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What would be a good "starter kit" for newbie's RG garage?

6K views 31 replies 24 participants last post by  Yesca 
#1 ·
I'm interested in putting together a "basics" RG garage setup in my 2 car garage - where the bike will now go inside and the MINI parks out in the cold - so what do I need, i.e. battery tender, basic tools, jack, lift, etc??? Let me know...
 
#3 ·
Battery tender--Yes
Tools --Yes, lowe's has a set of torx / allen socket combo that is a life saver
Jack..i have one I use for washing /Cleaning--Yes
Lift--I have one now, I park on it so not to have so much space taken up, If you get a lift be sure to get a sissor type jack from import car to raise rear of bike so drain pan will go under bike, makes cleaning rear wheel very easy also..I added the drive in front wheel chock on my lift so I just drive on and step off..no screw clamp...
Lots of polishing towels, cleaning supplies,
Bike Brite..Gallon jug..small hand held garden sprayer..BB is concentrated so mix small amount in sprayer with water and spray entire bike, hand wash and bugs, road grime is gone..
Leaf Blower for blow drying...
This should get you started...Once you get this months allowance spent come back for more helpful hint's...
 
#4 ·
You pretty much have it covered with what youve already listed. Also like someone posred before, a kegerator or at least something to keep the beer cold for when you and your buddies stare at your bike;)
 
#9 · (Edited)
#1 is a HD service manual. Get the one from HD, not Clymer, etc.

1/4", 3/8" and 1/2" ratchet/socket sets. Have a set of metric sockets for your 3/8" drive, too.

Get a quality set of Torx bits and allen bits for your ratchet and learn to tell them apart.

Battery tenders (not necessarily the Battery Tender brand name) can be found for next to nothing in the lawn and garden dept of your favorite store. Don't ask for a "trickle charger" because that might be what you get, and you don't want that.

If you're anal about following instructions, get a torque wrench. Mine came from Auto Zone, but I only use it on critical fasteners. I can sleep fine without torquing my footpegs to spec, but some folks can't.

Make life simpler by getting a decent tire gauge. This one (there's a link there) minimizes the crawling around on the ground.

A dremel.

Rags. Lots of rags.

I can always find uses for empty coffee cans.

The halogen shop lights that are stand mounted.

And if you want to go this deep, I found a 30 gal air compressor on Craigslist that I use more than I ever thought I would. A smaller one would suffice, but it's incredibly handy if you have multiple vehicles.

And in general...

And while good quality tools is good investment, I've found Harbor Freight to be fine for that thing I'll only use once and throw in the bottom drawer of the toolbox.

That's certainly not everything, I just tried to think of things that might not get mentioned a lot.
 
#12 ·
There's only two things that are noticeably missing in the previous responses - a good quality printing press to print all the money you'll need for all the mods you read about on here that you'll be undertaking, and a good quality camera to show us all the results of your mods.

+1 on the torque wrench
 
#15 · (Edited)
I manage to get my RGU in the not oversized two car garage along with a Honda Fit and a Toyota RAV4. Parking outside sucks, especially in the winter. I think a centerstand is next on my mod list! Handy bike stuff in my garage:
Compressor
Bike Jack
Rolling tool chest full of tools including star drive sockets
In the summer - a fan
 

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#20 · (Edited)
... where the bike will now go inside and the MINI parks out in the cold ...
I am fortunate to have a large garage. I can angle park three bikes beside the car on my side of the garage. But if I need to work on one I can use my Big Blue lift and still keep the MINI warm and comfortable at night. If all three are on the side I can pull the MINI far enough forward that I can get two of them in and out without moving the car. Life is good. :D

 
#21 ·
jwd98056 - I really appreciate the pic and that was my original plan, but my garage is not quiet as big as yours. The wife's Pacifica is front to back with NO walking around room and we all know she's not parking outside for my RG, so my alternative was to do it your way, but the garage door to the house is at the front side corner and though the MINI is short, if I put the bike like yours across the front of the car then there is absolutely no way for anyone to get in or out of the garage through the side door. I still need to convince everyone else in the house to go out through the front door of the house, in through the double garage door to the car. No takers. Anyways, as I've said the space is tight so I'm trying to get the basic set up so at least I'll be able to enjoy my time in the garage when the RG is not rolling on the pavement. Thanks to everyone so far for the comments. As of this morning I went to the dealership and purchased the shop service manual and an owners manual and cruised through Lowe's looking at jacks and torq sets.
 
