Parking it.

Sooner or later all good things must come to an end. In other words, we actually have to park the bike for a bit and do something besides riding. Things like drinking coffee and then getting rid of coffee. We only briefly touch on parking in our classes. There's only so much time and street survival skills take priority. We do have an exercise that teaches low speed maneuvering skills. These can come in quite handy in certain situations. More on that later.

I just wanted to share a couple of things about parking a bike. Some you may be aware of and some that may be something you haven't considered before. Even though parking seems like a small deal I've seen not-so-good things come from mistakes here. I also have to say that the impetus for this post came from questions Conchscooter posed. Here's to you, Sir!

First off, let's talk about sidestands and certain ground conditions. There's a whole lot of weight concentrated in a small area. Sidestands sink into soft surfaces. Sometimes the surface doesn't seem soft at the time but things change. Like blazing sun on blacktop. It's even conceivable that one could put a big bike on a sidestand or centerstand in the yard for a summer wash. There's something about water running from a hose that changes the properties of the ground. Not that I know from personal experience or anything, mind you!

I carry a piece of hard plastic that's about 4 inches square and thick enough not to bend. It's a simple matter of putting it under the sidestand. A flattened can would work as well. What you might not have thought of is what I've done with this piece of plastic. I drilled a hole in the corner and put a long piece of heavy fishing line through it. On the open end of the line I've tied a loop. When I slide the plastic under the sidestand I hook the loop onto a lever or the grip. When I mount and straighten the bike I have merely to pull the string and retrieve the plastic. It goes into a baggie in the tank bag. That's free advice from someone who's more, er, experienced and doesn't want to have to bend down all the time. Think of the process to retrieve the piece without the string!

More places these days are providing motorcycle only parking. It's greatly appreciated but these places aren't always decided by actual riders. We just sort of get slotted in here and there. Not all motorcycle parking spots are created equal. They can also present unique challenges. Consider this one.

When I rode by here there were two bikes already so I went down a few blocks and walked back. By that time one bike had left. This spot is right on the corner of two busy streets in the State Capitol. What doesn't show in the picture is the steep angle towards the curb. Balance and care are required to get into these spots. Curbing the rear tire helps settle the bike so it's more secure on the sidestand. Look at this next picture and you'll see another complication.

Here's a picture from an adjacent parking structure. Notice how all the cars pull into angled parking but the motorcycle is facing the opposite direction. To park here requires an almost 270 degree sharp turn. Here's where low speed maneuvering skills and sharp awareness of the surrounding traffic is required. A rider can't be messing about too long getting situated. This is right downtown amid a multi-block shopping mall. Remember the infamous offset cone weave in the DMV riding tests? This is an example of where a rider needs those skills. Keep enough throttle to hold the bike up and control speed with the clutch. Use your head and eyes for directional control. Sound familiar?

In the first of what would prove to be two surprising coincidences, the rider of the Honda ACE was a former student. He was proudly displaying the retroreflective sticker we give to graduates. Here's a picture of the helmet. You can see me reflected while I take the picture.

Backing into spots like these serves more than one purpose. Firstly, backing in just looks cool. Secondly, it's often necessary for the bike's stability. Thirdly, and most importantly, backing in allows the rider to both park and exit on their terms. Imagine trying to back out, uphill, onto these busy streets. We'd be pretty vulnerable because we lack the ability to gather visual information and to respond quickly to threats. Being able to pull out forward puts us in a much more advantageous position. Both literally and figuratively. Besides, it's often physically impossible to sit on a bike and push it backwards uphill! Let gravity pull it down to park and horsepower bring it back out.

Here's a spot across the street that doesn't require quite as much turning to get into. In an earlier post I presented a picture of Sophie parked here. You may recognize it. This day it was empty.

The big advantage to this spot is the handy phone booth for whatever quick clothing changes may be required!

On the subject of some motorcycle parking not being so desirable, check out these pictures. It was while taking these pictures that the second coincidence happened.

This spot is in a parking structure. Sorry the light's not good. I'm running out of daylight by now. My point and shoot only allows so many adjustments. Consider this picture worth 500 words instead of a thousand! This is a cramped spot with a big downhill slope to the left. If you notice at the top of the spot is a white car facing us. There's also motorcycle parking in that corner. Check it out.

This is one of those "Now that I've parked here and a car also parked, how the heck do I get out?" situations. As I'm trying to get pictures in the not so good light, I hear this voice say "What's up?" I don't really look and figure it's somebody wanting to know what I'm taking pictures of their car for. Turns out I'm somewhat right. When I look up I see my middle son Travis. He didn't recognize me from farther back and thought I was someone trying to write him a parking ticket or something. Now you might think I should have recognized the car. Long story short, Travis' car had been rear ended and totalled by the insurance company. This was his new-to-him replacement he'd just acquired. So I hadn't really had the chance to get to know it, you see? It was a neat coincidence considering we were both about 30 miles from home.

Sometimes it's just better to pass up motorcycling only parking and take to the streets. Here's a couple of pictures about parallel parking.

Parking too close to one end of the spot or the other can encourage drivers frustrated at a lack of parking spots to try to share. Sorry. It's my spot. Notice the back end towards the curb. Some places have laws stating that the rear tire needs to be within so many inches of the curb. Check with your local "agency having jurisdiction". These considerations aside, I park to maximize my safety in leaving. Angling the bike keeps parts out of the traffic flow. Turning the bars towards the sidestand makes for a steady tripod. I've seen big bikes with the bars turned full right. I also watched as a gust from a passing truck blew one over. Stability is our friend!

Here's a properly centered bike in the spot. By the way, you can't imagine how hard it was to get a clear picture from across the street! By now it's nearly 5 PM. This street is three lanes wide. There's a stop light at each end of the block. Most of the time bumper to bumper cars prevented me from getting a picture. Sheesh!

Several bikes can share the same spot, incidentally. That's not written in stone everywhere. Spaces that are paid for in those machines on the sidewalk are limited to one vehicle. However, most spots can have several bikes. I repeatedly ask parking enforcement people this question and get the same answer.

"How many bikes can legally park in a space with a parking meter?"

I'm told as many as will fit but if the meter expires they all get tickets!

To wrap up, I want to talk briefly about parking structures. There's a couple of unique things to consider here, as well.

Resist the urge to park too far back. Drivers seem to use less and less of their brains these days. Take a look at this situation from their perspective. No, we're not going where you think we're going. I don't care to emulate a colonoscopy probe!

Notice how the bike's all but invisible from this angle. I happen to be on the far end of the structure where's it quieter. Drivers are on the other side in a feeding frenzy for the spots closer to the door. It wouldn't hurt half of them to walk more. Imagine a driver diving into what they figure is an empty space. Will they stop before hitting the front of the bike?

Moving the bike forward enough to be seen but not so far as to be in harm's way works well here.

Just so you know the level of my commitment to you all, be it known that I violated at least one city ordinance to bring you these photos. I also got hassled by a parking enforcement person. Actually, Renea's a rider and she was in one of my classes a few years ago. It wasn't that bad when I told her what I was doing. Still, though, I hope you appreciate the chances I took for you!

There's an unofficial grace for bikes but it depends on the day and who's patrolling. If there's a sign there's a policy. Which means a rider can get ticketed for backing in. Which forces us to park like this and look just like the herd animals frequenting these places.

Oh the ignomy of it all!

So there you have it for what it's worth. Maybe you knew it all. Maybe you found something new to think about. Parking on a bike is like riding a bike in that you have to think like a motorcyclist. It's a different view from atop two wheels.

Enough of this parking thing! Sophie's been sitting around way too long. Got to ride!

Miles and smiles,

Dan