Customers' Reviews:
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 Nice product for use on OEM rack - Horrible warranty experience, July 17, 2009
By S. Morris (Avon, Ohio USA)
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I purchased two of these racks for use on the cross bars that come stock on the Subaru Outback (2008 XT Limited in my case.) They assembled relatively easily, but took some time to get the multi-position clamps just right. One position was too tall, so I tried the next, which was too low. Back to the first and adjust a little more. Not hard, just a little time consuming. I had to mount the front crossbar as far forward as possible to avoid the rear of the tray from hitting the wagon's door when open. The tire clears about 1/4"
The rack is easy to use, although since the crossbar as some curve to it, the two bikes tilt out a little bit. The crossbars are plenty secure enough with two 25# bikes on top.
The only problem I had, and which cost this review three stars, was Amazon and Yakima's customer service. The racks are well made, but sometimes parts aren't up to snuff. The second time I used the rack, one of the red plastic covers for the locking skewer came out. It turns out that the die cast zinc cover has a cast in rivet to retain the plastic cover, and the flared end on the rivet broke off, allowing the cover to fall out. This shouldn't be a safety concern, according to the Yakima service person, but it does render the locking mechanism useless. The skewer can be locked, but without the cover, anyone can get to the nut with a pair of pliers and remove the bike.
Yakima doesn't handle warranty issues on products that are sold through Amazon. Yakima has a lifetime warranty, but as an Amazon customer, I don't get to enjoy that warranty. Meanwhile, Amazon does not handle any warranty service for Yakima parts. If I want a new skewer, I have to send my entire roof rack back and order another one.
A really nice product, but one that yields a frustrated customer that won't recommend purchasing Yakima products through Amazon unless you want to give up your warranty.
July 30, 2009: A follow-up to the above review. Amazon stepped up and offered a partial refund in lieu of not having replacement parts. This will allow me to buy a replacement skewer, and end up with what I purchased to begin with. Thanks. Amazon! I'm bumping the rating up from two to three stars. Still a nice product, but buying through Amazon still forfeits Yakima's lifetime warranty. If you have problems, don't tell 'em you got it here!
14 of 17 people found this review helpful
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 Yakima Fork Lift Roof Rack, December 16, 2009
By Michael (Southeastern USA)
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The Yakima Fork Lift Rooftop Bike Rack is so far the best fork mount style rooftop rack that I have seen or used. One of the nicest features with this rack is that it mounts to factory cross bars as well as aftermarket round or square bars. It mounted very easily to my Subaru factory bars. The skewer mechanism is easily tightened and locked with one hand which leaves your other hand free to hold the bike steady or eat a burger. I also added the lock core to ensure that the fork skewer remains closed during travel. I spent way too much time comparing different racks but I am very glad that I purchased this one!
8 of 8 people found this review helpful
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Very Sturdy, even at 80+ MPH, October 7, 2009
By Charles F. (USA)
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I have this mounted on my 2008 Subaru Impreza STI with OEM Factory bars and the fit is perfect. I had a problem with other racks that were made for either round or square bars. My OEM bars are large and oval-shaped, and this rack had no problems fitting on. The clamps are very sturdy.
I took my mountain bike on a 5 hour drive to Mammoth Mountain from Los Angeles, even hitting speeds of 80+. The rack held up very well. I prefer the fork mounted design of this rack because it seems like a more secure way to mount the bike. I only wish it came with a separate front wheel holder so I didn't have to throw the front wheel in my trunk.
6 of 6 people found this review helpful
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SUPERIOR rack system., February 25, 2011
By W. Caparas
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I shopped long and hard, and researched every single brand in this class, and this Yakima is by far the best universal rack on the market. The new U tube design is reason enough... this thing is TOUGH and light at the same time. And it's totally aerodynamic both in look and function. People with problems installing this rack are people with problems. It is NOT the rack. The ratcheted grip design in the mounts ENSURE an absolutely tight fit against any angle or curve. I have a 2011 Outback, and it has an infamously odd design to it's factory roof rack, yet it took me just 15 minutes to lock and load and it's solid as a rock even with 2 bikes. Excellent engineering. Best of class. what else can I say?
5 of 5 people found this review helpful
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Stable and elegant design, November 11, 2010
By alanrock (Tucson, AZ)
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I was very anxious about having my bike on the roof of my car, but the rack is so secure and simple to use that I don't have a worry in the world. I would highly recommend this rack--so much that I bought another one.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
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 Good bike rack, except one minor detail..., August 18, 2011
By R2 (Denver, CO United States)
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It was easy to put together (once I've figured out how to get the locking skewer untighten and off), and it fits my factory cross bars on my car like a charm. However, I don't like the fact that the ratchet strap that secure the rear wheel on the rack, is not permanently attached to the rack itself. I forgot to lock it back into the ratchet thingy, and sure enough I drove off and it fell off somewhere. So, I tried calling Yakima, but I was on hold for more than 10 minutes, so I set to look for the replacement part myself. I found the part number from Yakima but you couldn't order it online or ANYWHERE! You have to call in to the parts department at Yakima and after 4 phone calls (10+ minutes hold time each), 2 voicemails, 1 email, I finally got through and got to order it. They were nice to offer me to replace it for free, but I went ahead and ordered a bunch of them just in case I forgot to lock the strap back again.
