Okay...let's try this again. Motorcyclists, leave it in gear or neutral when parked?

[JulesMaximus]

I was reading a post on another forum about a guy who had just parked his bike and was walking away from it when it fell over. Apparently, he had parked it on a slight incline and left it in neutral and it rolled forward and fell over.

I have been riding for years and always leave my bike parked in gear. The only time I leave it in neutral is when I put it on the swingarm stand in my garage.

Can anyone give me a valid reason not to leave your bike parked in gear?

Christ-I would have edited the other thread...locking it was completely unnecessary.

 

[HAL9000]

Christ-I would have edited the other thread...locking it was completely unnecessary.

You can't edit polls.

 

[JulesMaximus]

because on a flat surface you don't need to?

do you have a 'valid' reason for always parking it in gear?

I back into my parking spot at work,, so its already in N, no reason to then pop it back into gear, just to put it back in N to start it when I leave

I almost never park it in gear(thank MSF for that?) unless there is a bit of a grade, or I am worried about someone messing with it

but I also almost always engage the fork lock

Yes, so that there is no chance of it rolling forward and falling over. It is just a habit I've gotten into, I think it's a good one. I think leaving the bike in neutral is not a good habit. That's just my opinion.

 

[busydude]

I have been riding for years and always leave my bike parked in gear. The only time I leave it in neutral is when I put it on the swingarm stand in my garage.

Yup. Isn't this the norm anyway? I am surprised people park it on neutral.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Yup. Isn't this the norm anyway? I am surprised people park it on neutral.

I was too quite frankly. Just seemed logical to me but I find that a great many motorcyclists park their bikes in neutral...like more than half actually.

 

[JulesMaximus]

You can't edit polls.

FYI - This message is hidden because HAL9000 is on your ignore list.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

I always park in neutral. I suppose it's habit from when I began riding and bikes had kick starters.

 

[busydude]

I was too quite frankly. Just seemed logical to me but I find that a great many motorcyclists park their bikes in neutral...like more than half actually.

Even with a small incline or uneven surface the bike will tip over. It can also be a significant danger to other if someone parks it on the side of the road like that.

 

[roguerower]

I always park mine in neutral but I also make sure that if I park it on an incline that the bike is leaning to the left and rear so that the weight is mainly on the rear wheel and on the kickstand. I haven't had to deal with this problem since I parked my bike on a parking lot that was flat. If I were to regularly park it on a hill then I would most likely resort to keeping it in first just in case.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

Even with a small incline or uneven surface the bike will tip over. It can also be a significant danger to other if someone parks it on the side of the road like that.

Gosh, I wonder if that's the reason my bike fell exactly once in thirty years of riding and parking it in neutral? 'Course, it might have had something to do with forgetting to put the kickstand down. Naw, it was definitely parking in neutral that was the culprit.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Gosh, I wonder if that's the reason my bike fell exactly once in thirty years of riding and parking it in neutral? 'Course, it might have had something to do with forgetting to put the kickstand down. Naw, it was definitely parking in neutral that was the culprit.

Hey, maybe I'm just being overly cautious. I set the parking brake on my car when I park it on the street in front of my house and it is completely flat there. I put my seatbelt on after I get in the car and shut the door too.

Like I said, it's a good habit IMO.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

I set the parking brake when I park my truck too. I do like to start my bike without engaging the clutch. Although, some bikes won't let you start them without pulling in the clutch even if it's in neutral.

 

[HAL9000]

FYI - This message is hidden because HAL9000 is on your ignore list.

Well that's a lie, you have to have clicked on it in order to quote it.. But whatever...

 

[busydude]

Gosh, I wonder if that's the reason my bike fell exactly once in thirty years of riding and parking it in neutral? 'Course, it might have had something to do with forgetting to put the kickstand down. Naw, it was definitely parking in neutral that was the culprit.

I am not forcing everyone to do that. I am just wondering why people take a chance on such a trivial issue. Just for a fact that it did not happen to you, does not mean it won't happen to anyone else. Why take chances when it can be easily avoided; that is my POV.

 

[hanoverphist]

I always park in neutral. I suppose it's habit from when I began riding and bikes had kick starters.

I always park mine in neutral but I also make sure that if I park it on an incline that the bike is leaning to the left and rear so that the weight is mainly on the rear wheel and on the kickstand.

these.

