Winter storage in spare bedroom. Issues?

[Adam in TX]

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.

[AkLiz]

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...

[ungeheuer]

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

Once again its you 1760-yards-in-a-mile Americans who're different to the rest of the known planet .  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!

Again, why start it up?

....  I think just maybe Raux was .... having a little joke there...   

[ducatiz]

Once again its you 1760-yards-in-a-mile Americans who're different to the rest of the known planet .  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!
....  I think just maybe Raux was .... having a little joke there...   

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.

[ducatiz]

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...

what about one of those Rubbermaid garages?  The small lawn storage setup?

[Desmo Demon]

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.....










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.

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.

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...

[somegirl]

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

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

[ducatiz]

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

In order to achieve this garage wall fire rating, the house – garage common wall needs to be sheathed with at least 1/2″ thick drywall, and the ceiling surface requires minimum 5/8″ thick, type X gypsum board.

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

[somegirl]

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.

[Desmo Demon]

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

[ducatiz]

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.

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.

[somegirl]

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.   Unfortunately it seems to be pretty common around here.

[/threadjack]

[medicsix]

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

[Kerry Blue]

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.

[Desmo Demon]

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

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.