Using a camper van for winter storage

 

Last winter my Harley Ultra Classic spent too much time outside
under a bike cover and got some rust (mostly on the pipes).
Here in Vancouver, Canada we have rainy winters with occasional
wet slushy snow, like Seattle.

Indoor bike storage rates are steep here, especially with the option
to take it out temporarily in mid-winter, which is what I'd want.

So for this coming winter I scrounged an old Class B camper van that's
still well insulated and moisture sealed. It was parked outside all last
winter at the blueberry farm and everything inside stayed dry and non-
rusty, so I think it'll do the job, especially if I put in an electric
heat source now and then to drive off dampness. I'll have to gut the
interior to make room.

Of course the hard part is getting the bike in and out. The rear door
opening is 4 feet high, and the top of the Ultra's fairing is 49" from
the ground, after removing the windshield. (Times like these I wish
I'd bought a Road King). However I can temporarily compress the front
forks an inch or so with ratchet-type tiedown straps. The tour pack's
lid has to come off as well.

Either all that or I get creative with the angle grinder and make
the doorway taller, creating a 3rd door which would swing upwards.
I'd also need some weather stripping to seal it.

Anyway I haven't decided how to move the bike inside.
The alternatives seem to be:

(1) Horizontal platform, something like one of these:
http://www.new-era-motorcycle-us.com/lift.html
First lift the bike, then roll it forwards.

(2) Ramp. For instance, straddle the bike and either ride it up
under its own power or use some kind of winch. A local discount
auto parts supplier has a 660 lb electric cable hoist on sale
for $88.

I have a folding metal bike ramp (1000 lbs capacity) and with a plank
on each side for my feet I think I can keep it steady.

Parking the van's front wheels on steel shop ramps during loading/
unloading would lower the back end (it's a stretched van),
tilt the floor at a slight slope and lessen the angle between
the ramp and the van's floor.

Another factor in my favor is that the top edge of the fairing is
back somewhat from the front wheel, and if the rear wheel is still on
the ramp (and therefore lower), the fairing will be proportionately
lower as well, so there's a possibility that I might not even need
to compress the forks, or at least not as much.

(3) Sling (as from an engine hoist). Lift bike and then roll hoist,
or back up the van.

I want to be able to get the bike in and out on my own. Well, according
to Occam's Razor the best solution is the simplest, which I think is
the ramp, as it uses the least amount of equipment.

Any suggestions appreciated. TIA,

Sean_Q_
'99 FLHTCUI / '06 S40 / too many round tuits

 




What a way to end  a Rube Goldberg story.  ;-)

The simplest solution would be to coat the parts likely to rust with grease,
Vaseline or WD40 or similar and throw that cover back on it again.  Do NOT
park it in the shade.  You might be amazed what a little sunshine each day
will do to keep the moisture out.

 




No, really ??


No, it isn't.

 

Who Me? wrote:

Oh, right, didn't mean only sportbikes, could have said conventional
bikes or somesuch.

 



That sounds like a low ball estimate for the materials required to
build a shed. I can't imagine building a simple plywood shed with a 2
X 4 frame for less than $500.

Then it still has to be painted, and a wooden shed would soak up about
$50 worth of paint...

I bought a 7 X 10 metal Arrow shed on sale for $300, and local pre-
fabricated wooden sheds cost around $1000.

Rubber Maid sells plastic sheds that can be assembled in an hour or
so, but they cost around $1000.

The problem around here isn't rain, it's the fierce summer sun. It
gets up to 140 degrees inside the metal shed in the afternoons during
the summer, so I insulated the steel shed with styrofoam sheets
(another $100) and I cut ventilating holes front and rear and screened
them and I added a $30 exhaust fan to move air through the shed.

Now the inside air temperature is the same as the outside air
temperature.

Then I built an open ramada between my car port and the steel shed so
I could have a shady place to work in the mornings before the
temperature gets up to 100 degrees or more.

A ramada is a sort of pergola with a roof. The Indians still make them
today with forked tree branches and brush roofs.

I built my ramada out of 2 X 4's and corrugated white plastic sheets
and plastic lattice and I spent about $500 on it.

The concrete paving block floor cost another $100...