Biker ediquete - what would've you done?

[ells]

Calling it "etiquette" might be giving the other guy a break, but -

Yesterday, Vicki and I came back to our Nomad parked in a busy urban setting where small parking areas are set aside for free motorcycle parking. Place was real congested and the bike parking was full, but hadn't been when we left the bike there a couple hours earlier. Another bike had parked so close to my right side I could not come close to lifting mine to level, could barely get it off the stand before making contact. Worse was the spot was sloped back significantly so wimpy little me (6' 185#) could not easily coax my bike away to the left. Did not feel comfortable starting it up and trying to power it off to the left in that condition either. Might have tried to start it up and drag it a few inches just off the kickstand, but that can't happen. What to do? I felt uncomfortable about trying to move or even touch the other bike (yeah, it was a HD). Didn't have time to wait it out or try to find the guy. So struggled some go get it away to the left and ended up with nice scratch in my right bag door, which later mostly buffed out except a small pit. Not sure and don't care what it did to the other bike, I could see anything on a quick glance.

Just curious if anyone has some thoughts about what to do when in that situation? Never happened to me before, but then again don't often park in a crowd of unknown bikes.

[speedbyu]

First reaction........kick the POS over for being an asshole.

Second reaction after I thought about it for a second or two, would have been to move his foward so I could get mine out and move it back. If in the mean time he came outI guess he would have either understood or game on. Probably some suit that dresses up on the weekend to feel tough and he would not have cared or would have been sorry after he realized what he had done.

Just my .02's
Bill

Thats a tough situation. Usually peoples brain stem is functional enough that they don't park that close on the right side. I wouldn't feel comfortable touching his bike either, however, in that situation he is inviting you to move his bike if the choice is between move his bike or scratch mine. If I had a friend with me I might just sit on his bike and raise it level off the kick stand and have my friend pull my bike out or something. Raisng his level should give you enough space, assuming he's not the one that srcatched it when he backed in.

It really ticks me now a days that people have this " entitled", I don't give a #%&!, and I'll do as I please attitude. The guy had to have known his bike was too close, but he is "entitled" to park it how he wants and where he wants. What a douche bag !! Now that I have vented, I believe that wolfman's suggestion is probably what I would do. You are just as " entitled" to move your bike out the best way you deem necessary.

[Yellow Jacket]

Like speedbyu my first reaction was also to just kick the sucker over and get on out of there.

Thankfully, some of the time I actually think before I react. I agree with either moving it so that I could get out without damaging my own bike or as wolfman said about lifting it upright if I had someone to move mine for me.

[Top Cat]

If I had a friend with me I would have done as Wolfman said.
If I was alone I would have done what speedbyu said except I would have left his bike where I moved it to. In other words, move his ahead or back so I could get on mine and motor away http://s2.images.proboards.com/grin.gif

[Todd]

Yep, I would have just straddled it and moved it...got mine out...and put his back in the spot close to where it was....if he came out in the meantime and was pissed off, as someone said....GAME ON!

[waterman]

Ells, I probably would have moved it back out of the way to move mine out. Would be tempted to leave it there or move it to the middle of a busy street. But, alas, I would have been nice and moved it back.

I would have moved it as necessary. No foul to me. He's the one that parked too close. I wouldn't have left it in the street or anything.

[cactusjack]

I think Mr. Harley would have come out and found a nice, big, freshly-hawked oyster on his windscreen, seat, or speedo.

This has happened at work before. We have a designated motorcycle parking area that can comfortably hold about 10 bikes. I've seen as many as 14 or 15 in there. I am usually the first or second bike to arrive in the morning, since I go in at 0700, and I usually have my pick of places to park. I have gone to lunch and come back to find it packed tight and have used a cage space on those occasions. Everyone who rides at work is very conscientious and wouldn't intentionally damages someone elses bike. Of course, the fact that there is a security camera trained on the bike spaces probably doesn't hurt.

We have Cactus League baseball here every March, which are the spring training games for a number of teams. My employer was generous enough to give us free tickets to a Diamondbacks vs A's game. I rode my bike to the game and parked in an area marked with yellow lines, a no-parking area at the end of a row of cars. When I went to leave, some d*****bag had parked his Mazda in the traffic aisle, so close to my bike I couldn't stand it up straight without putting one of my handlebars through his passenger window. I managed to muscle it out of there, and there were too many people around to do anything in retaliation.

