They offer bay rental, where you can bring your bike to work on it - they supply hand tools, air compressor, rags, tire changing machine, etc. They also offer bike storage and other services. Interesting idea for those in the Cleveland area who don't have the space or tools to work on their own bike. From what I can see in the pictures on their web site and on their Facebook page, a lot of the bikes being worked on there are classic Hondas.
A friend of mine wife's lives in a retirement village. Each "house" has a single garage, but in the centre of the village is a workshop and washing bay. You need to book the workshop. Great idea of having a sheltered area, that would be good as long as the noise and exhaust could be controlled -to keep the neighbours off your back.
Len in Kapunda
The world is not going to finish today, as it is already tomorrow in Australia and New Zealand, and other islands of foreign nations such as Guam and Samoa.
redial wrote:A friend of mine wife's lives in a retirement village. Each "house" has a single garage, but in the centre of the village is a workshop and washing bay.
Great idea!
A friend of mine moved into a gated retirement community in Lakewood New Jersey.
They won't even let him bring his bike on the grounds!!!
He has to rent a storage unit somewhere to keep the bike in.
.....and I can't go to visit him on my bike either!!
NO BIKES ALLOWED!! EVER!!!!!!!!
George in Jersey.
99 Goldwing GL-1500 SE
76 Goldwing Gl-1000
77 Honda CT-90 "Trail 90"
offcenter wrote:Great idea!
A friend of mine moved into a gated retirement community in Lakewood New Jersey.
They won't even let him bring his bike on the grounds!!!
He has to rent a storage unit somewhere to keep the bike in.
.....and I can't go to visit him on my bike either!!
NO BIKES ALLOWED!! EVER!!!!!!!!
Makes you wonder if it's gated to keep people out or the crazy bike haters in.
offcenter wrote:Great idea!
A friend of mine moved into a gated retirement community in Lakewood New Jersey.
They won't even let him bring his bike on the grounds!!!
He has to rent a storage unit somewhere to keep the bike in.
.....and I can't go to visit him on my bike either!!
NO BIKES ALLOWED!! EVER!!!!!!!!
What's up with these people? My wife's brother stays in an RV RESORT in Titusville, and there are no motorcycles allowed there either. Needless to say they don't see us during the summer. If you stay there with your RV,and have a motorcycle it has to be stored near the entrance.
I, also remember the military version of the community garage. Great idea for folks with nowhere to work on their bikes, or cars. Hope it is successful, and catches on in other places.
Passion keeps your blood flowing and your heart beating. Motorcycles are my passion !
crock4 wrote:Great idea for folks with nowhere to work on their bikes, or cars. Hope it is successful, and catches on in other places.
I hope it's real successful and catches on too.
The more successful they are, the more attractive it will be for others to think about it.
I also can see it working in the northern states (colder winter) than here in Texas, but one can only hope.
Maybe if they had a really good air-conditioner.
Trike Lady is looking to open a shop, maybe she can get one going in Pittsburgh.
I remember this sort of concept way back when I was in the military. It was great for those of us who lived on base/ship and didn't have access to our own workshops. I also think it would be a great community service, but I do have to wonder about liability in today's sue-happy world. WingAdmin - could you check with them and see how they deal with that issue?
Every day is a good day for a bike ride. Some days are just better than others.
dtrider wrote:I remember this sort of concept way back when I was in the military. It was great for those of us who lived on base/ship and didn't have access to our own workshops. I also think it would be a great community service, but I do have to wonder about liability in today's sue-happy world. WingAdmin - could you check with them and see how they deal with that issue?
I sent them an email. I expect that it's not a huge issue, because they are not a garage that does work for you, you do your own work. I suppose they could have liability insurance against you hurting yourself WHILE working on your bike...or perhaps have you sign a waiver when you get there? We'll wait and see what they have to say.
Thanks for the mention of my new venture, Scott. I'm pumped that you reached out to me as I just recently acquired two wings and will need advice on some matters.
Regarding liability insurance: I cannot get ANY insurance company to sign on. They're not too keen on the general public using wrenches, I guess. It's not even a matter of not being to afford the liability insurance (which would probably be the case, anyway), it is straight up not offered to me regardless of what I am willing to pay. So yeah...a very detailed waiver (that actually has to be read and initialed at every turn), a safety video, and cameras recording everything covers my butt. Unless an accident is due to my negligence, I will win any lawsuit that comes my way. Of course, the garage will go under as I pay for the legal fees, but that's the risk I'm taking. This is way too fun to not take the risk.
I'd LOVE for you guys to stop in and check the place out.
