I've had the lift for around a year now and it's been a great addition to the workshop. Particulaly for us older riders who don't bend as well as we used too.
The Kendon takes a minimalist approach to motorcycle lifts, it's basically a length of channel section steel with a wheel chock at one end on a scissor jack. When not in use it simply folds up and stores out of the way. It was this feature that really appealed to me because I don't have the room in the workshop for a permanent bike lift.
This minimal approach means that you can get in real close to the bike on the lift. The downside is that side and center stands and axle stands can't be used. I use an old screw jack on the rail (there is an accessory frame jack available from Kendon) to lift the front and rear as required so it's only a minor inconvenience to me. I've also put in an overhead lifting point to help out in this regards too.
The stand is very stable in use but it does have a couple of eccentricities. The most annoying is that the front tie down anchor points move when the stand is raised or lowered in relation to the bike. This causes the straps to loosen when the stand is raised and tighten when it is lowered (the rear points are fixed and don't have any problems in this regard). I've gotten used to this and simply raise the bike with a bit of slack in the tie downs and loosen them before lowering or just use the rear tie down points where possible. When adjusted properly the front wheel chock works a treat and holds the bike quite securely. However it does work better with modern wheels with their chunky tyres than with the skinny hoops on older bikes.
The rear section of the stand can also be removed to help with wheel removal and I've used it a couple of times with great success. Front wheel removal is a bit more problematic. The front wheel chock and bar is easy to remove once the bike is supported (I use an overhead strap or jack under the sump depending on the bike) to make things easier. But more height is required than for the rear wheel because the front section of the lift isn't removable. You also need to be careful if you lift the front of a bike via an overhead strap because this can alter the weight distribution on the lift causing the lift to tip back as weight is transferred to the rear wheel. I guess it would be possible to put the bike in backwards to remove the front wheel but I doubt you could do this on your own.
The lifting mechanism uses a modified hydraulic jack that can be operated manually with the supplied handle or via compressed air and a foot switch. lowering is done via a remotely mounted release valve located at the front of the lift - when in use the locking bar should always be used to support the weight of the bike when raised.
The Kendon Motorcycle Lift comes in 4 sizes for all types of bikes. Mine is the "middleweight" model and would suit most Guzzis (apart from the the new Calli) and Jap sports bikes.
https://www.kendonusa.com/stand-up-motorcycle-lifts/Replacing the rear main seal and clutch on the LeMans 5
Servicing the other half's Breva - 98,000 Ks and still going strong!
Cheers!
Mike
