be something for the Valk. (Shes buying it as the kids gift to me. )  I had seen these and thought it would be a good idea to have. Has over 300 positive reviews  and saw here on the website everyone has been well pleased.  Can't wait to try it out. Should know by Sun. eve.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/VALKYRIE-LIFT-JACK-ADAPTER-STURDIEST-STAYS-BIKE-_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQhashZitem27b9e2a71bQQitemZ170622363419QQptZMotorcyclesQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories

[MacDragon]

Have one on mine... great piece and out of the way...

[GOOSE]

BigM.....have one on each of my valks.....they are wonderful...would not go without one in place.   you will love it.

[PhredValk]

That's what I have. It's a bit longer than the arm of my jack, but that's OK. It works well, but you may have to glue the plastic caps into the tube ends. Mine fell out, no big deal. You can leave them off, but there might be a rust issue, and they whistle like bagpipes at hiway speeds.

When you install it, remember that it goes under the sidestand bracket. You have to remove the sidestand...you know, unbolt the sidestand bracket... I had mine half unbolted when I thought 'this bolt shouldn't have pressure on it, it's half way off' then realized, ITS THE %@&*# SIDESTAND!! I jacked up the front and put jack stands under the crash guards and completed the job without dropping the bike.

The bolts that the nuts go onto on the frame member are not welded to the frame, so you'll need to hold a wrench on the bolt on top of the member as you wrench the nuts off and on. I used zip ties to hold the wrench in place. It's cramped but worth it in the end. If you're at a friends and have to lift the bike, you don't have to spend a half hour building a wooden adapter.

Oh, yeah, if it's a California bike, it will have a 3" x 6" cannister bolted in there. I just removed mine and have experienced no ill effects riding the bike at all.

Happy Father's Day,
Fred.

[GJS]

Hey BigM,

I have that jack adapter as well.
What I love about it, is that it is always with me. That's a nice piece of mind to have when 6000 miles from home.

I also have the other jack you see on eBay, that bolts to the bike.
(more like clipping to the bike with nuts and bolts to snug it into place)

The bolt on adapter is better for balance. It allows movement of the jack front to back to adjust your balance.
Last year I rebuilt my bike. I would end up torqueing the bike one way or another, and it was always very stable. I could climb around on it.

With the in-place jack, your jack location is fixed under the rail you see in the picture you linked to.
The balance isn't bad, it just isn't as good as the other (bolt on) jack adapter.

I plan on keeping my Valk for a lot of years. So I'm going to keep them both.
I had planned on selling the bolt-on unit, but I like it for any serious work like removing the front end. I know when I used the in-place adapter on a big front end change (new rake kit), I felt like I had to be very careful around the bike while it was up on the jack.

Each jack serves a good purpose, I won't leave home without the in-place adapter, and I'll use the bigger sturdier bolt-on when I need the extra balance and safty margin.

Happy Father's day!

Glenn

[PhredValk]

I wouldn't trust any jack for major work on the bike. I jack it up and put 4 jack stands under the bag and crash guards. As for one position only; I have a piece of 3/4 plywood, drilled for U bolt clamps that attaches to the adapter and covers the bottom of the engine so I can change my jack position.
Fred.

[Linedog]

I've recently had the adapter put on my bike. I'm an old guy so don't judge me because of my stupidity, but which jack fork do you put under the adapter?   The front or the back?  I'm sure this is a dumb question, but I have concerns.  Be easy on me please.  Thank You!  Linedog

[olddog1946]

Got that same adapter on my bike as well as Chicko's (next door neighbor..find it to be nice an stable..if I plan on keeping it in the air for more than a few hours I do put straps on as well..and always use the safety catches on the lift..I run the lift in from the right side, left runner under the adapter and jack it up, making sure I'm not on the pipes anywhere..works fine with either the back or the front apart.

[PhredValk]

Linedog, the jack goes on the adapter (rear arm) and on the bottom of the engine block if you want to lift the whole bike. If you want to lift only the front or rear of the bike, you have to be creative. I cut a piece of 3/4 plywood and drilled it for u-bolts to bolt it to the adapter (it goes all the way to the front of the engine, and back to the swing arm) so I could move the jack foreward or back depending on the job at hand. I have to jack it up normally, put jack stands under the bag and crash bars and drop the jack, bolt on the plywood, and re-jack. I can also get much more height on the jack this way, using extra lumber. be careful, and use cargo straps to secure the bike at all heights.
Fred.

[Linedog]

Thanks guys I appreciate it!  Linedog

[donaldcc]

  I use the permanent adapter also and like it.  i have to be careful and not push the lift too far under the bike or the cross piece on the lift will hit the base of the side stand.  I noticed this some time ago when it almost bent/pushed the spring off the base of sidestand. 

[BigM]

To follow-up on the adapter. Was a breeze to put on. Got to be the handiest item I've came across. Will get our money worth out of it. and made a great gift. Thanks for all the recommends here. 

[Chiefy]

Got mine for Christmas.  Greatest thing since sliced bread.  The home brew wooden one is great, but this one stays with me if the guy in Podunk has to jack up the bike.