well i'm finally getting the garage I've always dreamed of. my girlfriend and i are moving into a house in a month that has a huge two-bay detached garage (its got to be at least 1200 square feet) that I have claimed as my space for a workshop/ gym/ man cave. you get it. Ive lusted over spaces for years but have never had one to make my own. I have a fair amount of tools, including air, just not the big stuff since Ive been condemned to apartment living up to this point.
I really was just looking for some pictures of the work spaces you guys all have. maybe some tips on set-ups you like, as well as inexpensive tools and equipment i should get during my first harbor freight run.
I plan on doing mostly motorcycle work with the occasional car or truck maintenance but mainly just a nice work space to wrench away on the viffer, maybe start a new build, and just enjoy my evenings and weekends.
But let me reemphasize, I'm a visual guy and get lots of ideas from looking, so pictures pictures pictures please!
haha i've seen this before Dutchy and love it. :beer: Make do with what you have, right? Ive had a vary silimar situation for the last year... Looking forward to not loosing any more bolts in the gravel!
Best bit of kit i have ever bought http://abbastands.co.uk/product-detail.asp?item=sky-lift&pid=44. Especially when you have a small workshop like mine. Makes working on the bike so much easier. Had my Blackbird on it at full lift with me sat on it. Stable as hell.
Our shop is within a former large slaughterhouse, a remnant rescued from east coast post-industrial rustbelt devolution and desuetude with more space than we'll ever need.
This is my one car garage, which has never had a car in it :)
I keep 7 of my bikes and 1 for a friend from England in it, and my daughters scooter, Its tight, but I manage to have a lift and compressor and all my tools also.
I'm in the same boat as you. My space is still relatively new, and I'm in the process of making it my own. In the summer (motorcycle season), no cars are parked in here. Come winter, Bikes are parked along the sides so both cars can park inside.
Clean now but that's all about to change soon......... Oil change, coolant flush, check all coolant hoses and replace if necessary, thermostat, chain and new sprockets, plugs, air filter, Pair Valve block off plates, R/R upgrade, valve clearance check .......
I understand that RedRicer is looking for aspirational workshops, but I'm going to go ahead and toss mine in to the mix in case previous posts by guys with awesome workshops are making folks too self-conscious to keep posting to this great thread.
I am not going to claim that my wife is a hoarder in the strict clinical sense, but she does exhibit six of the four essential diagnostic criteria. Between her and the kids, I am relegated to a 10'x6' patch in a two-car garage -- and grateful to have it!
As far as tools, I can heartily recommend the use of a rechargeable led headlamp like those used by campers and running enthusiasts. Even in a well-lit shop, it is great for seeing into dark nooks and crannies while keeping both hands free. Example here.
Also, I have a tool organization technique that I can't really recommend but that I use religiously: Rather than spend ten minutes putting away my tools at the end of the day, I like to leave everything lying around on the floor or stacked on nearby horizontal surfaces that were convenient in the moment. Then I spend twenty minutes looking for one or more of those tools the next time I need it. Also, this is a good way to lose tools so I need to spend additional time and money buying replacements. Fortunately, the tools I lose are exactly the ones I most need because those are the ones I had out previously. If, like me, you really commit yourself to this approach, in a year or two you can end up in a situation where your toolboxes and pegboards are filled with crap you never use and all the stuff you really need is difficult to locate or lost entirely. YMMV.
I'm pretty lucky. I've got free run of a 9 bay shop after hours. All the space/tools/heated workspace I could ask for.
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At home, things are a bit more cramped. (I really need to work on my 700S's) Also, I need to find something to do with this spare 5th gen engine. I picked it up supposedly just rebuilt for $100. Maybe a gen 6 hybrid?
I'm pretty lucky. I've got free run of a 9 bay shop after hours. All the space/tools/heated workspace I could ask for.
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At home, things are a bit more cramped. (I really need to work on my 700S's) Also, I need to find something to do with this spare 5th gen engine. I picked it up supposedly just rebuilt for $100. Maybe a gen 6 hybrid?
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Having a lift would be primo - my back would love it!
Thumbs up on putting the 5th gen motor in a 6th gen. If I ever come across a good used engine, that just might be my over-the-winter project.
Not quite a workshop but i have a spare 6th gen in my lounge. Going to clean it up, paint it and put a sheet of toughened glass on it to make a coffee table.
Sometimes that means staying alone. Smart! I went and screwed up, invited her in, and now I have all these rules to follow. No motorcycle noises inside the house. Stop looking at VFRD. You can't have a garage with an apartment in the top containing only a bed, kitchen, and bathroom with a plexiglass floor to always keep your toys in view. You can't re-use old tires for gardening projects or decoration.
Last year I decided to become a minimalist....renting out my house and living in my trailer :beer: . I went from having a 2 car garage filled with misc. Car/Bike stuff to 3 different areas.
