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Is it cheaper to park a motorcycle in SF?

evolution247

AFM #616
Joined
May 20, 2003
Location
Peninsula
Moto(s)
'20 XJ-2000 HUFFY, '12 GSXR 750, '12 GSXR 600 Track bike, '11 GSXR 750 Track bike
So I may be changing jobs and working in downtown SF. I'm debating on riding a motorcycle to work as the parking costs for a car are astronomicaly high for a monthly pass ($350-450 a month). I see a ton of bikes parked on the streets and I'm wondering if there are any cost savings to using my motorcycle and park on the street.

Thanks for the info.
 
Well many of the motorcycle spaces are all day (12 hour) spaces and run around $0.40 per hour. That would run you $100 per month, so yes, it would be cheaper.
 
Wow! That's a huge difference. That's cheaper than taking the train and walking to the office. Thanks
 
I work in Embarcadero 2 which is in the heart of the financial district and I think monthly parking in the building I work in, which is covered, is around 90 bucks. Great thing about it is you have 24 hour access, it's covered, and you get spot. If you are up in the city daily, getting a monthly covered spot in a building may be a better way to go than "feeding the meeter" and risk having a homeless guy use your bike as a urinal.

net net... WAY cheaper.
 
Yes, in addition to the cheap all-day metered parking, there are some free spaces around town if you know where to look, although they are dwindling.

I've also speculated that you could talk a deal with a lot owner to park your bike there for a fraction of the cost of monthly car parking.
 
I work in the FiDi where motorcycle parking is $.70 per hour on Sansome street, so it depends on where you are. Still cheaper than trying to park a car downtown. The spots do fill up fairly quickly though. When I come in at 7:15 there are plenty available but by 9 they are usually gone.
 
This is all good info. This company is on 2nd and Howard. I need to see how much the parking is here. Sounds like it is still cheaper than a car
 
This is all good info. This company is on 2nd and Howard. I need to see how much the parking is here. Sounds like it is still cheaper than a car

Seriously consider spending a few hours and walk into all the building garages near where you work and inquire about monthly parking. Bike is in much better care. I tip the garage guys ~ $100 at xmas time, and they take extra care that my ride is secure. Plus if you ride up on a friday (Gold Club a block away :teeth), you can rip it up after work and train home knowing your ride is safe until you decide to come get it. :teeth:teeth:teeth

It's also possible in that part of town you can find a free spot to stash it.
 
I work in Embarcadero 2 which is in the heart of the financial district and I think monthly parking in the building I work in, which is covered, is around 90 bucks. Great thing about it is you have 24 hour access, it's covered, and you get spot. If you are up in the city daily, getting a monthly covered spot in a building may be a better way to go than "feeding the meeter" and risk having a homeless guy use your bike as a urinal.

net net... WAY cheaper.


Do you have to be tenant of the bldg to sign-up for a monthly parking pass? I work a couple of blocks away and would rather park in a garage than outside stall.
 
Do you have to be tenant of the bldg to sign-up for a monthly parking pass? I work a couple of blocks away and would rather park in a garage than outside stall.



That I do not know, but I across the street on Clay between Battery and Davis there's a garage you can check as well. I have a friend that just got a spot there for $90 a month, and you get a pass, and it's covered. I'm almost positive some of the bikes that park in the 2 Embarcadero garage aren't tenants, but I don't know for sure. If you ask them and and you have any problems, PM me and I'll see what I can do.
 
I work off union square and have a parking spot in the union square garage. My company pays for it... it's about $375 a month. I ride sometimes and drive when I want. But... moto parking is only like $70 a month! A bargain. The garage is super secure and there's always plenty of space.
 
I work in the FiDi where motorcycle parking is $.70 per hour on Sansome street, so it depends on where you are. Still cheaper than trying to park a car downtown. The spots do fill up fairly quickly though. When I come in at 7:15 there are plenty available but by 9 they are usually gone.

That's where I parked before. It was actually cheaper to park inside the Wells Fargo garage but I didn't moto in every day.
 
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They have recently been doing some strange price adjustments on the meters in the FiDi. Where I usually park they went from $.25 to $.70 per hr. a couple years ago. And sat mostly unused for about a year. Then they reduced them to $.50 and they were moderately full. Now they are down to $.30 per. The funny thing is that the ones on the other side of the block went up from half a buck to $.80 - and they are more full than the 30-cent meters. Believe me, it's worth it to go the extra block to save $5.00 a day.

The key here is that you have to shop around and not just go for the most convenient spot.
 
Thanks for all the feedback. I just inquired if parking is paid for and it's not for people at my level (Sr Managers). I guess I would need to apply for the C-level
Position to get free parking.
 
Okay, I'm bringing this thread back to life. In the end I picked a job that has me on Front street. I found some motorcycle parking on the streets at .90 an hour (not the cheapest). Does anyone have any insight on cheap motorcycle parking in this area?
 
Washington between Sansome/Montgomery (right on the north side of the pyramid bldg, both sides of the street) - 30-cents per hour. Normally I'd keep mum about it, but the information already seems to be out already that it's 50-cents cheaper than on the south side of the building. It's pretty popular nowadays. Last spaces to go are the ones under a tree - come back after a few hours and your bike will be covered with bird dookie, so bring a cover.
 
Damn. Good information. I'm riding into work on Friday so I'll check it out. Thanks for the heads up
 
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