Parking lot tip over mystery??

That's my train of thought as well. I NEVER take the bikes to public places as I've seen and heard many things that I just want to avoid. I know of friends who have had helmets stolen (cut from the holder) and gas tanks keyed. If I must leave the bikes, then they go to and from work only as I trust the people I work with and the parking lot is monitored, patrolled and within view of the building. I take the car for running general errands.

 

Could always get a dedicated Rat-Bike to do stuff, could even re-name it a New York City Bike. I dont like riding to places I have'nt been to, ie-trying to follow directions that are taped to my gas tank :sad: If I caught someont keying my shit, you would be reading about me in the national news. :evil:

Bike covers keep prying eyes away and out of sight out of mind works. Not to mention keeping the elements out of the delicate parts.

 

I hope you realize by your post you may add to Crusty's list of phobias when and if he gets a job that is.

 

flip side is that you are already starting to lean with the sidestand, so if it sinks, you lean over further and further, until possibly crash! With the center stand, if you sink, you tend to sink straight down. It can be a bear to get your bike rolling again, if your center stand sinks more than a little bit, but it is better than a crash. I don't know how great the weight difference is, with the center stand you have the two points the size of a quarter, plus one tire. With the side stand you have two tires and one point the size of a quarter. There may well be a difference, seems like there would be, but I can't imagine it is very much.
Regardless of which you choose, if you are parking on black asphalt on a very hot day, the newer it is the more likely it seems like you will sink. If it is something you do a lot, you can actually buy little discs you can carry in your tank bag or velcro inside your fairing to pull out and throw on the ground under your side or center stand. Or, if you don't want to spend money on that, or don't run into it very often, you can also use a soda can, just stand on it and crush it and place one or two under your stand. Or a piece of scrap wood or plastic lying around.

The worst I have experienced was on a trip to Sequia National Park with a buddy. Summer time, super hot. We get to our hotel, pull into our spots and I put the sidestand down, with the idea that I would get off, pop it on the center stand (because of the heat), and get my luggage off. Well they had recently repaved their parking lot and the sidestand sank so quick and so deep that as I was swinging my leg over the seat to get off, the bike essentially fell against my other leg. Since it was so unexpected, I almost lost it, and was in a very precarious position. Luckily my buddy quickly pulled his bike on the cement sidewalk and came over to help me. Extended the center stand and go to pop it up, and no go. First off the sidestand is stuck in the asphalt, but more than that, when I stepped on the tang and pulled the bike back, the center stand sank to the cross member, rather than lift the bike up. Did I mention it was really really friggin' hot? Like 110 or something. Unstuck my stands and my buddy found a piece of 2x10 that we used to keep the bikes from sinking. All this in a full 'Stitch sweating my A$$ off. I will never ever willingly go back to Ridgecrest CA again... I took a lot of heat (no pun intended) for planning that part of the trip.

 

But that limits the fun on the bike too. I have had my bike knocked over, but oddly only the bright red BMW, never the various Hondas, Yamahas, or sole Kawasaki I have owned. Heard plenty of stories from those that live in the city.
As for parking only at work, I felt safe there too, but that is where I suffered my one and only vehicle theft. My 98 VFR, during the day, in a very low crime city, Pleasanton, CA; a building that was just my company, parking lot viewable by perhaps 50 desks, people constantly in and out. Really the guys that know what they are doing, are gone in less than 2 minutes, perhaps less than 1 minute.
The new Scorpio Alarm was sitting on a shelf in my garage waiting to be installed. I was in no rush to install it because I had only bought it for when I was on trips and staying at hotels. I worried about it in the parking lot at night. Since I didn't have anything planned, and was "only" riding back and forth to work or a day long fun rides. I was just in no rush to install the alarm...

 

What Honda needs to do is improve thier aftermarket line with training wheels. A set of those installed and all the problems with both center and side stands would go bye-bye. I appoint Spike as our official spokesperson because he explains things so well even a two year old can understand. He could ditch the personal anecdotes though. Honda probably doesn't give a shit about those.

