Challenger CML-1000 Value Motorcycle Lift Review: Premium Brand at Entry Pricing

Challenger Lifts of Louisville, Kentucky builds two-post and four-post automotive lifts for dealerships and independent shops. Its motorcycle line is two tables: the air-hydraulic CML-1500 at around $699 and this one, the foot-pump CML-1000. Published specs: a 1,000 lb capacity, a 47 by 22 inch professional-grade steel deck, a hydraulic foot pump, an 8 to 33 inch height range, a lock bar and hydraulic check valve, a premium powder coat, 155 lb assembled weight and a two-year limited warranty.

At around $449 the CML-1000 sits at the same price as the Atlas AML-1000, $30 under the Triumph NML-1000S and $100 under the Rotary RML-1000, all 1,000 lb tables from automotive lift brands. It is also $100 to $150 above the JEGS 80081 and Titan 1500, both rated 1,500 lb.

That is the whole story of this table. It is a good 1,000 lb table in a market where 1,000 lb is becoming a hard sell at $449, and what Challenger offers for the money is construction, finish, a check valve and a support network rather than capacity. Whether that is enough depends on the bike.

A 1,000 lb rating is comfortable to about 650 lb of bike, leaving a third of the rating for the side loads that come with real work. That takes in every sport bike and naked bike, dual sports, adventure bikes like the BMW R 1250 GS at about 549 lb or the KTM 1290 Super Adventure at about 540 lb, and middleweight cruisers like the Sportster Iron 883 at about 564 lb or the Indian Scout at about 560 lb.

It does not take in the big cruisers. A Harley Street Bob at about 650 lb is at the line, a Fat Boy at about 700 lb is past it, and anything with saddlebags and a fairing belongs on the CML-1500 or a 1,500 lb table from another brand. The cons list on this page puts the practical cutoff at 700 lb, which is generous; 650 is the safer number.

The 47 by 22 inch deck matches the rating. A bike with a wheelbase under about 59 inches sits with both contact patches on the main deck, and 22 inches holds floorboards with room beside the tire. The 33 inch maximum rise is 1 inch under the Atlas and Triumph tables, which for most riders does not matter.

The 8 inch minimum is standard for the class and works with a short ramp for most bikes. At 155 lb the CML-1000 is a two-person build of about 90 minutes and a permanent installation on level concrete, with a footprint of about 4 by 2 feet plus working room on three sides. There are no casters.

The finish is a real difference from the direct-import tables. Challenger's powder coat is the same process used on its automotive lifts, and it holds up to brake cleaner and chain lube in a way that a painted VEVOR deck does not. That is a maintenance advantage over ten years rather than a performance one.

The foot pump is appropriate for the bikes this table suits. Lifting a 550 lb bike to 33 inches is a couple of dozen strokes with moderate effort, and the release is a proportional valve so lowering speed follows how far it is opened. It is the same pump family as the CML-1500 without the air motor.

The CML-1000 has a lock bar and a hydraulic check valve. The lock bar seats into stops along the rise and carries the load once the release is opened; the check valve holds cylinder pressure if a seal or hose fails. That is the same pairing as the CML-1500 and the Triumph NML-1000S, and it is one item more than the Atlas AML-1000, which lists a positive-lock bar without a separate check valve.

Against the tables below $350 it is a step up. The Titan and JEGS list a safety lock with a hydraulic hold rather than a check valve, and the VEVOR and Black Widow list a latch. For a rider working alone under the bike, the check valve is worth having.

The routine is standard: pump past the stop, seat the bar, open the release until the load transfers. Before lowering, pump to unload the bar, retract it, and open the release from beside the bike. Challenger does not list ALI or ETL certification for the CML-1000; no motorcycle table in this category carries ALI certification, because the program covers automotive lifts. The two-year warranty matches Atlas and Triumph and is a year short of the CML-1500.

The Atlas AML-1000 at around $449: 1,000 lb, a 46 by 22 inch deck, 8 to 34 inches, a positive-lock bar, industrial powder coat, 155 lb, two-year warranty. Same price, 1 inch less deck, 1 inch more rise, and no check valve listed. The two are close enough that brand preference decides; the Challenger has the check valve, the Atlas has the extra inch of rise.

The Forward FML-1000 at around $399: 1,000 lb, a 45 by 20 inch deck, 7 to 32 inches, a lock bar and check valve, locking swivel casters, 140 lb, one-year warranty. For $50 less it moves and has a lower entry height; it gives up deck size, steel and a year of warranty. Riders who need the table to roll should buy the Forward.

The Titan 1500 at around $299 and JEGS 80081 at around $349: 1,500 lb, 48 by 24 inch decks, foot pumps, safety locks, one-year warranties. For $100 to $150 less they carry 500 lb more on a bigger deck, with lighter finish, a hydraulic hold instead of a check valve and half the warranty. For a rider with a 750 lb bike, one of these is the only option at this price.

Buy the CML-1000 if the bike is under about 650 lb, the table will stay in one spot, and a lift-company finish, a check valve and a two-year warranty are worth $100 to $150 over a Titan or JEGS. It is also the natural choice for a shop that already runs Challenger automotive lifts and wants one parts and service relationship.

Skip it if the bike is over 650 lb; the rating runs out and the CML-1500 at $250 more or the Titan 1500 at $150 less are the tables for that bike. Skip it if the budget is the constraint and the bike is light; the Titan does the job for $150 less and the difference is finish and warranty rather than function. And skip it if the table has to move, which is the Forward FML-1000's job.

Our recommendation: the CML-1000 is a sensible 1,000 lb table at a price where the buyer should be sure 1,000 lb is enough. If it is, it is as good as the Atlas and Triumph alternatives. If it is not, no amount of finish fixes that.