Making Space

[Cyclerosis]

I have a 10 X 16 storage building to house all my tools, lawn mower, miscellaneous necessities and of course, our 3 bikes. As you can imagine, space is fairly tight in this little building. But today, while strolling down the aisles of the Sterling, VA Harbor Freight store, in a flash of imagination, I picked up a couple boxes of "Magic Sliders". You know, those things you put under the legs of furniture to make them slide across the floor easier? They come in two sizes, 7 x 7 and 3 x 3, four of each in every box. I first put Nancy's (my S/O) little 250 Yamaha nose first in the corner, placed a 7 x 7 slider under the rear wheel and a 3 x 3 slider under the side stand and slid it sideways so it was up close and parallel to the wall. ELATION! IT WORKED! Next, did the same to her Yamaha VStar 650. More elation! Where there previously wasn't enough room to maneuver the bikes, these sliders make it possible to kind of nest them together. So now I have the two bikes tucked in, taking up MUCH less space and there's room between the two Yami's at one end and the NCX at the other end, to actually walk around and access things. I could probably fit another bike in there now!

 

[Mike Cash]

Purpose-built dolly for $79.99 from Harbor Freight

 

[Cyclerosis]

Purpose-built dolly for $79.99 from Harbor Freight

Have that exact item 98% assembled for the NCX. Ran out of light (not wired out there) and will have to finish tomorrow. It looks to be pretty well made. I'll post how easy it is to roll the bike on and off after I try it out.

 

[netizen]

I think we need pictures of all this.... what's that saying on here... without pictures it didn't happen... LOL

 

[Old Can Ride]

I went though the same rearrangement problem last year. Really time consuming, and cuts into too much riding time.

 

[Mike Cash]

I went though the same rearrangement problem last year. Really time consuming, and cuts into too much riding time.

You have stout healthy young'uns who are supposed to do all that menial stuff while Daddy enjoys his retirement and spends their inheritance.

 

[Cyclerosis]

I think we need pictures of all this.... what's that saying on here... without pictures it didn't happen... LOL

View attachment 8412

In the morning light my friend.

 

[Cyclerosis]

I went though the same rearrangement problem last year. Really time consuming, and cuts into too much riding time.

That was the purpose of my Harbor Freight trip today, correction, yesterday. Needed to get these things stacked in there in such a way as to un-stack them faster. The Magic Sliders worked very well to slide the Yami's sideways out of the way just enough to completely spin the dolly, with the NC aboard, around to face outward, instead of having to back the bike out on the uneven gravel surface. I ride most every day to work and for pleasure on non work days. The Yamaha's mostly just rest in there. The VStar 650 is a 2011 model, and I only last week did the 600 mile 1st oil change, etc. They're waiting for my S/O to build her confidence to ride more frequently.

 

[Cyclerosis]

Here's the large slider under the big Yamaha rear tire and the small slider under the side stand. Once in place and the transmission in gear, the bike can easily be nudged sideways.





This is the dolly fully assembled after my second cup of coffee.



With the NCX on. Not much room in here but doable.



Spun outward and ready to roll.



And of course the two Yamaha's nesting.

 

[happy]

Yup. A real biker with many bikes need this contraption.

 

[MAJikMARCer]

Love the dolly but no way I can talk the wife into that, especially three of them. This issue is primarily why I got the center stand for the NC. I have one on the GS too. Standing straight they seem to take a bit less space. Even so, a dolly would make maneuvering a helluva lot easier/quicker.

 

[buckshot]

Saw a dolly like that in a parts catalog the other day, likely the exact same one. Forget the price, but not unreasonable. Might have to pick up a couple now that there are some more bikes in the stable...

 

[Cyclerosis]

Saw a dolly like that in a parts catalog the other day, likely the exact same one. Forget the price, but not unreasonable. Might have to pick up a couple now that there are some more bikes in the stable...

The original reason for starting this thread was to show how using some inexpensive furniture sliders, can make adjusting the position of your bike much simpler in a tight space. Going back to that idea, I believe I'll pick up some 3/8 plywood scraps from Home Depot and glue a couple sliders to it to make it easier to roll the rear tire onto and to distribute the bike's weight to a larger surface. Will post a follow up to this idea as soon as it's done.