Sliding off floor lift (GAH!) - What do you do to keep your Spyder from sliding off the jack?

[Columbia]

Had the bike on jack stands placed at A-arms. As we all know, there are no or few jacking points provided for our Spyders.

Jacked from the front onto the center frame slab which runs almost the length of the bike to the trailing-arm hanger.

Raised the bike a bit, removed the left side stand, started to remove the right when the bike slipped off the floor jack and onto the left and rear wheels. Suddenly I had a two-wheeled motorcycle!

I quickly lowered the bike to the ground/three wheels. That was 2.5 days ago. Haven't touched it since, letting my nerves and mind settle.

Don't know if I managed to escape any damage caused by the lift sliding off the center beam into I don't know what on the right side adjacent to the beam. Will find out later today. Fingers crossed.

Question: How do you keep your lift from sliding around on the slick surface sheet metal of the center frame beam?

My ideas:

• piece of wood;
• piece of silicon "hot pad" from the kitchen (1/4 inch waffle pattern, six or seven inches in diameter, in various colors - do you think color or colour matters?);
• piece of wood plus silicon pad?
• ??????

Your thoughts?

(The factory manual says for wheel alignment to put jack stands on the center beam "extension" near the front of the bike. Haven't noticed if it shares the same slick surface of the center beam's sheet metal. Should I be concerned there, lest jack stands slip, too? Jack stands on A-arms gave no slippage concern and it was the LIFT, not the stands, which slipped/moved.)

Many thanks.
Columbia

 

[Gwolf]

I don't put the jacks there. I put them under the A-arms. I also wrap strips of leather on the tubes to help prevent scratches and slipping.

If you put them under the cross brace, you have to let them down evenly, which is hard to do for one person.

Mine has a lot more room to work... it is an F3-S.

 

[Bfromla]

Ramps for front jack rear method

 

[JayBros]

What kind of jack did you use to lift your Spyder? I use one quite similar to the one at the link, and the "slick" underside of the roadster is not an issue. I place my jack stands that have heavy duty plastic protectors under the A-arms as Gwolf does as far outboard under the A-arms as possible but to clear the wheels and allow turning them left and right. If I want the Spyder to be level when off the floor I put a concrete block under the rear wheel with a couple of short two by fours as shims.
https://forums.pelicanparts.com/bmw...4-craftsman-motorcycle-jack-safe-use-bcr.html

 

[Columbia]

Glad you've found a system that works for you.

I too used the A arms for the stands; that isn't the challenge.

The question/problem is "How does one keep the floor jack from slipping/sliding on the Spyder when under load?"

Any suggestions on that topic are muchly appreciated.

 

[Gwolf]

Glad you've found a system that works for you.

I too used the A arms for the stands; that isn't the challenge.

The question/problem is "How does one keep the floor jack from slipping/sliding on the Spyder when under load?"

Any suggestions on that topic are muchly appreciated.

Did you have the rear tire chocked with the rubber wedge chocks? How could it move? If you need to put a strap around the bottom, flat sides of the wedges and ratchet them together more. You can actually ratchet the rear tire clear of the floor and it be supported by the rubber wedges. It can't go no place.

I don't use a floor jack, I use two floor jacks, one on each side under the A Arms.

I also have 1,500 pound scissor jack with a platform on the top that will catch both the frame rails forward of the engine weight and lift the front end up, throwing all the weight to the rear tire. If the rear tire is chocked, it is not going to move.

 

[Columbia]

Rear tire was wedged. Parking brake set, too.
Bike moved sideways, not backward.
Your idea of two jacks has merit. I have a scissor jack and a pump-the-handle floor jack. I'll be back at it later today and I'll use the two jacks. THANK YOU for that idea.

 

[djh3]

So far I havent had that experience. But it might be as I use an ATV type jack.

 

[JayBros]

So far I havent had that experience. But it might be as I use an ATV type jack.

Worth its weight in gold.

 

[TheMariner]

Agreed... get an ATV lift. Slip it under the Spyder at the front/rear balance point and it'll lift it level and straight up... and it'll stay reasonably balanced. Make up some wooden cribs (like those shown below) from 2x4's with a layer of thick plywood on top. Once the Spyder is clear of the ground enough, slip a crib under each wheel for safety. If you want, lower the Spyder down onto the cribs and remove the ATV lift for safe working underneath. If you want the front wheels free to turn, leave the Spyder on the ATV lift with the front wheels just free to turn above the front cribs, or lower it down onto axle stands under the A-arms.

You need to pay attention to the left-right balance with Spyders. A single-point lift under the centre front exposes you to tipping/slippage as you discovered... especially if you don't lift the rear at the same time. As you lift, your floor jack's plate is trying to stay horizontal, but the Spyder's bottom frame rail is rotating upwards about the rear wheel, so the higher you lift, the more you actually move closer to a very unstable point of contact. Using a soft piece of wood allows the jack to dig-in to the wood in an attempt to even out this situation, but it never cures it.

 

[Cobranut]

I usually use my 2-post automotive lift to work under the Spyder.

However, for a quick job I find a low-profile floor jack can be rolled under the central frame from the left rear, positioning the rubber pad under the center frame at the front. I then lift the front and if necessary, put stands under the A-arms. Then I can move the jack to the rear of the frame, just ahead of the trailing arm, and lift the rear. This leaves it quite stable on the 3 points.