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Now I have a tool shed, dressing room (My riding suit hangs in here along with a lot of other crap)
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A 10 x 10 Storage unit, that houses tools, bike parts, & misc crap. This is where my two other bikes live when not being ridden.
Last year I decided to become a minimalist....renting out my house and living in my trailer :beer: . I went from having a 2 car garage filled with misc. Car/Bike stuff to 3 different areas.
Now I have a tool shed, dressing room (My riding suit hangs in here along with a lot of other crap)
A 10 x 10 Storage unit, that houses tools, bike parts, & misc crap. This is where my two other bikes live when not being ridden.
A shed that whatever bike I am riding lives in.
Incredible ^^^^^. I just need to dig a hole into my basement for most of the bike storage. A room in the attic and a sunroom and I have all I need to make me and the girl happy. I still can't get over waste disposal and clean / grey water in a trailer, but there are some pretty sweet trailers. Minimalism = freedom.
Last year I decided to become a minimalist....renting out my house and living in my trailer :beer: . I went from having a 2 car garage filled with misc. Car/Bike stuff to 3 different areas.
Now I have a tool shed, dressing room (My riding suit hangs in here along with a lot of other crap)
A 10 x 10 Storage unit, that houses tools, bike parts, & misc crap. This is where my two other bikes live when not being ridden.
A shed that whatever bike I am riding lives in.
Incredible ^^^^^. I just need to dig a hole into my basement for most of the bike storage. A room in the attic and a sunroom and I have all I need to make me and the girl happy. I still can't get over waste disposal and clean / grey water in a trailer, but there are some pretty sweet trailers. Minimalism = freedom.
The original plan was to paint the bikes flat black and dig the tunnel to some unusual place hidden by leaves. Then I can shoot in and out like Batman. Sounds like it has been a month off the bike with thoughts like these....
2 bay detached? Luckkyyyyyyy. I make do with what i've got, i just have to shuffle things around depending on what i am doing. I have a shop space offsite i split with friends, but at home it is much more cramped and just the essentials. I have a pancake compressor for filling tires and blowing things off, while the shop has the big honker i can use for sand blasting or for air tools(highly recommend an auto drain valve if you get a big honker). At home i tend to use 18v milwaukee stuff, and honestly for most bike stuff they have been awesome. The 18v 1/2" impact puts out insane torque, the only thing i'm missing is a lithium equivalent of an air ratchet which milwaukee doesn't really have yet. The smaller 1/4" impact is great for lighter fasteners.
Ah my dream has always been a double garage ;). Some of yo guys have so much space. My current rework is my ZZR250 which is my winter bike. This is I at the start of the strip down.
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A single garage, just cleared of clutter, most of which went into a new 11'x8' shed I built this past summer & that's my new cheap eBay work bench, as my knees can't handle the kneeling any more. Wish I'd bought one years ago.
I appreciate and envy some of your awesome setups... for now my workshop is the driveway, which frequently results in wrecked knees, sunburn, and lost fasteners... but the job gets done :goofy:
I've never seen Beetle Bags on a 4th gen - didn't even realize they had made them for it. They must be as rare as hen's teeth!
Yeah they sure are, look awesome but being top loaders they are a pain to fill up. Still, it look so 90's scifi i don't even mind. My friend calls it a romulan warbird hehe
I've never seen Beetle Bags on a 4th gen - didn't even realize they had made them for it. They must be as rare as hen's teeth!
Yeah they sure are, look awesome but being top loaders they are a pain to fill up. Still, it look so 90's scifi i don't even mind. My friend calls it a romulan warbird hehe
It would be great to see more photos of them when you have the bike outside for a better view.
I've never seen Beetle Bags on a 4th gen - didn't even realize they had made them for it. They must be as rare as hen's teeth!
Yeah they sure are, look awesome but being top loaders they are a pain to fill up. Still, it look so 90's scifi i don't even mind. My friend calls it a romulan warbird hehe
It would be great to see more photos of them when you have the bike outside for a better view.
You are in luck, i happen to be a picture whore so i take lots after i change anything. Also i found the old sale page on corbin's site via the web archive if you want the old cool promotional pics.
Here it is right after install next to my buddy's 06 with factory hard bags
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I still haven't figured out the best way to photograph these things, weird bubbly shape and funky colors. I need to get some fresh pics now with my new MRA vario windscreen anyway, so maybe some day i'll have pics that do them justice. I need to figure out a way to tighten up the shutting of them, for now i've been stuffing paper towels in the front and back under the lids to keep them tight hehe
Not much wrenching going on at the moment, more like storage mode. (There is a VFR in there, I promise!) There is another two car attached to the house.
Pretty crowded, so I have to move stuff out to do any serious work. The lights are so bright, it's tough to get a good picture with my low-end phone. The last three lights are covered by the opened door - when it's closed it's bright like an operating room, for doing major surgery on anything mechanical.