Gosh, I wonder if that's the reason my bike fell exactly once in thirty years of riding and parking it in neutral? 'Course, it might have had something to do with forgetting to put the kickstand down. Naw, it was definitely parking in neutral that was the culprit.

and this. the one time my bike went sideways was when i was in a hurry and my boot missed the kickstand as i coasted to a stop. a bit of awareness and preparation is all that is needed when parking on an incline.

i also park my truck in neutral with the ebrake on. old habits. i also regularly adjust the brakes on that sucker, so i know theres not much chance of it failing.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Well that's a lie, you have to have clicked on it in order to quote it.. But whatever...

It is not a lie.

I can click view message to see the individual post if I want to. I rarely do that though because reading what you write is largely a complete waste of time.

 

[JulesMaximus]

these.



and this. the one time my bike went sideways was when i was in a hurry and my boot missed the kickstand as i coasted to a stop. a bit of awareness and preparation is all that is needed when parking on an incline.

i also park my truck in neutral with the ebrake on. old habits. i also regularly adjust the brakes on that sucker, so i know theres not much chance of it failing.

My first car was a stick and you could not remove the key from the ignition unless the transmission was in reverse. Probably what got me in the habit in the first place.

Leaving a car or truck in neutral with the parking brake on is not a good habit.

 

[hanoverphist]

My first car was a stick and you could not remove the key from the ignition unless the transmission was in reverse. Probably what got me in the habit in the first place.

Leaving a car or truck in neutral with the parking brake on is not a good habit.

i dont live in san fran or any other perpetually hilly areas, i live in a valley with no actual hills in any of the cities i am near. with a good, maintained vehicle and brakes that work, i dont see any downside at all. well, i guess someone could cut the cable and roll it somewhere, but that would be an extreme chance, as well as a personal attack that would have shown up in some form or another whether i left it in gear or not.

 

[HAL9000]

It is not a lie.

I can click view message to see the individual post if I want to. I rarely do that though because reading what you write is largely a complete waste of time.

That's my point, you didn't ignore it. That message was displayed because you clicked on it. As I say... whatever.

 

[JulesMaximus]

i dont live in san fran or any other perpetually hilly areas, i live in a valley with no actual hills in any of the cities i am near. with a good, maintained vehicle and brakes that work, i dont see any downside at all. well, i guess someone could cut the cable and roll it somewhere, but that would be an extreme chance, as well as a personal attack that would have shown up in some form or another whether i left it in gear or not.

The trouble is, when you do eventually park it on a hill, you might very well forget to put it in gear because you're not used to doing so and your vehicle could roll away out of control and hurt or kill someone or at the very least do some major property damage.

That's why I think it's best to develop these good habits so they become second nature whether you need them or not. You've developed a bad habit that is now second nature to you.

 

[satyajitmenon]

I park it in gear only when it's on side stand. When on center/main stand, I leave it in neutral.

 

[rstrohkirch]

I just leave it in gear and pull it out of gear to kick it.

 

[IcePickFreak]

Haven't had a bike in years, but I always parked em in gear as well. Same with a manual trans car, along with the parking brake.

 

[hanoverphist]

The trouble is, when you do eventually park it on a hill, you might very well forget to put it in gear because you're not used to doing so and your vehicle could roll away out of control and hurt or kill someone or at the very least do some major property damage.

That's why I think it's best to develop these good habits so they become second nature whether you need them or not. You've developed a bad habit that is now second nature to you.

i love it when people assume and generalize. im not going to defend myself for something i do situationally, because i know you dont care or believe anything anyone says anyway. all you really hear is your own voice, regardless of what people are saying.

you all realize that putting it in gear is resting all the weight of the vehicle on the engines natural spin anyway, right? there is still a chance it will turn, given enough weight. same with automatic vehicles, if you just use park and no Ebrake, youre resting the complete weight of the car on a little pin inside the transmission. how do you sleep at night?

 

[JulesMaximus]

i love it when people assume and generalize. im not going to defend myself for something i do situationally, because i know you dont care or believe anything anyone says anyway. all you really hear is your own voice, regardless of what people are saying.

you all realize that putting it in gear is resting all the weight of the vehicle on the engines natural spin anyway, right? there is still a chance it will turn, given enough weight. same with automatic vehicles, if you just use park and no Ebrake, youre resting the complete weight of the car on a little pin inside the transmission. how do you sleep at night?

I'd like to see you try to roll my bike in gear without the engine running.

I use the parking brake with my automatic. I couldn't possibly care less about the stupid parking pawl inside the transmission. Get this, I also downshift!!! Imagine the wear I'm putting on the bike!!! ZOMG!!!

It is just ingrained in my head from years of driving a manual, park in gear and set the parking brake, downshift when approaching a corner or a stop. Like I said, good habits and I sleep just fine thank you.