Apartment/Condo Living?

[Bick]

It can be done.

I did it back in my urban days:





Even had room for guests bikes.

Here's a thought - share a self-stoarge unit with Stella.  

More improtant than how you are going to store your bikes, when are you going to RIDE with us?!!!

[erkishhorde]

I say look at the parking conditions very closely. Maybe even ride a bike to the place and have the lady drive her can and see how well the 2 fit together. I recently moved into an apartment with a single car garage thinking that I might be able to fit by truck and bike in it. It's not happening. I can barely fit the bike and a car in there together. Even then I had to remove the safety sensor on the door.  Also don't forget to ask the manager/owner if they're OK with you putting the bikes and a car in there together. Just because you can doesn't mean they want you to.

[zenjim]

I live in an apartment. We get fined for working on bikes/ cars. Look before you leap.

[NvrSummer]

Hell yeah Bick, that's the most encouraging thing I've seen!  My spot wouldn't be that long, but I think it could be done.  Plus there were some pretty nice cars in the 'barn', so I'm not worried about theft etc...  Ride??  with you guys??  I though you'd never ask!  Seriously, it's been on my to do list for about 2 years now, can't believe it hasn't happened.  Even worse is I have 0 riding buddies, so I need to make some.

I'm definintely going to check into the HOA rules before jumping, but with only 12 units, I can't imagine they are too stiff.  Though maybe 12 units makes it worse.  We'll see.

The storage unit is an option, but kind of a last resort.  Between the in building storage and the garage spot, I sure hope to be able to keep it all onsite if we pull the trigger on this.  I think it all can be done, minus the dirt bike.  I'm positive the parking spot isn't big enough for the Duc and the KTM.

Cool. Congrats. I think moving + engagement/wedding planning + home ownership + dog + motorcycles will be the perfect test for determining whether or not your marriage will last. Perhaps you could both make career changes, have her mother live with you and buy a cat just to be sure.

Ha ha, just caught this...  Sounds like a f'in nightmare when I read through it!  Got it under control though.

[Randimus Maximus]

That's great Stella, thanks!  Is your place west of town?  Kind of looks that way from the pic, but it's hard to tell.  The place we're looking at is at 11th and Emerson, so I'd finally be able to make some Gov's nights!  And Bick, I assume you'll be pitchin the first 10 in??    I accept beer payment as well.

She's an Uptown Girl. 

[zenjim]

I'm definintely going to check into the HOA rules before jumping, but with only 12 units, I can't imagine they are too stiff.  Though maybe 12 units makes it worse.  We'll see.

I also lived in a condo with 12 units. HOA meetings were a living Hell. Just do your homework.

[jorgemiranda]

I live in a loft in downtown Chicago. Things like forgetting something in the car or carrying up groceries get a little annoying at first, but you eventually manage. I'm more careful when getting out the car, and bought a small cart to carry all the groceries up at once... now I just need to solve the problem of actually having to go up to my unit and get it. I have a single space, but I used to fit two bikes in there, now I'm just down to the Monster. If you work constantly on your bike, it could be a problem. I still have my parents house close by, and I keep all my tools there and it's a nice place where I can work on the bike, not that I work on it very often. But yea, I think as long as you can solve the working on the bike issue, you'll be set. A storage unit could be a good solution.

Good luck

[m0t0g0th]

Anyone here live in a condo/apartment with either no garage or a shared garage?

My girl and I are looking to buy a place, and it seems that's the best deal out there, as we can be right close to downtown Denver and still get over 1000 SF in a historic building.  Pretty cool.

My only reservation is, what do I do without my own garage?  I have my Duc, a KTM, and a ton of camping stuff, including a pop-up which would have to go.  The camping stuff and tools can go in a secured basement storage, but the bikes are up in the air.  We'd get one parking spot in a twelve spot garage, but I couldn't fit my truck in it, so my girlfriend would park there and maybe we could squeeze a bike behind her car.  I'd be left to street parking in my F150, which I think sounds like a pregnant dog.

