It is also bad for a company to have a Finance Director running a business too.I do recall as a sales manager grabbing one round the throat for strangling my sales due to manufacturing costs.I had the factory crying out for overtime at xmas and the Finance Director saying we can't afford it.They see figures and not the potential of an investment of 20k would have made them 55k.The Sales Director Resigned and I left shortly afterwards.
Wearing my 'It would never have happened in my day' flat 'at, I can't help but muse that government is now almost totally accountants, solicitors and their incumbent spinners. I'm not saying they don't have their place, but once upon a time British government was full of engineers, scientists and philosophers... This is back when when we owned a quarter of the planet though. I'm just saying...
I have pm'd the guys who have had issues with the old lifts and Im sure we can resolve things to a happy outcome for those guys. If anyone else has any issues regarding the envy lifts they may have purchased then please pm me and I will resolve it with you. With regards to the drama unfolding in front of our eyes I can only say Im pleased you gave me the opportunity to discuss this topic albeit the way it happened was a bit hollywood. If anyone would like the technical info that makes the original lifter so much different from the chinese imports then let me know on this thread and lets scrutinise that. For example. The adaptor plate should not be made from mild steel. It should flex and return to zero with any load up to 1000kg. I am concerned that you lot, my fellow bikers I might add are not getting the whole picture with regard to these side lifters so I just offer it from the horses mouth so to speak, and am happy to lay it bare in front of you. Im sure there are some smart Engineers amongst you who will again test me to see if I know my invention. Just a thought...... mops brow......
Please do so, I am interested in one of these for my 600RR. However, the negative reviews have put me off. Anything to sell your new improved version, would only help your image and inform those of us who are skeptical as to the differences/improvements.
Ok, The pins and adaptor plates you see on every copy are made from different steels. They use mild steel for the adaptor plate and a couple of grades brighter for the pins. My original invention was tested by a human lift manufacturer and it was found that these had maleable and durable elements which would fail over time. Im now going back approximately 7 years. The Adaptor plate needs to be cut from a grade of spring steel that allows it to flex as weight is loaded onto it, yet return to zero each time (and forever). This meant sourcing from a British mill who specialises in those types. The pins and lugs need to be made from a high grade tool steel that will not bend. Ours have a test certificate for carrying loads well over 3 tonnes. I designed the LTL system (load to lock) which in effect changes the direction of the pins by flexing the plate but not the pins. This is what makes it impossible for the bike to be released from the pins until the bike is unloaded. By allowing 2 degrees of sag and 1.8 degrees of load movement to lock the bike is completely safe when attached to lift. By using these correct grades you can clearly see from the first picture on this thread that a 16 stone guy can bounce up and down on the opposite side of the bike without fear of failure. In fact we have loaded 4 big guys onto the bike just to prove the steel test cert is good! My genuine fear for my fellow bikers is that the copies that are clearly very cheap simply hook the bike so I would advise caution when moving around and also when thinking of leaving the bike on the stand for long term storage. My lift has been approved by all the major manufacturers and we make a bold statement "Every manufacturer agrees that this is where your bike should live if your not riding it". I designed it for long term storage. I took into account maleability and ductility over time and temperature with other factors. Its what I studied at York College all those years ago. I cannot purchase the materials to manufacture this product with its proper test certs for the sale price of these cheap units but I will add this. My lift will be a family heirloom and will last forever (near enough) The 16mm shank 304 Stainless steel socket caps and the EN24T colletts speak for themselves. You will soon recover from the 295 quid and you will be proud when you pass it to your great grandson when he does his first track day. keypad glowing....
You do make a valid point, if this were a cheap copy of a Gucci handbag or similar then i could see the benefit and would happily buy a cheap tat copy but when my £9,000 bike is sat on it then cheap does not even come into it. I go back to my original position.... the Abba Skylift at the moment is the only bike lift i am considering, i do live in Manchester so could go up to Leeds but i will wait until one of the lifts is at a local bike show etc. What i like about the Abba version is that it uses both sides of the frame not just one side, its this that gives the current Abba stand so much kudos.
Here is where I believe we excel. When you come back from your bike ride your not going to start to assemble the Abba lift to lift your bike onto in reality, but the 1jac simply slots home and airborne in under 2 seconds. Its then totally mobile.Spin it around as much as you like, it wont fall off. To lift the bike from just the one side without having to assemble the lift to your bike each time is the real Kudos. The 1jacs ability to lift your bike securely and so quick is what this lifter is all about. Both wheels in the air, off load, no flat spots on tyres, no pressure on any suspension or headstock. This genuinely elongates the seals and tyrs life along with having space saving and full mobility. When you are picking up your beautiful piece of kit you need to trust the Engineering. Forum discount will be arranged.
Ok guys and girls I have had a few long chats with Nigel and I'm quite a good judge of character, I do believe that he had a bad experience himself at envy and alot of things seem to have been out of his control but he is now trying to do the right thing through the new company 1jac. In the near future I will be writing an honest mini review on the 1jac, my review will be completely honest and will not be affected by the experience I had with envy or any conversations I have had with Nigel. Nigel has assured me that none of the experiences that people experienced with envy will ever happen at 1 jack and that they have a much better team there now. Review to follow in the next week or so
I await with interest the review, i am not blinkered in regards the Abba but it has past credibility and proven build quality, and as with all things in life from builders to plumbers, previous good experience is often a guide to future reliability. I do agree with the view that the Skylift is a little more hassle with both sides going on instead of one, but during the nice months i will simply be using my bikes side stand not the Abba or anything else, i don't need all wheels off the ground after every ride, a lift like this (for me anyway) is for extended storage periods or for service work etc, and in that regards a little extra time to put the 2nd side on is no real hassle. I will give this lift a fair ' crack ' and see what the review says.