 

ugggg
nothing makes me more sick to my stomach. Mine fell over last week in the street ans of course it fell on the good side (side I don't already need painted)! I had to scramble to find a clutch lever since I had my road test scheduled for the next morning. I definitely had it parked on the side stand and in a decent spot on the street in front of my house. I can't quite describe the feeling turning around and seeing the stallion on its side....makes me sick to hear that happened to you too.
cycle gear or ebay carries decent replacement parts.

 

I feel for you guys that worry about theft/vandalism. Even on trips I just hang my helmet on the footpeg and lay my jacket & gloves on the tank. Usually leave the keys in the ignition too. I've never had anything stolen on any trip or errand.

I always carry the plastic disc to put under the sidestand for dirt or soft asphalt. I feel a strong wind could blow the bike over on the center stand. I quite often think that I should put it in gear when I park it in case a gust comes up can move it enough to fall over.

 

wonder could someone had knocked it over?

 

would require a pretty strong wind indeed, the bike is pretty stable on it's center stand. You can even do some work on the bike with it on the center stand.

 

Ol Spike's vast storehouse of bike stuff is all neatly tied up in little packages with granny knots.

With just a little examination we can assume working on a bike on the centerstand is something we were all ignorant of until shown the way..LOL

Next we examine wind (this opposed to hot air) for velocity as well as directionality. VFR fairings as just one example are aerodynamic but only when the bike is moving foward ie, into the wind. Drafting or the Kamm effect occurs minimally in a tailwind. Wind from the side? One big fucking sail.. Maybe a crossing of the Columbia River Gorge or ride on the slab whilst the Satana winds are blowing or the 100 mile gusts on the Oregon Coast might be a good indicator rather than guessing.

Next we will hear from the "Santa Anna" winders who never quite figured out that St. Anne was a saint and Satana means "of " The Devil and Santa Ana is where they raise large crops of Republicans and generate lots of hot air.

 

Bad luck on the fall, have not heard of to many going over on the main stand, but plenty on the side stand.
I had a bike where the rear tyre went flat & as it did, it leveled the bike & the bugger fell over on its right side. Would not have minded so much, but had just spent weeks repairing, spraying & mounting the fairing & this was less than a week later. Another time, Parked my bike at work, on bitumen, over the day the side stand slowly sank into ground, bike have leaned way over but did not fall, but by the time I came out the temp had dropped & locked the bloody side stand in the bitumen.

 

Really? 30 posts? Quit it already! Shut the front door, what is wrong with you guys?




...

 

As for you, shut the fuck up for christ's sake. Jesus Billy, just quit with your jibberish. You have something to contribute, then fucking do it, other than that, quit. Fucking sickening. Like I know you care, right?, you are a sick piece of shit, Billy. Worthless fuck. That's right, all the rest of you passive aggressive homos, I went there. It's about goddamned time you milktoast fuckers rise up and run this asshole off. I'm out, because I know you fags can't deal with it. tThis guy has come into your house and you have all let it happen...fuck off to this place.



.

 

WOW , cant we all just get along --- or not!!!!

 

Norkleboy should get a big ol pat on the backside for finally coming out. Next IMO, some counciling for those control issues would be in order followed by one of those hockey pucks for his sidestand.

 

Stevets - Welcome to VFRworld.

Sorry to hear about the damage, you won't be the first to encounter this. After a few close calls, I try to avoid parking the bike facing downhill and normally opt for the side stand. Just remember there is a bolt on the 6th Gen side-stands which tends to shake loose and can result in the bike keeling over. So either check it regularly or use thread lock. Hot tarmac needs to be treated like parking on mud or soft grass - avoid if possible and as others have said, if you have no choice put a squashed can or something else under the stand to spread the load.

Skimad4x4
6th Gen Militia #218

 

Good call, Milo.
I was just scrolling down to suggest this very thing.
I keep mine under the seat and use it anytime I am unsure of the integrity of the ground.
It has not let me down yet.

If you do not want to buy one, some folks just flatten an aluminum can.

 

Everyone knows that the only dudes who let their bikes fall over are passive-agressive homos.

 

Don't you mean park facing uphill? so the bike can't roll off the sidestand?