The best place to set up as your workspace is of course your Garage. I recommend you don’t work in a space close to a water heater or furnace such as your basement. If you ask around your bound to hear at least one story of a water heater kicking on just as fuel was spilled or a gas can was opened and well yes, that’s right a fire burns everything down, bike and house.  Trust me it happens. When you get your location picked out make sure the area is lit well.  There is nothing worse than spending hours trying to find that locknut your dropped.  If you are building a workspace ground up make sure you plan ahead and think about the location. Don’t build out in the middle of your back yard, which will force you to ride across a jungle to get to it. When building from ground up be sure to build on a solid concrete foundation. If you’re going through all the trouble of building up a space you might as well build one that will last.   Design you work space with plenty of lighting and electrical outlets, and eliminate the clumsiness of tripping over extension cords. If you need to heat the space use a heat source that will be safe, a wood burner is not the best heat source for a motorcycle shop.  Keep your area clean.  By keeping your work area clean you are eliminating most problems such as dirt and debris from finding it’s way into your engine or primary when you have it apart.  Get yourself proper containers for storing of used fluids, these containers will also be safe when transporting the old fluids to the recycling center via the spill proof caps they come equipped with. Keep on top of with the cleaning up of your shop. It doesn’t take very long for trash and dirt to accumulate and cause clutter leading to a very non-welcoming work environment.  Last but not least, safety must take top priority in your wok shop. You don’t want gasoline near open flames or anything creating a spark. A metal trashcan is good to have for disposal of oily rags or old aerosol cans.  The two most important pieces you must have on hand in your workspace are a fire extinguisher and first aid kit. Accidents do and will happen that’s why it’s so important to be prepared the best you can.  If you can set your shop up with good shelving or a pegboard wall go ahead and do it. Being organized is another challenge in a motorcycle workspace. You’ll need a safe place to store parts that need removed to do a job.

A great investment for your workspace is a bike lift.  A bike lift makes service work much easier, and you won’t end up like a contortionist trying to reach odd positioned bolts on your bike. The lift will put the bike up in the air and make it much more accessible. Another great feature of the lift is the ease of cleaning your bike, especially your wheels. Now many different types of lifts are available, you don’t necessarily have to buy the most expensive lift but the least expensive lift may not be the best deal. Certain model bikes such as some year Dyna and sportsters have uneven undersides and need frame adaptors to lift the bike level, not all lifts have these available. Make sure you tell the sales person selling you the lift what type of bike you have. You also want to make sure the lift you’re buying is rated for the correct weight of your bike; you can find the weight of your bike in your service manual. Don’t skimp out on a lift, quality rules over price like anything in life. You don’t want to be trusting a $99.00 lift to support your bike because it was a great bargain. Remember this lift is going to be holding anywhere from 500 to 800 pounds of bike 12-24 inches in the air which you will be right next to or underneath.  When shopping for a lift you want to buy one that will lift your bike, balance it properly and safely and will serve you many years to come.  Any bike shop dealer or aftermarket will have lifts for sale or at least have a catalog to order one for you. K&L sells great motorcycle lifts floor jack style and if you have the room table lifts. Make sure you have some good quality tie downs in the garage to hold the bike safely when on the lift. Tie downs are also needed if you should ever trailer your bike to a shop, travel destination or if you need picked up from a break down on the side of the road. Go ahead and get yourself a toolbox or something to keep your tools organized in. Purchasing these tools and lifts can be a large investment and again that’s why I stress using a product that will last.

Once you set up your work area with a lift and toolbox make sure to allow yourself plenty of shelf space and clean areas to store parts you remove from your bike during the repair work. You don’t want to be placing your fuel tank in the middle of the floor risking dents or scratches.  Keep some Tupperware containers or plastic bags nearby for bolt storage. If you keep all bolts you removed labeled clearly and organized you won’t be wasting hours trying to find one measly bolt to get the job completed.