[ells]

Thanks for the comments. Given the slope, I may or may not have been able to move his out, it could not go back further because of the curb and forward was a little steep. Having someone else right his/hers would have would have helped but wasn't a viable option in time frame I had, for which I paid. Was fortunate the scratch wasn't worse but the little remaining pit will remind me.

[ringadingh]

I would have moved the HD if possible to get mine out, then put it back for him. I wouldn't have liked doing it but I wouldn't want to damage my bike either.

we used to have real motorcycle only parking spaces around here, back in the 70's. since then they've all slowly just disappeared, so we are forced to park just about anywhere. Fortunately lots of the cops around here ride too, and they're usually very cool about the parking situation. People park bikes in lots of places it would be illegal to park a car, or where there simply isn't enough room for a car, and nobody ever gets ticketed AFAIK.

[skeeter]

Ells, I probably would have moved it back out of the way to move mine out. Would be tempted to leave it there or move it to the middle of a busy street. But, alas, I would have been nice and moved it back.

Same here.

Option II - Ask innocent bystander to please hold my bike(his) while I rolled his(mine) out of the way. Start bike and ride off!
Joking....

[Cajunrider]

I think wolfman had the best idea if someone was there to help. Otherwise, I would have moved the HD enough to get mine out unharmed. I don't think I would have put the HD back where it was though. I wouldn't have intentionally left it in harms way but I would have wanted him/her to know that I moved it. It hasn't happened to me yet because I haven't been riding long enough I guess. I can envision someone in a cage doing that but not another rider. Only exceptions would be dumba$$ or a$$hole.

[trip]

Normally, we bikers don't like to touch other bikes unless we're asked, but in this case, to save any damage to my bike, I would have done what Wolfman suggested. Get on his bike, move it slightly, move mine, then move his back.

If the bike owner comes up while your doing this, unless he's drunk, he should understand. Put it this way, if I found someone moving my bike because I parked too close, I would expect them to move mine. That saves possible damage to both bikes.

But then, I don't park my bike too close to anybody anyway. Accessories are too expensive for a scratch.

[dhelfritz]

i woild have moved his bike, if the handlebars werent locked or if I could. I would have left it in a safe position, but, moved it enough for him to know that someone had moved it. Hopefully he would get the message.

[ells]

In retrospect and given the geometry/slope (backed in and sloping back) and timing of the situation, attempting to move his/her bike did not seem like a good option at the time. Given the responses here I'd give it more consideration in the future, if there is one but always a possibility. Will let you know but I don't expect the new emergency member list will help too much should it go awry. I did not park close to anyone but was in area where it was likely to fill up. One preventive move would be park with a bike already on your right and maybe they will still be there when it's time to leave. Thanks again for the comments.

[Cajunrider]

Ells, You were there and only you knew what you could and couldn't do given the circumstances. Sorry to hear that you scratched your bike though. I'm sure that caused some major heartburn. Take care.

[cactusjack]

A lot of Harleys are equipped with alarms. Moving the bike probably would have set off the alarm.

[Top Cat]

A lot of Harleys are equipped with alarms. Moving the bike probably would have set off the alarm.
Better yet. When the doufus came out to see why his alarm was sounding I would have asked him to move his bike so I could get out http://s2.images.proboards.com/grin.gif

[jussmatt]

Ells...I'm with most of the guys on here... I would have tried to move their bike first.... if not, then you did all you could do bud! Sorry to hear about your scratch...but glad you got most of it out.

This is one of the reasons why I really pay attention to where I park now!!

A lot of Harleys are equipped with alarms. Moving the bike probably would have set off the alarm.
Better yet. When the doufus came out to see why his alarm was sounding I would have asked him to move his bike so I could get out http://s2.images.proboards.com/grin.gif
Better yet, just keep setting off his alarm until his battery goes dead.

[justbrian]

Ive been in this situation before, it sucks, should i move it should i not, should i put a dog turd on the seat, if i able to move there bike with out harm thats what id do first. Doing the right thing is what i would do. But if he is a D*** about it then hopefully he is smaller than me.

[formikec]

I've thought about this a little, and decided to use a little of my experience racing cars.

I'd do the following:

1. Put on my helmet (very important first step).
2. Move his bike out and turn it around, then put it back leaning the opposite way.
3. If he came out being anything other than sorry, then helmet's on, I have the advantage.
4. If he didn't, problem solved, I'm off, and when he returns, he'll realize someone had to move his bike (and hopefully figure it out).

Ooooh! Good first step!