Forward FML-1500 Professional Motorcycle Lift Review: Upgraded Capacity and Features

Forward's two motorcycle tables are built for different garages. The FML-1000 is a 1,000 lb table on locking casters for riders who need the lift to move. The FML-1500 is the fixed heavy-duty model. Published specs: a 1,500 lb capacity, a 50 by 24 inch heavy-duty steel deck, a hydraulic foot pump, an 8 to 35 inch height range, dual safety locks with a hydraulic check valve, a chemical-resistant powder coat, 190 lb assembled weight and a two-year limited warranty. Price is around $649.

Against the FML-1000 that is 500 lb more rating, 5 inches more deck length, 4 inches more width, 3 inches more rise, a second lock, a heavier finish, 50 lb more steel and a second year of warranty, for $250 more. The casters are gone. That is a different table for a different bike, not an upgrade of the same one.

Forward is a smaller name than Triumph, Dannmar or Atlas, and the FML-1500's price puts it in direct competition with all of them. The sections below take that comparison seriously, because at $649 the spec sheet has to carry the argument.

The 1,500 lb rating is comfortable to about 1,000 lb of bike and covers every two-wheeled production motorcycle, including full-dress touring bikes at 850 to 950 lb. It is the same rating as the Triumph NML-1500, Challenger CML-1500 and Dannmar DML-1500HD, and 300 lb more than the Dannmar DML-1200 and Greg Smith GS-ML1200 foot-pump tables it is priced near.

The 50 inch deck is the same length as the Dannmar DML-1200 and 2 inches shorter than the Triumph. A 64 inch wheelbase bagger has its rear contact patch about 6 inches inside the deck end with the front wheel chocked, which is enough for most service work. Bikes over about 66 inches of wheelbase are better on the 60 inch Atlas AML-1500XL. The 24 inch width holds floorboards and a wide rear tire.

The 8 inch minimum works with a short ramp for most cruisers, and the 35 inch maximum puts a bagger's rocker boxes at chest height for a rider around six feet.

This is where the FML-1500 has to be honest with its buyer. A foot pump moves a fixed volume of oil per stroke, and the effort per stroke rises with load. Lifting a 500 lb bike is a couple of dozen easy strokes. Lifting an 850 lb bagger to 35 inches is a few dozen strokes with real resistance at the top of each one, and the cons list on this page says so. It is not hard. It is tedious, and it is the reason every other 1,500 lb table over $600 in this category uses an air-hydraulic pump.

The case for a foot pump at this price is the absence of a compressor. No air lines, no water in an air motor, no $150 to $300 for a tank, and a table that works the same in a shed with no power. For a rider who lifts a heavy bike a few times a season and leaves it up for a week of work, that is a sensible trade.

For a rider who lifts an 850 lb bike every weekend, it is not, and the Triumph NML-1500 at $50 less is the table to buy. The release valve is proportional, so lowering speed follows how far it is opened.

The FML-1500 has two independent mechanical locks, one each side of the scissor frame, plus a hydraulic check valve. The locks engage stops as the deck rises and carry the load once the release is opened; two locks mean a mis-seat on one side still leaves the deck supported. The check valve holds cylinder pressure if a seal or hose fails. That is the same hardware set as the Dannmar DML-1200 and DML-1500HD and one lock more than the Triumph NML-1500 and Challenger CML-1500.

The second lock is the FML-1500's best argument against the Triumph, and it is a real one for a rider working alone under a heavy bike. The routine is standard: pump past the stop, let both locks seat, release until the load transfers. Before lowering, pump to unload, retract both locks, and open the release from beside the bike.

Forward does not list ALI or ETL certification for the FML-1500. No motorcycle table in this category carries ALI certification, because the program covers automotive lifts. The two-year warranty matches Triumph, Dannmar and Atlas and is one year more than the FML-1000.

The Triumph NML-1500 at around $599: 1,500 lb, a 52 by 24 inch deck, 7 to 36 inches, air-hydraulic, one lock bar with a check valve and straps, 225 lb, two-year warranty. For $50 less it has 2 inches more deck, 1 inch more range at each end, 35 lb more steel and an air pump, and one fewer lock. With a compressor in the garage, the Triumph is the better table for every rider.

The Greg Smith GS-ML1200 at around $649: 1,200 lb, a 50 by 23 inch deck, 8 to 35 inches, foot pump, a positive-lock bar with a check valve, tool tray mounts, 195 lb, two-year warranty. Same price, same deck length and range, 300 lb less rating, one lock, tray mounts and a heavier frame. For bikes under 800 lb it is a wash; over 800 lb the Forward's rating decides it.

The Forward FML-1000 at around $399 is the sibling: 1,000 lb on casters, 45 by 20 inches, one lock bar with a check valve. It is for a different bike and a different garage.

Buy the FML-1500 if the bike is a heavy cruiser or touring model over 700 lb, there is no compressor and none is coming, two locks under the deck matter, and the table will get a permanent spot on level concrete. For that rider it is the best-equipped 1,500 lb foot-pump table in this category, and the only one with dual locks.

Skip it if there is shop air; the Triumph NML-1500 at $50 less lifts the same bikes without pumping, and the Challenger CML-1500 at $50 more adds a longer deck and a three-year warranty. Skip it if the bike is under 650 lb, where the FML-1000 or Atlas AML-1000 save $200 to $250. And skip it if the lift needs to move; that is the FML-1000's job.

Our recommendation: decide on the compressor, then decide on the table. Without air and with a heavy bike, the FML-1500 is a fair buy. With air, it is the wrong pump at this price.