free camping and my bikes, 08fxstc, klr650

  • mick44
    mick44
    12 years ago

     Hi all.

    New here, so here goes, bought my fisrt bike, a new 1984 custom softail, evo, (best bike i ever had) but sold it way back due to the dreaded fork desease, Current ride is an 08 custom softail bought new in 08, and a klr 650 road trail, 

    Top little bike, cheap new, and simple. Ok in the bush.

    Currently installing fl running boards and heel/toe shifter on the harley as all bolt on due to a small spinal injury a while ago, Long rides with pegs doesnt work too good anymore.

    Sitting here a while ago i added up all the mortgage, rates, house insurance, elec bills, bla,bla,bla, costs for car ect ect, rising this, and rising that costs, I seem to be working for bills, only.

    then got the shits, sold the house, hilux is for sale and f#$% the bills, bought a bus, so heres a question,

    Im setting it up to free camp, $15000 on solar and all the goodies, F#$% the caravan park rates, ha ha

    Going to stay beside rivers, creeks, roadside stops for as long as i feel like or untill some public servant advises me that it is in the public interest that i move on. (Im still suprised that they havnt put parkin metres at road side stops)

    Want to seal off the back two metres of bus and cut a door in the side. so the harley will go in sideways,

    Want to build some sort of hiab style lift to lift bike out then down, Floor is 1 metre of ground, Is there anyone out there that has a few ideas on how to do this, Do not want to ride bike up ramp. Im thinking a couple of rams and a hydraulic pump run by a 24 volt starter motor with some sort of mechanical back up winder perhaps run by a battery drill. The bike could be tied down to a u channell frame with a post either side for a lift eyes. appreciate any ideas or contacts.

    The klr 650 is going on rear of bus with a purpose built lifter similar to wheel chair lifters.

    Anyway ill see ya on the side of the road somewhere, probably in queensland as cambell newman is sacking all the public servants, so i might get away with it there. If ya see a bloke lifting a softail out the side of his bus, stop and say hello.

    cheers Mick

  • allde
    allde
    12 years ago

      to the forums Mick.

     

  • Tim S.G.
    Tim S.G.
    12 years ago

    Welcome Mick ,  sorry , no ideas for you, but I,m sure some others can help . Good luck and safe travels .

  • Will67
    Will67
    12 years ago

     welcome mick!

  • fattatt
    fattatt
    12 years ago
    Welcome Mate Enjoy.
  • mick44
    mick44
    12 years ago

     Thanks for the welcome,

    In reply to Allde about going over when the girls not home line,

    I was down the Goldie the other day and i went into this swank little bar to have a few drinks,

    Anyway, as the night wore on, and the clientel moseyed on out of the bar, i noticed, sitting at the other 

    end of the bar, Elle McFerson, the super model, Anyway as the night wore on, the rest of the clientel

    left the bar except Elle. Couldnt help myself, so i took a little peek, and shit, she was looking at me. I 

    looked away, then looked back again, yep, she was looking at me again, except theis time, she lfted

    her head, smiled at me, and said, Hi, come over here, 

    I lfted my glass of bourbon, took a long swig, looked back over at her and said,!!

    Nah, sorry, cant come over there as i just come over here. Ha ha 

  • Fat'n'Lo
    Fat'n'Lo
    12 years ago
    Welcome Mick.... Grand idea you got going there. Best of luck to ya.
  • ozymax
    ozymax
    12 years ago
    welcome mick, sounds like an adventure when you get it all up and sorted
  • sparkie001
    sparkie001
    12 years ago

    Welcome

  • Geoff3DMN
    Geoff3DMN
    12 years ago
    *confession* I work at a bus company.

    I suggest rather than reinventing the wheel that you extend the hole where the rear window in the bus is down to floor level (I'm assuming you've got a flat floor bus here not one with a drop aisle) and fit a 2nd hand tail gate lifter sourced from a truck wreckers. A couple of tie down points on the lifter will keep the bike from moving as you lift it up. You'll probably need to weld some bracing around the enlarged hole and weld up some rear doors but that's a fairly simple procedure.

    What sort of bus is it? ie who was the body builder and what model is it? That'd help me visualize what your layout is.
  • Burnzi
    Burnzi
    12 years ago

    Perhaps look at having a fullsize ramp/door to ride the bike onto and then lift the ramp with a jack. I have to do this as the frame rails hit the back of the trailer when I put the harley on it, I get the bike onto the ramp, rest it on the stand and then lift the tailgate with a trolley jack, not a problem for the dirt bikes of course. Could even do it with an exhaust bag/jack, hydraulic cylinders, or a winch even. Good luck would love to do the same one day.

    PS bikes are 8 foot long+ will they fit cross ways on the bus?

  • Burnzi
    Burnzi
    12 years ago

    In regard to free camping, Although the adds on tv tell you to take a 15min nap.....if the cops find you pulled up on the side of the road they will tell you to move on, in VIC anyway. There are some books on free camping throughout OZ well worth chasing up.

  • mick44
    mick44
    12 years ago
    Thanks for the ideas, figured out how to do it, maybe
    4 side posts with a minature 2 piece crane boom with internal ram and nylon slides, Ill put a pic up
    when done,
    cheers
  • RocketRod
    RocketRod
    12 years ago
    sounds good mick. ya sound like a bit of an ideas man.

    Welcome to the forums..
  • clubbie
    clubbie
    12 years ago

    Welcome Mick.

    A mate has done the same thing. Bought the bus kitted it out. Been going round Aus for the last six years.

    BTW check out Jessie James monster garage he did a bike lift on the side of a 4wd from a tail gate lift.