Someone gave me a ramp they took off their porch with the idea I could use it to get my bike into my shed.
Due to the door overlapping the door opening (the bottom edge of door is 3" lower than the floor) this would
necessitate having a 3" rise from the top point of the ramp to the floor of the shed.
Does that sound problematic driving in and backing out?

No, I don't think so. If it is, then you can always come up with a temporary piece of wood or rubber that you put put at the top of the ramp to overcome that little extra lip. Just remember, "what doesn't kill us, makes us stronger."

The other option, if it really is a problem, is to pretend your shed is a trailer, and use a temporary ramp that you only sit down after the doors are open and out of the way. It could be a piece of 2x8, or part of the ramp they are giving you, or a commercial motorcycle ramp. Most hardware stores and lumber yards have a kit for loading lawn mowers and such. The kit contains two ends that are made just to fit on a length of 2x8. The lumber yard can cut the board to whatever size you need before you even buy it.

The kit os made for 2 wheeled vehicles, and has two ramp ends. I'd have to look and see, but once when I didn't have anything else, I scrounged around Home Depot and found a galvanized piece, probably with the roof truss parts in the lumber section, that would do just about the same thing, but was cheaper and not as polished. I honestly don't remember what it was called or exactly where I found it...basically you would be looking for something like the ramp ends, that you can attach to the board, and that have a lip to sit on whatever you want to move the scooter into or onto. The lip is much better on the actual ramp ends. If you have a Harbor Freight near you, they have ramps. Motorcycle stores have a variety of folding ramps. And you can find all that stuff on ebay or elsewhere online.

http://www.amazon.com/Keeper-05674-Ramp ... B0000AVZMF

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Aluminum-Loadin ... 361wt_1141

Woohoo! We got the ramp to the shed in today. Started digging out the area in front of the shed late yesterday afternoon..
finished it today. We'll give it a test run later when I'm ready to put the scooter away.

Here's the edge of ramp to shed step-up.. about 3 & 3/8th ".

just got a new scooter shed and had the same problem with ramp that came with it. found out that 3" is like a bump in the road or maybe rr tracks. not a problem.

we started out ordering an 8x8 shed (amish made very well made!) but then dh started talking about all the ohter things that could move in there--lawn mower, step ladder, etc. well, we ended up changing to 8x12. i can even turn around in it. could not go wider than 8' as it had to fit on an existing cement pad.

it has a plywood floor which i would like to protect--any suggestions? looked at cow mats at tractor supply and these might do but they are $40 apiece and i would need 4. those jigsaw piece tiles from lowe's are between $75 and $92 apiece and are only 2x2'. thought maybe a piece of linoleum but that would be slippery.

_________________
Wild Senior Scooter
with
Vino and GTS 300S

In we go! So nice to get it in somewhere dry and secure.
Looking at several days of rain to start this afternoon.
I didn't use anything at the edge- just rode it in (slowly!).
Tried backing it out by standing to the side with it off and pushing it out.
No problem.
I'd think of adding the diamond plate edge to your door jam bottom if it doesn't
already have it.. so there's no way the rear tire can rip on it when you go in..
When we first got the shed I primed and painted the floors with floor paint for wood
floors. It's been up a few years and wearing off (tho the outside paint is still holding strong).
I wouldn't expect any real problem to the floor unless you put it away wet regularly.
If you want to put something down I'd think some kind or rubber mats would be fine.
If you want something disposable you could always find a used 8x8 piece of carpet off
craigslist. Would probably be fine as long as the shed is weatherproof so it wouldn't get
moldy.
The ramp has some kind of grippy gravely surface on it which is great for traction.
Our shed is 10 wide by 12 long by I think 10 tall. Had it built a few years ago since
we don't have a garage and wanted to quit paying storage.
It has a loft that covers the back half of the shed at 6ft overhead leaving 4 feet in the
upper part. Hub thought I was going overboard when I said how big I wanted it but
as you can guess.. it fills up. There's no way I could turn the bike around in it..
I'm just happy it gets in and out. Longest points from front to back (of the bike) is about 8' long.
The rear just clears the door due to things stored ahead of it.

