Your Ideal Garage

[Jamesy D]

I love garages. It's simple. Mine is my favourite place in my house, and I've devoted many hours to thinking how, if I actually owned the place, it would look and what would be in there.

To me, what a garage needs is simple, really - Lights, heating of some kind (Preferably piped in from the house), a music system (one that you can plug your iPod into for your 'garage' playlist) with speakers mounted in the rafters for surround-sound, tea-making facilities (maybe accompanied by a sink and a microwave for late nights) and plethora of tools for tweaking and upgrading your ride.

And maybe a TV for keeping abreast of the racing as you work over a weekend.

Oh, and the obligatory bike in bits.


So what's in your perfect garage, what does it look like? Hell, if you know what bike would be in bits, tell us! If you are one of those annoying people lucky enough to have your perfect garage, show it off!

[xXBADGERXx]

Rubberised paint on the floors ...... not for keeping it clean but for the thieves , NOBODY could move a bike without the tyres making such a Squeeky noise that it would wake you up . I would personally like a Sandblasting Booth .

[hindle8907]

fit naked women that server cold beers would be a bonus

[CheGuevara]

Rubberised paint on the floors.

I've been debating what to do my garage floor in next spring. Epoxy seems the safe bet, but I'm wondering about the rubber coatings on outdor basketball courts etc...

[davepreston]

picture a pub with a wall of tools and bike lift
simples

[barwel1992]

will have to go take a pic of the work shop (inc £20k shock dyno) ;)

[Richie]

haven't we done this before.. (http://forums.sv650.org/showthread.php?t=108076&highlight=garage)

[xXBADGERXx]

haven't we done this before.. (http://forums.sv650.org/showthread.php?t=108076&highlight=garage)

Nnnnnewp :p , that was "Show us your Garage" , this thread is "Your Ideal Garage"

[Sid Squid]

Good lighting, a sturdy bench and a vice are essentials, and, assuming you have the space an hydraulic bike lift is a very useful thing - working on a bike without bending down is much more comfortable and makes the work fly along, so you can get back to riding it/drinking beer/lounging in front of the telly/etc. in the least possible time.
A compressor and pillar drill are also very, very useful, welding and cutting equipment are good things to have too.

[xXBADGERXx]

Deffo on the Vice and Pillar Drill , I have a massive Vice that I carried home in my topbox ........ I HAVE NEVER RIDDEN SO SLOWLY IN MY LIFE , the faintest whiff of throttle had the nose pattering all over the shop . I would love a good TiG Welder as well and a big fat bunch of Stainless .... I could earn a little bit in the evenings doing one-off Stainless Fabrications quite happily .

[timwilky]

Compressed air distributed round the garage and sufficient cfm to drive a ferk off impact gun. both lubricated and clean/dry air feeds, ie power tools and spray guns separate. Can I have an oven in there too?

3 phase supply to drive a little lathe such as a student and both horizontal and vertical millers. Ideally CNC. AC-DC TIG welder. 10 ton hydraulic press and a good heavy spot welder.

For me I also require decent bike lift and a 2 post car lift and a decent jigging system. and space for at least 5 cars.

Now I have finished describing my dads place before he died and we sold up. Other important factors. On the flat with the capability of towing things in/out. Out the way so nobody moans about an angle grinder at midnight.

[barwel1992]

^ sounds like the garage at my college

http://www.tresham.ac.uk/documents/430/430-large.jpg

got lathe,welders,crack tester, multi air lines all round the room,20 tone press,shock dyno, car lift (not in that work shop) multiple engine stands, unlimited supply of WD40, and 25 listers full of all the tools in the world you would need, tire fitter balancer

if i could fit that lot in my garage i would

virtual tour hear (http://nc4m.uk-virtualtours.co.uk/)

[keith_d]

On two floors plus an inspection pit.

Ground floor

* Space for a car and a few bikes inside.
* heavy machinery (lathe, vertical mill, compressor, welder, hydraulic press).
* Cleaning tank with filtered pump for cleaning parts.
* Storage area for materials & parts.
* Lockable cabinets for tools, etc.
* Ground Anchors cast into the floor with the re-bars.
* Unlimited supply of cold drinks and assorted biscuits
* Flexible fault code reader and ECU programmer.
* Compressed air and mains power on all three walls

Inspection pit

* sealed lighting and flammable gas detector.
* Flame proof extractor
* Hydraulic lift for installing engines/gearboxes. .
* Electric roller cover so I don't fall into the damn thing (don't ask!)

Top floor

* Covered hatch big enough for a car engine with gearbox
* Electric winch on rail, suitable for raising engine & gearbox. (SWL 500kg+)
* Low bench for dismantling engines on
* Plenty of regular bench for servicing parts removed from engines.
* Spray booth big enough for m/c fairing or car wing.
* A generous selection of hand tools

Oh, and 5 minutes from some world class diving sites would be nice too...

Keith.

[Jamesy D]

On two floors plus an inspection pit.

Oh, and 5 minutes from some world class diving sites would be nice too...

Keith.

I get the idea you've thought about this before...

[sv4me]

Ours (or should I say my Dads) no ours cause I did most of the work :p is taking shape nicely after years of being a dumping ground.

