Black Widow Steel Motorcycle Jack 1000 lbs Review: Compact and Affordable

Black Widow is the powersports brand of Discount Ramps, and the Steel Motorcycle Jack 1000 lbs is the compact model in a lineup that also includes full lift tables. The naming is deliberate. This is a scissor jack with a 40 by 16 inch platform, not a service table with a 24 inch deck, side extensions and a wheel vise. The spec sheet lists 1,000 lb capacity, a hydraulic foot pedal, a 7 to 30 inch height range, 85 lb assembled weight, a safety latch mechanism and a one-year limited warranty.

That distinction sets expectations. A jack this size lifts the bike so the rider can do wheel, chain, brake and oil work at a comfortable height. It does not give the rider a bench to stand on or a deck to spread tools across, and it does not come with a loading ramp; the bike rolls onto the platform at its 7 inch collapsed height.

Among the lifts in this category the Black Widow is the cheapest at around $169 and the lightest by 25 lb. We rank it below the VEVOR 1100 for most buyers because of the platform width, but it is the only one of the three sub-$300 lifts that a single person can pick up and put on a shelf.

A 1,000 lb rating is fine for the bikes this jack is shaped for. A Kawasaki Ninja 400 is about 366 lb, a Yamaha MT-07 about 406 lb, a Ducati Monster around 410 lb, a Honda CB650R about 445 lb. Even a Sportster Iron 883 at about 564 lb leaves more than 400 lb of margin. Our working ceiling for this jack is 650 lb, which is roughly a Harley Street Bob or a big adventure bike with luggage racks.

Above that the rating is still technically adequate but the platform is not. A Road King at about 800 lb leaves 200 lb of margin, which is thin for a scissor mechanism that sees side loads every time a stuck bolt gets leaned on, and the 16 inch width puts a wide cruiser's tires near the edges. Bikes with floorboards, forward controls or a wide rear tire should go on a 22 to 24 inch deck.

Length is the other check. At 40 inches the platform is 4 inches shorter than the VEVOR and 8 inches shorter than the Titan. A sport bike with a 55 inch wheelbase overhangs both ends by several inches, which is normal for a jack; the contact patches sit on the platform and the bike is strapped at the bars.

The reason to buy the Black Widow over any other lift is the space it does not take. At 7 inches collapsed and 40 by 16 inches in plan, it slides under most workbenches and shelving. At 85 lb one adult can carry it to a driveway or up a step. For a rider in an apartment garage, a shared building bay or a single-car garage with a car in it, this is the difference between owning a lift and not owning one.

Assembly is the shortest in this category. The scissor and platform arrive as a unit and the pedal, latch and a few brackets bolt on with basic hand tools; the pros list on this page says under 30 minutes, which is realistic for one person.

Two things follow from the light build. The steel is lighter gauge than on a 150 lb table, so the jack should sit on flat concrete every time and should never be used on gravel, pavers or a sloped apron. And because there are no casters and no ramp, the loading approach is to lower the jack fully, roll the bike over it so the platform is centered between the wheels, and lift slowly while checking that the platform contacts the frame or tires where intended.

No ramp means the bike rolls onto a 7 inch platform edge, and that height is enough that the rider has to push the bike up and over rather than simply walk it on. A pair of short ramps or a 2 by 8 board cut to length solves this for under $30 and is the first accessory to buy. Straps are the second: with a 16 inch platform, tie-downs from the handlebar to the platform anchor points are mandatory, not optional.

The safety latch is a spring-loaded pawl that engages notches as the jack rises. It is the simplest lock in this category and it works in the same way as the VEVOR's mechanism: raise slightly past the notch, let the pawl seat, then release hydraulic pressure so the load sits on the latch. It is not the solid lock bar of a Titan or the dual locks of a Dannmar, and it is the single biggest reason we cap this jack at 650 lb bikes.

Black Widow does not list a third-party safety certification for the jack. No lift in this price range does, and ALI's program does not cover motorcycle jacks. The safety system is the rider's own routine: level floor, straps, latch seated, pressure released, never under the bike while it is on the pump alone.

The VEVOR 1100 LBS Hydraulic Table costs about $20 more and is the better lift for anyone who has the room. It has 100 lb more rating, a 44 by 18 inch deck, a 9 to 33 inch range and built-in wheels, at 110 lb instead of 85. The VEVOR does not fit under a bench as easily and one person will not carry it far, but its extra 2 inches of width is the difference between centered and edge-of-platform for a lot of middleweight cruisers.

The Forward FML-1000 at around $399 is the other 1,000 lb option and answers a different question. It is a full 45 by 20 inch table on locking swivel casters with a lock bar and a hydraulic check valve, and its 7 inch minimum height matches the Black Widow. It is for the rider who wants a table that moves around a garage, and it costs more than twice as much.

The Titan 1500 at around $299 is what to buy if the bike is heavy or wide. The Black Widow's case is space and price, and against the VEVOR it wins only on space.

Buy the Black Widow if the bike is a sport bike, naked bike, dual sport or small cruiser under about 650 lb, and the lift has to disappear when it is not in use. The combination of 85 lb, a 7 inch collapsed height and a 40 by 16 inch footprint is unique in this category, and for a rider in a shared or crowded garage it is the only practical option.

Skip it if the bike is wide or heavy. A 16 inch platform and a basic latch are the wrong hardware for a Road King, a bagger or anything with floorboards, no matter what the rating says. Skip it too if the lift will get a permanent spot on the floor; once storage is not the constraint, the VEVOR 1100 at $20 more or the Titan 1500 at $130 more is the better table.

Our recommendation is to buy it with a set of straps and a short loading ramp, keep it on level concrete, and treat 650 lb as the real limit. Used that way it is the cheapest working hydraulic lift a rider can own.