SEALEY MC454 BIKE LIFT

Sealey does a large range of lifts that are ideal for the home mechanic, but our needs were quite specific. Because a large amount of the motorcycles we work on need paddock stands – and we wanted a mechanical pump-action lift instead of an engine-driven hydraulic lift that requires a power source – we wanted to try out the MC454.

Able to take a huge 450kg in safety, the lift is plenty long and wide enough for almost any motorcycle you can think of. A front wheel clamp and four metal hoops make securing the bike easy, even single-handedly.

If you need specs then check the MC454 out... Weight: 139.90kg; minimum/maximum height: 195mm/660mm; platform width/length: 660mm/2515mm; maximum load length: 1825mm.

We used the lift with a variety of modern and big bikes from the 1980s/90s and couldn’t fault it at all: one foot pump lever to lift it up, another foot lever to open the valve and slowly descend the lift makes the whole thing very easy to operate. A thick safety bar keeps you safe when the lift is up and there are wind-down supports at the rear of the ramp to level everything up.

There are three working heights of 405mm, 555mm and 660mm. The on/off ramp part detaches simply and with it in place we found we could easily fit the bike on to a paddock stand to make getting the back wheel in and out very straightforward.

All-steel construction means this lift is wonderfully sturdy. It’s not cheap, but you do get what you’re paying for with this. It’s the best motorcycle work ramp and lift I’ve used and at no point of doing some quite major things (like dry-building a superbike project) did I think once about the ramp – which tells you a lot about how stable and secure the MC454 is.

Tony Carter

Price £899.94: www.sealey.co.uk