Oh, the part # for the strap itself is 8880191 and you can get the rest of the part # for this fork lift at [...].
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
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 Yakima Fork LIft Mount Rooftop bike Rack, May 16, 2010
By Billy Bob (California)
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It works well on my 2010 Subaru Outback. It holds the bike securely and is easy to get the bike on and off. The rack takes some time placing and removing it from the car. I bought two of these racks and a universal Thule brand wheel carrier. Yakima didn't seem to have a good wheel carrier for the Outback.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
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Time to Go Bike, September 20, 2009
By The Mountain Goat (Fort Collins, CO)
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Why spend more money for those adaptors and other stuff that add to the price. If you already have a factory roof rack, you are ready to bike. This attached perfectly to my factory roof rack (2000 toyota 4runner) and holds strong with all of its tightening latches. The best thing is that my bro can use it with his car because it adapts to most factory roof racks. So why spend 300+ bucks to get the bike rack, adapter, and locks when all you need is fork mount, easy install roof rack. Could not find the lock that comes with this one (though I know it is capable of a lock) but honestly with how fast and easy it is to remove the rack, there is no need to lock it to your roof, just throw it in the back. Love it, and I would buy it again and again
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
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Perfect!, April 19, 2012
By A.J. (Martinsburg, WV)
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Got 2 of these (along with the locks) for my '01 Ford Escape. Mounts very easy, fits the stock racks perfectly. It just takes some getting use to trying to put my mountain bike on top of my Escape. But very sturdy and seems durable. No whining noises going down the road.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
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Easy does it, gets a little complicated., April 16, 2012
By Noel
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Purchased the Yakima Forklift to be mounted on our Subaru Tribeca equipped with Subaru Aero (fixed) cross bars. Mounting it was very simple. However, the configuration of the cross bars makes the Forklift to protrude too much to the back. This position does not allow the back door(tail gate) to fully open without damaging the vehicle. So, if you have a similarly equipped Tribeca, this bike rack may not be for you. The other issue with this product is the front skewer system. It is not as easy to use as it seems. I do not have the time be figuring out puzzles, so I am returning it tomorrow.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
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Better than any rack I have seen, February 15, 2012
By A. Gebuhr (Indianapolis, IN USA)
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I bought this rack to replace my 3 bike Yakima trunk carrier for longer road trips. I only have 2 bikes, 1 road, 1 mountain, and I needed something more permanent and secure. This rack was super easy to install and looks good on my 2008 Subaru Outback LL Bean. It takes about 20 minutes for any average person to install. I have yet to take it over 60 mph as I just put it on 2 days ago. The only thing I find disconcerting is a small amount of play in the front hinge when pressure is applied to either side of the bike. I am a bit concerned about the effects of crosswind at 70+ mph. If anyone knows what I am talking about or has a reassuring experience that can put my mind at ease please let me know. I'm likely just overreacting as all the reviews reflect positive experiences, but I would prefer to not kill someone by impaling them with my bike frame on the highway. Other than that, everything seems as great as it always has with my previous experiences with Yakima products. Also to anyone with an 06-09 Outback, what hinge did you use for mounting? I used 2 on the front and 1 on the rear.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
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great way to transport my bikes, January 31, 2012
By Go Horns! (Austin, TX USA)
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I liked this rack so much that I bought another one to hold my girlfriend's bike. This rack mounts perfectly to my hatchback's factory roof rack (oval crossbars). You have the option of either mounting this with the bike facing forward or backward. I had to mount it with the bike facing backward so that my hatchback door could open up without hitting the rear of the rack.
Another reviewer said that their rear wheel latch fell off, but that's because they didn't install the rear seal. It completely prevents any of the sliding latches from falling off. It's a good design!
It's fast and easy to install or take off. With the SKS key cores, you can lock the rack securely to your roof rack and leave it on there.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
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great rack for great price, January 5, 2012
By John Doe
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This is a good bike rack for the factory roof racks. I used this on my factory racks for the 2011 Toyota Rav4. Rack was easy and quick to install.
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High Quality - Rock solid transport, January 2, 2012
By Moulguy (Rochester NY USA)
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Mounts perfectly to Ford cross bars. Easy to mount bike. Transported bike 600 miles from upstate NY to Purdue. No shaking no rattling. Rock solid.
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Does not fit 09 Santa Fe well, October 17, 2011
By Andrew
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This bike rack is fairly easy to install, although the instructions left a bit to the imagination, but not bad. It holds the bike quite secure and I have little fear of it falling off which is good. Heavier bikes can be rather difficult to get aligned right with the rail while holding above your head, but not undoable.
