Ducati Monster Forum

I'm thinking about saving the $400 shops/dealers charge for plain winter storage.

The Monster must be carried/dragged to the first floor - that can be arranged.

Any issues with fumes? Anything?

just when you run it up to 6k rpm to hear the noise... open a window and use a dryer pipe  [evil]

oh and by 1st floor he means 2nd floor to us Americans.

No issues if you drain the tank.  The small amount of gasoline left will give a nice aroma which is an aphrodesiac.  Trust me on that.

How will I be able to start it up if I drain the tank?

(Raux, I mean the first floor - we call it second "etasje")

start it up???

why start it up if you are storing it?



just put some fuel stabilizer in the tank and run it to get it into the tbs/carbs, drain it,  and put the battery on a tender

you don't need to start it if you are storing it in room temp.

Not to be a Debbie Downer, but I think most (home) insurance companies would take exception to having a vehicle in the living areas of the house.

And on that note, I also store my bike in my "weight-lifting" room.  [beer]

plastic tank so...

sta-bil with a little bit of gas left, then let it idle for a bit. ideally id idle till it dies. then cycle the starter to make sure the tank is as low as possible. Or you can just siphon it out.

let it sit outside to vent out all of the fumes and then roll it in otherwise the gasoline vapors and exahust pipe will stink up the house. YOU may not smell it, but a guest might and if its a dude he'll visciously attack you and try to sleep with you.

 Avoid Ducatiz recommendation. Trust me, you dont want a bunch of horny dudes trying to talk to each other on a sunday afternoon while watching football. Gasoline is an aphrodisiac for everyone in the room. Id stick with a spray bottle of gas around the special zone and point it at a target of your choice. Preferably someone with some BATs.

then why do you have to carry it up? it's not the ground level?
oh geez. another european country with a different way...
in germany it's ground, 1st, 2nd, etc.
in america it's 1st, 2nd, etc.

drop a few cc's of fuel in and run it  [evil] every now and again for the pure fun of it... not a storage thing.. just loving the sound of a ducati in an enclosed space reverberating through the building. better than a set of drums to piss off the neighbors. (it was a joke)

I've had a motorcycle in my kitchen for four months. No problems, other than people who came over rather entertained by my furniture.

Even had fuel in the tank and all :). Started it once - with some doors open.

So, in America, it's 1st if there are no steps? Thought that was "ground"....
Well, I'm one floor up [thumbsup]

I'm not really planning on starting it, but then again... I won't be able to avoid it [beer]

Depends on the house.  My house has the basement (for boiler, storage workbench, etc) and garage at, well, what was street (ground) level before they raised the street.  Even with the street raised, the entrance to the first floor is still up stairs.

Front of the house, garage is ground level. Back of the house, 1st floor is ground level...

In general European floors are US floors + 1.

US:
1st = ground (most cases)
2nd = up one flight of stairs

Europe:
1st = up one flight of stairs from ground
2nd = up two flights of stairs from ground

Again, why start it up?

if you just want to lube the top end, put a battery directly onto the starter (remove the spark plugs).. for about 5 seconds.  without hte plugs, oil pressure will come up fast.  put some fogging oil spray into the spark plug hole right before you turn the starter.

i made a setup just for this with small alligator clips and an inline switch. 

take the plugs out = reduces load on the starter so it doesn't burn out.  but keep the power to a minimum time.

Why hide the best furniture in the house in the spare bedroom?  Stuff that coffee table in the spare bedroom to make room for the Duc. 

Just put down a partial sheet of plywood to protect the carpet.  FHE: Use a jigsaw to round off the plywood corners or you can seriously trash your feet.

I've never emptied fuel and never had any fume problems other than the cleaners/polishes I was using.

I really like how these threads can go off track so quickly.

I've stored my bike in my (finished) basement a number of times, and never noticed any smells or fumes or anything else that would prevent me from doing it again.

If you have  a slow oil or gas leak somewhere you may want to deal with that before you take it inside though.

My bike (currently a BMW F650...I'm getting my Monster in the spring) spends every winter in the living room.  In fact, I'll probably be wheeling it in this weekend  :(  My husband also keeps his bikes in the house during the winter...he's got his transalp (that came in last weekend - see photo below) and will soon have his scrambler crammed into his home office/workshop.

That's what happens when you live in Alaska and have no garage...

(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2758/4024827678_0949395ec7_m.jpg)

Once again its you 1760-yards-in-a-mile Americans who're different to the rest of the known planet ;D.  In Australia, as in Europe, Ground Floor is the floor which is at ground level, hence its rather sensible title and the First Floor is - logically enough - the floor which you reach First when you ascend the stairs from Ground level... lol... 

If you're in a position to be allowed to store it in the house, then I agree with what others have said...store it in the middle of the living room!

