Motorcycle lifts are a must-have if you plan on wrenching on your bike at home. Standard full-size lifts are great for performing any and all maintenance, but they're A) heavy, and B) not easy to move around. If you're looking for a quick and easy option for getting your two wheels off the ground, we found a trick little lift from Perform Metals called the CR2L.
Perform Metals is based in Chardon, Ohio, and has been CNC-machining parts for motorcycles and other industries since 1996. It's an outfit that takes pride in taking the time to make things the right way.
And with the CR2L's rugged billet aluminum and stainless steel construction, it definitely feels like it's going to last. The CR2L is lightweight (23 pounds), and is operated via a manual foot lever while rolling the bike backward in a simultaneous motion. Once lifted off the ground there's a locking pin to prevent slippage so that your precious gem stays on the lift, not on its side.
After putting it to the test with an almost 800-pound '10 Victory Cross Roads, it fared pretty well. Because the bike is heavier than some average cruisers, and the only exercise I've been getting lately involves the 12-ounce curl regimen, it took me a few tries to get it to work. But once I did, the Cross Roads seemed pretty stable when jacked up. I simply placed the lift under the bike, got the lever to the point where I needed to until I was ready to roll the bike back while giving the lever my all, and voila, the bike was off the ground. When elevated, I nudged the Cross Roads with some pretty good force sort of mimicking a routine maintenance and while it did move around slightly I gave it some more pushin' and the Victory stayed put. However, I did feel that if I were to apply a lot of force with say breaking a stubborn nut loose, then I don't know if I'd feel too confident. But for removing the front wheel, or getting to things underneath the bike the CR2L works great.
With a pricetag of $175, I'd say you're getting your money's worth. I don't know how many times I've been in the garage and have needed something just like this because I couldn't get the drain pan underneath my lowered Sporty, or I needed to get the front wheel off the bike for a royal polishing. With the CR2L, I can.
Ratings: *****
Quality of Product: *****
Ease of Installation: ****
Ease of Use: ****
Overall: ****
Perform Metals
(440) 286-1951
performmetals.net