• We’re currently investigating an issue related to the forum theme and styling that is impacting page layout and visual formatting. The problem has been identified, and we are actively working on a resolution. There is no impact to user data or functionality, this is strictly a front-end display issue. We’ll post an update once the fix has been deployed. Thanks for your patience while we get this sorted.

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

Do you park your motorcycle in gear?

  • Yes, I park it in gear

  • No, I park it in neutral

Results are only viewable after voting.
JulesMaximus

JulesMaximus

No Lifer
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. 🙄
 
Zargon-from the locked thread said:
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
Click to expand...

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.
 
JulesMaximus said:
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.
Click to expand...

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.
 
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.
 
busydude said:
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.
Click to expand...

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.
 
MagnusTheBrewer said:
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.
Click to expand...

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.
 
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.
 
MagnusTheBrewer said:
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.
Click to expand...

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.
 
MagnusTheBrewer said:
I always park in neutral. I suppose it's habit from when I began riding and bikes had kick starters.
Click to expand...

roguerower said:
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.
Click to expand...

these.

MagnusTheBrewer said:
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.
Click to expand...

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.
 
HAL9000 said:
Well that's a lie, you have to have clicked on it in order to quote it.. But whatever...
Click to expand...

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.
 
hanoverphist said:
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.
Click to expand...

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.
 
JulesMaximus said:
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.
Click to expand...

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.
 
JulesMaximus said:
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.
Click to expand...

That's my point, you didn't ignore it. That message was displayed because you clicked on it. As I say... whatever.
 
hanoverphist said:
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.
Click to expand...

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.
 
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.
 
JulesMaximus said:
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.
Click to expand...

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? 🙄
 
hanoverphist said:
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? 🙄
Click to expand...

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. 😛
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Back
Top