DIY Airbag Actuated Motorcycle Lift - Part 1

Here comes the pre-c70-restoration-project project! Since I started focusing on restorations I've wanted a solid lift for bringing my projects to up a comfortable working height. In this video, we get started on fabricating a commercial air bag suspension actuated motorcycle lift.
This lift is modeled after the Handy 1200 motorcycle lift. Here is a link to the manufacturer's product page:
www.handyindus...
Here is another link of a review that was done on this lift by MechSavvy here on KZbin; this is a fantastically put together review, please check it out:
• Handy 1200 Lift Review
Stay tuned for part two coming next week!
Music by Chillhop: / chillhopdotcom
GYVUS - Tōzen: / gyvus

[@EdsPlasticCars]

This set of videos is fantastic. I intended to make my own because they basically aren't available in the UK and you've helped massively with my plans.

[@blastworks]

Glad I could help Ed!

[@mechsavvy9067]

Thanks for the plug on my review. I stumbled onto your build looking for something unrelated, since it had my username in it, it came up I guess. Anyway, I've got to give it to you, you're a crafty B :) . I've got a plasma and mig myself, but I can't imagine going to that much trouble to save $400 over the factory built powdercoated, etc, etc. Handy. I'm too old and lazy for that now LOL. :) Cheers!

[@blastworks]

Hey MechSavvy! Thanks a lot! Your review was essentially the catalyst for me building a lift with with an air bag instead of a hydraulic ram. The 1200$ USD and another 300$ for freight to Canada would have actually made that lift about 2000$ Canadian bucks at the time of fabrication, so I actually saved about 1500$ doing it myself, and it was also a pretty fun project taking a drawing and turning it into a physical thing!

[@amoorcroft7000]

Great video. Just the kind of lift I hope to build soon. One thing baffles me...you started with those beautiful, simple, metric dimensions and you converted them to inches, lol.

[@blastworks]

Yeah, unfortunately we live in a world dominated with standard measures. Maybe one day the whole world will go metric and we'll be all the better for it!

[@carlosnorbertoalvarezcruz7550]

Very useful

[@blastworks]

Thanks Carlos!

[@thelightinray]

Great Video! Thanks for sharing

[@blastworks]

Thanks a lot Ray! Glad you enjoyed it!

[@altzero4988]

Love the videos just finished watching the Xl project great videos glad I found your channel

[@blastworks]

Thanks for following along Spud! I hope you are looking forward to the C70 project!

[@altzero4988]

@@blastworks sure am

[@stanwerner7484]

Nice job, Question----What is the distance from the center point of the legs to the PIVOT points,--- are all of the pivot points (8) distances the same? thank you

[@johnranalletta9249]

Before welding the bag plates to their bearing races, it sounded like you raised the plates 3/16ths relative to the bearing races. Is that correct? If so, it seems the center point of the pipe hole would be 3/8" (pipe radius) plus 3/16" (spacing) plus 3/16" (plate thickness)?

[@blastworks]

I did move them up so things would like up correctly. I'm not exactly sure on the measurements, but this sounds about right! I believe I temporarily tacked things in place and tested before finalizing the welds to make sure everything functioned properly.

[@samalo7755]

Hey what size bearings did you use and can you tell me where to get them

[@blastworks]

I can't recall offhand, I may have mentioned it in the video. You can get them anywhere, just google "buy bearings online".

[@ThePadutch]

Hope you have time to answer this post this long after you did this excellent video. Just to confirm what I "think" your measurements come to, if the legs are 54" long and center is 27" what is the measurement from center to center of the pivot bolt to the welded bag table pin?

[@blastworks]

I'll try to get a measurement for you when I get back from vacation! If you haven't heard from me in a week, comment again so I'm aware!

[@danielmalsom7182]

Nice work!! Do you think you could post the dimensions of the parts you used to build this? That would be a big help!! Thanks

[@blastworks]

Hey Dan, in case you missed my response in one of my other videos, here's a video I recently did with the measurements, and it includes a PDF download in the comments with all the material dimensions on it! Cheers! kzbin.info/www/bejne/epnSlIaqr8iAfNk

[@jamescomer7707]

Lawn more blade sharpening jig detail drawings

[@blastworks]

Huh?

[@carlromans782]

About how much did you have cash wise wrapped up in this build yourself

[@blastworks]

Hey Carl! I'd say I was into it altogether for about 600 - 700$ for all materials. The biggest costs were the bag itself (~120$) and the deck ($160).

[@carlromans782]

Bro I have bin looking for a long time now to build one of these is it possible for you to send me the measurements and everything that you did

[@carlromans782]

Hey thanks for the for the reply back wow I'm sorry I hit a nerve I did not hear you say that you were 6 to $700 into the build and the cost of the bag the air spring it flashes up on the screen so fast you can't you can't hardly even see it so but anyway my job with yours with your your build I'll keep watching stuff that you have didn't mean to hit any nerves but all in it's a good looking it's a good looking left thanks

[@blastworks]

Hey Carl, quick update, I went ahead and recorded a video of the measurements and have also included a PDF in the comments for download. Check it out! kzbin.info/www/bejne/epnSlIaqr8iAfNk

[@carlromans782]

And is it possible for you to either give us a call or somehow we find out exactly the measurements that you use to build our own

[@blastworks]

I'll try to remember the next time I'm in the garage to take a few quick measurements!

[@user-cs8xr2jd6s]

good afternoon, you can write the dimensions in centimeters to me, a resident of Europe. thank you in advance

[@samalo7755]

Where are you getting your math from. And can you send schematics in feet

[@blastworks]

There is a link shared in the description of my lift measurements video that I created once this lift was completed. Have a look there and you will see a downloadable PDF. You can also go to my website, www.blastworks.net/, and click Other Files, and then download the PDF that way. All measurements are in imperial units. This is how I did my scaling: I looked up the actual measurements of the Handy 1200 from the manufacturer, then I printed a copy of an image of that lift, measured the same components that I had real world measurements for, and did a scaled conversion. This works as follows, suppose something is 4' long in the real world, and I measure that as 5" on a drawing or picture I've printed of the same component, then I know that on the drawing, every 1" of the thing represents 9.6" in the real world. Feel free to google "Scale factor calculation" for the details.

[@samalo7755]

@@blastworks that’s a bad ass way to put it together not good at this phone stuff c where do I go to see the measurements again?

[@blastworks]

@@samalo7755 click the link in my previous comment, choose Other Files, and you can download the document from there.

[@samalo7755]

Ty I got it

[@Rein_Ciarfella]

With all the other equipment you have don’t you also have a drill press? With that you could have drilled the half-circle holes much quicker and more precisely by clamping two rails together and drilling directly in the middle of both at the same time. Just a thought. Of course there’s also a tool for doing that but that tool isn’t as versatile as a drill press. I’d suggest a bench mount model. 👍🔧🧰

[@Rein_Ciarfella]

Oops, update! Just realized you were working concurrently restoring the full size press. I guess timing is everything! All through the lift project I can hear you thinking to yourself, “I really need a drillpress!” 😂👍🔧🧰

[@blastworks]

I never at the time, but immediately after this project I actually bought a vintage drill press and restored it. Look for the series of videos on my channel!

[@Rein_Ciarfella]

blastworks Yup, saw it.

[@ittybitbobo7657]

So much easier to go to work, you have to anyway, and get your paycheck and buy a quality life. Simple

[@blastworks]

Absolutely