Harley Davidson: The Ultimate Motorcycle Garage Part 2
This article explains what it takes to take an ordinary space, where you keep your motorcycle, and turn it into the "ultimate motorcycle garage."
This article applies to the Harley Davidson Touring, Dyna Glide, Softail and Sportster.
In the first part of this article we discussed what it takes to have an awesome garage, including aspects such as space, layout, environment, and more. In this part we will take it one step further. I will show you what it takes to be the envy of your friends and fellow riders; to be the guy that owns the garage that everyone else is talking about. Again, in order to have the ultimate garage, it doesn't have to be extremely large; it's more about substance that size.
Theme
First and foremost, the ultimate garage makes an ultimate statement. As soon as anyone enters, they need to immediately realize they are not just in a carport, they have entered the ultimate motorcycle garage. For me, that includes a certain look, or maybe a theme that ties the whole room together. It could be a Harley Davidson theme, or whatever trips your trigger. In my personal garage, I decorated my walls with memorabilia and mementos from my experiences throughout life. That includes shadow boxes with my framed uniform and martial arts gi, concert posters, framed record albums, pictures of heroes and inspirational figures, and other such things. Everything hanging on the wall in my garage is sentimental and has a story. I even have an old electric guitar and an amp, in case I want to play along with the music on the stereo, or just jam. I have friends that have been over numerous times, and they still see something on my wall that they didn't notice the last time they were over.
Entertainment
The second thing is entertainment, which includes both video and music. Now that YouTube has become the "go-to" resource for everything, it is essential to have the ability to watch videos in your garage. For me, I have two LED televisions placed in very strategic locations, both hooked up to regular TV, and streaming services, including internet video. The purpose of these TVs is the ability to watch Harley Davidson "how-to" videos while I'm actually doing the work. The first is a large, 42-inch, LCD TV mounted on one of those pull out, tilt and pan, wall mounts, so it can be seen clearly from anywhere in the garage. Regardless of where I am in the garage or what I'm working on, I can watch the video that helps me complete the task at hand. The second is a smaller TV that is mounted just above my workbench, so if I'm working on something at the bench, the video is directly in front of me. Both TVs are connected to a central surround sound system that has the ability to stream music via Bluetooth, plus all the modern "smart TV" abilities for internet radio and video. After all, what kind of ultimate motorcycle garage doesn't have the ability to blast biker tunes to convince your neighbors that you are a real biker? Having two TVs also gives me the ability to watch two different sporting events while my friends and I "work" on our motorcycles, and stay hydrated.
Motorcycle Lift
Another aspect of the ultimate garage is a lift, and not just any lift. Something that will really boost you garage to legendary status is a hydraulic one built into the slab of your garage. The best way to accomplish this is to have it designed and the slab poured around it, but I have seen some cut large rectangular holes jack hammered into the foundation, and a lift installed afterwards. The best thing about this type of lift is that when not in use, it becomes flush with the floor and can be driven and walked over without any problem. A ride on lift is still very useful, and easier to install, but you may find yourself tripping over it when not in use. However, if you buy the right size lift, you can always just park a bike on top of it. A lift makes working on your motorcycle very comfortable versus painstaking. Not having a lift is a literal pain, in the neck, in the back, and other lower areas. Having some type of lift is a prerequisite in any ultimate garage.
Figure 4. In ground hydraulic lift requires planning and construction. 
Figure 5. A bike can be parked on a ride on lift when not in use, and installation is easier.
Other Components
There are other small things throughout the garage that can contribute to making it the ultimate. To me, these thing are an insulated garage door, heat/AC, a refrigerator and plenty of tools and gadgets for any job that comes around. I have two motorcycles in my garage, a Street Glide and a Softail Deuce, therefore my favorite "gadget" is a motorcycle dolly. A motorcycle dolly is one of the best motorcycle invention I have ever come across and mine is priceless to me. The Street Glide is my daily rider and the Deuce is my baby. Therefore, I keep the Deuce on the dolly to maximize space and makes it easy to move around in my garage as needed. The dolly is one of the first things I would recommend you get for your garage, and one of the last things in my shop I would give up.
In closing, I'll say again, the ultimate motorcycle garage is the place you want to go and spend your time. It's a man's cave, storage, workshop, and a garage all rolled into one. When your garage is the ultimate garage, you will come up with things that need doing, just for an excuse to spend your time there. Having the ultimate motorcycle garage is also somewhat subjective; what I consider necessities may not be what you would. If you follow the basic ideas in this two-part article, the entire neighborhood, and all your friends, can't help but think of your space as the Ultimate Motorcycle Garage.