We've got all spanners in ascending size adorning the walls, a big red Snap On tool chest with every conceivable tool in, a Gedore socket set, a bike lift and recently purchased Abba Superbike stand which is a god send :) a big work bench with vice, belt sander and drill attached. And all the chain lubes and oils neatly on 1 shelf and all the cleaning and polishing stuff on another.

Gave me a real sense of satisfaction tidying up that **** hole!

All it needs now is some better heating and the compulsory girl with her norks out calendar (sorry rules is rules)

[Jamesy D]

Ours (or should I say my Dads) no ours cause I did most of the work :p is taking shape nicely after years of being a dumping ground.

Gave me a real sense of satisfaction tidying up that **** hole!

All it needs now is some better heating and the compulsory girl with her norks out calendar (sorry rules is rules)

Sounds like what's going on at mine - we're having an extension put over our garage and we've had to totally empty it. I've managed to convince my parents to throw out all the haphazard storage we have in there and put some proper shelving in when we move back in. Totally coincidentally I've got a work bench and tool chest all to myself as part of the deal :D

[sunshine]

just one with big enough for storing the bike, stripping the other bike, and rebuilding the truck or whats left of it anyway.

[keith_d]

I get the idea you've thought about this before...

Naah, I just added together all the nice features from places I've seen. Shame it would probably cost more than I paid for my house (have you seen the price of decent tools??).

[timwilky]

As I already have a pit in my garage. Treat them with caution. It is not unknown to find yourself down it when not expecting to be there.

[sv4me]

You mean like this Tim?

Oldie but a goody :smt017

7hH2oUQYb2I?fs=1&hl=en_GB"

[dizzyblonde]

My ideal garage would be one that has a roof, is dry and fits all four of the DizzyPegs bikes in.

And if I could have that, then I might be able to buy tools to do work myself on my bikes.

[timwilky]

You mean like this Tim?

Oldie but a goody :smt017

7hH2oUQYb2I?fs=1&hl=en_GB"

Not quite.

Oh dear out comes the catholic education, I feel the need to confess.

when I bought the house, the flat roof on my garage needed replacing as it was leaking. After about 2 years It was pouring in, so summoned up the cash, new board on and time to felt it.

Hired a tar boiler for the weekend, turned on the gas, damm the matches out the garage were damp. so into the house and got a fresh box. walks upto the tar boiler and lit the match.

Doesnt take long to get a gas build up in the couple of mins it took to find a fresh box of matches. Caboom and I find myself minus my eyebrows, eye lashes and on my **** in the bottom of the pit.


So I perhaps now I know how may mate Danny is currently feeling having been the victim of an IED in Afghanistan, last week whilst travelling in a Mastiff. Whilst the blast failed to penetrate, it did overturn the vehicle and he is currently in hospital in Bastion having his bruises petted.


Oh and as for pits, I know stories of the mini that tried to straddle the bus pit at Prestons bus garage and dropped. and is it just urban legend about the guy who took his Reliant Robin over the pit.

[keith_d]

I guess, tumbling down the steps into the pit because you'd forgotten it was there seems a bit tame. Fortunately, I was young and bounced well in those days.

[Skip]

My garage is nearly how I want it to be - I have used proper grey floor paint to paint the floor, white emulsion on all the internal brickwork - 2x 4 foot strip lights and an extra 4 foot strip light in the top of the rafters (its a pitched roof garage) to light up the fully boarded loft. All the "garage stuff" lives in the roof and I no longer have a workbench so I can fit the car (16 foot garage and Honda Accord means almost nothing can live on the floor space) in over the worst of the winter when the bike will move to my parents and hibernate in their garage.

Would love it to be a bit longer so I could keep the bike in as well as the car - but hey ho - I just feel lucky to have a garage at all!

[Viney]

Quad garage
Tiled or proper floor paint on the floor
Decent bench
My 10" vice on its upturned stub axle
Grinder
Pillar drill
Full set of Mac/Teng/Snap on tools
Bike lift
Decent car jack
Music
good lighting
Compresor
Space
Heating

[Geodude]

Anything would be better than my umbrella garage :(
http://i866.photobucket.com/albums/ab227/geodude_album/mygarage.jpg

[Ed]

Would be great if GG or Stretchie posted up a pic of their garage... oh my it made me jealous:smt088

[sv4me]

Anything would be better than my umbrella garage :(

:smt056 i'm sorry but that really made me laugh when I saw that!

[yorkie_chris]

Compressed air distributed round the garage and sufficient cfm to drive a ferk off impact gun. both lubricated and clean/dry air feeds, ie power tools and spray guns separate. Can I have an oven in there too?

3 phase supply to drive a little lathe such as a student and both horizontal and vertical millers. Ideally CNC. AC-DC TIG welder. 10 ton hydraulic press and a good heavy spot welder.

For me I also require decent bike lift and a 2 post car lift and a decent jigging system. and space for at least 5 cars.

+1
:)

[Jamesy D]

Maybe we should band together and get an SV650.org garage as a place to meet, hang out, let YC fix things or modify them and occasionally as a refuge from the law.

Just picked up a dirt-cheap little kettle off ebay. It'll have pride of place on my work bench :D