Challenger CML-1500 Heavy Duty Motorcycle Lift Review: Premium Air-Hydraulic Power

Challenger Lifts is a Louisville, Kentucky automotive lift manufacturer whose two-post and four-post lifts are common in dealerships and independent shops. The CML-1500 is its heavy-duty motorcycle table. Published specs: a 1,500 lb capacity, a 54 by 25 inch commercial-grade steel deck, an air-hydraulic pump that needs 90 PSI minimum, a 7 to 37 inch height range, a lock bar, a hydraulic check valve and tie-down points, 245 lb assembled weight and a three-year limited warranty.

Price is around $699. That puts it $100 above the Triumph NML-1500 and $200 below the BendPak ML-1500 Pro, the two other air-hydraulic tables most buyers will have on the short list. The Dannmar DML-1500HD at around $749 sits just above it.

What the CML-1500 sells against those is deck size and warranty. It has 2 inches more length and 1 inch more width than the Triumph, and a year more coverage than the Triumph or Dannmar. It gives up a second lock bar to the BendPak and about 30 lb of steel. For a builder or small shop that is a reasonable place to land.

The 1,500 lb rating is the standard for heavy-duty tables and covers every two-wheeled production motorcycle with margin. Using the two-thirds rule, the CML-1500 is comfortable to about 1,000 lb, which takes in a CVO Road Glide at roughly 950 lb wet and a fully loaded Gold Wing Tour. It does not take in a trike at 1,200 lb; that job belongs to the BendPak ML-2000.

The deck is the reason to pick this table over the Triumph. At 54 inches long, a Street Glide's 64 inch wheelbase leaves the rear tire about 10 inches short of the main deck edge, so both contact patches are on steel and the drop-out panel is free for wheel removal. On the Triumph's 52 inch deck that margin is 8 inches; on a 48 inch Titan deck it is 4. The 25 inch width holds floorboards, saddlebag guards and a 200-section rear tire with room beside them.

The 37 inch maximum rise is 1 inch over the Triumph and puts a bagger's rocker boxes at chest height for a rider around six feet. With a tall touring bike on the deck the top of the windshield will be close to 8 feet.

The air-hydraulic pump wants 90 PSI and a tank that holds it under load. A 20 to 30 gallon compressor is the sensible minimum; a pancake unit will raise the table in bursts while it cycles. If the garage does not have one, add $150 to $300 to the $699 before comparing with the foot-pump tables. Run a filter and, ideally, an oiler inline, and drain the tank; water in the air motor is the most common cause of a sluggish air-hydraulic pump.

At 245 lb the CML-1500 is the heaviest table below the BendPak, and the installation rating on this page is marked difficult for a reason. It is a two-person assembly of separate scissor, deck, pump and lock assemblies; the cons list allows about 2.5 hours. Once built it does not move. Plan on level concrete, about 4.5 by 2 feet of footprint, and clearance on three sides.

The table does not bolt down. Level is the requirement, not anchoring; a 245 lb base under a 900 lb bike is stable on a flat slab and unstable on a sloped apron.

The CML-1500 has a single lock bar, a hydraulic check valve and built-in tie-down points. The lock bar engages stops as the deck rises and carries the load once the release is opened. The check valve holds cylinder pressure if the air supply drops or a seal fails, so a compressor tripping mid-lift leaves the deck where it is. The tie-down points matter more than they sound: strapping a 900 lb bike to the deck at four points is what keeps it upright when a wheel comes off, and tables that lack dedicated anchors force the rider to improvise.

One lock bar rather than two is the CML-1500's main hardware gap against the Dannmar DML-1500HD and BendPak ML-1500 Pro. For a home builder that is a small thing; for a shop with employees under the table, two is better.

Challenger does not list ALI or ETL certification for the CML-1500. No motorcycle table in this category carries ALI certification, because the program is written for automotive lifts. The three-year warranty is Challenger's answer to that question, and it is the longest below $900.

The Triumph NML-1500 at around $599 has the same 1,500 lb rating and air-hydraulic pump, a 52 by 24 inch deck, a 7 to 36 inch range, a lock bar, check valve and straps, 225 lb and a two-year warranty. The Challenger's $100 buys 2 inches of length, 1 inch of width, 1 inch of rise, 20 lb of steel and a third year of warranty. For a rider with one bagger that is a fair price; for a rider with a 600 lb bike it is not.

The BendPak ML-1500 Pro at around $899 is the step up: a 56 by 26 inch deck, 7 to 37 inches, dual lock bars, check valve and tie-downs, 275 lb, three-year warranty. The $200 buys a second lock bar, 2 more inches of deck and BendPak's dealer network. A shop should pay it. A home builder probably should not.

The Greg Smith GS-ML1200 at around $649 is a foot-pump table with a 1,200 lb rating and a 50 by 23 inch deck. It is $50 cheaper than the Challenger and gives up 300 lb, 4 inches of deck and the air pump. The Challenger is the better table unless there is no compressor and never will be.

Buy the CML-1500 if the bike is a full-dress bagger or touring model over 800 lb, it gets lifted often enough that a foot pump is a chore, and there is a compressor in the garage. It is also the right table for a custom builder who wants deck length for long forks and a warranty that outlasts a project cycle. The 54 inch deck and three-year coverage are what it does better than the Triumph.

Skip it if the bike is under 700 lb; the Titan 1500 at $299 does the job, and the Triumph at $599 does it with air. Skip it if there is no compressor and no plan to buy one; the Dannmar DML-1200 foot-pump table at $529 is the better complete purchase. And skip it for trikes, which need the BendPak ML-2000's 2,000 lb rating and 28 inch deck.

Our recommendation: for a heavy-bike owner with shop air who wants more deck than the Triumph and is not running a commercial shop, the CML-1500 is the sensible middle of the air-hydraulic group.