This didn't occur to me until after I saw the ramp in.
another option would be to use pressure treated wood
for the sides and fill in between it with dirt & gravel
compacting it down.. an earthen ramp.

question to whwitch or anyone who uses a shed instead of a garage:
regarding your shed.. do you get a strong gas odor when your bikes been in there overnight?
I've noticed this. There isn't any leakage and the shed has 2 roof vents.

I would just be sure you can't find a gas leak. Maybe put something under the bike to make sure you can't catch any drippings, or just spend a few extra minutes looking closely at any part of the scooter you can see, to check for drips. There may be a drip under a cover somewhere you can't see. A loose hose clamp somewhere, maybe something stuck in the carb that causes fuel to accumulate. Do you turn your fuel petcock off when you turn your scoot off? Have you overfilled your tank lately, where fuel may have gotten on the floorboards or some other part of the scooter?

Have you had a lawn mower, other lawn equipment, and/or gas cans stored in the shed? Tiny tanks on lawn equipment is easy to overfill; that sort of equipment often has a gas odor. Maybe the floor has absorbed some gas over time and the odor is just there in the shed. Are there any old shop rags stored in the shop that may have retained an odor?

Gasoline fumes are explosive. Everybody's idea of a strong odor is different, but for example, on boats with inboard gasoline engines, you have to be very careful to vent the compartments and air out the fumes before you restart the engine. I doubt you have fumes to that extent, but I'd poke around some more and try and find the cause.

Thanks - I am baffled tho. The bike it very tight. No leaks at all.
The shed has had no previous gas storage at all. No fuel cans ever. The lawnmower is electric.
I've swept the area out. Nothing on the floor. I filled it up over a week ago.. just got a few drips on the floorboard area that I wiped off. No idea if it has a fuel petcock to turn off.. I just use the kill switch and key. I'll ask coworker who has the bv250.
I quit covering it since it's in the shed now unless I know it won't be used the next day (weather). I'd hate to stick my key in the lock and go ca-bluey.

I don't know if that bike would have a fuel shutoff...my modern Kymco is in storage, so I can't go look, but I don't guess it has a fuel petcock, either....although 4 of my other scooters and both my son's dirt bikes do.

When you filled the scooter up, did you get gas on your gloves or anything else that is stored with the scooter? Was there spilled gas on the ground at the station that you may have walked in and driven through?

Is your fuel fill under the seat? Could it be that you spilled gas when you filled up, and the odor has worked into the foam material or something? Is the gasket around the fill letting any tiny bit to leak out when it sloshes around? There's a hose, obviously, that carries the fuel to the carb, and that hose has hose clamps...maybe one of those is just loose enough to let a couple of drips out that allow for an odor but never make it to the ground. I can't think of anything else unless something is sticking in the carb and the fuel bowl is filling up and sitting there...maybe when you go in for service again, see what the mechanic thinks. Seems like if it was an abnormal amount you'd see some visual evidence as well as smell it.

Is the gas cap itself vented? Maybe just sitting in the hot shed cause the gas in the tank to expand or something? And the odor comes out a vent in the cap? I know over the years sitting in the heat has caused our fuel jugs to be distorted, and sometimes when you take the cap off, you hear a big whoosh of air (we keep the vent caps closed when we store fuel in plastic fuel jugs or metal cans).

Have you checked to see if you can smell any gas odor on or right at the bike itself, when it sits out in the open air? Maybe it's just natural somehow because of being in the small shed.

PS...you mentioned roof vents. I was lucky enough to grow up boating on the Hudson River; I mentioned having to vent marine engines because of the gas fumes...it was not just because of the gas fumes, but because the gas fumes are heavier than air (and sink) and that's why you had to be so careful venting the engine compartment, because it was below deck. It was the heavier than air gas fumes sinking down into those compartments that could be explosive. In other words, I don't think the roof vents would help with any gas odors.

Asked the mechanic about it at my first service last Friday. He said it was the evap system- I had over-filled it a few times back and it still had some fuel in the charcoal canister. He said i could remove it and set it in the sun to hasten the evaporation of the fuel.
He did not recommend removing it permanently as many folks are doing. He was very anti- modifications of any sort... said they work best the way they are made.
I did notice the smell had been fading so it must be evaporating to some degree. I've also make sure I don't fill it as much since then.

Good to finally know! Much easier to relax about something like that when you know where it's coming from and why.