....  [roll] I think just maybe Raux was .... having a little joke there...   [evil];D

actually, it depends on the building.. there are plenty of buildings in NYC that have a ground floor and then 1st 2nd.

however, if you are looking at it from the outside, it makes sense to call the ground floor "1st"

some buildings use "Ground, 2, 3, 4 etc">. No 1st floor.

what about one of those Rubbermaid garages?  The small lawn storage setup?
(http://www.salestoragesheds.info/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/rubbermaid-storage-sheds.jpg)

Storing a bike in the house is absolutely no issue at all. You don't have to drain the tank, and if you start it in the house, just be aware that it will take several hours for the smell to go away. I've been storing my bikes in the house, working on them in the house, and often start them in the house....for something like 14 years or more.....

(http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d32/Kramer_Krazy/bike_room_1a.jpg)

(http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d32/Kramer_Krazy/bike_room_1b.jpg)

(http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d32/Kramer_Krazy/roller_1.jpg)

(http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d32/Kramer_Krazy/hd_work-1.jpg)


I usually don't have any issues with fumes unless I'm working on a bike and using brake cleaner or carb cleaner. Those will permeate the whole house very quickly.....and spraying base-coat/clear-coat paint.




My experience is that it is viewed no differently than an attached garage.


Edit - I forgot to mention that, when we can, we try to roll the bikes into the hotel room with us when we are on overnight rides...

(http://www.desmodemon.com/hotel_room.jpg)

Seems odd, as building codes typically require a fire wall in between an attached garage and the house.

Building codes are state-specific.  Your state may require this, but mine does not.  Neither does Texas, Florida, Tennessee, Connecticut , Maryland (states I've practised law in) and DC (not a state but has building codes nearly identical to Maryland).

**edit here are the IRC specifications for a firewall, which are the codes most places have adopted which have a firewall requirement:

http://www.checkthishouse.com/garage-fire-wall-separation-wall.html (http://www.checkthishouse.com/garage-fire-wall-separation-wall.html)


1/2 drywall is standard, and just needs 5/8 on the ceiling. 

As compared to 3/8" typically used for interior walls.  There are sometimes requirements for a step down to the garage from the house (to prevent gasoline spills from flowing into the house) and requirements for a solid, not hollow-core, door between the garage and the house.

Probably a difference between the locale and maybe even the age of the building. I know that around here, there are LOTs of houses with attached garages where the garage is not even finished. The rafters and walls are exposed, even when the garage is in a basement-type arrangement (under the living quarters when the house is on the side of a hill). When I bought my house in 1996 (it was built in 1972), I looked at a few houses with unfinished, attached garages.

Edited for gross typographical errors. :D

i know 3/8 is used in some places but not around here.  you'd have to be super cheap to use that, the sound and R value alone for that 1/8 inch is worth it.

I agree. [thumbsup]  Unfortunately it seems to be pretty common around here.

[/threadjack] ;)

just an FYI. To each his own, just be aware of the risks and mitigate them.

gasoline fumes are flammable. In a confined space, fumes can build up and reach the lower explosive limit (LEL). If it finds an ignition source, you have a recipe for fire (fuel, oxygen, heat source). Carbon monoxide is produce when petroleum based products burn - CO is tasteless, odorless, flammable, displaces oxygen quickly and can kill you.

gasoline fumes are carcinogenic, prolonged exposure increases cancer risk.

gasoline fumes can displace oxygen in air, and in your body.

Contains benzene, a regulated human carcinogen. Benzene has the potential to cause anemia and other blood diseases, including leukemia.

Vapors may be ignited rapidly when exposed to heat, spark, open flame or other source of ignition. Flowing product may be ignited by self-generated static electricity. When mixed with air and exposed to an ignition source, flammable vapors can burn in the open or explode in confined spaces. Being heavier than air, vapors may travel long distances to an ignition source and flash back.

Ingredients
Benzene
Ethyl benzene
n-Hexane
Methyl-tertiary butyl ether
Toluene
Trimethylbenzene
Xylene, mixed isomers

My bike has been living in the house during the winter months all it’s life with full fuel, and added stabilizer. In general house temperatures are fairly consistent and you are not likely to get moisture on the inside of the empty tank walls as the temperature changes, but It’s always better to have a full tank with no air space. Note: This bike is Injected with no leaking fuel issues and is stored in a well ventilated area with no open flames or ignition sores close by. There is always a chance that flammable liquids will combust, that’s what they do.

One trick to moving the bike around in small spaces is to first remove the bar-ends/mirrors if you have them install. It just gives you a little more clearance getting through the door. If you have to pivot the bike 90° I roll the rear wheel on a small piece of carpet then drag the carpet. It’s much easier doing this with two people; sort hard to explain to the wife why the handle bar punched a hole in the wall.

All very good and valid information that should be taken into consideration when storing such items in a house......and even an attached garage. In my situation, these are concerns that have been fairly well addressed years ago, and I seem to have forgotten since starting the in-house storage many years ago.

