It's Better Up - Ez Up!

If you wrench your own bike, which most of us do, you've found yourself on your knees, sitting on the ground, or bending over in less than a comfortable position trying to get to a particular part of the bike's anatomy. We've all wished more than once that we had a bike lift that would bring the bike up to our level. Lets face it that it's very difficult to justify the expense of a professional lift if your a weekend wrencher. In comes Team Hawg Racing Products MX EZ UP Workshop Lift.

What is it? Basically, a hydraulic lift for your dirt bike that's in a reasonable price range for most home mechanics. The hydraulic pump is foot operated, both to increase and release hydraulic pressure. This makes it very easy to adjust the height of the lift while wrenching.

The lift is well designed and built of heavy gauge steel. The construction is such that it can easily handle the weight of a dirt bike without straining under the load. Even fully extended it provides a sturdy platform for most, if not all, wrenching tasks. This type of construction comes as at a cost which is weight. This lift tips the scales at 72lbs, which makes it a bit of a weight lifting exercise when moving it around the shop or taking to the track. To help haul it around the MX EZ UP comes with large handles on both sides of the lift.

The foot lever that increases hydraulic pressure is large and well positioned. It takes approximately 49 "pumps" of the pedal to lift the platform (bike) a full 22" off the ground. While this may seem like a lot it's actually quite comfortable and most importantly controllable. This is very important when removing or installing rear suspension linkage components where adjusting the height of the swing arm is critical for bolt alignment.

The release pedal is next to the lift pedal but tucked in under the top platform. This decreases the risk of accidentally stepping on it causing the lift to be lowered. It's still very easy to access when you want the lift lowered.

Loading the bike on the MX EZ UP is more difficult than necessary. At it's lowest possible height, it is still about an inch or so too high to just slide under the bike. I would gladly give up that inch up top to be able to just push it under the bike. Even so, that inch is much easier to overcome than the several inches required to lift the bike on a traditional bike stand.

Safety is an important factor when you are lifting your 220 pound dirt bike off the ground 22 inches. MX EZ UP has incorporated three important safety features that make using this lift as safe as possible. First, is the weight and construction of the lift. It is absolutely sturdy and does not wobble, flex, or rock back and forth. Second, are the J-Hooks which allow you to secure the bike to the lift. These unique hooks with a threaded knob on one end allow you to tighten bike to the lift at the pegs. This allows you to remove items from the bike that would make it unbalanced without risk of the bike falling off the lift. It also allows you to torque bolts down without fear of torquing the bike right off the lift. Lastly, the MX EZ UP is supplied with a large stop pin that allows you to insert it at various heights to prevent the lift from accidentally lowering.

The size of the top is very generous at 16"X13.75". It is covered with a quality rubber pad that provides excellent grip and protection from damaging your frame. There is also a oil drain opening that is large and could be useful for bikes with oil drain plugs on the bottom of the case. The size, combined with the rubber covering, provides an exceptional platform for a lift of this type.

Conclusion

If you wrench your own bikes this is a must have tool. Wrenching on a bike at eye level makes nearly all jobs easier and more enjoyable. Bottom line is you really can't ask for more from a $260 lift. The MX EZ UP does it all and does it extremely well. It's sturdy, reliable, safe, and extremely functional. Add it to your set of shop tools and it will soon become one of your favorites. Definitely a "Why didn't I get this a long time ago" type of product.

Review by CRF's Only June 2005
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