So anyhow, I'm not asking you guys to solve my too much crap problem, but how do you guys that live in these kind of places survive?  Does it totally suck to not have your own private garage?  Bonus is plenty of  within steps of the front door.

i would never street park if you have the option of sharing the space with your own vehicle.
i lived in an apartment with dual garages [space pillar space WALL space pillar space WALL] and parked my bike at the head of my space or between my nose and in pillar gap (more on my side than neighbors).  worked for 8 months but ONE time they tapped my bike and knocked it onto my car.  hello minor tank dent, christened with the ducati dent yey.

currently we have a condo with downstairs garage and the duc either occupies the space entirely or lives at the head with the saturn "pinning" it in.
even though it's secure parking i use the screaming Xena disc lock.  no problems, fingers crossed.  it has not sucked at all.  in a condo setting, at least you know that your neighbors have as much invested in a nice place and safe parking structure as you do.

above all, though i am an anti-social, slightly paranoid, fearfully independent goob - if you buy a condo, DO make an effort to meet your neighbors.  smile a little, wave, shake a few hands.  introduce yourself.  learn a few names.  say good morning and mug for other people's kids.  not only do you gain the benefit of humanizing yourself and earning allies in protecting your stuff... it.. it actually.. it feels kinda good.  hell if i know why.  it does.

not one problem with the bike in a kid heavy complex near a school in two years. 

the damn CAR has been broken into twice.. but no one has messed with my bike or three others parked here.  yet.
and the car break-in's were part of a "bad year" that seems to have been cleared up- many break-in's, several cars here vandalized, everyone more vigilant and talking to each other and the police.  it wasn't "one of us", was a local high-school letting out and.. yeah, anyway.

humanize yourself.  ambassador motorcycle.  like it or not - that's YOU.   

[Popeye the Sailor]

Get a ground floor apartment.



Roll bike inside 

[m0t0g0th]

I live in a loft in downtown Chicago. Things like forgetting something in the car or carrying up groceries get a little annoying at first, but you eventually manage. I'm more careful when getting out the car, and bought a small cart to carry all the groceries up at once... now I just need to solve the problem of actually having to go up to my unit and get it. I have a single space, but I used to fit two bikes in there, now I'm just down to the Monster. If you work constantly on your bike, it could be a problem. I still have my parents house close by, and I keep all my tools there and it's a nice place where I can work on the bike, not that I work on it very often. But yea, I think as long as you can solve the working on the bike issue, you'll be set. A storage unit could be a good solution.

Good luck

2nd this.  our complex has large storage closets and until i started parking in the space right by his storage, Mark piked his honda in the closet.  he's out now. 

here's mike's bike in front of the storage door. it's something like 6' x 10' inside and it was his personal high-security garage for a couple years.



OH, also.. he put up a security light, motion sensor security light up high in the corner.  got permission from the condo agency because the lighting was bad in this corner.  he bought the unit after presenting it to them as a win-win and they let him do the installation, cost him something like $140 @ home depot and they let him tap into the power.  surprised me, but i think it's proof that if you present them with a low/no cost solution that benefits all residents (security plus) your condo hoa might work with you on some minor things you might want.

[NvrSummer]

i would never street park if you have the option of sharing the space with your own vehicle.
i lived in an apartment with dual garages [space pillar space WALL space pillar space WALL] and parked my bike at the head of my space or between my nose and in pillar gap (more on my side than neighbors).  worked for 8 months but ONE time they tapped my bike and knocked it onto my car.  hello minor tank dent, christened with the ducati dent yey.

currently we have a condo with downstairs garage and the duc either occupies the space entirely or lives at the head with the saturn "pinning" it in.
even though it's secure parking i use the screaming Xena disc lock.  no problems, fingers crossed.  it has not sucked at all.  in a condo setting, at least you know that your neighbors have as much invested in a nice place and safe parking structure as you do.

above all, though i am an anti-social, slightly paranoid, fearfully independent goob - if you buy a condo, DO make an effort to meet your neighbors.  smile a little, wave, shake a few hands.  introduce yourself.  learn a few names.  say good morning and mug for other people's kids.  not only do you gain the benefit of humanizing yourself and earning allies in protecting your stuff... it.. it actually.. it feels kinda good.  hell if i know why.  it does.

not one problem with the bike in a kid heavy complex near a school in two years. 

the damn CAR has been broken into twice.. but no one has messed with my bike or three others parked here.  yet.
and the car break-in's were part of a "bad year" that seems to have been cleared up- many break-in's, several cars here vandalized, everyone more vigilant and talking to each other and the police.  it wasn't "one of us", was a local high-school letting out and.. yeah, anyway.

humanize yourself.  ambassador motorcycle.  like it or not - that's YOU.   

The duc would definitely not be street parked, it would share a space with my girlfriend's car.  My truck would be on the street, which I also forsee as a problem.  It's just not fun to parallel park it, and honestly most of the spots people leave on the street would be too small.  The last thing I want to do after working 10 hours and driving home in traffic is circle the block looking for parking.  I think I'll swing by the place a few nights around 6 or so and see what it's like.

For sure will be making friends with the neighbors.  That's half the reason for the thought of apartment living.  All my boys are either moving out of town or getting married (never to be seen again!)  My real motivation for the apartment life is to live in a fun area and meet some new people.