Would have happend sooner or later, just wish it was later

[TheBrainII]

Another rider at work says to me, "you should park over on the other side where I park. There's shade over there 'til 12pm". I figure cool, I'll keep it out of the sun as much as possible. Well, today I parked over there for the first time. The receptionist paged me later and said I should go out to my bike. Boy did I get a sinking feeling. I was scared to even go look at it. I had pictures in my head of bent rims, bent bars, and cracked plastic. One of the ladies I work with had backed into my parking space and hit my new 3 week old bike. Luck would have it the only thing I could find wrong was the bar end of the rubber grip was marred up a little and a little scratch on the footpeg. Had I locked the steering lock with the bars turned to the left rather than the right It could have been worse. I think the front fender could have hit the pavement and had a bent front wheel instead of just rolling off the kickstand. I'll have to test that theory as to which way will cause the least damage if it ever happens again. Lesson learned....park on the sidwalk.

[shammash55]

hope you have better luck next time, i allways part in the stiped zones.

[Jim]

wont you get ticketed or towed on the side walk? or is it in a private parking lot? I always park at the outside of the stall so they see the bike right away, good thing yours wasnt hurt too badly :)

[AZ200cc]

A bike is not safe anywhere..People can't see other cars much less bikes.

[TheBrainII]

Yea, I'm really amazed that bodywork did not have so much as a scratch on it. The end of the handle bar was full of blacktop and a tiny scratch on the foot peg and a little scuff on the end of the rear axle bolt. It's almost as if it fell over on a pillow or something. Jim, it's private parking and there are lots of grass and cement walk areas to park it on from now on. My boss is a bike nut so he will not mind if I park off-road.

[TeamCheap]

Your boss needs to put in a concrete motorcycle parking place with BIG poles spaced just far enough apart for the bikes to get thru safely and NOT the cars.

Let the dummies in the cars back into the poles not the bikes.

[ambassador]

I think the China bikes may be protected by the Budda, not mechanically though...

[fatboy250]

wont you get ticketed or towed on the side walk?

Yes, I have.

I try to park at the very end of the parking space so everyone knows the space is already occupied. I had a lady come into work about 15yrs ago and told me how she almost ran over my bike (at the time a cherry GS850) because it was at the front of the parking space and she was pulling in with speed and had to slam on the brakes. Since then I just keep my bikes in the back of the space where they are visible from afar.

Jason

[IronFist]

Sorry to read your story. Luckily Toronto no longer charges parking for motorcycles on the street. Most private parking provides free space for pedal bikes, and we park our motorcycles there. We try not to use parking spaces, which allows cars to park and pay. Unless we park accross the sidewalk cutting off foot traffic, we don't get tickets. Doesn't come close to offsetting our insurance rates, our high price for bikes, or parts. It's a nice bonus though. I park anywhere safe. N2r.

[goldshadow]

Yeah, I also park right on the end, and Sideways to the spot so that I have the ENTIRE space occupied. This has worked fro me so far.

[PolygonFla]

I too have pulled into a space only to find a bike parked deep in the spot.

Whenever possible I will try to share a space with another bike. I know some folks with expensive bike don’t like doing this.

If I can’t do that, I park at the very end of the painted lines and slightly off to one side, to encourage other riders to share my space. I have left work to find 4 other bike in one space with mine.

In 2 years of parking like this my bike has never been moved, knocked over or scratched.

My employer had designated parking for motorcycles but removed it when someone complained about a motorcycle parking in a car space. (Completely his right, I don’t understand my employer’s thinking)

Any way bikers have such a bad rep because we can do things cars can’t, I figure seeing 2 or 3 bikes in one space means that there are 1 or 2 spaces available for cars that would have otherwise been used.

[katoranger]

I always try to share a space with other bikes and I park at the end to keep them car from pulling in. That tip was actually in the MN riders test handbook.

There is a spot a work that most of the riders share and it is at the rear of the lot. No one complains since we have plenty of parking. I have not had anyone hit my bike, but a friend had someone back into his at the pizza place one day. The guy gave him a hundred for the broken sidecover and they called it could. It was a beat up old honda.

Allen