| Author | Message | ||
     Xodot |
To maximize floor space and eliminate the chance of my new tires getting flat spots from sitting in an unheated garage during our frozen (-20 degree) winter that drags on for 5 months, I was considering hoisting my 2000 S3 from the garage rafters till spring. Is anyone aware of a downside to leaving the bike supported by straps wrapped around the frame and leaving the suspension/forks uncompressed for so long in such cold? Thanks for your thoughts | ||
| Natexlh1000 |
You should keep Mexican children out of your garage if you do this.  I'm pretty sure that there is no candy in your Buell anyways. | ||
| Djkaplan |
If the rafters can take it, it sounds feasible to me. I've hung my bike from an engine hoist when I had both wheels off and and was surprised how easy it was to do safely. You could just put an iron bar through the hollow rear axle, lift the rear end on jackstands and use a bottle jack underneath the shock mount to get the tires off the ground. That way, you could still go out and sit on the bike and make vroom, vroom sounds until the thaw (you could also wheel it out quickly if you had too). | ||
| Billetmetallic |
couldnt you compress the suspension with lowering straps, or even just ratcheting tie down straps? or simply take your wheels off? | ||
| Ratbuell |
Instead of hanging it, I'd recommend just getting a set of stands for it. I use Pit Bulls from American Sport Bike - the rear picks up by the swingarm, the front has a pin that goes through the lower triple tree / steering pivot. Tires are off the ground, rear suspension is still carrying the load of the bike (good for the leak-o-matic rear shocks) and the front forks are extended, which I haven't had any problems with. Not only are the stands good for storage, but great for wheel swaps, service work...and for cleaning the Marchesinis. They look great in white..but they get dirty fast! | ||
| Not_purple_s2 |
+1 for the Pit Bull. I just got mine a few weeks ago and I use it constantly. If my bike is parked at home for more than 1hr then it's on the stand. Plus it makes working and cleaning on the bike really easy. And I think it makes the bike even nicer to look at when it's sitting straight up. | ||
| Ratbuell |
The other bonus I forgot to mention...with the bike straight up, you don't "drain" the fifth gear bearing as quickly. I had to rebuild the trans in my S1W last year. I bought it 5/06 with 1100 miles on it, so it sat a LOT before I bought it. I put about 3500 on it last season, intermittent riding thru this past winter, and this spring had to tear it down because fifth had siezed. It lives on axle stands now whenever I'm not riding it (the S2 doesn't sit long enough for me to worry about, LOL). | ||
| Natexlh1000 |
That 5th gear bearing thing is an odd. Perhaps leaning it to the right would be even better? | ||
| Natexlh1000 |
Hey here's an idea: If you're going to store your bike for a good amount of time, you could overfill your tranny on purpose. Just leave a note on the ignition to fix it before you take it out the first time. | ||
| Xodot |
Thanks for the input so far. I do have stands and a hydraulic jack for it and use them for maintenance work. I wanted to get the Buell up in the air to maximize the garage floor space. I would like to park my car under the suspended S3 for the winter months. (I have my bicycles hanging from the roof for the winter for the same reason - I'm thinking the Buell is just another 440 pound bike!) I take it that no one thinks the frame would suffer from this plan??? | ||
| Rich |
I'm hanging up my Joe Rocket mesh, wearing Vansons daily.  The frame should take it, no sweat. IMO | ||
| Eshardball |
Check the Northern Tool Catalog. I believe that they have a lift that mounts to the wall that allows the bike to be lifted high enough to park the hood of your car under it | ||
| Natexlh1000 |
You must have a tall garage! I regularly use my garage's rafters to hoist my bike for maintainance. I can get mine perhaps two feet off of the ground. I would love to be able to hoist up my canoe and other stuff like that. | ||
| Cyclonemduece |
you dont have a relative or something that you will let you store it at there garage? if it is the tires that you are worried about by some extruded poly. foam insulation to park the bike on it will keep the tires at air temp, i know that my attached garage never gets below freezeing. Hanging your bike up sounds like an accident waiting to happen. | ||
| Billetmetallic |
viva pinata! | ||
| Billetmetallic |
but i want pictures of it on your car after it falls! (id worry more about what your hanging it from than what your hangin) | ||
| Bartimus |
I have a shop that I store most of my bikes, along with two cars in year round. I have 6 bikes hanging from the rafters by 2 - 500LB chain hoists. 3 of them have been up there over 4 years. I have seen no problems whatsoever with the suspension being unladen while hanging. Just make sure your joists can handle the weight. | ||
| Iamike |
I have a friend with a nearly perfect '66 Olds, except for the dent and scratch on the roof from junior taking down the bicycle from the hooks above the car. | ||
| Xodot |
The garage has a 14 foot ceiling so that's a lot of empty volume to put to a good use. It's attached to the house and stays much warmer than the outside, but when the extreme temperatures come (and they always do!)  the garage will dip way below freezing. The rafters are designed for a serious snow load so another 450 pounds is just the equivalent of a few more shovels of snow (almost  ) Thanks for the advice (love the pinata!)I promise to post pics of any vertical crash of Buell into Buick right after I forward them to the insurance company! Don't want to  on this issue, but I don't want the Buell to look like > come spring either! | ||
| Blakers |
What is the construction of your garage? Engineered wood trusses, made of 2x4's and gang nailing plates? These types of trusses can support tons of weight under compression (snow on the roof), but the bottom chord of the truss is not a rafter. It is not designed to carry any weight, other than maybe a layer of drywall. Unless you have a beam, that transfers weight properly to the sides, or maybe a central post, I wouldn't recommend hanging 500 pounds of metal overtop of my car. Blakers | ||
| Blackm2 |
Hanging bikes? Seasons? Ohhhh, that is for you midwest and eastern folks, we southern cali people have an all year ridin' season  A "season" for us is a rainy day. Good luck with that hanging though!!!!! | ||
| Kyrocket |
Blakers is right, an engineered truss is made to transfer the weight to a load bearing wall. If you have this type of construction and are going to hang your bike I would suggest at the least transferring the weight over several trusses and not just hanging from one or two. Also the closer you are to the end the better off you'll be. Do you know any competent contractors that could look at it for you? Just my .02 Michael Jones City Codes Enforcement Officer |