With just that I would have given this 4-5 stars and been fairly happy with it. The biggest drawback for me though is that you can not adjust the position of the rail on the front clamp. My 09 Santa Fe has an adjustable cross-rack but it only goes about mid-way up the roof. Because of this the back end of the rack hangs over the rear of my car and prevents me from opening my back door. Being able to get into my rear door with bikes on was one reason I chose a roof rack over a hitch rack in the first place.
My work around to this problem was to just mount the rack backwords so the front of the bike faces the back of the car. This works, but looks kind of funny as the rack does not lie flat this way but sticks up into the air a bit, and at moderate to high speeds it causes a rather irritating whistle. So overall it does the job, but could certainly be better.
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Great rack! Easy on/off installation., October 11, 2011
By Kristina Collett
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Right out of the box to the top of my car in less then 20mins. Just long enough to assemble and read a few instructions. Once I put it on once, now I can put the rack on my car and have my bike loaded and ready to go in under 5mins. It is so easy. The design is great and goes seamlessly onto my factory bars (2005 Subaru Outback). Loading the bike on was a snap as well. And the best part is my hatchback easy still opens all the way with the rack on.
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Yakima Fork Lift bike rack for factory rack works excellent, August 29, 2011
By Matt88
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This rack installed easily and after a few trips seems very solid. They (I have two) are easy to load and unload. The front fork open and close clamp adjusts easily and locks down well with very little adjustment necessary secure feel once you have it installed. Installation was simple with little or no tools. The rear tire ratcheting also works well and releases easily. This rack is very adjustable for just about any bike length with maybe the exception of the smallest. It was a very good way to free up my hitch mount for our new camper. I am impressed with the quality of the materials and construction to this point although it is still early on. I would give 5 stars but i feel like Yakima or someone should add something to these trays to stabilize the bike while you lock it down. Especially for those of us with full size SUV. I end up holding the bike with one hand, locking it down with the other, and trying to balance long enough on the running boards without dropping the bike. It seems like an easy thing to remedy.
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Works just great, August 25, 2011
By Dave (Boulder, Colorado)
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I just returned an hour ago from driving 1900 miles with two bikes on these new racks on my '11 Subaru Outback. They were pretty easy to install, pretty easy to load the bikes into (I'm 6-1), and did just fine on the road. There is a bit of wobble if one moves the bike by hand--if the front attachment to the crossbar were a bit wider the stability would be enhanced. However, it doesn't seem to be an issue on the road. My one complaint, as others have noted, is that the locks should be included. One per rack is needed, by the way. I picked some up locally since I was leaving on said trip, so I paid more than Amazon's price.
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Great rack for OEM Impreza Crossbars, July 8, 2011
By R.A.M. (Hampton, VA)
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I was looking for a rack that would direct mount to my 2008 Impreza Crossbars and this works perfectly. It securely attaches to the bars with no adapters and is also super secure holding my bike. This is my first fork mount rack so I can't compare it to other racks but it is very easy to load.
My only reason for giving it 4 stars, and not 5, is the cam-lever mechanism on the fork attachment doesn't have enough movement from open to close. In order to cleanly lift the fork out, I need to turn the adjustment nob to widen the gap beyond what the cam lever does. As a result, I need to tighten down some when reloading the bike. It would be nice if the cam alone opened the rack up to allow the bike in and out. This would mean you set the dial for your fork once and never again...instead of ever time. Having said that, the one hand operation of the adjustment nob is very easy so this complaint is minor.
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Great Bike Rack, June 8, 2011
By Joshua Price (Pensacola, FL)
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This rack was very easy to mount on my Subaru Forester on the stock racks. The bike is secure and is easy to load onto the rack. The packing from Yakima was good and the documentation was clear.
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Simple and effective, May 17, 2011
By Jrudolph
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This rack is extremely easy to install and use. I recommend the lock core for added assurance against theft and unwanted opening while a bike is mounted. First use was a ten hour trip from NJ to TN... No complaints at all. Easily hand mounted to factory crossbars on Toyota Rav4 with no tools. Fantastic rack!
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Great rack, May 7, 2011
By runninggirl
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I bought my rack used (new condition) and was not dissapointed when the rack arrived. It does look absolutly new.... or it did until I drove on a 2,000 mile mt. biking roadtrip with it on my roof rack. Works great, love that it is universally compatible and fits on my factory subaru rack!
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Great item, January 2, 2011
By angi (georgia)
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This item was exactly as described and fits perfectly on the factory luggage rack. Don't forget to purchase the locks though.
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Easy to install and use., November 28, 2010
By D. Lawson
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I bought several of these units to carry 2 mountain bikes on my 2010 VW Jetta Sportwagen. I found them to be quite simple to install. The directions were well written and easy to follow. The bikes are held very securely on long distance rides. I highly recommend them.
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Happy, May 14, 2012
By Bike Easy
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I love it. I had never had a bike on my SUV Escape before and was scared that it wouldn't fit the factory rack.
It is sturdy..
It is safe...
It was affordable..
I love it...
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