#22 ·
#23 ·
In my dreams. Very nice. As much as I'd like to have one for cleaning, tire pressure checks, and oil changes, I really don't do enough mechanically to justify the expense. I remember reading your post and pics when you got it. Glad it's met your expectations.
 
#24 ·
One of the things I did to my garage was to lay a huge piece of old carpet down........When it gets too dirty, toss it & get a new one..........Sure makes it a LOT easier to crawl around on, warmer than bare concrete, nuts & Bolts & such don't bounce as bad..........
 

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#25 ·
A garage is a work space, so I'd start by making it that. You need a solid work bench at least 6' long. Plenty of shelves or even better storage cabinets. Then lighting, you cannot have too much lighting. Multiple flourescent lights overhead, some drop down shop lights, and a couple of task lights.

You absolutely gotta have music and if you're really getting after it, a TV. Maybe even a small fridge so you don't get the wife PO'd by tracking crap into the kitchen running for beverages.

Next tools. Start with the big stuff; A motorcycle jack is important. A creeper is important, 'cause you're gonna be laying on floor sometime. A nice vice for the workbench is really useful.

As for mechanics tools / hand tools - I could on for days about that, but the easy way to start is to head over to Sears and buy the biggest mechanics tool set you can afford. Compared to buying tools individually, you'll be getting them for pennies on the dollar by buying the set.

I know I forgot something in here, but it's a start...
 
#27 ·
Well I guess I am on the lucky side. Or maybe for once I planned something right.

When we decided to build a house of our own my wife and I each got to splurge on one thing to be just for ourselves. She wanted an awesome kitchen which she got with the best of everything we could afford.

I got a steam and over sized shower. We got a slightly over sized garage. We wanted one that we could open the doors to her Murano and my Tundra completely without hitting walls or each other and a bit of room to walk around the vehicles.

End results: At present we have both her car, my full sized king cab truck, and 3 Harley Davidson bikes, 1 Fatboy and 2 Road Glides in it now.

I do have to move one of the vehicles out when it is work day but they all fit.
 
#28 ·
Tearless Tom,
Now that's the size garage I'd be comfortable with. This is our 5th house and we've never had one built. My company moves us and so we're usually on a tight schedule so we find the best one available at the price we can afford and meets most of our needs. This house filled all the slots except for the garage and lot size. Anyway, we've thought about the next house already and about having one built. If that ever happpens, I'm kinda nervous, because I'm not sure if the neighbors would understand why the garage is actually more square footage than the house!!! LOL! Of course, unless there is acreage involved, then I'm building a 24 X 40 shop with a tack shop type office area and the rest is to have plenty of room for anything I want, but especially the riding toys. Oh to dream....
 
#30 ·
cnidog, you should be able to use a lot of what you already have, right? The shark doesn't require many special tools.

Do you plan on doing all of your own wrenching? I'm thinking you're not if you don't already have the tools.

Planning to just do routine maintenance?

Everyone has varying lists, but here's what I recommend:

A quality jack (J&S or Pitbull are top shelf)
Air compressor with long hose
More lighting than you think you'll need, maybe even portable lighting
Service manual
Parts manual

If there are procedures you think you may tackle, read thru it and get those tools. Before long you'll have a good collection going. Or just bite the bullet and get a nice mechanics set (SAE) from Sears or Snap-On. I'm a big proponent of buying quality tools.

I also have a computer in the garage too so that I have tunes and internet access.

That's a start...
 
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