Foamie Motorcycle Shed

[OCBINVA]

OK…Now you all really screwed me up. I surfed this site looking at teardrops and found a canned ham I am going to restore but I was torn because I had my heart set on a Teardrop but cost too mush to do both. Now I see foamies…Now all I want to do is build one! For an experiment I want to use the process to build a motorcycle storage shed to test some concepts. I lost custody of the big house with the big garage in the divorce and the house I bought does not have a garage so my motorcycle is just under a cover. I was thinking a foam building say 4.5 X 10. Wood Ledger on the bottom so I can rebar it to the ground yet can move it. Semi a-frame design with a 2X2 stick frame on the edges and the door. Have any of you built something like this? I am in Virginia and humidity on a bike under cover is rough so I have some rust starting. I plan repainting it soon but thought this might get me buy me some time for a while. I could install solar powered fan to keep the air flowing over the bike on high humidity days. Guess I will be knee deep in sketchup this weekend and I blame you all!.…..Rick

[angib]

Manoeuvring a bike into and out of a regular shed can be a real pain. So how about building a foamie 'hat' for your bike hinged to a base plate. To get the bike in and out, just hinge the whole hat/cover up out of the way with a couple of light props to hold it up - maybe even gas struts.

motorcycle-hut.JPG (20.63 KiB) Viewed 2579 times

[OCBINVA]

As I was sitting in a long death by powerpoint meeting I had the same thought. I was thinking bulding on a platform with skids I can move it close to the house when I am riding allot and in the back during the winter. Use minimal wood other than a sole plate, maybe roof support, and places for like you said gas struts.

[KCStudly]

If you do the clamshell design, I would concider building up a foam berm around the hinge end and both sides just to the inside of the top shell. If the seal at the bottom of the walls doesn't seal 100/ct this will prevent water from coming all the way in and running over the floor. If you set the base on a raised gravel pad with a downward pitch toward the door end, you shouldn't get much water running under the door sill end (since you wouldn't want a berm at that end).

[djoyner]

Welcome to the forum from another member from the 'Commonwealth'.

I don't see why a foamie shed wouldn't work and a fan probably wouldn't be necessary if you put a ridge vent in the top (allows moisture and heat to escape, but keeps water out).

I used to keep my bikes in a small (12 x 16) shed under breathable covers (bed linen) and never had an issue with moisure.

Good luck with your project.

[OCBINVA]

I have been reading allot but I need suggestions. I am making just a small bike shed. With either a tradtional roof or kerfed rounded (Just to try it) but my question is when building and the walls and roof are both angled how do I maintain that angle when building? I was thinking of some intergrated wood or a basic frame of wood or PVC that can be removed when all is glued and canvased. Suggestions?

[GPW]

Maybe just some simple wood braces is all you need , and a good framing square..

[pchast]

Whatever you finally do, make sure that you put down a ground cloth. Its amazing how much water/humidity comes out of the ground itself.

[GPW]

Just saying .... in the "old days” , we’d have moved that cycle into the Living Room !!!!!  .... A Nice MC like that is a big investment not only of coin , but time and labor too .... a virtual “member of the family “ ...

[angib]

.... in the "old days”, we’d have moved that cycle into the Living Room !!!!!  ....

Yeah but then other people get the (wrong) idea that the room should be used for purposes other than motorcycle maintenance/rebuilding.

Real men should take the bull by the horns and ride the motorcycle up the stairs so they can make the spare bedroom into a dedicated motorcycle workshop.....

[Wolffarmer]

.... in the "old days”, we’d have moved that cycle into the Living Room !!!!!  ....

Yeah but then other people get the (wrong) idea that the room should be used for purposes other than motorcycle maintenance/rebuilding.

Real men should take the bull by the horns and ride the motorcycle up the stairs so they can make the spare bedroom into a dedicated motorcycle workshop.....

Damn straight man.

Randy

[GPW]

All the real “bikers’ I know , and I know a Lot having mural/decorated many tins'... ALL of them kept their MCs in the Living room and their “old Ladies” were cool with that ...
Better Homes and Choppers ... Some having so much invested in their bikes’ , they’re building a foam building for their old ladies ...

[Catherine+twins]

We need a "DUH" smily slapping its forehead!

I don't have a garage (none in this neighborhood, well a few retro-fits but my lot doesn't have room). I have a tandem bike that lives on my back porch (roof but no walls), and my bike mechanic is outraged! I mean, it has a tarp during the winter, but that's all. So now I guess it will have a foamy shed!

Catherine

[wagondude]

We need a "DUH" smily slapping its forehead!

I don't have a garage (none in this neighborhood, well a few retro-fits but my lot doesn't have room). I have a tandem bike that lives on my back porch (roof but no walls), and my bike mechanic is outraged! I mean, it has a tarp during the winter, but that's all. So now I guess it will have a foamy shed!

Catherine

You gotta click on "view more smilies" and scroll down a ways.

[Mukilteo]

I thought everyone kept their bikes in the living room.
Quite a few years ago. Notice the rag under it to catch the oil from the primary chain. Had a built in oilier.

and one from the internet.