Greg Smith GS-ML1200 Premium Motorcycle Lift Review: Boutique Quality Engineering

Greg Smith Equipment is an Indianapolis lift and shop-equipment company that owns the Atlas brand and sells direct and through a small dealer network. The GS-ML1200 is its house-branded 1,200 lb motorcycle table, positioned above the Atlas AML-1000 in both capacity and price. Published specs: a 1,200 lb capacity, a 50 by 23 inch heavy-duty steel deck, a hydraulic foot pump, an 8 to 35 inch height range, a positive-lock bar and hydraulic check valve, a chemical-resistant powder coat, integrated tool tray mounts, 195 lb assembled weight and a two-year limited warranty.

Price is around $649. That is the number that defines this review. The Dannmar DML-1200 has the same rating, the same deck size, the same height range and dual locks for around $529. The Triumph NML-1500 has 300 lb more rating and an air-hydraulic pump for around $599. The GS-ML1200 has to justify itself against both, and its argument is 10 lb more steel than the Dannmar, a positive-lock bar, the tool tray mounts and the Greg Smith parts and support operation.

We think that argument holds for a specific buyer and fails for most others, and the sections below draw the line.

A 1,200 lb rating is comfortable to about 800 lb of bike using the two-thirds rule. That is the heavy cruiser class: a Harley Road King at about 800 lb, a Fat Boy at about 700 lb, an Indian Chief at about 670 lb, a Triumph Rocket 3 at about 700 lb. Fully dressed touring bikes at 850 to 900 lb are inside the rating with less margin; a 1,500 lb table is the better home for them.

The 50 by 23 inch deck matches that class. A 64 inch wheelbase bagger puts its rear contact patch on the main deck with the front wheel chocked, and 23 inches of width holds floorboards and a wide rear tire. Custom builders will care about length more than most: a raked chopper with a 70 inch wheelbase still overhangs a 50 inch deck by a foot, and a 54 inch Challenger CML-1500 or 60 inch Atlas AML-1500XL deck is the better fit for that work.

The 8 to 35 inch range is the same as the Dannmar. Roll-on at 8 inches is easy with a short ramp, and 35 inches puts a cruiser's cylinder heads at a standing rider's chest.

Every table over $600 in this category except the GS-ML1200 and the Greg Smith GS-ML1500 uses an air-hydraulic pump. That is not an accident. Once a buyer is spending that much, the $150 to $300 for a compressor is a small share of the total and the difference in effort is large: an 800 lb bike goes up under a held pedal instead of a few dozen foot strokes with rising resistance.

Greg Smith's case for the foot pump is simplicity. No compressor, no air lines, no water in an air motor, nothing to maintain but hydraulic oil, and a table that works the same in a garage with no power. For a builder who lifts a bike, leaves it up for a week of work and lowers it, pumping effort is a rounding error and a foot pump is the more reliable tool.

For a rider who lifts a heavy bike every weekend it is the wrong choice at this price, and the Triumph NML-1500 at $50 less is the table to buy. The GS-ML1200's foot pump is a feature only for the buyer who has already decided against shop air.

The GS-ML1200 uses a positive-lock bar and a hydraulic check valve. The bar is a solid steel member that seats into a receiver and carries the load once the release is opened; the check valve holds cylinder pressure if a hose or seal fails. That is one lock fewer than the Dannmar DML-1200's dual locks, which is the one hardware point where the cheaper table is ahead.

The tool tray mounts are the feature no other table in this group has. Brackets on the deck edge accept side trays or extensions, so a builder can keep hardware, a torque wrench and a drain pan at deck height instead of on a cart. Anyone who has done an engine swap on a table without them knows why that matters. Side extensions and trays are sold separately.

Greg Smith does not list ALI or ETL certification for the GS-ML1200. No motorcycle table in this category carries ALI certification, because the program covers automotive lifts. The two-year warranty matches Dannmar, Atlas and Triumph and trails the three years on the Challenger CML-1500 and the GS-ML1500.

The Dannmar DML-1200 at around $529 is the direct comparison: 1,200 lb, a 50 by 23 inch deck, 8 to 35 inches, dual safety locks with a check valve, 185 lb, two-year warranty. On the spec sheet the two are nearly identical and the Dannmar has a second lock. The Greg Smith has 10 lb more steel, a positive-lock bar, the tray mounts and a $120 higher price. Unless the tray mounts are the reason for the purchase, the Dannmar is the better value.

The Challenger CML-1500 at around $699 is the comparison upward: 1,500 lb, a 54 by 25 inch deck, 7 to 37 inches, air-hydraulic, a lock bar, check valve and tie-downs, 245 lb, three-year warranty. For $50 more than the Greg Smith it adds 300 lb, 4 inches of deck, a year of warranty and an air pump. A builder with a compressor should buy the Challenger.

The Atlas AML-1000 at around $449, Greg Smith's own brand, is the comparison downward: 1,000 lb, 46 by 22 inches, one positive-lock bar. For bikes under 650 lb it is enough and $200 cheaper.

Buy the GS-ML1200 if the bike is a heavy cruiser under about 800 lb, the garage has no compressor and will not get one, the table will be used as a work platform for long builds rather than for quick service, and side trays at deck height are worth paying for. That is a real buyer, and for that buyer this is the best-built foot-pump table in the 1,200 lb class.

Skip it if there is a compressor in the garage; the Triumph NML-1500 at $50 less or the Challenger CML-1500 at $50 more are better tables for the money. Skip it if the tray mounts do not matter; the Dannmar DML-1200 does the same job with a second lock for $120 less. And skip it for touring bikes over 850 lb or for trikes, which need a 1,500 or 2,000 lb table.

Our recommendation is that the GS-ML1200 is a good table sold at a difficult price, and the buyer should be sure the frame and the tray mounts are what they are paying for before choosing it over its neighbors.