How to Manage Harley Ownership and Apartment Living
RideApart expertly tackles that age-old dilemma: living in an apartment and owning a Harley.
It’s probably safe to say that the vast majority of Harley owners live in houses with a garage. This is obviously the easiest way to store and protect your bike from not only the elements, but thieving eyes as well. But not every Harley enthusiast has that luxury, of course. Some folks actually pull off living in an apartment and owning a bike. But as you can see from this recent RideApart article, this presents many challenges other than simply finding a place to store it.
The author has managed to pull off apartment living and Harley ownership simultaneously. As a result, he has some handy tips for those in the same situation. The first, of course, is to invest in some sort of anti-theft device if you can’t manage indoor storage. He also recommends a good quality bike cover to keep it protected from the elements.
If you’re stuck with only one parking space and also own a car, there’s a way around that too. The owner mentions that it’s “possible to park a motorcycle and a car in a single space, which is how I’ve gotten around this problem before.” However, “maneuvering in and out can be inconvenient.” If you live somewhere where winter is a concern, consider paying a local motorcycle shop to store your ride through the worst months.
Then there’s maintenance. Obviously, many apartment complexes won’t exactly let you wrench on your Harley in the parking lot. Ultimately, you might be forced to take it to a shop. Unless you have a buddy who’ll let you use his driveway or garage.
The biggest challenge, of course, is that many complexes won’t let you have a bike at all. “Particularly snooty communities may not like the image that comes with a chromed-out cruiser in the lot, and prevent you from parking it there,” the author notes. In that case, you might just want to find a different place to live.
Owning a Harley and living in an apartment obviously brings a lot of challenges. But it’s something that many Harley-Davidson Forums members have overcome. So we want to know – do you or have you ever successfully pulled this off? Head over here and let us know how you balanced Harley ownership with apartment living!
