i've read a lot about lifting the front of a bike using rachet straps.

what would i use to attach these to the garage roof beams?

i presume you just wrap them round the handle bars.

thanks in advance

Sounds a bit dodgy to me - not only do you have to be sure the garage rafters will take the strain of something they were never built for, but where exactly on the bike would you put the straps so it doesn't fall down?

But why do it in the first place?

the straps would go under the headsock..
the guys at micheldever tyres do that, a lot faster than fiddling around with stands..

know some people that do that, but thing is... how do you know the beams will hold the weight?

i am just presuming, i know my dads got an engine lift which he has attached to his garage beams and has had no problems.

reason is to get front end clearance, its either that or bags of sand on the pillion seat or a stand.

something like this, jsut without the frame



would just make life much easier for front wheel removal, as at present when on my own the only option i have is weighting the rear with bags of sand, then wheel off ASAP, spindle back in axel stand in place.

not the safest method though, and worse when you run out of sand lol

Wouldnt it just be simpler to buy a front paddock stand? the only reason for going through all that hastle would be if you wanted to remove the forks too

Trolley jack under the bike. Lift it up and then pack wood underneath. It's done me well every time!

Oh, and the roof-joists in a garage (as long as it's an external garage) will be fine. It'll likely have a flat roof designed for a hefty snow-loading. If you can spread the load over a couple of joists, you cover yourself against mad things happening. My dad whipped the engine out of his old MG (when they were made of boulders and lead) with a winch attached to the roof joists, and left it hanging for days with no problems.

unfortunately when i've tried to lift the bike using a trolley jack in the past its not been steady as i have a choice of lifting on the engine block which is offset (hence the wobblyness) or the downpipes which despite people saying thats the way to go i don't think its wise.

Apologies in advance for not answering your specific question, but last year I wanted to work on my front wheel and forks and thought about suspending the bike from hooks in the ceiling of my garage. In the end I thought it was a messy/ugly solution, would require me to have the bike in exactly the same place for working on it, would preclude me working outside, and the bike might sway around which is not what I'd want when loosening fork yoke clamp bolts or whatever!

I bought an ABBA Superbike stand which lifts the bike at where the pivot arm is attached to the frame. The bike is rock solid with no left/right movement. Because of the pivot near the centre of the bike, a trolley jack or piece of wood can be placed under the pipes to raise the front safely and securely.

For me, it was the right solution to the problem.

Pete