Motorcycle: Current Rides - 2002 GL1800 - Pearl Orange 1983 Suzuki GS850GL - Blue & Black
Past rides - 2008 GL1800 Titanium 2003 GL1800 - Illusion Blue 1996 GL1500 Aspencade - Pearl Blue 1992 GL1500 Aspencade -Candy Red 1980 GL1100 - Custom Cobalt Blue 1985 GL1200 Aspencade Brown 1983 CX500 Custom Red 1982 CX500 Custom Blue 1978 CX500 Standard Black 1982 Suzuki GS650 Red
I seem to remember this was being done in Seattle or Portland or ..? Pacific NW area..
A community garage, rentable tools, and work areas, and some knowledge sharing going on as well..
The tribal knowledge is the best part...you invite others to look at a problem you are having and you will find a solution; in fact in my experience you will find someone who will help you do it, and then nearly do it all for you...
The motorcycle community is the best people on the planet -- Best Wishes to Skidmark !
Postings are my opinions based on experience and acquired knowledge.
Your results may vary. Universal disclaimers apply.
Munk's Maxim -- There is no such thing as a cheap motorcycle
I believe there is one in BC, one or two in San Francisco, a great one in San Diego, and I think there's one in Baltimore and somewhere around the NYC area.
And yes, you have hit the nail on the head with your description. That is EXACTLY the culture I'm trying to foster.
offcenter wrote: Great idea!
A friend of mine moved into a gated retirement community in Lakewood New Jersey.
They won't even let him bring his bike on the grounds!!!
He has to rent a storage unit somewhere to keep the bike in.
.....and I can't go to visit him on my bike either!!
NO BIKES ALLOWED!! EVER!!!!!!!!
(Mr. Rogers...)
''Can we say Discrimination, boys and girls?''
NO THANKS to them HD'rs messing things like this up.
I like this concept, but probably won't do much of the work on my own bike these days (bad shoulder, recent heart attack). I'm looking for a shop in the Cleveland area that would take care of the stator / alternator problem I have with my 1984 GLA 1200 for a reasonable price. Some shops won't work on anything more than 10 years old. Any recommendations in the Cleveland area?
Note: In reference to my post above, I'd be open to using the Skidmark Garage if I could find someone with the experience and knowledge to help me fix this problem with my charging system.
peltonjohn, come take a look at the garage. i have a guy that is very knowledgable and would be willing to work with you on your bike, but he will likely want some compensation. if another guy on this forum offers to help you out, that's between the two of you. either way, the price to keep the bike here while you work on it is the same. i'd love to have you do the work here, regardless of who helps you. it's $125/mo for unlimited hours and bike storage the whole time. you get use of every tool we have - including the welders, vaporblaster, tire changer...you name it, we have it.
generally, skidmark opens at 10am everyday except wednesday (opens about 1pm on wednesday), and stays open till midnight everyday except tuesday (closes about 6pm on tuesday). so tuesday night and wednesday morning are my only real closed times. and honestly, if you wanna work through the night, i'm down for that. if you wanna start earlier than 10am, i'll meet you here earlier. i do my best to accommodate everyone's schedules. i LOVE being here, so the more reasons i can have to be here the better.
i'm at 5401 hamilton ave, cleveland 44114. you gotta come around the back of building to get in. so the driveway is on east 53rd. drive to the VERY end. the smaller, white, unmarked garage door is mine. just open it up and come in. check out my website for any other info you might want, or get on the facebook page. or ****...gimme a call or shoot me a text at 440-591-4822.
Brian, I think I'm going to take you up on that. Regarding the other guy's need for compensation, that's certainly fair. I'd have to figure out what my total cost would be if I dropped it off at a regular shop and then figure out how to make it comparable. I'd also want to make sure the guy is familiar with '84 Gold Wings, of course. But I like the idea because it allows me to learn something and be social at the same time. I'll figure out my work schedule and probably drop in later this month. What's your friend's name and what days/hours work best for him? How many hours of shop time would I probably need for this project? (I understand that everything has to be an estimate until it's being put back together).
Just an update: A couple of months have passed and I'm currently a full member at Skidmark. I love the place! The stator has been changed out, the voltage regulator / rectifier is new, and both timing belts have been replaced. I've added a magnetic phone mount to the handlebars and will soon be adding a dual USB connection so I can plug the phone in and keep it charged. At the same time, I'll be adding the quick disconnect for a Battery Tender Jr plus a digital voltmeter. One more improvement for the month of October: I've ordered a cassette adapter that makes the old 1984 stereo into a Bluetooth receiver. Instead of relying on cassette tapes (I no longer own a single one), I'll be able to stream music from my phone to the stereo.
All in all, I have to say I'm very happy to have found this site and the Skidmark Garage. Brian helped initially with the engine removal, then Rod Bonner helped A LOT with the rest of the removal and getting the engine back in. Thanks to everyone involved!
