No garage, and your HOA, mobile home park, or landlord won't let you pour a slab, build a shed, or drill into the pavement? You can still keep your bike out of the sun, rain, and snow. Mount a motorcycle shelter on a simple wooden platform: the shelter gets a solid, level base, nothing is bolted into ground you don't own, and the whole setup moves with you.
Quick answer
✓ Build a wooden platform a few inches bigger than the shelter's footprint
✓ Screw the shelter to the platform, not the ground
✓ Check your HOA, park, or lease rules and get approval in writing
✓ When you move, unbolt it and take it with you
✓ Locks closed to help deter theft
✓ The steel frame protects your bike from falling branches, debris, and cars backing into it
✓ Covering takes seconds: ride in, roll the cover down, and lock it
Why a Wooden Platform Works When You Can't Build
A Speedway Shelter doesn't need a foundation. It's a waterproof, lockable cover on a 16-gauge steel frame, and it can anchor to concrete, asphalt, or wood. A wooden platform gives you four big advantages when building isn't an option.
Nothing Bolted Into Ground You Don't Own
The shelter anchors to the platform, so there's no drilling into a driveway, slab, or parking pad that belongs to your HOA, park, or landlord.
It Moves With You
Unbolt the shelter and the platform is just a frame and a deck. Take both with you when you move, or reposition them on your lot.
A Level, Dry Floor Anywhere
On grass, gravel, or uneven ground, a platform gives the shelter a flat floor and keeps your bike up off wet ground.
A Solid Base to Anchor To
The platform's frame gives the shelter's anchor points something solid to grab, just like a concrete slab would.
A golf cart stored in a Deluxe Speedway Shelter on a wooden deck. See more real setups on wooden bases, driveways, and parking spaces on our customer photos page.
HOAs, Mobile Home Parks, and Apartment Parking
These are the places riders most often run into rules about sheds, garages, and anything permanent. Here's how a platform-mounted shelter fits each one.
HOA homes
Get It Approved
Many HOAs limit sheds and permanent structures. A shelter on a removable platform has no foundation and can come down in an afternoon, but every HOA is different. Read your CC&Rs, then send the architectural committee the shelter's size, height, color, and where it will go. Our spec pages have the dimensions and drawings you'll need.
Mobile home parks
Stay Off the Ground
Parks often don't allow digging, pouring concrete, or adding permanent structures to a lot. A platform sits on top of the ground and leaves with you when you move. Check the park rules and ask the manager before you set up.
Apartments & condos
Use Your Assigned Space
With an assigned or reserved space, ask your landlord or property manager first. A typical U.S. parking space is about 9 × 18 feet, and all three shelter sizes fit inside one. Keep it clear of the drive aisle and any fire lane.
Customer photo: a Speedway Shelter on a wooden base in a parking lot.
Customer photo: a Speedway Shelter in a reserved carport parking space.
Always ask first. Rules vary by HOA, park, city, and lease. Get permission in writing before you set up, and keep it with your paperwork.
What Size Platform Do You Need?
Build the platform at least as large as the shelter's outside footprint. These suggested sizes leave a few inches of margin and use standard board lengths. Add a short ramp at the door end.
Sport Shelter
Footprint: 110" L × 45" W
Height: 66"
Platform: 4 × 10 ft
Touring Shelter
Footprint: 138" L × 56" W
Height: 79"
Platform: 5 × 12 ft
Deluxe Shelter
Footprint: 140" L × 80" W
Height: 80"
Platform: 7 × 12 ft
How to Build and Mount the Platform
A basic platform is a weekend project with common lumber. Here's the approach many owners use.
01
Pick and Measure Your Spot
Choose a level spot with room to walk around the shelter and open sky above it, away from overhanging branches. In a parking space, keep the platform inside your lines.
02
Build the Frame
Pressure-treated 2×6 lumber makes a sturdy frame. Run joists about every 16 inches so the deck won't flex under a heavy bike.
03
Add the Deck
Top the frame with 3/4-inch exterior-grade plywood or deck boards, then paint or seal the wood to keep water out.
04
Level It and Add a Ramp
On grass or gravel, set the frame on solid concrete blocks or pavers. On pavement, the treated frame can sit right on the surface. Add a short ramp so you can ride or push the bike up.
05
Mount the Shelter
Assemble the shelter on the platform and fasten the frame's anchor points into the joists with lag screws. The included anchor bolts are made for concrete and asphalt.
06
Finish the Floor
A rubber shelter floor keeps oil off the wood, gives the kickstand a firm spot, and cuts condensation. In windy areas, use the cover's side tie-downs too.
Moving Out? Take It With You
Unlike a shed or carport, a platform-mounted shelter isn't a permanent part of the property. Unscrew the shelter, take it down, and load the platform. The frame snaps together with spring clips and sets up in about 20 to 30 minutes, so you'll be parked under cover again soon after you arrive. Still deciding between a shelter, a pop-up tent, a shed or a cover? See the side-by-side comparison or our buyer's guide to outdoor motorcycle storage.
HOA and Apartment Motorcycle Storage FAQ
Do I need HOA approval for a motorcycle shelter?
Check your CC&Rs. Many HOAs require approval for any outdoor structure, even a portable one. Send the architectural committee the shelter's size, height, color, and placement, mention that it sits on a removable platform with no foundation, and get the approval in writing before you set up.
Can I put a motorcycle shelter in an apartment parking space?
Only with your landlord's or property manager's permission, and only in a space assigned to you. All three Speedway sizes fit inside a typical 9 × 18 ft parking space, and a wooden platform lets you set up without drilling into the lot.
How do I anchor a motorcycle shelter without concrete?
Build a wooden platform and fasten the shelter's anchor points into its frame with lag screws. On soil, you can also secure the platform itself with ground anchors, and the cover's side tie-downs add hold in high winds.
Can I take my motorcycle shelter with me when I move?
Yes. Unscrew it from the platform, take it down, and bring the platform too. The shelter sets up in about 20 to 30 minutes, so you'll be back under cover quickly at your new place.
No garage needed
See What Makes a Speedway Shelter Work Like a Garage
Ride in with hot pipes, a steel frame that holds 150+ lbs of snow, a lockable waterproof cover, and how it compares to a bike cover or a garage.
