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Apartment Parking: Free for the taking?


hiro

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I might have to park my bike with the commoners cars for a few months, exposed to the elements and dangers of the world. A little worried, although it's only a mostly stock Ninja 650. Should I seriously consider renting a garage or storage unit instead? I might be able to park in motorcycle parking at the corporate office, which may or may not be any more safe. I don't currently have anything like a cover, lock, or alarm. (Don't ask me for the address. heh This will be in North Carolina, BTW, so it shouldn't be as frosty, but I think they got some snow recently.) Somewhere I heard that it's a good idea to bring the seats inside?

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How much do decent covers go for?

House shopping in NC, it seems that garages are rare, at least in our price range, so maybe living outdoors is not so temporary! I also see more side-load and detached garages compared to OH.

We coulda let the moving company keep the bike in storage, but my wife was being thoughtful and asked to have it delivered with the car. It will hit at least 50*F at times and I don't have a car anymore. Doesn't help if someone takes it or breaks it!

 

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As and owner of a Ninja 650, I can tell you that they are well put together. And should withstand wind and rain just fine. But, for the winter I would do what I could to get it inside.... as some one els said, won’t it fit in the door? Park it in the living room

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3 hours ago, durk said:

The whole apartment is on 4th floor? Got an elevator? Will it fit?

There should be one elevator. I kinda don't want to draw any attention considering we will be over the limit for animals. I'll probably grab a cover, check into storage, and see if my wife knows anyone out there with a house.

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8 hours ago, hiro said:

There should be one elevator. I kinda don't want to draw any attention considering we will be over the limit for animals. I'll probably grab a cover, check into storage, and see if my wife knows anyone out there with a house.

Late night, early morning job. Or do it right in the middle of the day and act like there is nothing wrong with what you’re doing. Worse thing that could happen is someone could tell you “you can’t do that”. 

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I lived in an apartment and stored my VFR outside... And my car got totaled so I rode it all winter so I didn't bother covering it... Some days I had to scrape snow off of it or ice but it always started fine... Sometimes needed to blow torch my key to get it nice and warm or else ignition wouldn't turn lol... It wasn't ideal but I made due 

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7 hours ago, durk said:

Late night, early morning job. Or do it right in the middle of the day and act like there is nothing wrong with what you’re doing. Worse thing that could happen is someone could tell you “you can’t do that”. 

People think I'm suspicious as it is!  Would also need to watch out for dog walkers. The way it sounds, I don't know if people are staying in a pet hotel or pets staying at a human apartment. I'm imaging walking by doors and hearing a dog bark behind each one. heh

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9 minutes ago, Steve Butters said:

I lived in an apartment and stored my VFR outside... And my car got totaled so I rode it all winter so I didn't bother covering it... Some days I had to scrape snow off of it or ice but it always started fine... Sometimes needed to blow torch my key to get it nice and warm or else ignition wouldn't turn lol... It wasn't ideal but I made due 

That's harsh! Is that why your profile shows AZ now??

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Apartment/condo life can suck.  A friend of mine had a neighbor with something like the product I linked above.  I visited 10 or 15 times before I ever saw what kind of bike it was, and when I did, it wasn't one I'd have been interested in taking.  That's half the point of a cover - it keeps eyes off the bike.  My wife never even noticed that it was a motorcycle 'shed' to begin with.  win.

I would still find an anchor point to lock it to.  Hell, if you're in the apartment for more than a few weeks, I would screw/drill an anchor into the surface of the parking lot. 

When you do find a house (i'm assuming the apartment is a month-to-month deal until you find a house, right?) it's probably $50 in lumber to build a little shed for the bike.  That would actually be a fun little project.

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IMO don't leave it outside. It will be forever a bike that has been stored outside. My daytona was like that and every time I would remember or see something on it that was caused by storing it outside made me sad. Then @Pauly called me out on it when he did my valves.

I would rent a space before I left my bicycle outside, let alone one of my motorcycles. Hell, I parked my track bike in a friend's dining room last winter :lol:

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  • 1 month later...

Shortly after arrival, 8 cars had their windows broken! One car was right next to my wife's rental car. (Same or similar models. Chargers, I think.) No problem since then. At first they gave us a tiny storage room for the bike, but it didn't have power and it was only slightly wider than a standard door. We have a garage now which easily fits the car, too, and it has a window. ^_^ Bike looks sad a lonely though.

 

lonely_650_garaged.jpg

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