The house is a tri-level with the lower level completely dedicated to the bikes. This level is about five feet lower than any regular living quarters. I also have smoke and CO monitors and fire extinguisher all over the house the house. All of our appliances are electric, so there is not a concern with open flames, such as pilot lights found with natural gas water heaters (this does not rule out sparks, though). I also make it a point to NEVER store any used rags in the house. I have some metal hooks off of our deck where I hang them to dry/vapor off. Mixing rags with different chemicals can be a huge issue with spontaneous combustion. That is how our neighbor in the 80's lost his workshop/paint booth and an old '62 Chevy convertible - mixed rags in a trash can caught on fire.

BTW - I spoke with a buddy of mine who is a licensed contractor. He said that recent building codes have been passed requiring 5/8" dry wall (sheet rock) to be used on walls and ceilings and solid or steel doors to be between the living quarters and the garage. All houses built prior to the passing of the new codes were fair-game for anything you wanted to do.

I did ask his opinion of my bike storage situation (granted he's not an insurance claims adjuster) and he said that I *may* get some lip service from the insurance company if I went to make a claim, but considering the age of the house, and the fact that many tri-level houses in the area have the lowest level as a garage, it probably would not be difficult to dispute and win, especially since the lower level is on a concrete slab and could have easily been a garage when the house was first built in 1972.

FYI   [laugh] [laugh]

Garasjer

En bilbrann kan utvikle svært store røykmengder og dermed være en vesentlig risiko for sikkerheten til de mennesker som oppholder seg i bygningen. Skillekonstruksjoner mellom garasje og rom for annet formål må derfor utføres slik at faren for spredning av brann og røyk til andre deler av bygningen reduseres til et akseptabelt nivå.

Garasje med bruttoareal til og med 50 m2, bortsett fra garasje i samme bruksenhet, f.eks. garasje i enebolig, må skilles fra rom for annet formål med konstruksjoner med brannmotstand EI 30/D-s2,d0 eller bedre. Garasje med bruttoareal til og med 50 m2 i samme bruksenhet må være skilt fra resten av bygningen med bygningsdeler som er så tette at eksos ikke trenger gjennom.

Garasje med bruttoareal over 50 m2 til og med 400 m2, må være skilt fra resten av bygningen med bygningsdeler med brannmotstand EI 60/D-s2,d0 eller bedre.

Garasjer med større bruttoareal enn 400 m2 må skilles fra resten av bygningen med konstruksjoner med brannmotstand EI 90/A2-s1,d0 [A90].

Rom som forbinder garasjer og rom for annet formål

For å ivareta hensynet til godt innemiljø og sikre rømningsveier, må det mellom garasje og rømningsvei, og mellom garasje og oppholdsrom (boligrom, husdyrrom o.l.) være mellomliggende rom for å hindre spredning av eksos og røyk.

Mellomliggende rom må utføres som egen branncelle, I bolig med garasje med bruttoareal mindre enn 50 m2 kan mellomliggende rom være vaskerom, bod og lignende rom i gasstette konstruksjoner. For garasje over 400 m2 må mellom-liggende rom utføres som brannsluse,

Mellomliggende rom må være ventilert slik at eksosgasser fra garasjen ikke kommer inn i bygningens øvrige rom. Det er ikke nødvendig med brannsluse mellom garasje og tilknyttede servicerom, garasje for utrykningskjøretøy eller lastehall som undertiden nyttes som garasje, når det tas betryggende forholdsregler mot spredning av brann og inntrengning av gasser til tilliggende rom.

§ 7-24 fig. 5       Skille mellom garasje og andre rom

That helped my Norweigan comprehension no end (and I'm not joking - it's mainly stuff about ensuring adequate ventilation, changes in requirments for different sized garages and the like).

Nice work :).

As far as it goes here in Australia - my home contents insurance and my bike insurance people both have no problem if the bike comes and lives inside. Only time there could be a problem is if I started it and somehow caught something on fire... but just sitting around - they had no problem with that.

You tried, that's what matters. I'm waiting for DucPainter to translate, he's the expert.

Guys, thanks for the advice and experience.
I'll ask my friend, he and I carried pianos for a living - we'll get the bike up here.
It will be nice to be able to do minor work through the winter [thumbsup] 

*Minor* work?

We've heard that before.  [laugh]

I just say that to make her confident until the anesthesia kicks in  8)

Morsomt som fan..... [clap] Jeg visste ikke at konstruksjon koder kunne være så jävla interessant ... [laugh] 

Wow  [thumbsup] How?

Enkel  8) Jag prata lite Svenska... En gång var jag i Sverige två gånger ...lol ....så inte alltför stora språng till Norska  [beer]

... and the reason for a man to learn Swedish usually is related to sex. Am I right?  ;D

Yeah. I'm a cunning linguist  ;D ;).... In years gone by I travelled a lot with my Swedish best buddy..... He taught me Swedish so we could speak at audible levels in compete privacy about girls sitting opposite  (cant do that by speaking a vanligt language like English).... [evil]  Got howled at one one occasion though... since Svenska flickorna travel too...lol.